Great Ideas for Crafting and Baking Fun

If you're a DIY mom like me, you're always looking for fun crafts or a new easy recipe to make with the kiddos. Now that I'm a homeschooling mom, the need for new and fresh ideas is even more strong! One great place to find ideas for fun family Christmas projects is Disney's Family Fun magazine. Log on to the website to find fun crafts, yummy treats, and all sorts of fun ideas for your holiday family time. Most projects require items you'd have around your house already, and some even have instructional videos (really helpful!).

What are your favorite Christmas family projects? Here's one of our recent projects--a gingerbread house made from scratch! (Never mind that it only stood about 45 minutes before crashing down. The good news is that we actually got to eat it while it was still fresh, rather than hard as a rock from sitting around for two weeks until Christmas. Gotta find that silver lining, right?

Toontown Set to Close in February

Many of you have been wondering...and a few of you have asked...but until now, I didn't have a clear answer. But Friday, the official Disney Parks Blog confirmed that Mickey's Toontown Fair will be closing after February 11 to make room for the Fantasyland expansion.

Mickey, Minnie, and the Princesses will find temporary meet-n-greet digs elsewhere in the park, and will relocate to the Town Square Exposition Center in the spring. Tink will be heading to Disney's Hollywood Studios to greet guests, while her fairy friends will be appearing in Epcot in the spring.

The Walt Disney World Railroad station in Toontown will close, leaving only the Main Street and Frontierland stations in the loop. However, the railroad will operate as normal otherwise.

If you get an opportunity to visit WDW before February 11, be sure to give Toontown a fond farewell!

Friday Photo

Ah, memories! This was taken back in 2005--our oldest daughter's first visit to WDW. The castle show at that time was called "Cinderellebration!" and it featured all the major princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, and Jasmine. After watching home video of it over and over and over, I can still sing most of the songs from this show. (A little sad, right?) It was a fun show, and my little princess just loved it! Anyone out there remember "Cinderellebration!" ?

Parks Offering "Coupons" for Off-Hour Dining

It doesn't happen often, but on a few occasions recently Disney has offered coupons for dining at odd hours. If you're visiting the parks between December 19 and January 1, you can actually print a voucher to receive 30% off at specific restaurants, simply for dining during specific hours, specifically before noon or between 3:00 and 4:30 p.m.



Click here to print your voucher.

Free Shipping at DisneyStore.com with Toy Purchase

Today through Wednesday, if you purchase any toy from www.DisneyStore.com you can get free shipping on your entire purchase by using the code TOYMANIA. Free shipping applies to standard delivery, and there are a few restrictions, but this is a great way to get the items you want shipped free--just make sure you add a not-so-expensive toy to your cart.

How are you all doing on your Christmas shopping? Finished? Almost? Not even started? I'm getting pretty close, but I still have a few items to buy. Just 19 days left...better get moving!

I Want One...

OK, so you might remember me pining over a Dooney & Bourke Mickey purse. And then, when I actually purchased a small one (at a cost of $60--which is a lot for a frugal shopper like me!), I was completely underwhelmed. And, to be quite honest, I had a pretty abysmal customer service experience with DisneyStore.com, too. :-/ Honestly, I haven't made a purchase from them since.

That said, I just saw these new beauties:



No, they're not from D&B...they're from Harveys. Are they cute, or what? This one is $154.50--so NOT in my budget. The cheapest one I saw was $129.50 (boo). And since I still have the tiny D&B one sitting on my desk, mocking me for making a frivolous purchase of a bag too small to hold my goods with a handle too short to go over my shoulder, I guess I'll merely adore these from afar.

Besides, I'm still a little miffed at DisneyStore.com (per the aforementioned abysmal customer service experience). Guess I'll tell myself I'm passing on principle. That will make it hurt less, right?

Friday Photo

I'm a planner. And although I do advocate having a general touring plan for any WDW vacation, I'm actually not a ride-by-ride itinerary planner. For one thing, even the most well-planned itinerary can fall victim to unexpected stumbling blocks, such as a closed attraction or a sick child (both happened to us on our last trip!). And the other main reason I like having a flexible plan is so that we can take in the street performances that we stumble across around the World. (Actually, most of these are on a schedule too, but it's way more fun to happen upon them, in my opinion!) Here's a fun little acrobatic/juggling act near France in Epcot. The little guy on the table provides most of the skilled straight-man work, while the chef takes on the more comedic role.

Where in the World is your favorite street performance?