Month: February 2017

Kind of a Gloomy Weekend

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in family, Home, morgantown, west virginia, Pittsburgh, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized

Did you ever have one of those weekends that is just too wet and gloomy that you just feel like staying close to home?

That was what our weekend was like just a few days ago.

We were spoiled with the beautiful weather on Friday (almost 80 and sunny) that when the temperatures took a nosedive and the clouds rolled in, it was so depressing.

So we decided to run a few errands close to home and then spend time inside pretending the temperatures weren’t so cold.

We started Saturday morning at one of our new favorite places to have breakfast, Maywood Grill. The food is wonderful, homegrown taste, and ginormous portions!

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This is seriously one pancake. It his huge!

The kid’s pancakes are so big that we often end up taking two of them home with us to heat up later in the week. (Side note: the best way to re heat the pancakes is to take one out of the freezer, soak a paper towel, ring it out and put it over the pancake. Heat on high for 10 seconds, and flip over and cover. Keep doing this until it reaches the wanted temperature.)

(Lily is such a ham!)

We then went to one of my happy places, when I’m not in Disney, Hobby Lobby.

Ounce again I had this brilliant idea that I should make Lily a dress. This time an Easter dress.

I wanted to choose something that had a vintage flair and I narrowed it down to six patterns at Hobby Lobby.

 

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I will do another blog post about which pattern I ended up buying, but that is another story for another day.

After there, we went on a search for a new lamp. Our lamp in our bedroom would only work if you had the knob between on and off. (Nope. This wasn’t a fire hazard or anything.)

We ended up going to Lowe’s (or LuLu as Lily calls it) and found our lamp. But, we couldn’t leave the store until Lily sat on a lawnmower. (Don’t worry. Kevin was there with her the whole time.)

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Also this weekend, Lily feel in love with these little toys called “Num Noms.” They are these little plastic toys that can light up, and smell like yummy treats. Their outsides are also inter changable.

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They are kind of cute, and Lily enjoys arranging them and putting them in fashion shows and weddings.

How did you spend your weekend? Leave something in the comments below?

 

Going to the ‘Ground

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in family, Home, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

What the heck is going on with this weather? I am not going to complain, but this weather is so beautiful we had to take advantage of it. For a little one, there is no better place to spend a wonderful sunny day then the playground. And luckily for us, we live near an amazing one.

Round Hill Farm, that is located only a little way away from us, features an exhibit farm, picnic pavilion, a splash area and a wonderful playground.

We spent so much time running all over the place and enjoying our favorite thing at any playground, the swings.

She also had so much fun running all over the jungle gym and exploring all of the nooks and crannies. It took us sometime to get comfortable to go down the slide, but we did and we proud of our self. We even made a friend at the playground!

 

I am so proud of this little bug to meet her fear of going down the slide and for also showing kindness at the playground and making a friend.

What is your little one’s favorite thing to do at the playground? Leave your comments below.

Set Sail for 2018

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Disney, Disney Cruise Line, family, family fun, Family Vacation, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

 

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Just this week Disney Cruise Lines recently unveiled up coming itinerary and new ports of call for 2018. (It is hard to believe that we are already looking ahead to 2018 right now.)

Beginning the summer of 2018 the cruise ships will explore new ports throughout Europe while continuing to visit favorite locations in the Caribbean and Alaska.

On June 16, 2018, the Disney Magic will set sail for a seven-night cruise from Barcelona to Civitavecchia with stops to Marseilles and Villefranche, France; and Genoa (Milan), Livorno (Florence, Pisa) and Naples, Italy.

Genoa will also be visited during three special sailings from Barcelona and Civitavecchia (Rome).

There will also be a 10-night Mediterranean itinerary sailing from Barcelona on July 7, 2018 that will make a stop in Genoa as well as other ports in Italy, France and Span.

For the first time the Disney Magic will make a port of call in Cork, Ireland during the cruise line’s first ever seven-night British Isles cruise on Sept. 2, 2018.

Additional ports visited during the cruise are Dublin, Ireland; Greenock, Scotland; and Liverpool, England.

Through out the summer, the Magic won’t be forgetting about favorite ports of call including the Baltic, Norwegian fjords, British Isles and Mediterranean.

The newly refurbished Disney Wonder will once again sail to Alaska for the summer for five, seven and nine-night cruises that depart from Vancouver, Canada, with ports at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point and Tracy Arm Fjord.

Not to forget about the Fantasy, it will set sail on an 11-night southern Caribbean itinerary departing June 30, 2018. The cruise will visit the ports of call of Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico and, of course, Castaway Cay.

There will also be double-dip (where the ship stops at Castaway Cay twice on the cruise) on June 1, 10, 15, 24, 29 and July 8 on the Disney Dream.

Many exciting things are happening with the cruise line during 2018. Which itineraries sound the most interesting? Leave your comments below,

Bonus Days

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in family, family fun, Home, morgantown, west virginia, Pittsburgh, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized

Living in southwestern Pennsylvania means that the middle of February is usually cold, windy and snowy.

This past weekend, and continuing through this week we have had wonderful weather that included temperatures in the 60s and sunshine.

We wanted to take advantage of this beautiful weather and decided to head to the playgrounds.

On Saturday we went to Morgantown to do some antique shopping and to visit some retro game stores. (We have become obsessed with playing old Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo games. That is a story for another day.)

While we didn’t find any antique stores, we did have fun exploring Seneca Center (where the tea room is located) and we found some interesting murals and one particular antique of our own.

We did a little shopping and sight seeing and decided to take Lily to the playground and let her burn off some energy and enjoy this bonus day of beautiful weather in the middle of February.

We were so tired after a big day of playing that we slept all the way home.

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On Monday, we decided to take her to a local school’s playground to let her enjoy the fresh air since we both were off from work.

Did you have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful weather this past weekend? Leave your comments below.

Lost in a Good Book

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family, family fun, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

Half way through last year we decided to add another component to Lily’s bedtime routine by choosing a children’s chapter book and reading a chapter from it each night.

So far we have read a couple Kingdom Keepers books, “The Secret Garden,” the two books that comprise “Bednobs and Broomsticks,” and many more.

Our most recent book was “The Land of Stories,” by Chris Colfer (yes, the same Chris Colfer that starred in “Glee”).

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This first book, “The Wishing Spell” is one out of five and follows the story of two twins, Alex and Connor, who fall through a mysterious book that transports them to a place where all their favorite fairy tale characters live including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks, Snow White, the Evil Queen and many others.

The problems arise when the twins have to assemble all the items that are needed for the wishing spell to get them home. Finding these items is easier said than done because they are the hallmarks of famous fairy tale characters like the spindle from Sleepy Beauty, a gem from Snow White’s coffin and more.

Can they make it in time before the Evil Queen tries to cast the spell first?

We enjoyed the book a lot.

It was nice that a lot of classic fairy tale characters were included in the book and it was a great journey story that followed the twins through the different lands that comprise the land of stories.

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A map has been included in the front of the book. (I am a sucker for a book that has a map in the front.)

We really enjoyed the book. It had a great story and message and it was really engaging.

The only downside was that the chapters were a little long for our purposes (it made for a late night if we read an entire chapter sometimes) so we solved it by splitting some of the chapters into two nights.

We are reading the fourth “Kingdom Keepers” book right now, but after it we are going to read the second book in the series.

Have you and your kiddos read any great books lately? Leave your comments below.

 

New Highway in the Sky

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Disney, family, family fun, Family Vacation, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

The Walt Disney World rumor mill has been in full swing recently.

According to various websites the rumor is that Walt Disney World has applied for a permit to put in a new gondola system that will connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach Resort, Art of Animation and Epcot.

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Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com

According WDW Magic the reason why people are seeing this permit as a possible indicator to a gondola system is that at key locations through out Disney property there are large L shapes which can be an indicator of places where the gondolas switch back.

People are also saying that this would make sense because of recent updates to Caribbean Beach and all the new additions happening at Hollywood Studios.

I have noticed that over the past few years that the bus systems have been very crowded so if this does happen it might help relieve the overcrowded bus system.

It seems like this would be an interesting development to the parks.

Would you partake in the new system if it was implemented? Leave your comments below.

 

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Disney, family, family fun, Family Vacation, kennywood, preschoolers, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

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This past trip to Walt Disney World we decided to try the “Disney’s Spirit of Aloha” dinner show at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

I had heard a lot of mixed reviews of the show and we decided to give it a shot.

The show only takes place on select evenings so you will want to make reservations a few days in advance. You can make them as far out as 180 days before your trip.

Also, you will need to check in at a desk located in the main lobby of the resort before you make your way to the grotto where the luau takes place.

You will want to arrive at least an hour before your scheduled dinner time because the line to check in is huge! I was so surprised by how long the line was and ended up standing in line for at least a half hour.

The nice thing is that you only need one person to check in so the rest of your party can relax and enjoy the beautiful lobby while they wait.

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Our little Lilo with her Stitch

Once you are checked in, you make your way to the grotto where you get a lei and can have a family picture taken. This is a really nice picture to have especially if you have the Memory Maker.

You choose your seat based on three different price points.

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Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World

As you can tell from the diagram up above, the different areas are assigned a number. One is the most expensive at $78 for adults and $46 for ages 3 to 9. Category two is $74 and $44 and category three is $66 and $39.

We ended up siting in the second tier of seats that is a little off the floor and I felt the seats were a little better then the back few rows of the tier one seats.

The tickets are expensive, which is the same for the other dinner shows on property such as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical review.

When you figure how much it would cost to see a theatrical performance in a larger city and work in the cost of a meal it would be more expensive then these tickets. But, I still think the prices are a little on the pricey side.

The food, I think, is delicious and has something for everyone, including the kiddos.

The menu includes a variety of food such as chicken, pork, salad, cold noodle salad, guava cake and more.

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This is a sampling of the entree that is served.

Lily had a pizza, which she ate all of, and then proceeded to eat almost all of the cold noodles. (This is a lot of food for our picky eater.)

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The show is really great and highlights all the various cultures that make up the islands of Hawaii that is bookend with a story about O’hana, family. (And of course fire twirling. Who doesn’t like vitamin swirling?)

Have you gone to one of the dinner shows on property? What were your thoughts. Leave them in the comments below.

 

Snow Much Fun

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in family, family fun, Home, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

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We received a lot of snow the other day and Lily was really excited and had a lot of fun in the snow.

Luckily, I was able to find her snow pants and boots from last winter, which thankfully still fit from last year.

Our favorite thing to do was kick snow and just grab handfuls of it and throw it. Not make snowballs to throw, just fist fulls of snow.

Do you have a hard time getting your little one out in the snow, or is it harder to get them back inside? Leave your comments below.

Making Sweets With our Sweetie

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in family, family fun, Home, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

Valentine’s Days seems to be a pretty popular holiday with our little one.

I don’t know if it is because of the hearts or all the pink and red (Lily’s favorite color), but she is a big fan.

One of her favorite things to do is bake (mostly because it involves sugar).

My Mom was shopping and came across a huge block of rice crispy treat that she thought we could cut into little shapes with cookie cutters.

We then bought lollipop sticks, cellophane bags and ribbon to make them into little rice crispy treat pops.

A few nights ago we sat down to make them and it turned out pretty well.

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The cookie cutters did a good job just as long as you have an adult help push down the cutter and you might have to use a knife to cut around the outside edges.

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What would a night of baking be without taking a little time to take a photo.

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After the hearts were cut out, I then applied the icing and put the sticks into place. This is better for an adult to do because it could get really messy icing and you have to have a little finesse to get the stick in the heart without pushing it all the way through.

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After the icing went on, then Lily got the pops back and added sprinkles.

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We ended up having to let the icing harden overnight before putting it in the bags. (We tried one and the icing smudged a little.) I think they are going to turn out really cute. But, even if they don’t Lily still had a great time making them.

Do you have any fun Valentine’s Day activities? Leave your comments below.

 

Musical Flower Power

by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, Disney, family, Family Vacation, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World
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Simple Plan March 17-18 (Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)

Next month Epcot will be alive with the sound of music as as the Garden Rocks Concert Series kicks off.

This series, which is part of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, features famous musicians every Friday through Monday starting March 3 through Memorial Day.

Having the artists perform every Monday is an addition to the festival this year.

The concerts, taking place at the outdoor America Garden Theatre that is located at the American pavilion in World Showcase, are at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m.

This year’s performers cover a variety of music genera from oldies to 1990’s rock and pop.

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Berlin featuring Terri Nunn April 30-May 1 (Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)

The full line up includes:

March 3-4 John Secada “Just Another Day”

March 5-6 Dennis DeYoung: The music of STYX “Grand Illusion”

March 10-13 The Pointer Sisters “I’m So Excited”

March 17-18 Simple Plan “Welcome to My Life”

March 19-20 Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah”

March 24-27 Night Ranger “Sister Christian”

March 31-April 3 Little River Band “Reminiscing”

April 7-10 Blood, Sweat & Tears featuring Bo Bice “Spinning Wheel”

April 14-17 Gin Blossoms “Hey Jealousy”

April 21-24 The Orchestra starring former members of ELO “Evil Woman”

April 28-29 Expose “Point of No Return”

April 30-May 1 Berlin featuring Terri Nunn “Take My Breath Away”

May 5-8 STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas “We Built This City”

May 12-15 The Guess Who “American Woman”

May 19-22 Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone “I’m Henry VIII I Am”

May 26-29 The Spinners “Working My Way Back to You”

The concerts are included with the price of a park ticket.

Who would you be most excited to see? Leave your comments below.

If you are looking for more tips about taking your toddler to Walt Disney World like what to pack, how to get groceries delivered to your hotel room and what attractions will be a hit with your little one, pick up a copy of Mousekatots available as an e-book and paperback.

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