Character Meals @ Disney World meets with success…

 If you’re looking to meet the characters up close and personal I highly recommend the Character Meal Option.  If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan it’s definitely the most bang for your buck.  I will admit it’s a tad bit annoying to have a mouth full of food and here comes character so you have to leave your food to mingle with characters but it’s a nice break for the kids, a chance to sit down and relax.  The food is half way decent for the most part and the service was good in our experience.   I must admit, our first character breakfast was a disaster, kids under tables, children crying, it’s a little scary to see how big the characters are but by the end of the day my three were running up to them with no fear!

The Disney Dining Plan was an excellent value for us.  We took the option with one table service, one counter service and one snack and it is perfect!   I met up with two separate families that took the deluxe and regretted it, way too much, kids are not going to eat the same way they do at home, they’re exhausted and/or exhilarated and don’t want to “waste” time at the table.   One lady was staying an extra day just to burn through 9 meals she didn’t want to go to waste.

If you’re really worried about hunger, consider buying snacks to bring into the park to eat on the run but trust me, the option we took is enough food!  I was surprised the the counter service wasn’t only junk food, there were plenty of more expensive options like ribs, chicken, etc… that were available under the plan. 

The snack option is the real money booster, generally you can buy something $4 and under (that’s not a rule just a guide).  The Nemo cookies and candied apples were a big hit with my family.  You can also get a soda but they’re only $2 so if possible pay cash for that and save your snack for something more expensive.

I’m completely non-productive tonight, I got suckered into watching The Graduate and loving it all over again.  I love Dustin Hoffman’s reactions to the situation.

The Graduate @ Amazon

Character Meals

If you’re looking to meet the characters up close and personal I highly recommend the Character Meal Option.  If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan it’s definitely the most bang for your buck.  I will admit it’s a tad bit annoying to have a mouth full of food and here comes character so you have to leave your food to mingle with characters but it’s a nice break for the kids, a chance to sit down and relax.  The food is half way decent for the most part and the service was good in our experience.

The Disney Dining Plan was an excellent value for us.  We took the option with one table service, one counter service and one snack per day and it is perfect!   I met up with two separate families that took the deluxe and regretted it, way too much, kids are not going to eat the same way they do at home, they’re exhausted and/or exhilarated and don’t want to “waste” time at the table.   One lady was staying an extra day just to burn through 9 meals she didn’t want to go to waste.

If you’re really worried about hunger, consider buying snacks to bring into the park to eat on the run but trust me, the option we took is enough food!  I was surprised the the counter service wasn’t only junk food, there were plenty of more expensive options like ribs, chicken, etc… that were available under the plan. 

The snack option is the real money booster, generally you can buy something $4 and under (that’s not a rule just a guide).  The Nemo cookies and candied apples were a big hit with my family.  You can also get a soda but they’re only $2 so if possible pay cash for that and save your snack for something more expensive.

Here’s your chance to win something you can actually use!  Diapers!  Take a look at the video above, the kid is for sure a “whizz” kid, let’s hope he’s not recognized later in life!  All you have to do is enter the contest with a funny or interesting tidbit about a leaky situation and you could win FREE Huggies wipes or diapers!

Best of luck and please let me know when you win!

Back to school! that means long afternoons after pre-school where I’ll have to keep girl2004 and girl2006 busy and happy while the big boy of the family, boy2001, is at school.

I was perusing the aisles at Borders two weeks ago and found the cutest set of Little Miss Books.  The Little Miss series by Roger Hargreaves is a great compliment to the Mr. Men series.  The girls LOVE the little miss characters… they always find something in the story to relate to!

What I like best about this set is that it came with envelopes to put each book in.  I addressed all the envelopes to the girls and kept them in the side of the car door.  When I checked the mail each afternoon, I shuffled in an envelope and the girls thought they got something in the mail.

They were SO excited!  they loved it!  Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Bossy, Little Miss Somersault, Little Miss Naughty, Little Miss Giggles and Little Miss Stubborn.

The set was $18 @ Borders for 6 books and envelopes.  I’d love the entire series set of 39 books but the rates are a little out of control in my opinion. 

Hasbro has just come out with a new line of games to get kids to learn more about being attentive, sharing and getting on with others while having fun!

The Pizza Palace Learning to Listen game is a group activity that is non-competitve and holds kids’ interest for a looooong time.  Please, don’t start playing this game if you want to catch a movie or something.  My kids loved playing this for HOURS on end.  

About the game: kids get “pizzas”, a cardboard pizza box and a bunch of toppings.  The customer (usually me or hubby) places an order.  The order can be placed verbally or by showing the cards provided for younger children. 

For fun, we would change our voices and dialects to trip the kids up a bit.  The kids fill the order, put it in the appropriate box and deliver, tips were requested with a hand-out gesture but unfortunately we could tip via credit card which appeases the kids (for now!)

It was wonderful to see the kids really concentrate and try to remember the toppings.  The only thing that could improve this game would be real life pictures on the toppings instead of drawings.  Other than that it is PERFECT and keeps the kids entertained for so long, I’m giving it the highest recommendation.

Let me know if you get this game for your kids.  Mom Central is giving away 200 Noodleboro games, sign up to enter ASAP!

It’s unbelievable to think that it’s been 7 years since that day.  It really seems like just yesterday…

If you’re always looking for a bargain or sale, make sure to check out TJ Maxx clearance.  I got lucky the other day and found not one, or two but THREE Speedo Begin to Swim sets on clearance for only 50 cents each!

The set comes with a nice kickboard (which my kids were wanting), goggles and a “kicking coach set” which is like a reverse knee pad that keeps the knee from bending so they learn to kick properly.  There’s also an instructional booklet, and achievement map with stickers.

It comes in a large box because of the kickboard so the kids thought they weren’t getting something “big”  and were ecstatic.  Totally worth 50 cents!

I also found a football training aid.  It’s a belt that has a football on a leash.  Boy2001 has had a ball throwing out the ball and catching it without having to run back and forth.

Check it out at a TJ Maxx or Marshalls near you!

Stroller-ing through Disney World One Day…

This being the first trip to Disney with a stroller (a double one at that) I was appalled by the lack of covered stroller storage.  We really couldn’t relax and enjoy the attractions because we kept thinking about our girls’ stroller being soaked, along with the stuffed animals, pictures, diapers and all the other gear. 

One time we had secured a great dry spot (rare) that was totally out of the way only to find it had been moved to the “stroller parking” that was without cover in the pouring rain totally drenched.  If Disney World is about children more needs to be done to accommodate strollers!  Stroller parking must be close to the attractions and covered.

Disney World does rent out strollers that are all plastic and can be wiped off but are quite expensive, $15 per day for a single stroller, $30 for a double stroller per day.  I’m not sure if there’s a weekly rate but those rates are a little rich for my blood.  It’s no big deal if you’re there for day but for 8 days $240?  WOW, are they kidding me?

Travel, accomodations, food and tickets are expensive enough but this is just greedy imho.

Our favorite hair salon is Snip Its!  a few times a year, the girls get their hair did at the salon and it’s always a treat.

I usually go right past all their product but I was so impressed with girl2004′s results (coupled with the fact that I’m out of my favorite… Oopsy Daisy!) prompted me to purchase the product that was used to detangle and condition her hair.

No Yellin’ Melon Cream Conditioner smells divine and helps detangle hair effortlessly.  It’s a good choice if you’ve got lots of tangles to get through.  It does weight down hair but with girl2004′s bouncy curls, that’s a good thing!  It keeps them down while seperating them.  Buy for $6.99