Wordless Wednesday: Inspiration

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Tour Tuesday: The UnDISCOVERed Future World

Tour Tuesday is back with a new featured Walt Disney World Tour this week. Thanks for joining us!

Tour Tuesday

The UnDISCOVERed Future World

This 4-hour walking tour is offered at 9am Monday-Friday at EPCOT.

Take this tour and learn of Walt Disney's dream to create the Experimental Protoype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). You'll have the opportunity to check out the Future World pavilions and see how the vision came together from the construction up.

You even get a glimpse of some cool backstage areas for an exclusive look at areas which are usually off limits! Plus, all tour participants will also receive a complimentary commemorative pin!

The cost of this tour is $69 per person, plus tax.

Know Before You Go:

• Park Admission Required: YES
• Park Admission Included: NO
• Age Requirements: 16 years and older
• You must have a valid photo ID
• This is an outdoor tour. Check the weather and dress appropriately
• Consider proper footwear (tennis shoes/athletic shoes - It's four hours walking- think practical, comfortable shoes)
• "You will forfeit the entire price of your tour if you no-show or cancel within 2 days of your reservation."
• Please check in 15 minutes prior to the tour at the Guest Relations Lobby just inside the Main Entrance of Epcot, to the left of Spaceship Earth.

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Need a Filling Snack at Animal Kingdom?

You're making your way through Animal Kingdom. It's hot and the park is huge! You need energy, nourishment. It's too hot to eat a big meal, but you want something more than a granola bar or an apple... Fear not! I have the perfect solution!

Head over to Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes for some Chicken Fried Rice!

Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes is the Counter Service to the right of Yak & Yeti Restaurant (Table Service). Coming from Kilimanjaro Safaris going to Expedition Everest Yak & Yeti LFC will be on your left. Simply walk up, place your order, and take a seat at one of the tables in the vicinity. There are a few tables directly across from Yak & Yeti LFC that are in the shade, but more seating can be found to the right of the building (in direct sun).

Photo via wdwinfo

Anyway, back to the important stuff- the food! Yak & Yeti LFC offers Asian inspired entrees ranging from $8.99-$10.99, such as Honey Chicken and Tariyaki Beef Bowl, among other things. Their kids meals are more of your typical American fare though.

What we enjoyed though was their side of chicken fried rice. It comes in the typical Asian to-go box, packed full! Tessa, Colten and I all shared a box when they were smaller, and while we did eat it all, there was plenty. Now that's they're a little bigger we typically share 2 to a order. This was the perfect alternative to a heavy meal on such a hot day!

Not only was it just a good snack, it tasted great, too!

The side of chicken fried rice was $3.99, which is not bad at all for the generous serving. Even better though, we used a snack credit on the Dining Plan!! Personally, I thought this was a much better use of the credits than say, a bag of chips?

If you're looking to save money eating at Disney this is a great way to do it. This "side" is a meal in itself! If you're really hungry I'd say it wouldn't be hard to eat it all on your own (or take back to the room for later). With Disney's generous portions though, for those less hungry, it can easily be shared between two adults, or in my case, one adult and two kiddos. At $4, or 1 snack credit, this is an awesome yet inexpensive meal!

Good to the last bite!

(Check out that hot, sleepy stare!)

Mmm... now I have a craving. Guess I'll just have to hop a flight to MCO :-)

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Winnie the Pooh Diaper Cycle

As a Flashback Friday today, I thought I'd share a diaper cycle I made for my sister's shower a few years ago. Baby M's nursery theme was Winnie the Pooh which made decorating for the shower pretty easy (and absolutely adorable).

My dad and his wife ride Harleys, so my Pooh themed diaper cycle was a big hit.

This little project was definitely Pinterest Inspired. I came across two diaper cycles that I really liked. While the two looked about the same, I noticed they had a couple small differences in assembly. I kind of merged the two together to come up with my final masterpiece ;-)

The folks who first created these, and posted the instructions for all to see, deserve the credit for these little creations, and they certainly do a better job of showing you how to do it. So, head to those blogs for detailed instructions. The sites are www.sweetaprils.com and www.baby-shower.com but you can find the specific instructions here and here.

Here's what you need if you're going to make your own:

• About 40 Size 1 diapers (as a mom, I prefer Pampers Swaddlers)
• Two cloth bibs (I used burp cloths)
• One washcloth
• Two (or three, depending which design you prefer) receiving blankets in like colors (I did three)
• A pair of baby mittens or socks (I used mittens)
• One bottle
• One (or two, again depending on which you do) of the baby chain link toys
• Ribbon to wrap around the "tires"
• Stuffed animal of your choice

Optional items I used to add a little fun:

• Toy keys
• Birth announcement pillow for seat

Make sure to coordinate your blankets, bibs, and wash cloths to keep things looking clean. I used Winnie the Pooh receiving blankets to go along with my theme. The blankets and the pillow had some green, so that's what I chose to use for the fabric pieces. On www.sweetaprils.com you can see several examples of coordinating colors and themes.

I used the "tires" from one because I liked the look of them better. Putting them together in the round pans like this just made them look a little neater I think.

Since I found the Winnie the Pooh birth announcement pillow and thought it would make the perfect seat I decided to use the other's instruction for connecting them with the blankets because it left a little more room between the tires. Both had the same concept for the handlebars, headlight, and "fenders". Oh, and one used elastic instead of ribbon to wrap the tires. While I think that was pretty practical and kept a better hold of the diapers, I like the look of the ribbon better. I ended up using a wide solid ribbon and then layering a thinner Winnie the Pooh printed ribbon over it.

Here's the final product!

 And here are a few photos from the shower :-)

I loved the clothesline with the baby items! Such cute decor!

Her cousin made a cute diaper cake and a plaque for his room with a quote from Winnie the Pooh

Again, the motorcycle was a big hit!

Pooh bath toys floating in the punch

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A Toddler's Fear of Rides at Disney

Recently I was asked about taking a 2 year old on certain rides at Disney, and seeing how my little guy, Colten, was 2 on his first trip, I definitely had some insight here. I thought it might be something worth sharing via the blog as well to possibly help others as they plan their future trips with little ones.
Here's a recap of some of the rides I thought to be okay for a 2 year old at the time... and how he reacted.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Our first ride of the kids' first trip to Disney was Pirates of the Caribbean. We entered the queue and followed the scent of the water to our waiting boat. We were all able to sit together, in the first row. Colten wasn't quite sure what to think. We entered the dark tunnel and, he got a little nervous. This was a new face for us, so I had to snap the picture.

I had completely forgotten about the "little dip" at the beginning which seemed to take us all by surprise. More surprising though was that Bubby didn't seem to mind it. Once we made it through that and the ride opened up a bit, he was fine. He loves anything to do with pirates so he really got into it. There are some loud scenes, but all in all, it was a good experience. 

Haunted Mansion

Well, for whatever reason I remembered Haunted Mansion being rather amusing, like funny Ha-Ha amusing, so I thought it wouldn't be any big deal to take Colten on it. He did fine on Pirates of the Caribbean, after that darkened tunnel and little dip so why wouldn't he do okay with Haunted Mansion?

I'll tell you why... because it is nothing like what I had somehow remembered in my head. I must have come up with some alternative universe or something where the ghosts were telling jokes or something. Don't ask me how or why...

Bubby did okay as we entered. The stretching room didn't scare him like I thought it might, so I thought we were home free. It wasn't until we had gotten into our DoomBuggies and were headed through that first "hallway" with the lightning in the windows, the spooky voice, the doors and pictures that I started to question what in world I was thinking. The ghosts and skeletons were much creepier than I had remembered. (What was I picturing, cute chubby baby-like ghosts or something? I don't know.)

Not only was it dark and creepy, but it was very, very loud. Talk about over-stimulating! It was all just way too much. So, we're not a minute in and already I'm feeling like the world's worst mother. Oh, and the ride is super long, which didn't help a bit.

Yes, yes, he made it out alive, but he was skeptical of every ride after that for the rest of our trip! 

Muppet*Vision 3D

Muppet*Vision 3D is a 3D enhanced theater show at Disney's Hollywood Studios which I thought would really be a big hit with Colten. I mean, it is the Muppets, after all. He loved the waiting area, checking out the little show on the TVs and all the props. He loved getting his glasses and playing with them. He didn't even mind going into the theater. However, once the show started and the 3D antics really began, specifically when "the world's first computer-generated Muppet", Waldo C. Graphic tells you how it's funny that everyone think he's talking to them, but really he's just talking to you and his nose elongates and almost bumps right into your own nose... Bubby was ready to hit the door. So beware, the show may be just fine, but the 3D effects may be a bit too much for little one. Most may be okay to stay and watch the show without the glass, but my little guy had to leave.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Another ride that seemed a bit sketchy to him at first (thanks to Mama here) was The Seas with Nemo and Friends.  Those "clamobiles" were a bit too similar to the DoomBuggies and he was a bit leery of getting in. He immediately went into defense mode, seen here:

For whatever reason, he was never ll that into Nemo, so he didn't really get excited at the sight of Dory or Nemo. While those hands never came down, his features softened, and you could tell he was okay. He did say he "liked the fish" when he got off, but I'm sure he'd have enjoyed it much more without my Haunted Mansion fiasco.

Jungle Cruise

Colten loves boats and loves animals (see where I'm going with this?), so what better attraction than Jungle Cruise to appeal to him? He started to get a bit anxious waiting in line, especially overhearing the kids behind us talk about a big snake. We were the last to board a crowded boat, and Bub wasn't too sure about this...

Once we got going though and he realized there wasn't really anything to be scared of, he started to enjoy the nice, relaxing boat ride. He really liked pointing out the animals. His favorites were the elephants playing in the water. This may have even ended up being one of his favorites.

What can we learn from this post?

• Haunted Mansion is too spooky, loud, scary and over-stimulating for a two year old (or at least mine anyway)
• 3D effects, like those in Muppet*Vision 3D, may be too much for little ones
• Some children may be nervous getting on certain rides (even without previous bad experience), but it's okay to take them anyway because it may turn out that they really like it (although I wouldn't recommend pushing through for Haunted Mansion...)

For the record, my daughter Tessa thinks Haunted Mansion rocks, and she and I had to ride it several more times over the course of our trip. She was 5 at the time. To this day it's still her favorite non-thrill ride.

Were your kids frightened by any rides at Disney? Any they were scared to go on but ended up liking? Do you have a tot who liked Haunted Mansion? I'd love to hear from you.




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Wordless Wednesday: Smilin' at Chef Mickey's

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