Tips for A Succesful Day at Magic Kingdom

My family and I just returned from our Spring Break trip in Orlando.  We went to the Magic Kingdom on one of the days we were there.  This is our second time visiting the park with kids.  This time my kids were 8, 5, and 20 months.  My husband and I agreed that this time was a complete success with a fun-filled day with very low stress levels!  Here are my tips, planning is definitely the key!

1. Check the crowd calendars before you plan a day and go on a "green" or "yellow" day.
2. Load the My Disney Experience mobile app on your phone and watch the crowd levels several weeks before you go.
3. Order your tickets ahead of time, if you are just going for the day, there are no discounts, so I recommend just getting them off of the Disney site and having the cards (or bands) in hand when entering the park.
4. Make your FastPass+ selections as soon as possible (we did Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain).
5. Make a dining reservation for dinner.  This was a lesson we learned from our last trip, a big meal at dinner will refresh you and your family like you would not believe (we went to Tony's Town Square).  This gave my family the energy we needed to make it to parade,
6. Reserve a stroller ahead of time for all kids 5 and under.  I highly recommend the City Mini we rented from Simple Stroller Rental.  The Disney strollers are not comfortable at all for your kids, my little girl was able to take a nice nap after lunch!
   
    
7. Get there early, ideally you should be in the park for rope drop, we got there right at opening at 9 am, check park hours here.  If you are driving, allow at least 30 minutes to park, ride the tram to the Transportation Center and then ride the Monorail/Ferry into the Magic Kingdom.
8. Pack a backpack with snacks, water bottles, and other needed items.  I recommend using gallon size zip lock bags to organize the bag.   I had a bag of snacks, water bottles, diapers/wipes, and an extra change of clothes for the baby.  It makes the bag check area go so smoothly!
9. Buy a backup charger for your phone, I used this one for my iPhone and it worked great!
10. Follow the recommended ride path here, it will help with the crowds!
11. Book a breakfast/dinner with characters and avoid the character meets at the park unless the lines are short.  You get a much better experience at the meals (I recommend Chef Mickey's)!

What other tips do you have a for a day trip to the Magic Kingdom?

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2014 Goals - March Recap

Its April 1st, so that means it is time to check in on our goals for 2014. I am quite proud of my progress so far.

I am making a real, conscious effort to set goals in 2014 and stick to them. The best way I can think of is to hold myself accountable on a monthly basis. Be sure to check back in the first of every month to see my progress as well as link up your progress.

1. Relationship with God - Do one activity a month to strength my relationship with God (going to mass on Sunday does not count).

I wrote a letter to my oldest son regarding his relationship with God and how proud his Dad and I are of him in preparation of his First Communion.  He will open the letter during an upcoming preparation day at church.

2. Relationship with my Husband - Go on one date night a month with my husband. Plan an overnight trip of at least 2 nights away to take in 2014

We did dinner out and our Saturday night bowling league and we had a lunch date one day during the week.

3. Family Time - Do one activity as a family once a month. Take one family vacation and one long weekend getaway in 2014.

We did a family bowling day in celebration of my oldest son's great report card!

Vacation #1 is booked for April!!!

 

Long weekend is booked for June!!

4. Relationships with my Kids - Do a one-on-one activity with each child each month (3 a month).

I did a school field trip with my oldest son.

I took my middle son on a shopping trip to Target where he got to pick out a stuffed animal.

I took both boys swimming at the recreation center on a cold Sunday.

5. Declutter - sell at least 5 items per month.

I sold a laundry basket of clothes to a consignment shop for $20 store credit.  I also sold 5 other items this month for a total a $18

6. Debt - Pay off Debt #1 and reduce Debt #2 by 50%

Debt #1 is paid and reduced Debt #2 by 15%.

7. Me Time - Say "no" to one extra commitment a month. Do an only me or "girls night" activity once a month.

I said "no" baking for a school function this month.  I did a "me only" shopping trip and bought items for "me only" for our upcoming vacation.

8. Budget Buster - Keep library fines to under $5 for the entire year (this is so hard for me).

YEAH!  I am so excited, 3 months and no library fines!  My process of checking my account online first thing Monday morning is really working for me!

 

9. Work/Life Balance - Friday at 5 pm - until Monday at 8 am - do not check work e-mails (I am off the clock).

Unfortunately, I am on a major integration project for work which has really overloaded me this month.  I had to work on a Saturday and Sunday night one weekend to get caught up on e-mails, however I did this after the kids went to bed!

10. Have an online business (this idea has been in my head for over a year) fully functioning by the end of 2014. I need to take one giant step every month to achieve this goal!

I did not make any additional progress in March, I had way too much going on at work this month!

How are you doing on your goals thus far? Feel free to leave a comment or link up!

Spring Bucket List

My kids and I love to make our “Bucket List” of things we want to do during a particular time or season.  We always create one for the summer and over Christmas break.  This year we will be out of town (in warmer weather) over Spring break, but there are still a lot of things we want to do this Spring.  Spring officially started on March 20^th.  I sure hope Mother Nature got the memo, because we are ready for some springtime temperatures.

I know Spring is just around the corner, because my daffodils are starting to peak out of the ground.  That is a good sign, so is being light out until past 7:30 in the evening and hearing the birds singing in the early morning hours when walking my son to the bus stop.  Spring is my favorite season, it is a wonderful transition time in which you can open doors and windows, smell that gorgeous Spring air, the start of long evening walks, and allowing the kids to play into the evening hours outside with their friends.

For Spring, this is what is hitting our Bucket List:

 

Swimming at the Rec Center

Go to the Zoo

Learn to Ride a 2-Wheeler (my 5 year old)

Go to the Science Center

See Rio 2

Prepare and Plant Our Garden

Build a Bird House (Check out my Pinterest Ideas)

Finger Paint Outside

Family Bike Ride at the Park

Clean out the Garage – Sell/Donate unwanted Toys

Hug Mickey Mouse

We post our list in the kitchen and cross the items off as we complete them.  It is a fantastic way to hold Mom and Dad accountable for getting things done!

What’s on your must do this for Spring?

Shopping Kids Resale

One of the ways our family saves money is that I shop resale shops for kids clothing.  My daughter will be wearing size 2T this summer which I believe is an ideal age to find some great clothes at amazing prices when you shop resale.  My boys are in sizes 6 and 10 now, so it is much more difficult to find good, quality clothing at resale shops for them.  I believe the ideal age group is from newborn up to size 5.

There are a few outlets I use for resale clothing:

1. Online Facebook Garage Sale Sites: I have some some great bargains on these sites, the only downside is you have to be careful you are not running all over town to pick up items.
2. Organized Children Resale Events:  This is where space is sold to hundreds of people to sell used clothing items.  We have 2 events a year at our community recreation center as well as events hosted by local PTA groups.
3. Traditional Resale Stores:  I have 2 stores in my area that I love to visit a couple times a year to see what bargains I can find.  I also take clothes in twice a year for store credit on a new purchase.

I realize you normally cannot get your child's entire wardrobe on resale, but I truly believe you can put together a decent amount of clothing for a season and minimize the new clothing you need to purchase.  Yesterday I stopped into my favorite resale store and man did I find the items!  You have to remember timing is everything, and you have to be patient to go through racks of clothing to find the gems!  I prefer to go alone also, so that you are not distracted.  I hit the Gymboree jackpot!

All three of these outfits were from the Gymboree Spring/Summer 2013 line.

 I also managed to find an additional 3 outfits for this summer.  All of the outfits are in like new condition!

With my discount and tax, I walked out with 6 new outfits for a little over $23.  I was quite pleased with my quick shopping trip.  Now if the weather would just warm up so my little girl can wear her new clothes!