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Thanks and see ya real soon!!!!

Tuesday's Tip ~ Disney Countdown

A fun way to get excited for an upcoming trip is to have a Disney Countdown.  We made ours out of a red poster board and got the colored Mickey heads from our local Home Depot store.  We put 30 heads with some Disney stickers on the board for a 30 day countdown.  Each day one of our kids would put a star on a head.  It was an easy and fun way to countdown for our Disney trip.

Friday Favorite

 One of the kids favorite thing to do is dress up and go to Disney.  Besides Halloween when can a kid dress up and leave the house?  Living so close to Disney gives the kids a chance to express themselves in a way that couldn't be done otherwise.  We have been known to be in the company of Captain Hook, Peter Pan (sometimes together - YIKES!), Cheshire Cat, Alice and a few other characters.  Disney is the place where a kid can live out their fantasy!

Alice, Peter Pan and Wendy

Homemade Cheshire Cat

More to Disney

Disney's  Boardwalk

When you think of Disney most people think parks, characters and rides.  But did you know there is more to Disney then that?  Disney has so much to offer and you don't even need to step into one of the four main parks.  Over the next few posts we will highlight some of them.
   Resorts: Disney has 22 resorts that you can explore.  Some of the themes are just amazing and well worth taking a look at.
*The Animal Kingdom Lodge sits on part of a savannah. You can walk out the back of the resort and see  animals.  Some of the rooms even overlook the beautiful view. This is one resort we would love to stay at.
*The Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club sit close to the Swan and Dolphin hotels.  There is a very nice path that you can walk around.  Of course there is a boardwalk with good food and live entertainment (in the evenings).  The atomosphere is very relaxing.
*The Polynesian Resort is one of our favorites.  It has a very tropical feel to it.  You even get a lei when you walk in.  Walk out onto the beach and there is a fantastic view of Cinderella's Castle, it is also a great place to watch fireworks.
*The value resorts - All Star Movies, All Star Sports, All Star Music, Pop Century and the new one opening May of this year The Art of Animation all have larger then life props that are very fun to look at.
*If you head over to Port Orleans Riverside or French Quaters you are in for a real treat.  If you walk through you will notice that there are no palm trees, a friend of ours pointed this out.   This is to keep the feel of being in the south real.  You can park at one resort and take a nice slow walk on the path that connects the two resorts.  Or if walking doesn't float your boat, you can take a boat ride from one to the other.  The boat also goes to Downtown Disney.  These two resorts are peaceful, that is unless you go see Bob play.  More on him later!
These are just a few of the resorts Disney has.  As time goes on we will try to highlight each of them in detail.

Andy's bedroom door ~ All Star Movies

Port Orleans ~ Riverside

Have a magical day!

Dinosaur at Disney???

Where in the World is this?

Pack your own snacks

Just a quick tip for today.  Something we have learned from living so close and being at Disney a lot is to bring your own snacks.   Disney does not have a problem with you bringing outside food into their parks. It will save you a little money and time.  Giving a snack out while you wait in line is a great way to make the time go (a little) faster.
Some great snacks are:
Granola Bars
Fruit Snacks
Chips/crackers
Fruit (if it isn't too hot)

Don't forget to drink lots of WATER, it's getting warmer here in Florida!

Where In The World

Yes this is actually somewhere in Disney and not someone's backyard!

WATER!!!

Summer is almost here and that means it's going to be hot!  This will probably be the most important tip we can give you while visiting Walt Disney World.  Drink lots of water! You can get dehydrated very quickly here in sunny Florida, within a couple hours.  You will start to feel sick, can get dizzy or nauseous, even pass out.  Nothing can ruin a good day faster. If you do feel any of these symptoms please make your way to the first aid center.  After speaking to one of the nurses that are on site at the Magic Kingdom, she said that for an adult they should drink one water bottle every hour and kids 1/2 a water bottle every hour (sodas do not count as water).  That's a lot of water!  If you find yourself without a water bottle go to any counter service with a soda fountain and they will give you a cup of water at no charge and of course there are plenty of drinking fountains located all over Disney.   Even Disney knows how important this is.  Please drink water and don't forget the sunscreen!  You don't want to be dehydrated and sunburned.

Our kids drinking their water in a fun way at one of the many drinking fountains at Disney

Magic Moment Monday ~ A surprise guest

I was having a hard time coming up with a Magic Moment for today.  Then I remembered one that just happenend that was pretty cool.  We were hanging in the Living Seas after we had just gotten off the Nemo ride. George was upstairs with a couple of the kids and I was wandering around looking at all the fun things.  When I went up to meet him, he told me that a diver had just been out talking to them.  He told them to wait there because a very special guest was going to be coming out.  Oh how the excitment built!  Who could it be?  After all we are at Disney World!  A few moments later the special guest arrived.  Here is who we saw...

Mickey Mouse in a diving outfit! The cast members said it is very rare that he comes out in this costume. It was so cool to see him swimming around.  He even stop to take pictures with us!

Our Diver Friend

So keep your eyes open always you just never know who you will run into!

If you are looking for an inexpensive and yummy treat head over to EPCOT's Norway.  There you will find Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe, which translates to Kringla Bakery and Cafe.  It is a very small bakery filled with very tasty treats.  One of our all time favorites is School Bread.  If you haven't tried school bread you must make your way to Norway to do so. It is a pastry topped with coconut and filled with a creamy middle. At just $2.69 it is a great treat!  I spoke with one of the cast members working at the bakery and she said if you wanted to try a more traditional treat then try Lefse.  This is a snack that Norwegian moms make for their children after school.  It is a flour tortilla with butter, cinnamon and sugar rolled up.  At $1.99 this might just be the cheapest treat in Disney.