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75+ MORE Summer Activities

May 27, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

We’ve been out of school for a week. ONE WEEK. Already my kids have had moments when they pull the ‘I’m Bored’ card. Luckily there were so many great ideas in my original 75+ Summer Activities post for me to look to – but why stop there? Y’all loved that list so much, I decided to share 75+ MORE Summer Activities! Plenty of fun kid activities, crafts, family games and even delish summer snacks you can all enjoy.

75+ MORE Summer Activities

Squirt Gun Painting from Wonderful DIY

DIY Tetherball from Simply Kierste

Easy Campfire S’mores from Busy Mom’s Helper

Nature Hunt Bingo from Bitz ‘N Giggles

All-Natural Fruit & Yogurt Popsicles from Busy Mom’s Helper

Egg Carton Turtles from Emma Owl

Octo-Pop Popsicles from Over the Big Moon

Backyard Ker-Plunk Game on All Parenting

Bubble Refill Station from La-La’s Home Daycare

50+ Cool Summer Snacks from Busy Mom’s Helper

12 Bird Feeders for Kids to Make from Crafty Morning

Backyard BBQ Printable Invite from Busy Mom’s Helper

Flamingo Ring Toss from Sugar and Cloth

Life-Size Angry Bird Game from My 4 Misters and Their Sister

Chunky Monkey Popsicles from Glitter ‘N Spice

Water Bottle Flowers from Kid Friendly Things To Do

Giant Lawn Checkers from Hallmark Channel

Rainbow Paper Dahlia Flowers from Craftaholics Anonymous

Limeade Popsicles from A Simple Pantry

Citrus Pearler Bead Coasters from My Frugal Adventures

Giant Connect Four Game from Instructables

Slip-n-Slide on Digital Misery

Spinning 3D Hot Air Balloons from Crafty Morning

Pipe Cleaner Snakes from Kids Activities Blog

Giant Word Game from Constantly Love Struck

DIY Fruit Fans from The Idea Room

Giant Paper Pinwheels from Kids Activities Blog

Milk & Cereal Popsicles from In Katrina’s Kitchen

DIY Yard Yahtzee from The Pinning Mama

Jellyfish Bowl Craft from I Heart Crafty Things

DIY Catapult from Busy Mom’s Helper

Shoot & Splash Outdoor Activity from No Time for Flash Cards

Whipped Pineapple Pops from Super Healthy Kids

30 Science Experiments for Kids in Summer from Growing a Jeweled Rose

Cupcake Liner Ice Cream Cones from I Heart Crafty Things

Squirt Gun Refill Station from First Home Love Life

Sour Worm Popsicles from A Mom’s Take

DIY Ladder Golf from Here Comes the Sun Blog

If you missed our original 75 Summer Activities list – see it here!

Best Disney World Gift Shops on Property

May 22, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Whether you look at it from a cynical angle, or appreciate it as part of the fun, gift shops are a huge part of the Walt Disney World experience. They’re everywhere, because people want their Walt Disney World souvenirs – and who can blame them? When you leave a major attraction, you’re dumped right into a gift shop themed to the experience – the same goes for some restaurants. To avoid spending tons of your vacation time browsing for the right thing, here’s our list of the Best Disney World Gift Shops on Property.

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Sometimes the gift shop is actually part of the experience. You can see this is the case all over World Showcase where the gift shops are so intricately themed and the merchandise is so unique it hardly seems fair to include them or single any out. I will though… later. Some gift shops in Disney World work on a more general level – they’re large and have plenty of different types of merchandise to choose from. These are the best place to get your Walt Disney World souvenirs. Finally, there’s the hotel gift shops that have a variety of merchandise as well, but also tend to have hotel specific products on hand. In most of these there’s a fair degree of personal taste, but objectively, some hold better to theming and product – those are the ones we’ve decided to focus on.

Best Attraction Gift Shop

Memento Mori is hands down the best attractions gift shop. However, my runner up is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, so I have to wonder if I have a preference for the macabre or if Disney is just really good at it. Memento Mori is unique in that it isn’t part of the attraction exit, but I guess you could say it’s just that good that people seek it out anyway. The merchandise available here comes in a wide range from decor, to dishes, all of it themed to the famed attraction.

Best Restaurant Gift Shop

There are a number of restaurants that spill you right into a gift shop. Most of these are geared toward kids, but The Boathouse is an exception. At first glance the gift shop doesn’t seem out of place at all. However, when you think about it a little, it seems a little strange. It actually makes perfect sense, though, and the Boathouse gift shop has a very specific, unique vibe to it that fits in well with the Disney Springs theme. Therefore as a general way to commemorate a Disney Springs experience, or just out of enjoyment for the restaurant, this gift shop is a great place to pick up a Disney World souvenir.

Best World Showcase Gift Shop

This is the hardest category to analyze objectively. How does it not come down to personal taste? The theming at each of the World Showcase pavilions is so detailed and spot on. That extends to the gift shops, which in some cases are the primary focus of the pavilion. Suffice it to say, I love all of these shops for different reasons. If I were rich going into Epcot, I would be poor coming out. In my personal opinion, the best gift shop has to be the department store Mitsukoshi, which sponsors the Japan Pavilion.

Best General Gift Shop for (Disney World Souvenirs)

There are a lot of general gift shops you can go to that have a lot of Disney World merchandise to choose from. These are the places you can go to for just about any kind of Disney World souvenir. Magic Kingdom has the Emporium. Epcot has MouseGear, but the best has to be the World of Disney story in the Disney Springs Marketplace. It’s massive and has so many departments to choose from. It’s also close to the Marketplace Co-op, if you are looking for more unique Disney merchandise.

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Best Hotel Gift Shop

Finally, the best hotel gift shop really is whichever one you are staying at – any differences usually don’t make up for the time spent going somewhere different. Alternatively, the resort you love the most. The Deluxe resorts tend to have the better resort merchandise and from there it’s kind of hard to split hairs. However, there is one store that offers a little bit more theming and is overall a more stoppable store. By that, I mean there’s enough space and merchandise to make the shopping experience more fun – Boutiki at the Polynesian Village Resort.

What’s your favorite Disney World Gift Shop?

75+ Summer Activities

May 20, 2019 by Danielle 3 Comments

With summer vacation fast approaching, I’m starting to build myself a little ‘arsenal’ of ideas for those days when we need something just a bit more. These 75+ Summer Activities for Kids or Families will definitely come in handy those times when the kids want a change, and even Mom and Dad like a little more excitement! Also check out our list of 75+ MORE Summer Activities. (originally shared May 2018 – sharing again as summer is coming and we all could use great ideas!)

DIY Laptop for Kids

Ice Excavation from Hands on as We Grow

Giant Bubbles from Tatertots & Jello

PVC Pipe Sprinkler Set from The Idea Room

DIY Tic Tac Toe Game from Tatertots & Jello

Glow in the Dark Bowling from My Kids Adventures

Sponge Balls from One Charming Party

Squirt Gun Races from This Grandma is Fun

Sprinkler Bottles from Housing a Forest

Ice Boats from Reading Confetti

DIY Water Wall from Tinker Lab

Water Blog from We-Made-That

Water Relay Race from Party Peacock

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint from Passion for Savings

Simple DIY Tent from Daisy Mae Belle

Backyard Movie Night from Ellie Petrov

Over TWENTY fun summer games from A Girl and a Gluegun

Make Popsicles – over 30 Popsicles Recipes form Craftaholics Anonymous

30 Summer Science Activities for Kids from Growing a Jeweled Rose

Kinetic Sand from Kids Activities Blog

DIY Rope Bridge from Let The Children Play

DIY Sandy Handprint from Crafting a Green World

Painted Sand Castles from Sandy Toes and Popsicles

Giant Angry Birds Star Wars Game from Honey-Mommy

Build a Bug House from Classic Play

Water Obstacle Course from Meaningful Mama

DIY Travel Coloring Tote

Mason Jar Aquarium from Hello Wonderful

10 East Science Experiments from Mom.me

12 Genius Outdoor Ideas for Kids from Crafty Morning

Intro to School of Rock

May 17, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Thanks to School of Rock for providing complimentary lessons to facilitate this post. All opinions are mine alone.

If you’ve been looking for an awesome music program to try for your kiddos – whether it be drums, guitar, keyboard/piano or even vocals – you’ve got to check out the School of Rock. They offer several different options, and are very experienced with all ages from young kiddos and even adults, making them a great program to get you through all the years! Two of my boys just started their lessons with them last week, so I’ll be sharing lots more in the coming months, but for now here’s a little intro to School of Rock in case you’re considering it for your own kiddos.

First of all, School of Rock takes all levels – from just starting out on up through those ready to submit auditions for a major record label. How it works is with individual lessons each week – about 45 minutes each – then each week they also participate in a group rehearsal with their ‘band’ (divided by age/level). For Rock 101 (ages 8-12) they receive a 90-minute rehearsal each week. Once they hit age 12, they move up into the performance level program and receive a 3-hour group rehearsal each week! That’s a lot of good, quality learning from experienced musicians who love sharing all their knowledge and skills.

There are 9 School of Rock locations in the DFW area and 24 in Texas, with tons more all over the country. My boys just started at the Mansfield location, and they were super excited for their first lesson – nagging me for weeks ‘how many more days?’ and ‘practicing’ at home. Their first lesson was last week, and right from the start they felt right at home with the School of Rock staff! One of them is learning drums, while the other is doing electric guitar. Once they get a good feel for their instruments, they’ll join in their ‘band’ with the new semester (June) and not only get to be part of a team, but also make friends and even try new instruments if they choose!

At School of Rock, they offer programs for drums, guitar, bass guitar, singing and keyboard/piano. Like I said before, the kids are welcome to try out a variety of the instruments within their band to see what they really enjoy the most – or even just to give them a taste of different tools to create music!

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These two are so excited to start learning at @sormansfield #partner One on drums, one on guitar! @schoolofrockdfw #schoolofrockdfw #sormansfield #guitar #drums #music
A post shared by Danielle (@busymomshelper) on May 9, 2019 at 1:01pm PDT

I’ll share a lot more as the boys progress in their program, but I couldn’t wait to share about the amazing music program at School of Rock that is fantastic for kids of any age (and adults, too!). Even after the first lesson my boys were well on their way on their chosen instruments, and can’t wait to learn more.

Check out School of Rock online or on their Facebook here!

Free Printable Disneyland Ride Lists

May 15, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

If you’re like me, you’re counting down until Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opens at the Disney parks – and for Disneyland in California, it’s just a couple of weeks away! I’m eager for all the pictures, thoughts and stories from visitors able to go at that time, and will be eating up all the tips I can for when hubby and I tackle the one at WDW later this fall. Whether you’re going this month or later this year, here are some updated Free Printable Disneyland Ride Lists with height requirements for you to enjoy!

I’ve had many people asking if we would be updating our previous version of our Free Printable Disneyland Lists for all the changes in attractions (no more Bug’s Land, Jessie’s Critter Carousel, etc.) plus the addition of the long-awaited Star Wars area. I wanted to make sure to wait long enough in case of other switches, but now it’s ready for you to print off and use on your next trip to Disneyland and California Adventure.

Download and print your Disneyland Ride Lists HERE

While only the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will be opening with the area on May 31st at Disneyland (and August 29th for Disney World), I still wanted to include Rise of the Resistance on this list for those preparing for their trip later – especially since we don’t have an open date for that attraction as of yet.

Book your Disneyland or other Southern California vacation through Get Away Today for amazing prices! Don’t forget to use promo code: BusyMomsHelper for an extra $10 off

What’s YOUR favorite Disney ride?

Disney Activity & Autograph Book

7 Things to NEVER Bring to Disney World – and 10 You MUST!

How to AVOID LINES at Walt Disney World

Pet Owner Life Hacks

May 13, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by our friends at Swiffer & Febreze. All opinions are mine alone. #SwifferFanatic #DontSweatYourPet

We all love our pets – they make our families complete! Since it’s National Pet Month, it’s time to show some extra appreciation for our fur-ever friends, as well as pet owners, by sharing some Pet Owner Life Hacks. Along with all the benefits to having a furry pet in your life, there do come some challenges – but thankfully there are some great tricks and tools to make it much easier and so you don’t have to sweat your pet!

#1: Make Clean-up Easier

Especially with the Springtime rain, muddy paw prints have become a regular occurrence – especially on pretty wood floors! It used to frustrate me to no end, having those little prints all over – but not anymore thanks to the Swiffer Sweeper Dry & Wet Pet Refills with Febreze Odor Defense that Trap + Lock! I love how easy it is to put on one of the wet pads, wipe across the muddied floor a bit, and then my floors are back to looking beautiful. Plus, that Febreze Odor Defense really helps with the muddy (or wet dog – ugh) smell! Just grab some of the refills next time you’re shopping at Kroger.

#2: Easy Storage for Pet Supplies

Nobody wants a bunch of dog toys or leashes and such laying all around the house, right? Especially at night, I don’t want the dogs to be playing with their squeaky toys or leaving a ball at the top of the stairs in the dark. We use a couple of different storage options – a big tote for items that we only get out occasionally (like dog nail clippers, or ‘special’ toys) and also a cute basket tower where we store their daytime toys during the night, and also leashes so we can grab them easily for a walk. It keeps them out of the way, so the pups can’t get them, and looks nice in the house which is a great bonus!

#3: Bathtime Fun

If your dogs are like mine, they do NOT like bath time. Even my kids, when they were younger, didn’t put up as much of a struggle! I heard this trick, and it’s actually helped quite a bit – smear some peanut butter on the far wall of the bathtub to keep your dog occupied while you wash them. Easy, rewarding for them, and hopefully less of a battle for you.

#4: No More Bad Pet Smell

While we all love our dogs so much, sometimes their smell makes us less eager for those warm snuggles. Especially when guests who aren’t use to dogs come over, I want my home smelling fresh – which is why I keep my Febreze Air Heavy Duty Pet Odor Eliminator handy in that storage basket I was telling you about! Just a few sprays around where my dogs have been the most, and that dog smell is gone.

#5: Protect The Furniture

Our dogs nap a lot during the day, but at night they’re spending extra time lounging on our couches. To help protect the fabric a bit more, we have some cheap bed sheets that we use to cover our couches at bedtime, then fold them up and put them away in the morning. It provides a little layer between the dogs and the couch, helping a bit with the odor and the shedding. You can also help keep your couches smelling fresh with the Febreze Fabric Pet Odor Eliminator – especially great when you have company coming over that may be seating on the couches!

#6: Tackle Shedding

For carpets, did you know that you can use a regular squeegee rubbed along it to lift up all that pet hair? It works like a charm! For the tile or wood floors (I love my wood floors!), use your handy Swiffer Sweeper Dry & Wet Pet Refills with Febreze Odor Defense again, but this time start with the dry refills to sweep up and trap all that shedded hair easily. My kids have a lot of fun using our Swiffer Sweeper, which makes it nice for me not having to battle to get the floors clean! After all, we don’t want to ‘sweat our pet’, right?

What are your best pet owner hacks?

Graduation Gift Bottle Set

May 10, 2019 by Danielle 25 Comments

It’s that time of year again. The time when you get lots of announcements of those lucky ducks finally leaving school and heading on to ‘adulthood’. This is all exciting and great, sure, but a problem arises: what gift to give? Well, I’ve got you covered with this fun and stylish Graduation Gift Bottle Set, with Free Printables!

Whether it’s a neighbor friend, childhood buddy, sibling or other relative, this Graduation Gift Bottle Set is totally changeable. Each bottle label has different fun things you can fill the bottle with (unless you feel like leaving it as soda…that’s totally fun, too!).

Here’s the different labels you can switch around:

Congratulations SMARTIE PANTS You did it! – Add Smarties
Your future is looking Bright! – Add Lemon Heads, or other ‘bright’ thing
Hard work will result in positive change! – Add a bunch of coins
You’ve got a Whopper of an adventure ahead of you! – Add Whoppers
Here’s some DOUGH to get you by! – Add some bills, $1, $5, whatever!
Here’s to your sweet success! – Add candy, something sweet (I did Skittles)

Supplies Needed

Free Printables (located at very bottom of this post)
6-pack of Crush Soda
Scissors
Tape or Glue Dots
Treats and/or money to fill the bottles with

Directions

Print off the Free Printables
If you’re not keeping the soda, make sure the bottles are emptied, washed, and dried out completely.
Cut out the Printables. Tape or Glue them to their appropriate place on the bottles and box.
Fill with the treats and/or money you choose.
Give your gift!!!

This post is part of the Craft Lightning fun by The Country Cottage Chic and 30 Minute Crafts. Go check out other amazing crafts you can do in 15 minutes or less!

Graduation Gift Bottle Set Free Printables

More Graduation Gift Ideas & Bottle Sets…

Our First Orlando Informer Meetup

May 8, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

We love travelling, especially to theme parks for a truly exciting experience – but it can be difficult to manage not only cost-wise, but fitting in all that time away. Hearing about the meet up that Orlando Informer does a couple of times each year, I thought it could be the great weekend get-away, and it didn’t disappoint! Here’s all the things I loved the most about Our First Orlando Informer Meetup.

First of all, a bit about the Orlando Informer Meetup – it happens 2-3 times each year, and so far it’s usually 1 evening (ours was Saturday, April 27th). You can get into the parks as early as 5pm, then stay clear until 1:30am – meaning several hours after everyone else has to leave! You seriously feel like a VIP walking in, then getting on rides while others that aren’t a part of the event are turned away after their closing time.

Your admission ticket is these fun, light-up bracelets they give you at check-in. Once you pull the red tab, you can turn on the light-up feature so staff can easily see if you’re suppose to be there. And don’t worry, they have a table on each side of the park with Orlando Informer staff ready to help with any issues, such as if your bracelet isn’t working properly. We had that problem, and they replaced it without any hassle. Love the service!

Little-to-No Wait Times

People said that, because most of the crowds have to leave when the park ‘closes’, there’s hardly any wait times after that for rides – but I didn’t realize just how short they would be! Most of them were basically however long it took to walk through the line to the start of the ride, and those that did have some wait was like 5-10 minutes. Crazy!

Because of this, we were able to fit in so much in the 8.5 hours we were there, meaning it was a killer deal. The Orlando Informer Meetup cost about $182 after tax per person, and was totally worth it just for this part alone – but there’s EVEN MORE!

Lots of Free Food

I heard this was new for our event, but when we checked in each of us received a voucher that was good for 1 quick-service meal with drink, plus a snack and another drink to use in the parks anytime before they closed to the public. So not only do you kick-off your park time with some free food, but then once the public leaves and the actual event starts, they have TONS of places serving free food to try! This was really neat, since we were able to sample things from different restaurants and snack stands that normally we’d have to pay for (and since travel budgets can be tight, we rarely get to try much).

Yes, FREE BUTTERBEER (and pumpkin juice – my favorite), ice cream, and various foods like chicken strips, burgers, fried rice, veggies, rolls, popcorn, donuts – seriously, so many! Just check out our ‘food map’ we received at check in…

Easy Weekend Trip

Since one of the things that make trips difficult to manage is fitting in time away from work – but since this event is really only 1 night (though their upcoming one in December is TWO nights!), you can fit it into a weekend and not even miss any work! We flew in early Saturday morning, enjoyed some time around CityWalk (lunch at my favorite place – Toothsome), then were in the parks at 5pm. After we left totally exhausted but having had a complete blast, we crashed at the hotel about 2am, slept in until check-out, and flew home that evening. So two days for an incredible trip!

Less Crowds

Not just for ride wait times, but walking around a bunch of crowds in the park when you want to enjoy the scenery can be frustrating – but not during the Orlando Informer Meetup! We felt like some of only a few people in the park, not hitting crowds or anything once it was closed to the public. The girls were even able to break out into one of their dance routines randomly as we walked around the park without any fear of bumping into people!

This also meant plenty of fun, unobstructed photos all around the park where normally you’d have to fight with people to get a good shot.

Fun Characters & Activities

As if the food and rides weren’t enough, but they had characters all over the place for some added fun. Some of the characters were even part of an activity – finding the secret password for a speakeasy! Since I don’t drink, and had 2 minors with me, we didn’t participate in this – but we did watch plenty enjoying figuring out the clues. It seemed to be 1920’s mob-themed for this, which is really cool.

We’re big fans of music, so it was great that they had DJs all around the parks keeping people dancing and excited even into the wee hours of the morning.

I HIGHLY recommend checking out the Orlando Informer Meetup for an incredible experience at Universal Studios Orlando! Our first experience was better than we could have imagined, and we can’t wait to do it again in the future!

What’s your favorite thing about Universal Studios Orlando?

Mother’s Day Flower Photo Gift

May 6, 2019 by Danielle 2 Comments

I can’t believe it’s almost Mother’s Day – but I guess that happens with every holiday lately! Totally creeps up on me, then it’s gone in a blink. Luckily, this Mother’s Day Flower Photo Gift is adorable, fun and super simple to make! Plus, it’s the type of gift she’ll want to hold on to for a long time to come!

Mother's Day Flower Photo Gift / by BusyMomsHelper.com for ThirtyHandmadeDays.com

Originally shared on Thirty Handmade Days in April 2015.

Growing up, I thought that I had to go all-out for Mother’s Day, spending tons of money and loads of time creating something amazing. Guess what? It never meant as much as the simple things; things that held more memories or sentiment to them! Now that I’m a mom, I totally understand this! Now we focus on really special gifts that don’t take a ton of time or money….but that she’ll want to keep for a long while. This Mother’s Day Gift is perfect for that, so let’s get started!

Contains affiliate links that help keep this blog running. See our Disclosure.

Supplies

The free printable templates (found below)
Cupcake wrappers in color of choice (I use 5-8 per pic for layering/thickness)
Photo to cut for center
Tape (double-sided preferably)
Photo frame, if desired

Directions

Print out one of the Free Printable Templates by clicking these links: Tall Straight Stem in Pink or Blue. Sideways Stem in Pink or Blue. Each of these print 8×10 in size.
Use your tape (either double-sided, or fold over one-sided) to secure the first cupcake liner to the top of the flower stem.
Insert the rest of the liners one-by-one, using tape below to stick it to the bottom liners. I like to make sure the ridges don’t fit together perfectly, to add some fun dimension and texture to it.
Use the center circle of the liners to trace out your photo, then cut it out and tape to the center of the top liner.

That’s it! Now you have a beautiful Mother’s Day Photo Gift for her to display for all to see! A little tip – I found it easier to tape the liners on AFTER putting the print into a frame. If you want, you can put an initial or name in one of the corners to make even more personalized!

My kids had a lot of fun choosing their cupcake liner colors, so even THAT showed a bit of their personality in each framed print!

I know my mom is going to LOVE these special gifts from her grand-babies! Honestly, these would make a fun craft just for Spring, and a gift for anyone, really – gotta love flexibility, right?

Who would YOU give these special Flower Photo Gifts to?

Check out these other great posts that would be PERFECT for Mother’s Day!

Sweet Sunshine Sunflower – a little sweet with a lot of pretty!

Give her something EXTRA special with this Give Extra Gift Idea!

Why Moms May Need an Iron Supplement

May 2, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Thanks to Active Iron for sponsoring this post. All opinions are mine alone.

Where are my soul sisters at – the fellow ladies and mamas who struggle so hard with energy each day? With all we have to tackle – from meals to budgets, cleaning to raising our kiddos, plus hopefully somewhere in there take care of ourselves, how the heck can we manage it while feeling so tired and fatigued?! That’s just one of several reasons Why Moms May Need an Iron Supplement. And this is coming from someone who was very unsure about supplements – now I know that sometimes they can make a HUGE difference in my health and my life, especially as a busy mom. Check out these other reasons you may want to consider Active Iron, as well…

Helps Reduce Tiredness & Fatigue

This is probably my favorite thing about getting enough iron – I don’t feel nearly as tired throughout the day, despite the busyness and crazy schedules! Years of talking with my friends and other moms, it seems exhaustion and just feeling worn out all of the time is one of our biggest struggles. Why not give NEW Active Iron a try to see if it can help your energy levels? We need every bit of energy we can get to keep up with our kiddos, no matter the age 🙂

Most of Your Iron From Food Doesn’t Get Absorbed

I didn’t know this, but for most people only about 10% of their daily iron is absorbed from their diet. That means that even if we are very focused on what we eat, choose all the best foods, avoid all the additives (who has time for that, honestly) then we would be lucky to get even close to our total recommended amount each day. Taking Active Iron, which gives 2X the absorption rate versus other iron supplements*, can help ensure that you’re getting what your body really needs, giving you the energy you need for your busy mom life! Plus, each Active Iron tablet has 25mg of iron, about 138% of the recommended daily amount (keep in mind yours may vary depending on your body).

**offers twice the absorption of standard ferrous sulfate Wang et al Acta Haematologica 201;138:223-232

Healthier Muscles

Whether you’re big into exercise and working out – or your workout is an exhausting day full of chasing a 3-year-old around the house – getting enough iron helps your body transport oxygen to the muscles, keeping them healthy and working. I wish I’d known that when I was lugging around my baby twins many years ago, as my arm muscles needed all the help they could get!

Healthier Organs

Not only does it help carry oxygen to your muscles, but also to your other vital organs – which, as we know, take a beating from pregnancy and motherhood.

Helps with the Many Moments of Womanhood

As women, we have some extra needs for iron – such as when our ‘friend’ visits every month (I know I’m not the only one who feels extra low-energy at these times), or when pregnant. I remember with all my pregnancies, my OB kept recommending iron supplements – but I just couldn’t stomach them! I wish Active Iron was around then, because it probably would’ve helped in so many ways. Nowadays, it’s helping me keep up with my kiddos and all of the demands of parenting life – and I know it’ll help as I start making exercising a priority again because my muscles will need all the assistance they can!

So why choose NEW Active Iron?

I’ve tried other iron supplements, but they were just too harsh on my stomach. I’m the type of person that needs food in my stomach to take medicines and such anyway, but even if I had recently eaten a good meal, they left my stomach feeling pretty gross. That’s one reason I was nervous to try Active Iron – but it’s incredible! It can be taken on an empty stomach – even for me who has never been able to do that with a supplement, vitamin or meds!

So what makes Active Iron so different? Well, they use a unique technology that actually binds iron to a whey-protein complex. This makes it so that the iron doesn’t get released until the small intestine – where it’s absorbed better and has less side effects – instead of releasing in the stomach like most iron supplements. I also love that it features a high potency iron, but in a non-constipating, sugar-free AND gluten-free (for my gluten sensitive friends) protein formula. Plus, no artificial preservatives, of course.

Learn more about NEW Active Iron

Or try it for yourself – buy it on Amazon HERE!

Connect with Active Iron on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Youtube

Worst Ways to Use Money at Disney World

May 1, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Watching your budget on vacation isn’t the easiest thing to do. In fact, it’s super tempting to just let the chips fall where they may and contend with the credit card statement after the fact – sadly I’m totally guilty of this! However, spending at Disney World is a tricky thing as options and upgrades constantly present themselves. For a vacation destination that is notoriously expensive to begin with, Disney has a way of still getting more by leveraging our desire to make the most of the trip. While some Disney extras are totally worth it, here’s some that are the Worst Ways to Use Money at Disney World.

Check out Get Away Today for great prices on your Disney trip! Use Promo Code: BusyMomsHelper

Disney Dining Plan

The dining plans are popular at Disney World because you prepay for most meals, so in theory, you don’t have to think about money. The bundle mentality makes us think we’re getting more value by paying for meals in advance. However, no sooner do we sit down to eat then the conflict begins to squeeze out as much value as possible. The problem is that the way the package is structured, Disney practically always comes out ahead. There’s a big difference between saving money and not thinking about money. So the Dining Plans are a hard pass – except when free, when in SOME cases it can save you money.

Park Hopper Plus Tickets

This upgrade on an upgrade is just a silly waste and one of the worst ways to use money. It entitles you not only to hop to other theme parks, but to the water parks as well. No matter how you slice it this is a bad deal, because you are paying for the privilege for everyday of your multi-day ticket. If you do use the opportunity to do this, you’ll essentially be paying more to do less. The compiled time between parks and the diminished capability to do anything within them simply don’t justify the additional expense. It’s better to buy one less day and get a separate water park ticket, if desired.

Minnie Van

Direct private travel by Disney is a great concept – and a fun idea – but the price just doesn’t justify it compared to the competitive cost of Uber. Although they no longer charge the flat rate, you would do best to make sure the pricing is fair. In most cases, the complimentary transportation in Disney World is sufficient and even adds to the overall vacation experience.

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Too Many Snacks

Even if you’re watching your budget, I still recommend signature or fine dining, at least once during the trip (particularly if it’s a couples-only trip and/or a special occasion). While food prices are high at Disney World, you can see an increase in value per dollar the higher up you go on the “food chain”. On the flip side of that is the ridiculous cost of some of Disney’s most iconic snacks. Eating between meals is one of the worst ways to use money, because you’re still going to be paying for the meals whether you finish your plate or not. Snacks at Disney are fun for sure and you should certainly enjoy some, but try to limit them (this is the one I struggle with the most!).

What would you say to avoid spending money on at Disney World?

Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas for May the Fourth

April 26, 2019 by Danielle 4 Comments

Whether you’re with the light side or dark side, you’ll love this Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas for May the Fourth! Printables and crafts, decor and games, even costumes and more. You’re bound to find some fantastic Star Wars project worthy of the Jedi or Sith in your family!

If you don’t know by now, our family is pretty big into Star Wars. And when I say big, I mean HUGE! Of course we do plenty of fun Star Wars crafts throughout the year, such as our Rebels Tshirts or puppets, but also enjoy the films quite often – lately we’ve been rewatching The Force Awakens & Rogue One!