Disney Mom at Home

Living Life with a Little Magic

Best Baby Gear for Your Beach Vacation

Our (not so) little family just got home from our first official vacation as a family of 5. We did a split stay between Ocean City, MD and Wildwood, NJ. We’ve been vacationing to Wildwood (almost) every year and stay at a friend’s beach house, so there are certain conveniences we take for granted that are going to be there (example: dish soap!). This year, however, we decided to add on a few days in a hotel in Ocean City. This meant we were going to experience taking a 9-week old on vacation and had to pack accordingly.

Of course I knew if we forgot anything we could always run to the grocery store or a Walgreens, but I was really trying to not spend money on things we could bring from home. All-in-all the only thing we ended up stopping to buy were some batteries for the stroller fan.

Because it’s been 4 years since we’ve had a baby on vacation, I really researched exactly what we needed (and what we didn’t need) to take. I am all about maximizing space in the car and luggage. No one wants to lug around big, heavy baby items you don’t end up using. The only thing that I invested in that was not needed was a cute little bathing suit for the little man. But I mean really, who can pass up 3 month shark swim trunks?  Exactly. No one. Cutest $10 I spent.

Anyway, below are the items that are absolutely necessary to take to the beach if you have a baby. Some of these are even great for toddler and older children, like the stroller fan. And of course, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from any qualifying purchase. Now, on to the good stuff.

Travel Bassinet. This was one of the (many) things we didn’t have for the other kids. We always toted around our pack-and-play, which was great, but heavy and cumbersome to get around in small rooms. This travel bassinet was perfect, and is actually what we use for Cam at home too. It folds completely flat so packing it in the car is a breeze!

Fisher Price On-The-Go Dome. Seriously, this is my favorite baby purchase, and one of the best things I’ve ever invested in. I tried to find it used on Facebook marketplace, but literally people were snatching them up in seconds after posting. Normally I would have skipped it, but the reviews were so fantastic I splurged on it and let me tell you – it is worth its weight in gold! Cam was comfortable and sand-free all week. It folds up easily with a little carrying handle and is pretty light for the walk down to the sand. Now that we’re home, I’m totally going to use it at our pool!

Stroller Fan. I’ve seen these at Disney on almost every trip, but since our girls are older, they have the misting fans so there’s never been a reason to buy them. I ordered an inexpensive one and not only clipped it to the stroller, but I also clipped it to the dome at the beach every day. It definitely kept him cooler and much happier in the 90 degree heat. We will certainly be bringing this to Disney in the fall!

Tent. We used three different kinds of tents on this vacation (not at the same time) and this one by far was my favorite. It provided the most amount of shade and was big enough for us all to sit under when we needed time out of the sun. It’s also great because you don’t have to move it, or your stuff, for the sun. Definitely necessary when traveling with kids!

Owlet.  Just because we are traveling, doesn’t mean we don’t use the same things we have at home. Our Owlet is one of my favorite baby necessities and it is great to have on vacation too – especially after a long, hot day at the beach. That peace of mind that it will alert you if something is wrong is priceless.

Baby Monitor.  This probably isn’t really necessary if you’re staying in a hotel where you are all in the same room, but we were staying at a friend’s house and got a lot of use out of it! We don’t use a monitor at home, so I just found a cheaper, second hand one to take with us since I knew that they use individual room air conditioners and hearing the baby cry from the deck wasn’t likely. It was perfect and now we plan to use it while we are on the deck or in the pool at home too!

There are so many other little things we appreciate at the beach, like baby powder to remove sand, and good sunblock for the older girls, but those six items are the big ones that made our vacation so much easier. The third time (or kid!) is definitely a charm when it comes to choosing the perfect baby beach gear!

What are your favorite baby essentials for traveling?

Cindy’s Magical December Disney Trip Day 2

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On our second day at Disney we were off to the Magic Kingdom! Who doesn’t love a day where you might be lucky enough to run into Mickey Mouse?! (Hint, we didn’t. That would have to wait for day 5!)

We left our hotel by 8:15 am and decided to once again use an Uber as we were being lazy and could sit right in front of the hotel and wait for them to pick us up. This is Gary, Seth and Em in front of Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) all ready to begin our days adventures!

We had the driver drop us off at the Contemporary Hotel. If you pin the Magic Kingdom (MK), it will drop you off at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and then you have to go through long security lines there, and you then have to either get on the ferry or monorail to get to MK.  If they drop you at the Contemporary it is a 5-8 minute walk to the gate with a very short security line along the walking path. Or if you really don’t want to walk, you can hop on the Monorail on the 4thfloor of the Contemporary!

It was a beautiful sunny morning and we got to MK by 8:45. 

We made our way directly to Adventure Land as we did not have a fastpass (FP) for Jungle Cruise and the lines are frequently over an hour. If you go at rope drop, you can usually get on several rides before the larger crowds show up later.  

It was at this point that a small teensy family disagreement occurred. As we were rushing up main street to get to Adventure Land ,my husband, who loves to pin trade, wanted to stop on main street and trade with a cast member there. I suggested (firmly) that the plan was to get to Jungle Cruise before the crazy long lines occurred. He was not happy with me and as we waited a good while for rope drop he informed me (several times) that he would have had time to pin trade for the very rare and excellent pins he saw on the cast members lanyard. 

After, I did feel guilty and tried to apologize but it wasn’t until we ran into this guy, and he was able to pin trade with Wendell, (fairly certain it’s Wendell, one of the Country Bears), did he forgive me!

While we were hanging out with the bears, Seth and Em used fastpasses to ride Space Mountain. 

And they ran into one of our favorite princesses (Merida!) on their way back to meet us. 

Then, I’ve got them where I want them – in the stockade!

We then headed off to use a fastpass for one of Gary’s favorite rides, Thunder Mountain Railroad! We certainly don’t waste time getting things done in the Magic Kingdom!

Love this walkway along Rivers of America! You can see Thunder Mountain Railroad in the back ground.

Next up was a stop for lunch at Peco Bills. The lines weren’t too bad and I think we all got nachos. They were very good and it was nice to sit down for a few minutes. 

After that was time for my absolute favorite, the 7 Dwarf Mine Train!!

I absolutely love this ride and it was also a ride that on my FP day 60 days before, could not get a fastpass.😠

But, (as someone pointed out-looking at you Gary), I am as tenacious as a bulldog and by stalking the My Disney Experience (MDE) app got us 4 FP’s for 2 pm! But, I was very sad for Gary as for the past 2 trips he can’t bend his knees enough to fit in the very small seats. He tried to get in (as I actually had him practicing at home trying to bend those rebuilt knees), but alas could not get seated and couldn’t ride with us. 

After that it was time for the requisite “how much have you grown” picture. 

When we first went to Disney my oldest child, Aleisha was 3 1/2 and we took her picture on the wall to the right of Cinderella’s castle. Seth’s first pic “on the wall”, was also age 3 1/2. And that started a tradition that we carry on to today. Gary stood in for Aleisha who couldn’t make this trip. 

Remember how I recommended that everyone gets to pick a restaurant and a fastpass? Well, today was Em’s day. And we also happened to be celebrating her 18th birthday!  Em chose Cinderella’s Royal Table! And even though she is technically not one of the family, she acts just like one. Why, you ask? Because CRT is one of the most difficult reservations to obtain! She didn’t know this when she picked it, but, it was fun to tease her. 

We had a blast! 

The food and service was excellent, we had Snow White, Jasmine, Ariel, and Sleeping Beauty come to our table for pictures. Snow White enjoyed teasing Gary!

After dinner we parted company with Seth and Em. They headed for Hollywood Studios. We headed back to AKL.

As I was trip planning I knew we (old people), were going to be tired by that point in the day, so I only booked Seth and Em for the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! dessert party. 

They had delicious desserts, received a Jingle Bell/BAM ornament and got to meet Santa Goofy and BB-8! 

They then had preferred viewing for the projection and fireworks show. They gave it a very high rating. 

Well that ends day 2 of our adventures, tomorrow we have moving day in the morning then off to Epcot for day 3!

Top 10 Tips for Surviving Disney While Pregnant

As we wind down to the end of my third (and final) pregnancy, I get asked a lot of questions about how to do Disney while pregnant and still have fun. We were fortunate enough to go twice during this pregnancy, once in the first trimester and once toward the end of the second. While both stages of pregnancy were very different, one thing stayed the same – there is definitely tons of fun to be had at Disney while you are pregnant.

Below are my Top 10 Tips for doing Disney while pregnant and enjoying yourself!

  1. Have Flexibility – If you’ve been to Disney, or are in the middle of planning a Disney trip, you know that scheduling things like Fast Passes, dining reservations, and pretty much all parts of your trip are important in getting exactly what you want. This is great and totally how we vacation, except while pregnant. You need to have the flexibility to cancel fast passes (even the best ones) if you are feeling like you need to head back to the resort to rest or find a cool spot to rest.
  2. Stay Hydrated. I hate water. There, I said it. I live on pop and love staying in a Disney resort with an unlimited mug of cool Coca Cola refills. However, there’s a time and a place for everything, and Florida is HOT. So, even I, hater of water, force myself to drink a few bottles of water a day to stay hydrated. A refillable water bottle or cup is the perfect souvenir or compliment to your park bag.
  3. Don’t Get Hungry. Disney is a place that is known for their food. We usually plan at least half of our trip around where we are going to eat, and often times split something small like a Mickey pretzel for lunch in favor of a huge buffet dinner at one of their awesome restaurants. When pregnant though, hunger is the root of all evil and usually the cause of most sickness in pregnant women. Therefore, it’s important to eat throughout the day. I like to pack some snacks in our park bag so if I start to feel a little sick, I can eat immediately. 
  4. Plan on Resort Time. We often do balls-to-the-wall park days. We get there at rope drop and linger long after the fireworks end to avoid the big rush to the buses. While I love long Disney days full of magic, I know my pregnancy limits. When I start to get tired or overheated, I know some resort time is necessary. Especially during the hot months, a nice afternoon nap or trip to the pool can really make the difference in my day. 
  5. Avoid the Heat. This one goes hand-in-hand with resort time. Florida is hot for the majority of the year. Whether your trip is in the dog days of summer or in January where it can be relatively cooler weather overall, you can still encounter days that are just downright hot. The middle of the day is particularly the most brutal, so it’s the perfect time to take a break. If you are staying offsite and don’t want to leave the park, this is the time to make an awesome dining reservation at a great restaurant and get into the AC and off your feet. Take your time too, don’t rush to get back out into the heat.
  6. Shoes are Important. Because Disney World is HUGE, you are going to be doing a lot of walking. I will never forget sobbing as we walked to the buses at Hollywood Studios from the back of the park because it was SO FAR away and my whole body hurt. I learned that two pair of shoes are necessary. Tennis shoes for the majority of the day and flip flops for when your feet start to swell and need to breathe. Benches are also your best friend when your legs just need a break.
  7. Use Fast Pass as Much as Possible. I am the person who goes crazy when people say they used fast passes for rides like Mad Tea Party, Buzz Lightyear, and The Haunted Mansion. Lines for those rides are usually only 30 minutes at max and are often not a good use of a fast pass. When you’re pregnant, though, any time on your feet can lead to pain, swelling, and a general feeling of being unwell. So, use those fast passes, schedule them close together and then you can add more as you go. Staying off your feet as much as possible is just as important as riding the popular rides (I know it sounds ridiculous, but I promise it’s true!)
  8. Stick to One Land. Most of our Disney trips we find ourselves crisscrossing the park a million times to get on the rides we want. This is usually great (and great for your daily steps!) but not while pregnant. Finish one “land” before moving on to the next so you can minimize your walking. This will keep you going longer in the park. 
  9. Dress for Comfort.  This one is just as important as shoes. Especially during the warmer months, dressing comfortably is a key to enjoying your day. Wear the most breathable, least amount of clothing possible. My rule of thumb is if you can wear a dress, wear one! Something that doesn’t squeeze your growing midsection is my preference. 
  10. Listen to Your Body. This is absolute, most important thing you can do! What works for me in the parks may not work for you! Or even, what worked well during one pregnancy may not work during another. When we went in 2015, I was just as far along as when we went this January. I could power through the parks all day and make it to fireworks. This trip, I maxed out at 4 hours. Take it easy and go on whatever schedule YOU need to! It’s really the biggest key to a successful pregnant trip!

Going to Disney while pregnant can be great fun. There’s an extra layer of magic when the cast members make a fuss about your little mousketeer on the way. If you plan ahead and do it right, you can still have the trip of a lifetime. 

Do you have any secrets to successfully doing Disney while pregnant? I would love to hear them!

5 Ways to Rock Your Business – No Matter What Your Hustle Is

Being an entrepreneur is a lot of people’s dream. The thought of working for yourself, with no boss telling you what hours are best and where to work from is the ultimate form of freedom. However, with that freedom, many people are actually lost when it comes to where to get started and how to stay productive, especially if you’ve been used to being told what to do and when for the majority of your career.

So how do you get ahead and how do you get to be more productive?  These 5 steps are easy ways to rock your business, regardless of what your hustle is.

  1. Know Your Product.  This is the easiest, and most important thing you can do. Regardless of the business you are in, you area selling something, be it your expertise or a physical product. Knowing how your product and how it can benefits everyone is the key to success. If you can’t explain how your product can help a variety of people, regardless of their situation, you cannot effectively sell that product and you will not be successful. Even if you have a product that fits in an extremely tiny niche, knowing exactly what that is and how to explain it to people who do not necessarily fit that bill is just as important. 
  2. Be Consistent. It’s so easy to return from something like a conference on a “high” and go all in, only to crash and burn a few weeks or months later. Consistency is key to building long-lasting relationships and to keep your clients coming back. In today’s instant gratification, social media-driven society, if you fall off the face of the earth for two weeks, people are going to forget about you. You have to stay consistent and be present in order to get ahead.
  3. Know Your Market. This goes hand-in-hand with knowing your product. If you don’t know who you are trying to reach, you are never going to reach anyone. For example, if you are a travel agent who specializes in Disney, then you better know all of the upcoming promotions and new attractions set to open in the near future. If you don’t, there are plenty of people in the market who do, so you can easily lose your clients to someone who is staying on top of the latest trends. Likewise, you need to know what is going on in your market so you can set yourself apart.
  4. Find Your Passion. Probably the most important thing. Anyone can sign up to sell the latest and greatest new product, start a freelancing business, or start to make their own products on sites like Etsy, but if you don’t have the passion for it, you will never succeed. End of story.
  5. Surround Yourself with Like-Minded People. Find your tribe.You need people who think like you and want the same things as you to be around. These are the people who will support you and who you can turn to when things get tough, but will also push you to continue and get you through those bad times. They will celebrate your victories and mourn your defeats. They are your people, and you need them. When you surround yourself with people who have similar goals and a similar work ethic, you will naturally be more productive because you will feed off of each other. 

If you conquer those key five steps, coupled with a lot of hard work and determination, you can succeed in any business venture you take on. 

A Disney December Trip Report

So many of my readers ask me the same thing: “What does a typical Disney trip look like for you guys.” Something I make sure to express over and over is that every Disney trip is different, and every family does Disney a little differently! I’ve talked about some of the things we’ve done and how we do Disney with little kids, but wanted to give my adult-only or adults with grown children readers a look into how fun Disney can be for adults! 

It’s been a long time (almost 7 years) since Kevin and I have done adult Disney (man I miss it!!!), so I’ve teamed up with my friend Cindy to give you a glimpse into an adult Disney trip report! Not only does Cindy get to do Disney different than we do, she is a DVC owner and annual pass holder. Couple that with her semi-retired professional life (hello flexibility!), and her trips are something even I covet! I think you’ll really enjoy reading about her adventures!

A DISNEY DECEMBER TRIP!

Day 1

We scheduled a trip to Disney in December 2018 for 2 reasons. First, we “had” to go to initiate our annual passes I purchased with a significant DVC discount in January of 2018. The stipulation was the first day of use had to be before December 30th. The other reason was my son, Seth who is a freshman in college would be off then.

There were 4 of us, My husband Gary, myself, my son Seth and his friend Em. Our other usual traveling companions, my daughter and her boyfriend would be unable to join us as they were going to Egypt for the holidays and couldn’t take more time off of work. I was unable to get one hotel for the 4 nights of our stay using DVC points, and so for the first time “in forever’ (sorry couldn’t resist), we had a split stay between Animal Kingdom Kidani Village and Bay Lake Tower. (More to follow on our experiences with a split stay).

We only live 20 minutes from the airport but with a 7:30 am Southwest flight, we had to leave the house by 5:30! Ugh! But since this was my first trip since I retired, I wore my new favorite Disney shirt and carried my new Mickey suitcase that my colleagues bought as a retirement gift! Much better than a gold watch, and that made it all good!

We got to the airport with plenty of time, had a little breakfast at the airport, our flight was on time and we got into Orlando a little after 10. We used Disney’s Magical Express to travel to our first hotel, AKL. (Regarding photos, the teenagers have learned resistance is futile, just stop and smile and the pain will be over quicker)!

Our plans for day one were to check into the hotel and then head for Hollywood Studios. We got the most coveted of text messages on the way to the hotel, telling us our room was ready! We went directly there passing through the magnificent lobby and admiring the very tall tree. (Sorry the picture for the tree does not do it justice because the sun was behind it).

 

We had requested a Savanna-facing, one-bedroom villa near the lobby. The reason for requesting close to the lobby is my husband has terrible knees and I try everything I can to reduce the distance he has to walk while we are at Disney. We arrived to find a wonderful room facing the Savanna as requested. I apologize I didn’t get a picture of the view, but it was great.  We purchased groceries from Garden Grocer and we waited for bell services to bring them up, and then we were on our way to HS.

 

HS has been undergoing construction recently, prepping for the new Disney Skyliner, and the buses drop people off a huge distance from the front entrance. We learned that car share services are able to drop people much closer to the entrance so we took an Uber instead of the Disney bus. (It got us there much quicker, is cheap and much closer to the main entrance).  We had time to shop before our first FastPass (Tower of Terror), so shop we did!  We then rode ToT and then Seth and Em used the single rider lane and rode Rock’n’Roller Coaster. After those 2 exciting rides, we couldn’t resist stopping at a popcorn stand and bought a BB8 drink for Seth, the Pluto popcorn bucket for me, and Em got the Toy Story Green Alien bucket.  While Seth and Em used our next scheduled FP on Star Tours, Gary decided the “kids” needed a lecture!

I do most of the planning for our Disney trips and have learned along the way that the happiest of trips involves everyone getting something on their wish list. So, prior to planning I ask what restaurants they would like, and what Fast Passes they want. If they have any special requests, I try to build them in also. Seth’s request for dining was “anything Italian,” so today was Seth’s day. Up next was an early dinner at Mama Melrose’s Italian restaurant. We were using the Disney Dining Plan, so this was a perfect one credit table service meal where we all enjoyed a pasta dish!

And now, in my humble opinion the most fun part of this day, we were headed to Toy story Land for our next scheduled FP — Slinky Dog Dash! (We ran into these amazing guys on our way in!)

 

I have to divert here for a moment to tell how I came to obtain this most coveted FP. On my day to be able to reserve Fast Passes I happened to be visiting my daughter in Sacramento (of course) and since the FP window opens at 7 am EST, I was up and at my computer at 3:45 am with the 3 hour time difference!!! And, much to my dismay, did not get one stinkin FP that I wanted that day.  No SDD, no 7DMT, and no FOP! I was verrryy disappointed, but how I obtained SDD and the other ones I wanted, was to haunt the My Disney Experience App about 18 hours a day repeatedly refreshing. Over the next few weeks I got them all with a bit of effort. Go me!

 

Anyway, back to the SDD ride. We got there and the stand by line wrapped all the way out of the ride area, back to the character meet and greets! (So glad we had those Fast Passes!!). The ride was absolutely awesome, and we all agreed a great time!

By then we were all tired from our 5 am start, so headed out of the park back to our hotel. When we got back to the room, there was a wonderful treat waiting for us (sent to us by our good friend Meagan who happens to own this excellent blog) — a beautiful cooler bag with a Mickey emblem on the front and filled with tasty treats!

Well, we had an excellent first day at Disney. Tomorrow’s Magic Kingdom day!