Getting Ready for Mickey! - Part 2

More Disney preparations!

I've been having so much fun making things in preparation for our trip to Disney World this fall. I'm reeaaallllyy excited about this trip and even though I know it'll be an amazing trip without my help, I'm doing what I can to add a little extra magic here and there. :)

~DIY Shirts~
I made these for James (still working on Juliet's) using a couple different techniques. The red shirt was made using bleach (see this tutorial) and the others were made using fabric paint and freezer paper (see this tutorial). The bleach method is super easy, and while the freezer paper method wasn't hard, it was definitely time consuming. Worth it, though. I love how they turned out! We'll be visiting the new Legoland in Florida, hence the Lego Yoda shirt. : )

~Daily Schedule Cards~
I confess... I have DPS. Disney Planning Syndrome. I tell you, if I could live in perpetual Disney planning mode, I'd be one happy girl! I made these cards about 4 seconds after we booked out trip. I spent hours creating them, inputting data, customizing them so they'll be user-friendly for my darling hubs. Sigh. But they're done and they'll be super helpful as we stroll around the parks. I'll print them off before we leave for our trip and then before we leave the hotel each morning we'll grab the card for that day. I made them so they'd fold in half - the left side details everything from our general where & when to which shops I want to visit to which rides/attractions are best for James. The right side offers a list of dining option that I thought my family would enjoy as well as a legend explaining all the acronyms (this part is for hubs). :)

(photo credit)

~Welcome Basket~
When we arrive in our hotel room, there will be a basket of goodies waiting for James and Juliet. I thought this would be a fun way for Mickey :) to welcome the kids to Disney World. I went through Memories by Betsy (she is SO nice and helpful!) and even though our trip is still months away, she was more than willing to let me order in advance. You can customize your basket with whatever you'd like! I chose a plush Mickey and Minnie, a set of personalized mouse ears for both kids, a MM light spinner, a balloon, and some MM bath toys.

~Pixie Dust~
I raided the dollar store and found some inexpensive Disney themed toys to leave on the kid's pillows each morning. We'll pretend Tinkerbell stopped by with her pixie dust and left a gift. :) Between this lot and the welcome basket my hope is that this will cut back on the amount of souvenir spending we do in the parks.

Disclaimer :)

Ok - I know this sounds like a lot, and yes, I know my kids will have a blast without all the extras. I think these goodies will make the experience just that much more magical. My kids are not spoiled with toys and things on a regular basis, so this will be quite a treat for them!

~iPad Apps~
There are tons of Disney apps out there and even though we don't plan on bringing the iPad into the park with us, I downloaded just about everything I could find anyway. :) Nearly everything is worth downloading, but our favorite apps are the story books (Tangled is especially good), Disney photo of the day, DTunes Radio, and Parktastiq. The countdown is nice to have, but it's a bit boring. Above is a screenshot of the apps we chose. (Btw, notice the 82 unread emails? That's just one week of Counting Coconuts mail!)

~Planning DVD & Personalized Maps~

There's nothing quite like getting Mickey Mail! I was absolutely giddy when both of these things arrived in the mail (on separate days, too, so double the giddiness!). If you're planning a trip to Disney be sure to order your FREE Disney planning DVD and a set of personalized maps. The DVD is awesome and lots of fun to watch. It'll definitely get your family psyched for your trip. The maps are really, really nice and I was amazed at how big they are! We've had lots of fun looking at them. It may seem silly, but I don't think we'll actually bring these with us, rather I'll hang on to them as a keepsake.

~Hair Pretties~

This is my latest hobby craze. I've been busy making these hair accessories - or "pretties", as my sister calls them - for friends and my own sweet Juliet (who really has very little hair lol). I apologize for the crummy photo, unfortunately the dim light doesn't really allow the colors to stand out. The blue/red/yellow bows are Snow White-ish, the other blue one with the green netting is my take on Dori (Finding Nemo), the purple one is Rapunzel inspired, and the black/white/red one is meant to be Minnie Mouse. Oh, and the other cream colored flower is just a random one I made for Juliet.

Here's a pic of my sweet baby girl wearing it. :)

~Movie Night~

Every Saturday night is "movie (and popcorn) night" in our home. For the past few months we've been watching a different Disney movie each weekend to get James (and ourselves!) acquainted with some of the characters. Oh and iTunes has tons of really great Disney "shorts" (5-8 minute mini movies) that are AWESOME. On a side note, I've been surprised at how many "classic" Disney movies I hadn't seen (101 Dalmatians, Dumbo, Bambi, just to name a few!).

~Guide Book~

There are TONS of Disney guidebooks out there, but out of the few I purchased, this one by Birnbaum Guides is my favorite. It's attractive to the eye and easy to read in that it's colorful and has lots of pictures. Perfect for kids to page though, too. Plus there are tons of tips and notes, helpful guides, and best of all the opinions in the book are honest.

~Current Favorite Disney (related) Links~
:: video tutorial on packing those little necessities
:: Disney inspired outfits (these are just so fun to look at!)
:: DISboards (HUGE forum for all things Disney - very overwhelming and addictive so take it slow!)
:: Disney food blog (for Disney lovers and foodies alike!)

There's still more Disney planning to come! Click here to see other parts to this series.

~Thank you for your comments!~