In the first post in this series, I talked about some of the things we’ve learned when planning travel to a Disney park with toddlers. In this post, I’ll continue with our lessons learned during our time IN the parks.

Get there early, on at least one day – This is harder for us to do at Walt Disney World, since we’re used to Mountain time, but it definitely pays to get to the parks early. First, the crowds are usually pretty light when the parks first open, so you can ride some of your “must-dos” without too much of a line. Second, several of the parks do a special opening show, like the one pictured here at the Magic Kingdom, which is a lot of fun for the kids to watch. Makes it that much more special for them!

Take a break during the day – I’ve heard some parents say this just doesn’t work for them, but for us, this is probably our biggest lifesaver. And, it’s not just for families traveling with young kids, it worked very well when we traveled with our parents back in May as well! It works best for us to completely leave the parks and go back to the hotel for a few hours, which is why we like to stay on property, but even if you’re not staying on property (or just don’t want to leave), you can find a quiet spot in the park and just sit and relax, perhaps while enjoying a cool drink or Mickey ice cream bar.

Know where the bathrooms are, and use them…often – ESPECIALLY before you get into a line that looks deceptively short but is actually 45 mintues long. We made this mistake with my son during his first trip. The line for Mickey was 45 minutes but Colorado Boy REALLY wanted to meet him, so we waited. He was really, really good during the whole wait but literally right as we got to the door that led to Mickey, my son said “I have to go potty”. Normally that meant we had about 5 minutes before he had to go, so we figured we’d be able to hustle through the visit and get him to the bathroom. And anyway, we had waited 45 minutes, so we weren’t going to give up at that point Unfortunately, this time, we didn’t QUITE have 5 minutes so we now have a wonderful souvenir of our first visit with Mickey, with all of us smiling…and Colorado Boy with a mysterious dark area on his jeans…Such a bad parent moment for me, but it taught us a valuable lesson!

Let the kids run some energy off - While having a stroller makes park touring MUCH easier, it can make for an antsy kid by the end of the day, so we always try to find a place in the park where the kiddos can run around and stretch their legs. There’s lots of good places for this – at Disneyland, we LOVE Tom Sawyer’s Island, er…I mean, The Pirate’s Lair. California Adventure has Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and at Walt Disney World, there are several places, like The Boneyard and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” movie set to name a few.

Don’t Park Hop - This is another tip that some people may not agree with, but after trying it both ways, we’ve learned that it makes for a much more pleasant day if we just stay in one park for the day (both before and after our mid-day break). I think, for my kids, the parks are a bit overwhelming because there’s SO much to see. Keeping the day focused on a single park makes it easier for them to adjust and leads to fewer meltdowns.

Don’t force Character interactions – For the most part, we haven’t had problems meeting the characters – my kids were pretty much ready to give Mickey a hug from a very early age. But, I think this is relatively unusual based on the number of unhappy kids I’ve seen meeting a character for the first time. From a young child’s perspective, characters are HUGE – way bigger than they appear on the TV at home, so let your kids dictate the level of interaction they want to have with the characters. Some kids love ‘em, some kids take awhile to warm up to ‘em!

Don’t stay late every night  – While the fireworks at Disney are some of the best you’ll probably ever see, I don’t recommend staying late to see them every night of your stay. Depending on the time of year you go, the fireworks may not start until 8:30 or 9pm, sometimes later, which, if your kids are like mine, is WAY past their normal bedtime. So, pick one night, maybe two if you’re there for a week, to see the fireworks. Oh, and if you stay late one night, don’t make the next morning your early day in the parks…that may sound obvious, but we did it without thinking one year and it wasn’t particularly fun

Don’t try to see EVERYTHING – There is A LOT to see and do at the Disney Parks, especially if you’re visiting Walt Disney World, and it’s important to understand that it’s virtually impossible to see EVERYTHING in one visit (even without kids). So, plan ahead, come up with a few things that are “must-dos” for your visit, but don’t try to do it all. The kids will be happier and it will give you a good excuse to plan another trip!

Although every toddler is different and some of these tips may not work for you, I hope there have been a few things here that will help you plan your next visit to the Disney parks! And don’t forget – take tons of pictures and as always, HAVE FUN!

Our first trip to a Disney park with kids was in 2006, when Colorado Boy was 3. Since then, we’ve gone on at least one trip to the parks every year, including Colorado Princess’ first trip when she was just 9 months old. So, when people ask me if I think it will be ok to take their toddler to the parks, I always say OF COURSE!

Granted, traveling to a Disney park with young kids in tow is certainly NOT for everyone, and I’ll be the first to admit that it was a MAJOR adjustment for me (I’m more of a “commando” visitor ) But, after some trial and error, we learned some things that helped us tremendously, so I thought I would share some of our ideas with you. I don’t think any of these are necessarily new, but it’s always nice to get confirmation from multiple places that these ideas work.

My first five tips are for the planning and travel day leading up to your park(s) visit

Get your child her own seat on the airplane – I know, I know. There are two issues with this – airline tickets are expensive and lugging a carseat around is a pain in the butt. Very valid issues, but for us, the relative calm we get with a carseat in the airplane WAY outweighs the negatives for us. When she was younger, Colorado Princess was relatively content in her carseat and would even nap. Sitting in our laps, she was a squirmy, crying, exhausted mess.

Don’t schedule anything major on the first day – When we go to Disney World, it’s usually an almost all day trip for us plus we cross over two time zones. We’ve learned not to schedule anything, not even a dinner, for the night we get there because the kids are usually too exhausted. Grab something quick, order room service, or, if you’re staying in a DVC suite, take advantage of a grocery delivery service like GardenGrocer.com and have something delivered and waiting for you. If it works in your schedule, I’d even try to make the whole next day a relatively easy going day so the kids can get acclimated, but I know that’s sometimes easier said than done

Stay on property – Again, this can be an expensive part of your vacation, but we feel like it’s just so much easier to just use the Disney transportation and not have to find parking at the beginning of the day, find your car at the end of the day, potentially have to deal with traffic, etc. It also makes it easier to take breaks in the middle of the day. And, you just can’t beat that “Disney” feeling by totally immersing yourself in the experience Keep an eye out for special discounts on Disney hotels or promotions like free dining that can save you money while allowing you to stay on property.

Bring your own stroller – Yep, I know it’s a pain in the butt to travel with a stroller, especially if you have a big one, but it’s been a lifesaver for us. First, I’ve found that my kids are much more comfortable in their own strollers. The Disney strollers are fine, but they’re a little hard on the backside! Second, have you ever had to manuever a sleeping child OUT of the stroller so you can leave the park and then have to carry said sleeping child to the awaiting bus or car? All at the end of a long day at the park? Yeah, it’s not fun. And that’s why we bring our stroller with us almost every time we go to the parks. By the way, if you ARE going to rent a stroller and are going to be in the parks for multiple days, make sure to do the math – it MIGHT be cheaper to just buy one of the small strollers that many of the shops carry. On our last trip we decided to just rent because we were only going to be there for 3 days, but the Cast Member working at the stroller rental place pointed out that it would be cheaper to just buy the stroller. We decided to take it back with us at the end of the trip, but you could always spread some pixie dust and give it to a family in need on your way out if you don’t want to carry it on the plane.

Have a plan…but be flexible – I’m a planner, so maybe it’s just in my nature, but I cringe every time I hear someone say, “Oh yeah, we’re just going to wing it. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Disney and “wing it”? Yeah, those two things just don’t go together So, it IS important to have a basic plan of what you’re going to do each day, where and when you’re going to eat, any attractions that are “must dos” etc. That being said, it’s also important to be flexible. I’ll never forget our first trip to Disney World with my son. I had EVERYTHING planned out – exactly what attraction we would ride and when we would do it. We got to the first ride of the day and my son just REFUSED to go on it, even though I knew it was something he would love (Winnie the Pooh). A round of cajoling and begging ensued, with the end result being tears (mine, not my son’s ) I had to change my thinking very quickly and find the places in my plan where we could be flexible about what we were going to do. In the end, easing up made a big difference, and we did get Colorado Boy to ride Winnie the Pooh…and he loved it!

In my next post, I’ll give you some lessons learned while touring the parks with a toddler or two in tow.

This week’s Wordless Wednesday theme is Your Calendar Shot and when I first saw the suggestion from Deb, I wasn’t totally sure what I was going to post. What ONE picture would I choose as the cover of our 2012 calendar? That was going to be a tough one because we have too many favorites from this year! But then, I came across this picture taken in April on our ”parent’s week away” Disney cruise and thought it would be a perfect way to start a 2012 calendar since we’re getting closer to our Disney cruise to Alaska this June.

So, can anyone guess where this was taken? I really wonder if Disney contracts with this particular port so that they can anchor in this exact spot so the ship is PERFECTLY framed by the rocks on either side

I’ll update the post later in the day with the answer!

UPDATE: And, the answer to Where In The World is…Lover’s Beach in Cabo San Lucas. The rock formations on this beach are pretty impressive to begin with, but when we saw the Disney Wonder framed perfectly between the two, we thought it was a perfect picture to remind us of our time there!

Click on the image below to see some other great Disney pictures in this week’s Wordless Wednesday blog hop!

Whew! We survived another Christmas season, with only a few tears here and there Thinking back over the weekend, I realized that it really was a very Merry DISNEY Christmas for us this year, even though we were nowhere near the parks. Here’s a couple highlights from the weekend.

Colorado Princess turned 3 on Christmas Eve and we HAD to celebrate with a Princess cake. Thanks to Sara’s Sweets for another awesome birthday cake! And of course, a birthday isn’t complete without a new princess dress (thanks Colorado Sister!)

Christmas Eve night, we switched gears from birthday to Christmas, and opened our traditional Christmas Eve pajamas. The kids got a princess nightgown and Mickey robe, respectively.

I was apparently too tired on Christmas morning to get any decent pictures, but the kids woke up to some exciting Santa gifts – princess dolls for Colorado Princess and Harry Potter legos for Colorado Boy.

Later in the day, we had our families over for Christmas lunch and I was able to use my Mickey Twas The Night Before Christmas dishes and linens (yes, I know, I should use them on Christmas Eve…oh well!).

 It was great spending time with the family, eating great food, laughing and opening presents. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but I must say – my family sure does know me well! They got me some really cool Disney stuff this year (including my own personalized bag). Now I just have to figure out where to put it all!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas with your friends and family! Did any of you get a special Disney gift this year?

To my beautiful Princess girl,

Today you turn three years old! I can’t believe how fast time flies and what a big girl you’re becoming. It seems like only yesterday we were getting ready for your arrival…

You were due on Dec. 21st, 2008 and I was SURE that you would come on that day, mostly because I didn’t want to spend the holidays in the hospital! Of course, you had other plans and so, on the afternoon of Dec. 24th, we headed to the hospital with expectations that we would have a new baby girl before dinnertime. And yet, you were still being stubborn and refused to come out (I guess you were just too cozy!), so our doctor cancelled his plans to attend Christmas Eve mass, and we settled in for several hours of watching “Christmas Story” and “Christmas Vacation” over and over (and over) again. Finally, at 10:47pm, on Christmas Eve night, you arrived in the world, our wonderful Christmas gift.

We celebrated your arrival and opened Christmas presents with your brother the next day in our hospital room, and all the nurses came by to celebrate – you ended up being the baby born closest to Christmas in our hospital,so everyone wanted to meet you.

But the real adventure began when we brought you home and I quickly learned that no matter how hard I tried to steer you in a different direction, pink was (and still is) your favorite color. And, while we’re still learning to live with a full blown “princess girl”, we’ve loved (almost) every minute of the last three years. Your smile, laugh and sense of humor is what we love best and it more than makes up for the times when you turn into a sassypants.

Happy Birthday, Colorado Princess! We love you lots!

This week’s Wordless Wednesday theme: Joy

Click on the image below to see some other great Disney pictures in this week’s Wordless Wednesday blog hop!

My second favorite Christmas treat are the Peanut Butter Balls that Colorado Sister (aka Suburban Misfit) makes every year. I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate so I really can’t get enough of these, so Colorado Sister usually makes me a batch all my own. Honestly, I could probably live off of them if I absolutely HAD to.

Peanut Butter Balls
2 cups Rice Krispies, crushed
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 stick of butter, softened
1 pound of powdered sugar
melting chocolate

Mix the Rice Krispies, peanut butter and butter until well combined then add the powdered sugar gradually while stirring until well combined. Roll the dough into small balls and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Follow the directions on the melting chocolate to heat it up. Roll the peanut butter balls in the chocolate and place on wax paper to dry.

Tips: Colorado Sister works for Udi’s, a Colorado-based company that makes gluten-free baked goods (their chocolate chip cooks are AWESOME), and is always on the look out for ways to make her recipes gluten-free. This one is very easy to do, just by substituting Gluten Free Rice Krispies (made with brown rice) for the regular Rice Krispies.

While we have never made these peanut-free, I’m thinking you could probably substitute something like NoNuts or Sunbutter and come out with a delicious peanut-free alternative.

Over the weekend, I started some of my Christmas baking and it got me thinking about some of our favorite holiday treats. We have several things that we make every year, like sugar cookies and cream cheese mints, but I thought I’d share the recipes for two of the things that our family just absolutely can’t live without each year.

First, is Poppy Seed Bread. We got this recipe from my parent’s next door neighbors many, many years ago and it became an instant hit. A dessert bread, it is something we have for EVERY holiday – it’s just that good. The secret is the glaze that goes over the top – it just gives it that extra (sugary) kick! Oh, and just remember, calories don’t count during the holidays

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

For the bread:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 tbsp. almond extract

Mix all ingredients together (I typically do it in the order everything is listed, but I don’t think it REALLY matters) and put into 2 well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Let sit in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto aluminum foil.

For the glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar

Microwave the orange juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 30 – 40 sec. While loaves are still warm, brush glaze over all sides of loaves.

Wrap cooled loaves in aluminum foil and refrigerate to maintain freshness.

Hints: Be careful when you’re taking the loaves out of the pans because the middle tends to stick a bit. I usually run a knife around all the edges and kind of underneath before I turn them out just to reduce the amount of sticking. I’ve also heard that using the flexible silicone pans helps, although I haven’t used them myself.

Be warned that the glaze is almost as good as glue once it hardens, so wipe up any spills that may get on the counter while you’re glazing as soon as you can or you’ll be using a putty knife to remove it (yes, this is from experience)

Next up: Peanut Butter Balls

A few years ago, Colorado Boy was talking about how much he wanted his own Christmas tree that he could decorate however he wanted because he was upset that I wouldn’t let him put ALL the ornaments on one branch (I think the tree would have fallen over!). So, the next day we went and bought a mini Christmas tree and a new tradition was born.

This year, Colorado Boy went for minimalism on the tree itself, with a special display of train ornaments UNDER the tree

This year also marks the first year of Colorado Princess’ very own Christmas tree. Colorado Grammy bought her a PINK PRINCESS TREE to celebrate the occasion. Woohoo!! This particular tree came “pre-decorated” by Colorado Grammy, but Colorado Princess has moved things around and added an additional ornament to celebrate her favorite Princess, Belle!

Mickey and Santa are two of my favorite characters and I love to include them both in my holiday decorating, so I was excited when my mom introduced me to the Disney Traditions figurines by Jim Shore. It’s kind of become a tradition for my mom to give me a new figurine on my birthday, so now I have quite a collection of them that I put out every year at Christmas.

I was lucky enough to meet Jim and have him sign one of my pieces at the D23 Expo in 2009 and I really enjoyed hearing about the process he goes through to come up with just the right “feel” for each piece. You can tell he really loves what he does and I think that shines through in the details of each piece.

Here are a few of my favorites