Easy Disney Kids Preschool Playdate Party

March 20, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

I received free products in order to host the Disney Kids Preschool Playdate. The opinions expressed here are my own. #DisneyKids

Wow, today was a bit crazy – but full of so much fun that I bet my kiddos will sleep very well tonight 🙂 We hosted our easy Disney Kids Preschool Playdate Party, and had such a great time! My favorite thing? That it was super easy to get everything together and prepped, then clean up was just as fast. LOVE easy party plans!

When we got our Disney Kids Preschool Playdate kit, the kids wanted to host it right then and there – as you can tell from my voice in our little unboxing video, I wasn’t feeling very well so made them wait until today….

Seriously, the kids couldn’t wait to use all these fun things! I was thrilled that it came with all the supplies I needed, minus a few fillers just for fun. This morning, I quickly set everything up – using the Mickey Mouse tablecloth as a backdrop, then hanging the dangly decorations from above to add some dimension. Stick on a couple of The Lion Guard posters and we were good to go with our background!

The kids wanted to keep all of the favor bags for themselves – of course I wasn’t about to jip the guests these fun things! Not only did they get the fun drawstring backpacks, but posters, temporary tattoos, switchable Princess Sophia/Jake and the Neverland Pirates hats, and more.

Hubby whipped up some Jake’s Veggie Pirate Treasure, with our own little twist on the recipe!

The original is from Dishes Inspired by Disney, but here’s our take on it…

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, rinsed and dried
4 cups of popcorn, popped
1 1/2 cups goldfish crackers
2 cups veggie straws or chips
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

Make the kale chips; preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Remove kale leaves from stem and tear into pieces. Toss kale with 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, spread onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until crispy.
Toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and enjoy!

For activities, we made Disney Junior themed Paper Bag Puppets – Doc McStuffins, Princess Sophia, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Mickey Mouse. The kids loved using puffy paint – I was just glad to have some extra cleaning supplies (such as the all® laundry stain remover that came in our pack) for the bits of paint that ended up on clothes. You can’t expect to have a fun, exciting party with preschool kids and have no messes, so just be prepared!

We went outside and played a Walt Disney Parks game: there were 4 papers, one with a photo/name of the 4 parks of Walt Disney World.

The Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Hollywood Studios

We taped them in different areas in our backyard. One person was ‘it’, would close their eyes and count to 10. The other would go stand in a ‘park’. Once the ‘it’ person reaches 10, before opening their eyes, they call out the name of one of the parks. Anyone standing by that one is ‘out’. They loved it!!!

We also played ‘Pin the Smile on Mickey’ and a Walt Disney World Bingo game. Such fun – especially at the end when they got to eat their treat pieces!

Our pack came with an awesome book called My Very Very Smelly Breath: A scratch and sniff book! It took awhile to get through the adorable book (teaches you the importance of brushing your dogs teeth) because the kids wanted to sniff each spot many times to ‘compare’, and each page has a hidden toy they could find.

We still had plenty of activities to do, but sadly our exciting time playdate had already come to an end – but it gives us plenty of fun for a round 2!

Other fabulous Disney ideas…

Star Wars Half Marathon

February 3, 2016 by Nikki Cole

Star Wars is already amazing; running a Star Wars themed Half Marathon through Disneyland? EPIC!

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Now I know what you’re thinking ‘there’s no way I could run a half marathon’, well good news there’s a simple 10k or even a 5k you can do as well! Disney has several fun events throughout the year and some of them are different themed runs that take place through the park. I got the great opportunity to run the Disneyland Star Wars Half Marathon this year with my husband.

So yes running is hard and no I am not a huge runner. I have had ACL replacement surgery, torn my MCL, and several other injuries to my knees so no I am not a huge runner because it is hard and it gets boring. I never thought I would run a half marathon because of my injuries and because I don’t enjoy just plain running, but these events are way exciting and it’s satisfying to be able to say I have ran three now.

I have run three half marathons now and every single one of them was hard yes but the amazing memories and the accomplishment from finishing them is amazing. This last one was my absolute favorite, not only did I get another half marathon under my belt, but I got to run with characters in Disneyland and enjoy the celebration of the new Star Wars movie.

If you ever get a chance run in a Disney race, they are so fun and with all the excitement going on you won’t realize how tired you are, you will just know how much fun you are having. Now with that said it does take some training. No you don’t have to go run every day. My training consisted of elliptical, biking, running, strength training, and stretching. Like I said earlier, I have bad knees and continuous running is not recommended at all for them. I am not giving up my races so therefore when I am not racing I need to take care of my knees, so I don’t run hardly at all in training. I train on the elliptical to train my lungs and get really good cardio. I ride a stationary bike to help stretch out my legs and get a little bit of cardio and strength in. No I do not do squats or lunges, if you have bad knees these can cause damage if repetitively done. I do however do leg curls, leg raises (backward and forward), inner outer leg lift/press, and calf raises. I also do walk to help train my feet to be able to stand for that long on concrete without bruising or blistering. So I don’t run all the time; I will run about 1 to 3 times a month but just 2 to 3 miles, not very far at all.

Some tips if you’re thinking of a Disney run:

Plan early! Look up upcoming events (where, when) and mark the registration date. You will need to sign up usually within an hour if you want something other than the half marathon, the half usually fills up within a couple days. So planning is critical otherwise it books up, so look ahead and plan.
Train! Don’t expect it to be really easy, it’s not super hard either but how great your trip is will be determined greatly by the amount of training you do before. Of course you’ll want to go to the park after so if you don’t train you will be so sore and tired you won’t get to enjoy your trip.
Find a buddy! Mine was my amazing husband who pushes me along and supports me the whole way. We talk through the whole thing and he makes the run so much easier knowing I have that help and support.
Enjoy! Take in everything that’s going on! Enjoy your run, don’t just focus on it being a race focus on having a great time and doing something amazing.

Think it will still be way too boring for you? What if I said there were storm troopers, Darth Vadors, and several other characters and decorations from the show throughout the whole race you could take pictures with? We had tons of characters from the movie cheering us on the whole way, along with bands playing music to get us pumped. There were plenty of stops with bathrooms, drinks, and snacks to help us get through it as well.

No I did not get a record time with this half, but it was way exciting and memorable. After the race I also got to spend time in the park which is always an adventure. One of my favorite parts through the race was going through this kind of tunnel and through the tunnel they played Darth Vador’s voice of him breathing and saying ‘come to the dark side’, it was way cool. Another part I really liked was being able to not only run through the park but go through behind the scenes areas. And of course I loved having hundreds of people cheering me on. Like dressing up? Perfect, pick your favorite theme and dress up! Don’t go too overboard because you still have to run. Through my race I saw Darth Vadors, storm troopers, Leia’s, and all sorts of characters from star wars. If you like running or not, but want to get in shape and have a memorable vacation, sign up for one of these runs and I promise you will not regret it, even though I was sore after, the memories from this trip are amazing and are going to stay with me forever.

Other fun from Disneyland…

Watch for the next Disney Half Marathon, and book your Disneyland vacation today! Use promo code: BusyMomsHelper for $10 off your vacation package!

Disneyland Just for Kids? Think Again!

December 11, 2015 by Nikki Cole

Is Disneyland just for kids? You may have heard that all around, but think again!

Be sure to check out Get Away Today for great prices on you trip! Use Promo Code: BusyMomsHelper

Is Disneyland just a vacation spot to take kids? My husband and I had the great opportunity of visiting Disneyland and California Adventures in October and we think it was the best vacation we have taken in the four years of being married. So think again if you think Disneyland is just for kids.

We absolutely loved this vacation because there was so much we could do but also nothing we had to do. The rides we went on, the treats, shows, characters all of it was exciting and fun and brought us closer as a couple while we enjoyed each other’s company through the parks.

What can you do there that is so amazing?

Rides (uh duh!)
Hidden Mickeys
Pressed Pennies
Food
Characters
Parades
World of color
Fireworks
Mad hatter’s Tea Party

Some rides may not be as enjoyable if you are prone to motion sickness like the Californian Screamin’.It is a very fast paced and intense roller coaster with many drops and a big loop-de-loop that gives you and upside down view of Paradise Pier. If you like more mellow rides try Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Snow White, or Pirates of the Caribbean. One of my personal favorites is Toy Story’s Midway Mania which is a 3-D style arcade shooter game breaking plates and popping balloons. My husband and I have competitions on Midway Mania to see who will win and the winner either picks the next ride or the loser has to buy treats. Yes I ended up losing quite a few of the games but it was worth the fun we had together. If you’re looking for some tips or pointers to make your trip more enjoyable try getting fast passes for rides with long lines, download mouse waits or the Disneyland app to check wait times and hit the ones with shorter wait times. No fast pass and you really want to go on it? Find some games on your phone to play together or get a hidden mickey book.

Hidden Mickeys are all over both of the parks! In several stores there is a book you can get that goes through all of the hidden Mickey’s throughout the parks. Some are difficult to spot and some are so easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it before. This is great while you’re waiting in line. Check the book and get ready to see the Mickey’s in the lines and on the rides. The book isn’t very expensive and we found that it was less expensive in the park rather than online at Amazon or Ebay.

Another fun activity to do is trying to collect the parks souvenir pressed pennies. I included the paper that my husband and I followed showed us where they were all located. While we looked for the machines, we went into shops and locations that we never knew existed. At several of the shops there were souvenir books to keep all your pressed coins nice and neat. It was about $9 and again don’t buy it online were we found them for $30! So don’t waste your money and just wait until you get to the park.

Food! Ok who doesn’t love food? Well for those of you that aren’t rich (like us) here are some tips on not breaking the bank on food. First, bring a bag with a water bottle that you can keep filling at water fountains throughout the day. Second, don’t be afraid of leaving the park to get food. Just outside of Disneyland in a very short walking distance there are several restaurants that will fill you up and not empty your wallet. We ate at Denny’s multiple times during our stay. We loved how we could sit down, relax in a cool place on a hot day and order some really great food and not stress about the bill. The service we got there was great and we ended up eating just two main meals and little snacks in between rides that we took into the park ourselves.

Now that I said leave the park for food, there are a few things that are worth the little extra money because the memories you and your partner will get from them are priceless. Turkey legs! Yes I am serious, a huge turkey leg. Now these are a little expensive so we shared one together, trust me they’re massive and one can easily feed two people. So grab one, get a bench and attempt to eat somewhat politely a turkey leg. My husband and I were a mess after but it was so fun eating it, oh and don’t use a fork, have some fun just eating it without utensils.

Churros are another great treat you should get at least once. We stayed late in the parks several of the nights we were there, a Churro made a perfect late night snack. Another fun treat to get right before the night time shows are ice cream sundaes. There are several ice cream stores that offer a variety of Disney themed novelties. My favorite was a Mickey Mouse shaped sundae that we got at one of the several carts throughout the parks.

Character dining is a great way to meet Disney’s beloved characters instead of waiting in often long lines to meet your favorite characters. This provides great entertainment and great food for all meals of the day. Both Story tellers Café and Goofy’s Kitchen offer a buffet and a meet-n-greet where the characters walk around and come say hi.

The nightly entertainment with parades, shows, firework are often crowed but are they worth it? Absolutely! I love my husband so much and us being there and watching incredible shows was magical. The Paint the night parade followed by the Disneyland Forever fireworks was my absolute favorite thing we did. By far the best parade and fireworks we have ever seen. The fireworks were breathtaking over the incredible castle and made for a perfect night to spend with my best friend.

World of Color is also another very cool show that had images projected on water, with fire, music, and lots color. The light up Mickey Mouse ears actually sync with the show to give it a little more added color. The Mad T Party was another show that involved a live band, dancers, and performers the played a variety of well-known songs.

Disneyland is one of my favorite places to go and all the memories and amazing times we had was magical and will live with us forever. So grab your partner and head to Disneyland because it’s not just for kids it is for anyone and everyone of all ages.

Head over to Get Away Today and reserve your magical vacation for just $125! Use Promo Code: BusyMomsHelper for $10 off your package!

Disney Social Media Moms Conference

August 8, 2015 by Kelly Dedeaux

I was thrilled to get the invitation for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference in Austin, and it was an absolute BLAST! I got network with some fabulous bloggers, learn lots of content and video, plus plenty of Disney news, of course!

You all know how my family’s REALLY into everything Disney, so of course this was a big deal to me! I’ll be honest, though – I had no idea what to expect. I got to travel down to Austin Wednesday afternoon with some of my great blogging buddies Momma on the Rocks, The Frugal Mom and Three Different Directions. We had a blast that evening chatting for hours at the hotel (review to come soon), plus the 4 hour car ride! I hate this picture of me, but it’s the only one we nabbed of the 4 of us!

At the #DisneySMMC Thursday morning I was THRILLED that they were fully stocked with Dr Pepper – they must love me or something! After a great breakfast, plus delish snacks throughout the morning to keep us going, we were fully ready for some learning!

Contains affiliate links that support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure for more info.

Disney always has amazing things going on, and since it’s their 60th Diamond Celebration this year, it’s definitely no exception! With a new parade, fabulous merchandise and other events, you don’t want to miss out! We’re heading there in October – (affiliate link) book YOUR trip now to join in all the Disney fun! Use promo code: BusyMomsHelper for $10 off! They’ve even got newly designed places at Walt Disney World, such as this ‘Old Florida’ themed diner where you can drive old-fashioned cars INTO the water!

We learned some great thoughts for our blogging, such as these fabulous tips:

Ever wonder what blogging/content creation is like? This pretty much sums it all up!

Oh, and we couldn’t miss out on some PIN TRADING while we were there! I started with a Donald Duck, ended with Mr. Smee!

Of course they had wonderful prizes during the event, and at the end gave us ALL Disney gift cards, thanks to Alamo!!! I’m so excited to use it for some goodies at Disneyland in a couple months!!!

What would a Disney event be without the man himself, Mickey Mouse?! It was neat seeing all us grown women (and men) getting all giddy like little kids to give him a big hug!

I was already so excited for our Disney vacation coming up, now I’m totally ecstatic!!! (affiliate link) Go book your trip now and join in my impatience as you count down to the magic! Don’t forget to save $10 by using Promo Code: BMH15 – have a Dole Whip with it!

Other Fabulous Disney Fun:

FROZEN Inspired Bedroom

April 23, 2014 by Kelly Dedeaux

Phew….it’s been quite the overhaul the past couple months remodeling TWO rooms at the same time! It’s been crazy, but I absolutely LOVE how this FROZEN Inspired Bedroom for my little lady turned out….so perfect, and she’s totally thrilled with it!

So I shared the other room that’s been undergoing a huge transformation on Sunday with my Craft Room Grand Reveal. I love that room, since it’s specially mine, but I have to say that the way this Frozen Inspired Bedroom turned out is my FAVORITE! It was so fun to put together, and the look (and squeals) by Black Widow when she saw it (I did a grand reveal for her, too) was SO worth all the hard work!

It actually was PERFECT timing, since my mom was throwing a FROZEN party for my baby sister (she just turned 11….we’re over 17 years apart!), and gave a lot of the leftover supplies to us to use for this room. SCORE!!! Thanks so much, Mom! One of the items was this super-neat painted branch:

Seriously, just a branch (thick and sturdy) spray painted white (with a touch of glitter spray). We nailed it to the wall above the IKEA Expedit shelf that we use as her dresser, and hung sparkly snowflakes and rock-crystal (sugar candy) sticks from it. It’s such a fun accent piece!

The I used the FROZEN Inspired Wreath that I had made previously with after-Christmas clearance items as part of her ‘accent’ wall. Add some blue-with-sparkly-snowflake tulle and colorful ribbon, and it definitely is a great focal point! And don’t forget the fun puffy-pom-poms hanging in the upper corner!

Notice the AMAZING pattern on her accent wall? I received it free to assist with this post: It’s the Starry Moroccan Night Stencil from Royal Design Studio. They have so many AMAZING stuff you can add to walls, furniture, you name it! I’m so excited to meet them at SNAP! Conference this week! Another note – it may look like it took a lot of work with the stenciling, but it was actually SUPER EASY!

The bedspread was more work than I had originally thought, but I was happy with the results. Keep your eyes peeled for a tutorial coming soon!

We got another version of the IKEA Expedit shelves to use as a window seat, just adding some cushions on top. Now it’s the perfect place for her to sit and read! I added some blue storage totes for in the cubbies for a ‘pop’ of color, and to assist with storage.

I also wrapped a cushion around the edge of the handmade bench area, since that corner sticking up made me pretty nervous!

So in the movie FROZEN, in Elsa’s castle she makes that beautiful ice crystal chandelier, right? Well, I had to craft one really quick for this room to make it complete!

Since Wonder Woman is ultra-artsy, I made her an entire Art Wall for her to hang here masterpieces on!

I seriously LOVE LOVE LOVE this room! Of course, I added some FROZEN stickers I got from Amazon all over the walls, along with white and silver snowflakes. There’s LOTS of sparkles to this room….so fun!