From One Mom to Another: Tips on Disney, Races and Kids

In this photo Jake and I both have lanyards with our pins on. Photo: Disney Photopass  What is Disney Pin Trading?  If you have never been to a Disney Park you may not know or you might not understand it even if you have why people are walking around with pins on lanyards and display pouches.  Disney sells pins, most are the size of a quarter that you can wear, display, collect and/or trade. But why? People collect things for different reasons, pins are the same.  Here's a couple reasons you might want to buy some collectible pins. Reason 1.  They are a fun souvenir that doesn't take up a ton of space in you luggage and are easy to display. Reason 2.  If the pins are limited editions or rare they may increase in value just like any other collectible. Reason 3.  Pin trading is fun and can be done anywhere in the park.  It is a great way to pass the time and gives you a chance to interact with Cast Members and other...

This is the first year I have purchased Annual Passes in the many years we have visited Walt Disney World.  When you decide if you want to purchase a standard pass or an annual pass ask yourself a couple questions: 1. Are you a Florida resident?   (there are significantly more options if this is the case, none of which I am going to cover here so go here to see what you qualify for https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passes/ )   2.  How many days are you planning to visit in a one year period?   This is the most important question, annual passes when first purchased are valid from your activation date (first day in the parks) for one full year.   (Example, I purchased my annual pass in March but don't activate until my vacation on July 10; my pass is good from July 10, 2018-July 9, 2019.) 2018 Pricing for the current Annual Pass (Platinum/Plus) is $849/$949 for ages 3+.  The difference is that the Platinum Plus includes unlimited access to...

I'm not a huge fan of grocery shopping or waiting in line for food of any kind.  I haven't met a person that wants to spend their vacation hours in line shopping for food or waiting for lunch.  Unless this is you, I have a couple options to avoid these distractions! I am not affiliated with any of these services and I am only reviewing ones I have used and like.   I'm going to cover three types of mobile ordering, there are more but these are the three I use and can recommend. I use Amazon Prime/Pantry and Wal-Mart Pickup at home as well as on vacation.  I use Walt Disney World mobile ordering only at Disney (obviously).  Let's start with Amazon and Wal-Mart because you can use these on any vacation. Wal-Mart offers mobile ordering that you can pickup at the store or have delivered.  I haven't used the delivery option because I haven't been in an area where that was available, yet.  Store pickup allows you to choose when you will be picking up ...

I love to fly and after being an Aircraft Mechanic in the Navy,I can assure you it is much safer than driving. Here are a couple of my tips for nervous fliers or anyone who wants to have a smooth trip.    1. Make a list of what to pack in advance and edit  it for each trip so you aren't worried you forgot something. You can Google lists and edit them.  I did this our first couple trips to Disney and the first time I went with a baby, it was super helpful.  If you are traveling for work, be sure to check with your boss or co-worker as dress can vary by region and function. 2. Get to the airport early.  You need to budget time to park, get through security, return a rental car, etc.  There will be lines so be mentally prepared to wait and wait.  3.  Check the TSA website to read their travel tips and information about the current screening process. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/travel-tips 3. Register for TSA Pre-Check or...

This is likely going to be a long blog because I want to review a bunch of different tours that we personally experienced this June during our visit to Disney World in Florida.  As a friendly reminder, I am in NO way affiliated with Disney and receive nothing to in return for my reviews.  Tour Dates June 10-15 Participants :  5 year old active girl, she's going into 1st grade and 44.5" tall Myself and my husband, My mother who was in a wheelchair most of the days because she can't walk over 6-7,000 steps per day without injuring herself. We scheduled 3 events that were kids only for Sydnee.   The first was The Pirate Adventure Cruise. Price: $39-49.00 Ages: 4-12 year old Time: 9:30-11:30am Photo: Nana Link: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/pirate-adventure-cruises/ Summary: Sydnee ranked this as her favorite tour.  We dropped her off before the tour and my mom hung out at the hotel while she was on ...

Off to Kindergarten and High School It is that time again for school to start and routine to take over.  Our summer was fun.  We took our annual adventures to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks and took some extra trips to Colorado and Idaho.  Today, was the first day of school for Sydnee (K) and Hunter (11).  That means this weekend I had to make sure we had school supplies and food to make it through the week.  My hubby and I work full-time so we are trying to balance school, work, extracurricular activities and our health.  I have found a couple great ways to make sure we all get a little me time and don't have to live off drive-thru.  10 crockpot meals ready to go! First thing I did was buy school supplies in June/July before the rush.  I purchased them as they went on sale and spread them out over several shopping trips.  I bought some commonly used items (paper, notebooks, pencils, etc.) and put them in the sch...