Long time planner, first time visitor!

[Chicago Mo]

WOW! you really are a Planner! WTG!!! Your Daughters are BEAUTIFUL!!! your whole family is gorgeous! i am SO excited for you!!!


I didn't read everything. (my turn to be a slacker)
I know Suzi is ON TOP of her game. And D? well you have it all..

My suggestions on food:
MK QS is Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe There is a TON of food for your $$
Of course TUSKER HOUSE for breakfast in AK!!!
i didn't see you doing Aksherush or how ever you spell it for the princess?!?

 

[Denovagirl]

When I first started reading blogs to get advice and gear up for The World I fell in love with what is commonly referred to as “Pixie Dust.” I have formed my own definition based on the varying types I have found…

Pixie Dust (piks-e duh-st): Any extras that are done, made, or given to someone to enhance the magic of their Disney Trip.

Teehee. Anyhow, of course, I HAD to do this. After all, it is our first trip and I am one of those people anyway, so this just made perfect sense to me!!!

So here is what I have cooked up thus far…

Welcome gifts y’all!!!



I did look online at the ones that can be ordered and sent directly to your room, and while I loved them, it was definitely sticker shock. Even if I end up spending that much on my own (which I didn’t) I prefer to grab things here and there as I find them on sale and what-not. Here is what is in Maddie’s (1 yr old)


Plush Mickey (Disney Store on SALE)
Mickey Light Up/Fan Toy (Disney Outlet Store)
Minnie Swim Suit (Disney Store on SALE)
Mickey Chalk Board (Dollar Tree)
Mickey Nightlight (Dollar Tree)
Princess Tissues (Dollar Tree, pack of 8)
Minnie Water Squirter (Dollar Tree)

Olivia’s (4 yrs old)…


Plush Mickey (Disney Store on SALE)
Mickey Light Up/Fan Toy (Disney Outlet Store)
Minnie Swim Suit (Disney Store on SALE)
Minnie Goggles (Dollar Tree)
Minnie Water Squirter (Dollar Tree)
Mickey Ear Hat (Bought at a Yard Sale for 25 cents!!! I plan to buy everyone elses at Disney and get them all monogramed)
Mickey & Minnie Pez Dispenser Set (Wal Mart)
Personalized Autograph Book with Polka Dot Carrying Purse & Pen (In the package, bought on Etsy)
‘Polite as a Princess’ & ‘If I Met Snow White’ books, to get autographs at the Cindrella’s Royal Table Dinner (Half Price Books, perfect condition, and thought it would be a cute keepsake and hopefully we won’t get duplicate autographs in the actual autograph book, as it will be for in the parks, and this will be used at the character meal only!)

I also purchased those cellophane bags to wrap the baskets in, but will put them on at the resort, as I don’t want to have to remove them if security needs to poke around, because these will be taken in my carry-on, ensuring I have it at arrival of our resort. I plan to check in and have the hubs walk the girls around to tour the resort for a short bit while I run to the room and get everything ready for their entrance!

The Family Welcome Bag!



I had some cute random items that I didn’t want to put in the welcome bags, because they didn’t really go with the theme, and they were too big, etc…. so I decided this will be in the room for the whole family to enjoy!

Included is:
The Mickey & Minnie Insulated Bag for snacks and drinks (Disney Store on SALE)
2 Adorable Hooded Towels (K Mart online)
2 Disney Wash Rags (Dollar Tree)
Princess Umbrella (Wal Mart Clearance)
Also- not pictured, but I have several items in my Disney Box (more on that in a later post) that will be in here that we will need and want, like hand held fans, disposable bibs (Princess of course), dry erase board for the room, and glow sticks!

Mickey Mail!



One small bag of goodies for both girls, to be left out for them each morning of our trip. I have them labeled on the bottom to know which day to give them which one. I will have to keep these VERY hidden!! Along with these, I also made some adorable letters from different characters for each girl to read in the morning that hints at our day’s activities. I also have a welcome letter, and a goodbye one.


Each bag contains small dollar items found mainly at Dollar Tree, Michaels, Wal Mart and Party City! Oh, and the adorable safari hats found at Dollar Tree that I plan to hot glue adorable bows to, just for fun on our Animal Kingdom day, though I doubt they will leave them on long!

Travel Bags!



These are gifts from us to the girls on our trip up to Disney. Just some fun things to keep them busy in the airport and on the plane. Mainly dollar items again, and I plan to add some snacks.

So there you have it, Pixie Dust- done and done!

 

[mch521]

You truly blow me out of the water with your planning!! I love it ALL! Can't wait to read more, you have such amazing ideas!! Your girls are really going to love it.

 

[Denovagirl]

Okay, so I started accumulating things for our Disney trip months ago, and slowly these things started gathering all throughout the house. Stuff was everywhere and I began to worry I would lose things, enter The Box!



The Box is kept in my room, and as I buy things or come across something for our trip I throw it in! Simple! When I go to pack I just have to grab it and those little items will be in one place! So here it is ladies and gentlemen, The Box!



Here are some close ups of what I have in there…


Mini Minnie (hehehe) backpack (Wal Mart)
Princess disposable bibs (Wal Mart)
Minnie Tupperware Containers (Dollar Tree- I plan to put snacks in there for the plane)
Mickey Décor, for the room (Wal Mart Clearance)
Pins (Ebay)


Cellophane Bags for the Welcome Baskets (Dollar Tree)
Hand Held Fans (Dollar Tree- yes they do work good!!)
Glow Sticks (Dollar Tree)
Minnie Button (Birthday gift)
Bubble Bath (Target Dollar Spot)
Dish Liquid, for our cups (Target Dollar Spot)


Minnie Dry Erase Board for room (Wal Mart)
Minnie Sippy Cups (Wal Mart)
Pop Up Hampers for dirty clothes, I hate a messy room! (Dollar Tree)


Minnie Candies (Wal Mart)
Minnie Flip Flops, Olivia is very hard on flip flops, otherwise she could have them now (Disney Store on SALE)
Clickable Sharpies (Wal Mart)


The Box!! Do you have a box? What’s in yours??

[Side Note: Also in my pin bag are these two adorable Cinderella’s Carriage Pearl Cage Necklaces, bought on Ebay for $5 each, to be used at the Japan Pavilion in Epcot at the Pick a Pearl station!]

 

[Denovagirl]

WOW! you really are a Planner! WTG!!! Your Daughters are BEAUTIFUL!!! your whole family is gorgeous! i am SO excited for you!!!


I didn't read everything. (my turn to be a slacker)
I know Suzi is ON TOP of her game. And D? well you have it all..

My suggestions on food:
MK QS is Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe There is a TON of food for your $$
Of course TUSKER HOUSE for breakfast in AK!!!
i didn't see you doing Aksherush or how ever you spell it for the princess?!?

Why thank you! Thanks also for the dining suggestions, as for the Akershus, no, not dining there this trip. I have read a lot of reviews and I am sure it probably is the superior Princess dining, but on our first visit we decided to go with the Cinderella Castle, my daughter just HAD to eat in the castle, haha. And we had far too many places we wanted to try to do two princess meals. Honestly, I don't really savor the idea of the whole character meal. Seems like a lot of interruptions, I prefer to eat and visit without having to stop and take photos and such....but I do like seeing all the characters without the lines, so I guess its a trade off. We ended up with just 2 character meals in the end, and I am pretty happy with that!

 

[Denovagirl]

You truly blow me out of the water with your planning!! I love it ALL! Can't wait to read more, you have such amazing ideas!! Your girls are really going to love it.

Aww shucks...

You're to kind, tho I cannot take all the credit. I did my research and stole all these ideas, and just made them my own really!

 

[sweetpeaandevie]

Aww shucks...

You're to kind, tho I cannot take all the credit. I did my research and stole all these ideas, and just made them my own really!

That's the best way to do it, In my opinion!!!!! Everything looks great! My mom has been buying a TON of stuff for our trip and keeps it all in a couple 31 bags. We are going to see her in August and I will bring all of that home (since we are driving to WDW and she is flying) I will take pics when I get it, although I don't know if there is a space big enough to lay it all out!!!!! hahahhaa

 

[Disneylover99]

Wow....just wow.....when I look at all of your ideas (yes, I know you borrowed your ideas from others) . You've inspired me. My kids are a bit older, but still, I could make them some fun bags and they would love it.

 

[Saralew]

Glad to see that there are other people out there planning to make it a special first time trip. I bought my children (dd2 and DS5) tshirts for each park from target and the Disney store (sale). I wish I had seen some of the DIY shirts because that would have been fun (next time). I have also started a box of goodies - coloring books, crayons, glow sticks, disney grab and go packets, plush stuff Mickey and minnie, doddle pads, and some other small stuff. My husband just laughs every time I write something new down or bring something home. He keeps reminding me that we have to fit everything in our suitcases.

 

[Denovagirl]

Wow....just wow.....when I look at all of your ideas (yes, I know you borrowed your ideas from others) . You've inspired me. My kids are a bit older, but still, I could make them some fun bags and they would love it.

I think older kids would still love the fun even if they don't really believe Mickey is leaving gifts for them! You could do things like Pins, accessories, and candy!

 

[Denovagirl]

Glad to see that there are other people out there planning to make it a special first time trip. I bought my children (dd2 and DS5) tshirts for each park from target and the Disney store (sale). I wish I had seen some of the DIY shirts because that would have been fun (next time). I have also started a box of goodies - coloring books, crayons, glow sticks, disney grab and go packets, plush stuff Mickey and minnie, doddle pads, and some other small stuff. My husband just laughs every time I write something new down or bring something home. He keeps reminding me that we have to fit everything in our suitcases.

Haha, I don't think my hubby realizes just how much stuff I have ended up with! It'll be a shocker as he sees it all after the trip. And I purposely tried to pick small things for the goodie bags! However we are flying southwest and you get 2 free checked bags per person plus 1 carry on, so we plan to take basically an empty suitcase for souvenirs, lord knows I live to shop! Thankfully with having an assigned shirt each day there's really not many clothes to pack, just some shorts and pjs!

 

[Denovagirl]

Being a home schooling family, I simply have to take any opportunity to expand our minds when possible, including on our Disney trip!

One thing that I have always enjoyed is learning about cultures of different people. We actually hosted a foreign exchange student years back before we had kids of our own, and Aly, our foreign "son" is still part of our lives today! Olivia loves when his real mom and dad come to visit the USA and see us, and she knows all about his native country of Brazil. Also, living in Texas, she is very familiar with Mexico.

I figured another great opportunity would be the World Showcase! I am so excited to visit that part of the park, and it is one of the top 3 things I am looking forward too. I have, however, read tons of reviews and blogs of families who claim that it is the least kid friendly park. People actually just breeze through it because they have kids with them! Shocking!!!

I know there may not be any thrilling rides or anything, but I know there will be plenty to keep Olivia happy. We are the museum frequenting type of people who love opportunity to learn, and we especially love learning about the world.

So anyway, when thinking about this I decided that it would be nice for Olivia to at least have heard of the countries we will see represented, and hopefully know a little about each one. Then it hit me! We will study them briefly before we go! So what I came up with were some little worksheets we do where we color the flag (Olivia is obsessed with flags!) and see where the country is on a map, learn a few brief facts, and so some sort of craft project to go along. So far we have done about half of the countries, so we have more to go in this last month or so!

Here are the worksheets I made myself, I apologize for the AWFUL photos! I snapped them quickly with my phone from my computer, and they have the computer lines, but I just wanted to show you all an example of what we are doing!












Those are all that I have done so far. I usually do the next one up the night before we study that country. Like I said, I also try to do a small craft with each one. For example, when studying Morocco we looked at pictures online of Moroccan architecture and then colored tiles I had with permanent markers to resemble the beautiful tile work seen in Morocco. For Norway we made a troll out paper plates! Nothing super hard or anything, but my hope is that when she sees certain things it will trigger what she learned and she will in turn be more interested in seeing that country!

There ya have it! If you've done something to promote learning at Disney either before, during, or after your trip please let me know! I would love ideas! Also, if you are interested in the worksheets I made I will be happy to email them out once I complete all 11 countries. As long as you use them for your own personal use and don't distribute them please!

 

[disneygirl520]

Hi! Just want to let you know that I just found your PTR and am absolutely loving it! Your daughters are adorable, and you sound like you have an unforgettable trip ahead of you!

 

[Denovagirl]

Hi! Just want to let you know that I just found your PTR and am absolutely loving it! Your daughters are adorable, and you sound like you have an unforgettable trip ahead of you!

Thanks!! I sure hope so!

 

[Chicago Mo]

AWESOME!!!!!!​

Everything you are doing is remarkable!!! Pixi dust does happen in the parks when you LEAST expect it! we received a HUGE sundae for NO REASON!!! I love Disney!! i have a huge report on that. Honestly Disney just does it right. PLEASE remember to relax int he park take your time walking around.. you will miss a lot that Disney has to offer.

May i suggest moleskin? for your feet and the blisters?? We used this a lot especially with my son. so we always bring two pairs of shoes?!?!

 

[sweetpeaandevie]

OMG!!! I LOVE THESE!!! I have never even thought about it, but this is a wonderful idea!!!! I was already planning on doing worksheets with different characters (mainly to make sure my 3y/o recognized everyone) but this takes it to a whole new level!!! I am sending you a pm with my email

 

[mch521]

Everyone told me my girls wouldn't enjoy Epcot because its more of an adult park when we were preparing for our first trip last year.....they were so WRONG! My girls were 6 & 7......that was their favorite park, they enjoyed the different countries, food & souvenirs from there. We actually allotted 2 days at Epcot this year & made it the first park we go to. They are super excited!

 

[Denovagirl]

AWESOME!!!!!!

Everything you are doing is remarkable!!! Pixi dust does happen in the parks when you LEAST expect it! we received a HUGE sundae for NO REASON!!! I love Disney!! i have a huge report on that. Honestly Disney just does it right. PLEASE remember to relax int he park take your time walking around.. you will miss a lot that Disney has to offer.

May i suggest moleskin? for your feet and the blisters?? We used this a lot especially with my son. so we always bring two pairs of shoes?!?!

Yes! I def need to remember to grab moleskin!! I found out the other day that my mom in law got a drs note, she recently just had knee surgery, and her dr knew about the upcoming trip and is worried for her. So more than likely we will have a guest assistance card, that should help with the relaxing because we won't have to worry about rushing to things. At least I hope...this is a flaw of mine, not taking time to smell the roses!! I will work on that!

I am gonna go check out your report, I can't wait to read about that sundae!

 

[Denovagirl]

OMG!!! I LOVE THESE!!! I have never even thought about it, but this is a wonderful idea!!!! I was already planning on doing worksheets with different characters (mainly to make sure my 3y/o recognized everyone) but this takes it to a whole new level!!! I am sending you a pm with my email

Glad you like!! They're pretty simple because Olivia is only 4, but you can always edit and change them yourself to fit with any age!

 

[Denovagirl]

Everyone told me my girls wouldn't enjoy Epcot because its more of an adult park when we were preparing for our first trip last year.....they were so WRONG! My girls were 6 & 7......that was their favorite park, they enjoyed the different countries, food & souvenirs from there. We actually allotted 2 days at Epcot this year & made it the first park we go to. They are super excited!

Yay! I am glad to hear it! I wish I had 2 days here already...hope we get it all in!! I can't wait to shop in the world showcase most of all!!