New Years Eve

Well the craziness of Christmas is behind us and I am able to start relaxing again.  This year for the first time I'm going to have my girls try to stay up until midnight on New Years Eve.  I have fun family activities planned for every hour to celebrate.

I got a 6 pack of small blue canvas bags at Walmart for a dollar and wrote a time on each one in permanent marker.  Then I put a card in each one with an activity to do that hour and any small supplies to go along with it.

For example...
In the 1:00 bag, I wrote do a puzzle together and included a $1 puzzle.
For 2:00, I put in a few cookie cutters and a cookie recipe for us to make.
3:00 will have a winter craft inside the bag.
4:00 will have "snowballs" in it for an indoor snowball fight.
At 5:00 we will be making a dinner from another country (I'm thinking French crepes) and learning about how people in other countries celebrate the New Year.
For 6:00 I have hot chocolate packets and a note saying to read a book in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate.
In the 8:00 bag I have a New Year's Eve printable that I found on Pinterest for each of us to fill out about the best part of 2013, what we are looking forward to in 2014, etc.
9:00 will have watch a movie.
11:00 will be eating the cookies we made earlier and the bag will have noisemakers in it for using at 12:00.
And finally at Midnight we will ring in the New Year with the noisemakers and a sparkling apple cider toast (I put small plastic wine glasses in this bag).  I also found a small disco like silver ball at the Christmas Tree Shop that we will be using as the ball drop.

If we have any down time, I also have cards that say things like play Wii, play a board game, shoot balloons with a dart gun, play a CD and have a family dance party, dress up in fancy clothes for dinner, etc.

I had also considered celebrating New Year's when it is midnight in another country so that it will be earlier here and the kids will be able to stay up for it, but then I found this idea on Pinterest that I liked even better.  I'm not sure how long my girls will last though.

Winter bucket list

Since it's now officially winter it's time to make my Winter Bucket List.  If you remember, I did a fall one as well.
1. Indoor snowball fight.  Done!
2. Go ice skating.
3. Go sledding on the big hill in the park near our house.  Emma has been wanting to do this for the past couple years so this year we are definately going to do it! 

                                                           Did it!

4. Make snow paint and color the snow.
5. Set up a hot chocolate bar.  We did this last year as well.  Fix all the compartments of a muffin tin with different toppings (chocolate chips, marshmallows, sprinkles, etc.) and let the kids go crazy!  Don't forget the whipped cream!  We even make our own hot chocolate mix (lots of recipes on Pinterest).  Done!
6. I want to try making these hot chocolate truffles for our hot chocolate this year.
7. Make snowman crafts.  Not sure yet what kind but I'll be searching Pinterest for ideas.
8.  Play more Wii.
9. Make a fort inside for the girls

Hmmm I  have a short list this time.  I hope that means we can actually get them all done!

Elf on the Shelf

Ok I am going to post all the things are Elf (Lucy) does this month.  Hopefully I remember to take a picture of all of them.

Emma keeps saying, "that Lucy sure is a trouble maker."  She loves looking for Lucy every morning and can't wait to see where she turns up next.

                                                  The first night she came with a new book.

Sitting on the doll toilet reading a book.  The girls got a big kick out of this one.

Covering herself in stickers.

Taking a marshmallow bubble bath.

                                                      Going for a ride with Minnie.

Coloring.

                                                      Sleeping on the job in a doll crib.

Going horseback riding.

 

 

                                                              Gone fishing.

                                                     Give the puppy a ride.

 Bungee jumping.

 

Started a puzzle for the girls to finish and color.

                                                     Eating whipped cream

Riding in the baby doll stroller.

Left  message for the girls.

Beating dolls at a board game.

 

Christmas

 I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!  November just flew by and was busy with my daughter's 6th birthday on the 14th and then Thanksgiving, which I cooked for.

Now we are gearing up for the holiday season.  We spent the weekend decorating for Christmas.  We started doing Elf on the Shelf last year and Lucy made her return Sunday night (December 1st).  The first night she came back with a few new Christmas books for us to read.  This morning the girls found her on their doll's potty reading a book!  They loved that.  Who knows where they'll find her tomorrow morning. 

This was our Thanksgiving tree with leaves that said what we all were thankful for.  Now it's the girls Christmas tree that they are decorating with handmade ornaments.

The 25 mini stockings is the advent calender we are doing this year.  I will talk about it more below.  As you can see, I collect nutcrackers (see the new Mickey Mouse one I just got in Disney?!)

Every year I do some type of advent calender for the girls.  Last year I wrapped 24 Christmas books and they opened a new one each night.  This year we made (well Bob sewed them) mini stockings with little slips of paper in them that have activities, crafts, etc. on them.

Some of the ideas on them include:
Read a book in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate
Pick out a toy to donate to Toys for Tots (we do this every year)
Search the house for loose change to put in the Salvation Army bucket
Donate at least one toy each to the Goodwill
Drive around looking at Christmas lights
Bake and decorate cookies
Watch a Christmas movie
Decorate upside down sugar cookies to look like trees (found the idea from http://www.couponclippingcook.com/candy-cookie-cones/)
Sleep in front of the Christmas tree
Have an indoor snowball fight (we use large white pom poms)
Make something for your sister
Make gifts for the grandparents
Learn a new Christmas carol
Go to a Christmas event


Two other things I'm hoping to do this month I found on pinterest (of course).
I want to make the mistletoes from here: http://www.pinkieforpink.com/2012/11/kids-christmas-art-projects.html.
And I have already starting making an ornament memory book (http://www.iloveitallwithmonikawright.com/2010/12/ornaments-and-their-stories-mini-album.html) for each girl.  I love this idea!  Since I buy them each an ornament (or two, plus the ones they get from the grandmoms) every year that represents something they liked or we did that year this will be a great way to remember when they received each one and why.  Then when they leave home they will already have a box full of ornaments for their first trees.  This year Emma got a Rapunzel ornament (since we went to Disney and that is her favorite character) and Abby got a Minnie Mouse (also from Disney and that is who she was for Halloween).

This month I'm also planning to teach the girls how the holidays are celebrated in other countries. Maybe through food, music, and books.  I'm still looking for ideas for this. 

I will try very hard to blog more often this month with our families holiday traditions, Elf on the Shelf, educational activties, and more.

Return from Disney!

We are back home from our vacation to Disney World.  I'm both sad and glad to be back.  We had a great vacation.  The girls did so much better than I thought they would on the plane.  And even though there were a lot of early mornings and late nights they were well behaved and didn't really have any tantrums. 

While we had a wonderful vacation here are a few of the Highlights by park:

 

Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest--very cool coaster that goes forward and backwards.  I didn't think Emma would go on since she doesn't like roller coasters but she tried it anyway.  She didn't like it but I'm so proud of her for being so brave and going on it. 

Kilimanjaro safaris--up close views of lots of animals, including elephants, giraffes (there was a baby when we were there), lions, gazelles, okapis, and much more.  We went first thing in the morning and I wanted to go again in the afternoon but we didn't have time.  I recommend going twice and sitting on the other side of the vehicle so you'll see different things.



It's Tough to be a Bug--we almost skipped this because the reviews I read said it was really scary for young kids.  I'm glad we didn't listen to them.  Both girls (5 and 2) enjoyed this 3D show as did we.  The only part I didn't like too much was when it felt like a bee was stinging my back.  Otherwise it was a fun show.


Kali River Rapids--my older daughter liked this so much she went twice (we were able to use a rider swap pass since my younger daughter was too short to ride).  Her and I got drenched but it was a hot day so it felt good and we dried quickly.

 

 

Playing in the boneyard.


Dinosaur ride--Emma (who loves dinosaurs) was scared of this ride because it was too dark (and Abby was too short to go on it) but my husband, my mom, and I all liked it.

Lunch at Tuskar House--Donald, Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy come around to all the tables for pictures and autographs.  The food is served buffer style and is all you can eat.

 

 

 Seeing all the animals.

                                     

 

Hollywood Studios
We only spent a few hours here as there wasn't too much we were interested in doing.

Tower of Terror--one of my favorite rides in all of Disney.  Each ride is different since the computer randomly chooses drop sequences.  Emma was scared of the dark here but enjoyed the actual ride.  We had a fastpass and we used a rider swap pass so she was able to ride twice.

 

Magic Kingdom

When asked, Emma's favorite ride is always the carousal.


Big Thunder Mountain Railroad--another of my favorite Disney rides.

Splash Mountain--you get wetter in the front (we rode once in the back and once in the front) but it's a fun ride no matter where you sit.

Storytime with Belle--most of the audience gets to participate in the show if they want to.  My older daughter got to have a small part and walk around the room during the show.  Afterwards, all participates get their picture taken with Belle and a bookmark.  They even brought my younger daughter (who wasn't in the show) up for a picture and bookmark which I thought was really nice.


Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin--The laser shooting was OK but the most fun was making the cars spin around, which you can control yourself.

 

We did breakfast at Cinderella's castle one morning and met Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), and Snow White. The food wasn't that impressive for the price but you do get a photo package with Cinderella and the girls get a wand (boys get a sword) and Emma and Abigail enjoyed getting autographs and pictures with the princesses.

 

We also did Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom one night.  The girls dressed appropriately as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  This was a great time to ride many of the rides with short or no lines and rides that are fun to ride at night (Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin).  There was also shows, fireworks, and a parade.  And of course trick-or-treating.


Epcot

Test Track--fun and fast ride that takes you inside and outside on a track.  Emma had fun designing her car before the ride and then you can see how well your car performs as you ride.

Soarin'--fun ride where you can actually smell the oranges and pine trees as you "fly" over California.

 

 Dinner at Garden Grill in Living with the Land--this is a revolving restaurant featuring Chip and Dale, Mickey, and Pluto.  All you can eat served family style.

 

 

 

   
                                     

 

 The girls didn't get as much out of the World Showcase as I hoped they would but they did like coloring Duffy Bear at the different countries.  And we got their passports stamped and signed.  I would love to go again when they are older and watch the films in each country.  They did like the boat rides in Norway and Mexico. 

 

 

Now for a few tips that I hope can help others.

Even though the tour books don't think so, Animal Kingdom requires at least one full day to see all the animals and do all the rides.  We got there before the park opened and stayed til it closed and still could have used more time.  Like I mentioned earlier I wanted to go on the safari again to see if we saw different animals but there wasn't time.  We did go on almost all the rides though (and in some cases twice with a rider swap pass so all 3 adults could get to ride).

I felt like we were rushing through the World Showcase (we went for a few hours on two different nights) and would definitely suggest allowing one full day for it.  Especially if you want to see any of the films and performers (which we missed).
I mentioned in a prior post that I was going to get my girls educational souvenirs from each country in the World Showcase.  Here's what I got them:
In all countries--a small flag (which came with a flag pole and was only about $5) and pressed pennies.
China--a parasol for each girl with their name written in Chinese on it, a fan, a kimono, necklaces with a panda and their name written in Chinese.
Germany--a book about what comes from Germany, cowbell
Morocco--finger cymbals
France--CD, book
Mexico--CD, small (doll size) sombrero and poncho, book
Norway--Viking helmet and sword, book about Vikings
Canada--a collection of coins from different countries
Japan--Lucky cat (for Emma) and Lucky owl (for Abby), the girls each picked an oyster to get a pearl
The shopping wasn't quite as good as I was expecting.  Also I was disappointed in the food in the World Showcase.  I have had much better crepes and the tacos were so small and dry tasting.

I was able to reserve our fastpass+ times in advance.  I highly recommend you do this.  Some rides we had fast passes for had 40-60 minute waits in the stand by lines.  You can choose 3 fastpasses in one park each day.  If you have a park hopper and are going to two parks in one day get the fastpasses for the second park as it will be more crowded by the time you get there.

If you have a child that is too small to go on a ride make sure you get a rider swap pass from the cast member at the entrance to the line.  This allows whoever waited with the child (and 2 other people) to enter the fastpass line to ride without waiting in line again.  We used this many times so all 3 adults in our party could ride all the rides even though Abby couldn't.  It also allowed Emma and one other person to go on the rides a second time without the wait.

Even though it's a bit pricey we got the photopass package.  This way all of us could be in the pictures and we got some with cool special effects like the girls holding Tinkerbell.  It also included pictures taken on rides and at certain character meals.

You need to have a plan to maximize your time and decrease the amount of time you spend waiting in lines but you also need to be flexible.

Leave plenty of room in your luggage for souvenirs.  We had to repack a couple suitcases to make them under 50 pounds and avoid the high oversize baggage fees.  Next time we might just take an empty suitcase to carry home souvenirs in.

Get the Disney Dining Plan.  We were able to get it for free (look for free dining promotions in the fall) which was great and saved a ton of money.  Meals are really expensive in Disney and the dining plan can save you money.  Make sure you budget your meals though so you don't waste any or run out.  At the end of our vacation we were out of table service meals but had some snacks and quick service meals left.

We stayed at the Polynesian resort.  It was a really nice hotel.  The pool was great.  There were pool games every afternoon.  It's on the monorail route and you can also take a boat to the Magic Kingdom.  We did the Aloha show there which was really nice (although Emma was so tired she fell asleep during it lol).  We also did the Ohano character breakfast with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch.  The kids got to get up and parade around with musical instruments during it which was nice.  Our only complaint about this hotel is Kona restaurant.  We didn't get seated until at least 20 minutes after our reservation and then it took another 20 minutes for someone to take our order.  Also some of the people at the front desk gave the wrong information about transportation.  But otherwise I would definitely recommend this hotel.   

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you leave time for relaxing at your hotel pool.  Next to the carousel, Emma's favorite part of the vacation was swimming in the pool.  Next time I won't drive everyone crazy trying to see and do as much as possible and will have more down time to relax.  That being said, the 10 days we spent in Disney were not nearly enough to see and do everything so you really have to decide what your priorities are and make sure you do them, anything else is just a nice bonus.  Realize you can not possibly do it all.  Yes, I am still trying to work on this tip.

We are already talking about going back to Disney someday.  Maybe in 5-6 years it will happen.

(we also went to Seaworld and Legoland for a day each.  If I get around to it soon I will post info on them as well).