personal blog
The winners are of the BornFree Bottles Gift Set are:
Here are your random numbers:
10 167
Timestamp: 2009-06-25 02:47:27 UTC
The Diaper Diaries and Jessica!
I am really excited because I met Jill from The Diaper Diaries at Blissdom in February, back before we all knew she was going to have baby #3.
Check your inboxes ladies an email is coming soon!
When visiting Epcot don’t forget to visit the Kidcot Fun Stops. These fun craft stations geared towards preschoolers are located throughout Epcot.
This was a great activity to keep my preschooler entertained while the big kids rode the big rides. In the World Showcase your little one can interact with Cast Members and learn about their native countries while making beautiful masks they can take home.
The Kidcot locations are:
Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot Future World:
Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot World Showcase:
Working on her Kidcot craft in The Land Pavillion while the big kids rode Soarin’.
Photo courtesy of Brian Wilson
If you want the Disney “experience” but don’t want to pay Disney prices consider stopping by Downtown Disney. This area, located on Disney property does not charge admission and is filled with fun shops, restaurants, a movie theatre (not free), and entertainment.
There is a Lego Imagination store, which is sure to keep your kids busy for hours, as well as the largest Disney character store on earth. This store is fun to just walk through and look at all the merchandise, even if you don’t spend a cent. There is also Design-A-Tee shop, which allows you to design custom apparel. Other stores include Art of Disney, Virgin Records, a Kitchen Store, and a Christmas shop.
If you are hungry, consider dining at T-Rex, a dinosaur-themed family eatery serving lunch and dinner amid prehistoric creatures, fun displays and merchandise. This restaurant includes a Paleo Zone, where you can go on an archaeological Discovery Dig, pan for treasures in Discovery Creek and get schooled in prehistory on the Paleo Screens. There is also a Build-a-Dino workshop, similar to Build-a-Bear.
You can also take a boat from Downtown Disney to Old Key West or Saratoga Springs and dine at one of the many restaurants. The boat ride is free and the restaurants are usually not crowded.
If you want to spend the big bucks, enjoy a performance at Cirque du Soleil. It is truly an incredible experience. They occasionally run Florida resident discounts of around 20%. Performances are held from Tuesday through Saturday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Downtown Disney is accessible by bus, if you are staying at one of the Disney resorts. Or by car, and parking is free.
Hours for Downtown Disney are:
Shops open 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday – Thursday
Shops open 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday – Saturday
Restaurants open daily 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
You can easily spend the entire day at Downtown Disney and enjoy all the shops and architecture without spending a dime.
Photos courtesy of Twinkie420, indigoskye, Joe Chang.
I am cleaning out my inbox and trying to answer some reader questions that have been asked over the past year… yes, some of these questions are a year old, and I am sorry for that. Things are busy here and I am terrible at responding to emails.
From Pam: I haven’t frozen pancakes before. How do you re-heat them? I would’ve thought they would be too “rubbery”. Any tips??
Pam, I have found that if I add more liquid to the mix when I make them they reheat better. These pancakes end up being a little thinner than normal, but they still taste good. Also don’t over cook them when you reheat. Sometimes a pancake can be heated in the microwave in 20 seconds. You can also reheat in the toaster oven. It also helps to slightly under cook the pancakes, only as much as the outside color is light brown rather than dark brown.
From Melissa: Do you have a good recipe for biscuits using fresh ground flour? Which grain do you use? I use Kamut, Spelt, and Soft White Wheat for my bread and it is very light, but I have not had very good results with biscuits.
Melissa, for my biscuits I use either soft white or prairie gold. I usually have good results but every once in a while the biscuits flop for no reason. Here is my recipe:
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In a deep mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in the butter using a dough knife or forks until the butter is smaller than the size of a pea, but not as small as cornmeal. Add milk until you get a consistency similar to bread dough. Roll out about one inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Bake for about 15 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.
From Rebecca: I would greatly appreciate a referral to any blogs your aware of that focus on only children or boys in general.
Okay readers, help me out on this one. Do you know of any blogs that focus on only children or boys? If so, please leave a link the comment section.
From Rachel: Where do you live that you can buy clothing at thrift stores with prices like that?
I shop at the Village Thrift Store in Laurel, MD. You’ll recognize me from the picture on my header. 😉
From Lisa: Would filling a crockpot onSaturday nite and putting it on low right away on Sunday morning help eleviate your concern for your noon meal?
Lisa, yes it probably would. I just need to remember to plan to do it!
From Kelly: I am curious. Do you get up super early on the weekend to write your posts? My struggle would be that the weekend is when we have family time and whatnot and how would I need to arrange my Saturdays to block off blog writing time.
Kelly, this is a struggle for me as well. Right now I don’t get up super early unless Cora wants to get up super early. I usually sleep in on Saturdays, meaning 8 to 8:30. I try and write in the afternoon while our toddler is napping because we tend to be home during those hours anyway. Sometimes I will write Saturday night. I am currently writing this post at 5:59 on Saturday evening. We had a late lunch so no one is hungry for dinner yet…
From Julie: I would LOVE to know what you did to get away from credit cards.
Julie, I cut them up and threw them away. It worked really well because a few days later the trash men came and I never saw them again. Seriously, I have a few posts in my archives about our cash budget, but I am working on a new one as well. I hope to publish it in the next few weeks.
To Serenity’s husband who left the following snarky comment: I must admit, I have given Serenity a little bit of a hard time about her fascination with your site. But lately I have noticed how many tips and techniques she gets from visiting on a regular basis, and have found myself visiting from time to time. Now, thanks to that expert POP-TART tutorial, we can all rest assured that when Saturday morning comes, the kids and I will be well taken care of. Let no one disrespect the POP-TART ever again. Who knew it could be SO easy?
Serenity’s husband: I am glad I was finally able to expand my reach with this POP-TART tutorial. I know many men are turned off by the pink background and oodles of baby pictures on my site. I had been looking for something that could help me reach across the aisle and engage my three male readers. I considered having my husband write a guest post about hunting or fishing but I didn’t want to lose my female readers. Finally, I realized that the POP-TART would appeal to both male and female readers, since everyone loves POP-TARTS. I am glad your Saturday mornings are now filled with the sweet smelling aroma of cinnamon and brown sugar cooking in the toaster.
That’s it for today. I’ll try to get to more questions next week!
When you are planning your Disney vacation, check out these sites for great insider tips.
Disney’s Official Website: Park hours, maps, dining, hotels, this site has it all. The one negative about this site is that it uses Flash player so occasionally it loads slowly.
DW Insider: Written by a former Disney employee this site has everything from pet care information to sample itineraries to help you plan your trip.
WDW Info: Another great resource complete with Disney message boards so you can ask questions from other Disney fans and frequent visitors. This site even maintains a list of churches located close to the parks.
Intercot: This site claims to have the most Disney info on the web. I don’t know if that is true but this site does have a wealth of information. There is also a very active discussion board on this site. There is even a discussion thread for Disney rumors, sounds interesting.
DIS Unplugged: An all things Disney blog. I thought this site was fun to browse with interesting Disney tidbits and reviews. One of the best features of this site are the numerous pictures in each post.
Walt Disney Boards: While I think the DIS Unplugged messages boards are more comprehensive, this board has a few threads which are very informative. You must check out the Disney refurbishment discussion. Are you planning your summer vacation around your love of Space Mountain? Don’t bother, it is closed until November of this year. This board will give you all the details on hotels, rides, and shows that are currently or will be undergoing renovations.
Disney Coloring Pages: Print out Disney coloring pages for free on this site. This is a great way to keep your little one occupied while traveling to Disney or to occupy them during down time in your hotel room.
Do you have a favorite website for all things Disney?
Yesterday I told you about the new meet and greet for the characters from UP. You actually do not have to go through the Magic of Animation (although it is worth going to) to visit the characters. There is a gift shop adjacent to the Magic of Animation, if you go through the gift shop you will end up in the meet and greet area.
Prince Caspian can be found next to the Journey through Narnia attraction. Once again, you do not have to go through the attraction to see Prince Caspian. There is a separate line you can stand in to only see the prince. Or you can skip the prince and just go through the attraction, which I thought was a little lame.
Buzz and Woody from Toy Story have an a meet and greet across from Toy Story Mania. You can find other Toy Story characters walking around outside of the entrance to the ride. I highly recommend getting a FASTPASS for Toy Story Mania. It is probably the most popular ride in the park, and it is a whole lot of fun!
When you enter the park, you will find numerous Disney cartoon favorites, such as Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Donald waiting to greet you. If you arrive as the park is opening the lines are usually short.
The Power Rangers as well as the characters from Monster’s Inc are located in the Studio Backlot area.
The characters from Playhouse Disney are located right outside the Playhouse Disney Live! If you have little ones I highly recommend this show.
If your kids need to blow off some steam stop by the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground for some fun on life-sized food and foliage.
A quick tip for today, since I was gone for most of the day.
photos courtesy of hyku
Have you seen the movie UP? The characters from Disney / Pixar’s new movie UP can be found at Hollywood Studios. After viewing the Magic of Animation show, the UP characters, Carl, Russel and Dug are available to meet and greet. Apparently the lines can be long, but it is worth the wait.
Mickey’s Toontown Fair is located at the very back of the Magic Kingdom. Attractions in Toontown include The Barnstormer, Pixie Hollow, Donald’s Boat, Toontown Hall of Fame, Mickey’s Country House, and Minnie’s Country House. The Barnstormer is a kid sized roller coaster and Donald’s Boat is a great way to cool off during those hot summer days at the park. Toontown is also the best place for your little girls to meet their favorite princess, and visit Mickey and Minnie. The problem is that almost every other little girl wants to visit the princesses too and the wait times can be over an hour. Fortunately, the “tent” is air conditioned, but I am not a big fan of waiting, so here are a few tips to help you meet your favorite princess or fairy.
photo courtesy of Janey Henning
Central Florida has a interesting weather phenomenon that occurs almost every afternoon in the summer. It pours down rain for about 30 minutes and then as quick as it arrives, it is gone leaving you with a beautiful sunny late afternoon. When I lived there we use to joke that the easiest job in town was that of a weatherman. High of 95, afternoon showers, low of 72, if that was your forecast you were right about 90% of the time.
Avoid paying big bucks for ponchos at the parks and bring your own. They fold up incredibly small and can easily fit inside a bag or purse. If (or should I say when) it rains, pull out your poncho and continue to enjoy the park. The covered rides stay open during storms so there is still plenty to do in the rain. If you have a stroller bring an extra poncho to cover the stroller. While a thunderstorm might be a good time to find something to do inside, your stroller will be parked outside getting soaked. We always brought an extra poncho and some clothespins to cover the stroller during the rain.
Another benefit to the afternoon showers is that many of the tourists do not realize the rain will end quickly and head back to their hotels. If you can brave the weather you might be able to enjoy a less crowded park after the storm.
A word of warning: Central Florida is the lightning capital of the United States. If it is more than a rain shower hang out in one of the many restaurants or gift shops until the storm passes. Just don’t buy anything!
I cannot believe she was once smaller than Kit!
Notice Cora is sporting some Bum Genius. Cloth diaper update coming soon.