Typical Disneyland day with a toddler

Disneyland

J's 1st visit

The first time we took J to Disneyland she was about two and a half years old; it had been about 3 years since my last visit and I was itching to go. Part of that long delay was when I got pregnant I didn't think I would have a good time at the park (not true you can) , and the other part was that I felt J was too you to appreciate or enjoy the park (also not true). We had a pretty good day and shortly after became annual passholders and frequented the park a few times a month.
Flash forward five years later I was pregnant with my second child, and although this pregnancy was much more difficult and I was in constant pain to walk I still had to visit during  for my birthday, Friday the 13th , Halloween time (aka One24/7Dad's bday), Christmas time and a dear friend was getting married there so I couldn't miss that! So on those trips I either rented a wheelchair for long days or we stayed at one area of the park as I waddled my way from attraction to attraction and  had frequent rest stops.

Dapper Day 2014

Max's first visit was when he was only five weeks old! We didn't stay long as it was an impromptu visit and we were not prepared for a long day. After that we visited again three or four times before his first birthday. Although his eyes didn't light up when we saw Mickey, and he slept through the parade he did enjoy the carousel and the characters were just amazing around him.
Our most recent visit was a couple weeks ago just before Disneyland's official birthday celebration. Max was now a solid 18 months and had a blast, boy was he a trooper knocking out closer to 10pm right before we left for the night.
We started the day at Disneyland California Adventure park, and walked onto Monsters Inc. His wide eyed expression showed complete terror but no tears and issues on the ride. J was never a fan of any of the indoor attractions until she was about six and even then... We had our Fast Passes (FP) tickets to see the Arendelle princesses but that was still about an hour away so we jumped over to Bugs Land to squeeze in some Max friendly rides. While in line to see Elsa & Ana he feel asleep (which was still a 45 min wait with FP so J and 24/7Dad drew Baymax at the Animation Academy while I saved our place in line), and with good reason we had been up since about 6 am that morning. Taking advantage of this J and 24/7Dad jumped in line for Tower of Terror and got me a parent swap pass. We skipped Cars Land this time because the wait per usual was really long and once Max woke up there would be nothing for him to do there; and I jumped to the boardwalk where we got FP for California Screaming and had a LIGHT snack. Once max woke up he did a couple turns on Triton's Carousel and he had his snack. Again we used the valuable parent swap pass and J took another turn, this time with me, on the coaster. We met up with Max & 24/7Dad at the Redwood Trails burning off some energy after first getting a FP for Grizzly River Run. Since it was a warm day even the FP line was a bit long so much to Js dismay I opted not to use a parent swap pass and instead went to order lunch and find a shady spot to eat.
After lunch, mmm my fav Earl of Sandwich Holiday Sandwich, we took the monorail into Disneyland. We went straight to Thunder Mountain to get out FP and then after a quick potty break got in the long but quickly moving Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I took a quick pick of Max as we boarded and another classic look of terror came across hi face. I think this had to do more with the flash than the boat since the ride hadn't started and I doubt he remembers when he was on it the last time. He held on for dear life during the dips at the beginning and never quite trusted the ride after but again no tears and no issues on the ride. It was time to head back to Thunder Mountain and while 24/7 Dad and J went on I was going to hop over and get our FP for Star Tours. At this point Max fell asleep again so I was in search for a cool shady spot which was hard to come by. I finally found a spot next to a kind family on the island where the Partners statue is at facing the parade route. So I put a blanket out by the cirb incase we stayed for the parade and I sat on the floor again the fence as he slept. It was very comfortable since there was a delicious cross breeze cooling me down. 24/7Dad and J headed over to Space Mountain while Max was out cold. He woke up just a few minutes before the parade started and he was very attentive to the parade in his very serious pout that is so adorable. A lady next to us smiled and noticed that all the princesses said hi to him and blew him a kiss. He enjoyed Terk coming up and giving him a high-five!

After the parade and another potty break we headed to fantasyland where we hoped on King Arthur's Carousel, bummed we did not get on Jingles :( and saw that 24/7 Dad was already in line for Dumbo. Afterwards we jumped on Casey Jr's train, and we headed to the teacups where Max loved spinning the wheel. Then off to Small World one of my absolute favorite rides (beating ou Peter Pan only because that line is always a killer). I highly recommend eating at the Plaza Inn. Their fried chicken is uuumazing, and filling. The four of us shared two adult plates with an extra scoop of mashed potatoes and we were stuffed. We then headed back over to Small World to find our spot for the Pain the Night Parade. We had about an hour and a half wait before the parade started and 24/7Dad took Max to burn off some energy at Goofy's backyard play area in Toontown, and then took J to redeem her FP for Star Tours.

Paint the Night parade is... well... its indescribable but its awesome! We oooooed and awwwwed the whole way through and were sadden when it ended in what felt to be all too soon. After a delay of about 15 minutes it was announced that the firework show would be cancelled due to weather. Booo!
Since there was only a few minute wait for Autopia J decided to put her driving skills to the test. Lets just say I am not looking forward to when she wants to get behind the wheel for realsies. We ended our day using the parent swap for Space Mountain they got earlier, and J always has a terrorized happy look during the picture at the end. She really does love this ride I promise! Max fell asleep again and we were all tired so we made our way to the trams and then to our car and we all knocked out hard when we got home dreaming about mouse ears and pixie dust! It was a great day!

 We love you KA ;) 

Benefits of being born!

Freebie Friday

Birthdays are good for you, the more you have the longer you live! Well at least it has its perks. With my birthday just around the corner I put together a list of some of my favorite birthday freebies:

Red Robin- Free gourmet burger

Baskin Robbins- Free scoop of ice cream

Sephora- Free beauty sample

Starbucks- Free beverage or treat

Denny’s- Free Grand Slam breakfast 

IHOP- Free stack of Rooty Fruity pancakes 

Jamba Juice- Free smoothie or juice

Jersey Mike's- Free sub sandwich & soda

Godiva- Birthday offer (can vary but past years it's been merch credit no minimum required)

There are plenty more out there, many have some sort of BOGO offer but I just put the sign up and get freebie with no additional purchase needed that I personally like and use. What’s your favorite birthday freebie?

Sleep Training Part 2

It's been four months since we cracked down on sleep training.
I am happy to report Max now sleeps 8 hours straight at night! Yay!

We continued to use our secret weapon: Taylor Swift but slowly phased her out, today we sing along to three nighttime lullabies and then off to bed. We also introduced a nighttime snack. Dinner is usually around 5:00pm and it was hit or miss whether he was actually hungry at that time (he by no means is a picky eater but if he isn't hungry he wont eat). After shower-time Max has a snack of either a banana, yogurt, applesauce, or milk and graham crackers.


Up until a couple weeks ago he was still occasionally waking at 1:00am, and then one day he was playing in his crib while I was putting away clothes in his room I turned and we was straddling the rail! I put him back in the crib to see if he would do it again and he did! This time I had to capture his escape. (*Tears) He was already getting pretty tall for the crib and now he knew how to get out. I knew this transition was coming because J transitioned to a toddler bed at the end of August (both are Jan babies). So after a couple photos and a quick laugh 24/7Dad busted out his trusty tool box and removed the rail converting his crib to a toddler day bed.

We remembered J was a wild sleeper and even the guardrails on her toddler bed didn't keep her in. Now that we had hard floors we were really concerned about Max falling. We folded up an extra comforter to supply some padding and we used a Pinterest hack of putting a swimming noodle under the sheet to create a makeshift rail. And although the first night he fell, he hasn't since, but then again he isn't a wild sleeper either.

Another concern during our sleep training was now he can get in and out of bed will he stay there. J would pitter patter to the door see us and run back to bed giggling when she didn't want to sleep. So far not an issue at night, his afternoon nap on the other hand is hit or miss if he stays in bed, but eventually he will nap.

Since removing the rail his sleep patterns improved when we feared it would be lost. So my tip is if you have a bad sleeper, routine is key. Find what will soothe your child like Taylor Swift did mine, and be patient he will soon be a big boy and will figure it out on his own.

Disneyland App

Magical news hot off the presses! 
Disneyland finally released an all inclusive app that pretty much has everything you need to make the most out of your day at the Disneyland Resort.
You can check wait times, make dining reservations and shut the front door, purchases and link up your park tickets (including APs) and so much more! It is basically instant guest services in your pocket! I haven't seen an option to load gift cards but maybe they will consider updating in the future. 
Before this I used apps like MouseWait, or Disneyland Wait Times, these were great tools during our visit but had their limitations, and a lot of times relied on users to update times, though they were pretty accurate. I can't wait for our next Disney day to put this baby to use. 
Here are a couple screen shots but this app has so much to offer.
Get it FREE at your preferred app store:

 

Orange County Zoo

As you may remember one of my favorite places to take the kiddos (besides anywhere Disney) is the Irvine Regional Park. There are a variety of activities to do there, and everything is pretty affordable. Check out my post on the Irvine Railroad Park Anniversary Celebration.

Last week we visited the OC Zoo located inside the Regional Park, with admission price a whopping $2 per person and parking $3 during the weekdays this outing came in under $10 for my family for four (for coupon clickhere)!  So we packed a picnic lunch and headed down to Irvine to enjoy a beautiful SoCal day.

Normally the cozy zoo, is fairly quiet with just a few families visiting. This visit however summer was in full swing and there were a few summer camp groups enjoying a nature day, it was nice seeing the zoo so lively but I bet the permanent residents particularly this porcupine wouldn't mind some quiet time.

All the animals in the zoo are rescues and native to Southern California, there are also plenty of native plants providing beautiful landscaping and it’s very interesting to read up on how early Americans used them. We love visiting the petting zoo and feeding the goats (bring quarters for machine). This visit we were able to meet the latest addition to the sheep family less than a month old!

Don’t forget to check out their web page for events, crafts and programs.

*Tip* As soon as you enter ask the ticket attendant for a scavenger hunt sheet. It’s a fun way to learn about the plants and animals through-out the zoo; and once it’s complete your child can earn their choice of a FREE patch or bracelet.

There are plenty of shaded areas and benches to take a break or just enjoy the scenery. There are no restrooms inside the zoo area and the nearest facilities are just a short walk down the path so plan accordingly. However there is a sink with soap to wash your hands after handling the animals located at the front of the zoo by the entrance. If you need to leave the zoo don’t forget to get your hand stamps to return later or like my kids sometimes just for fun!

 One thing we love to do is see how much our kiddos have grown! 

Legoland CA

A couple of weeks ago J and her Girl Scout troop went to Legoland CA. She had gone once when she was about four but this would be Max’s first visit (16 at months old).

What I love about this theme park is that we rarely heard whining about how long the lines were, and we had about 12 kids under the age of 9 (not including the babies in our group)! The park wasn't overly crowded but as many schools have been slowly closing out their school year it definitely wasn't a “slow” day. One of the main contributors of happy kids in line was that there were Lego play areas in the middle of where the line snaked around. Kids could enjoy building models while parents made their way thru the bulk of the line, and one could easily keep an eye on the kiddos. This allowed the grownups to engage in conversations or enjoy the intercut scenery with minimal “I’m bored” comments from the peanut gallery.

In every themed area there is also a play yard of some sort where children are encouraged to explore and burn off some of that energy. One of our group’s favorite was the Pharaoh’s Revenge, where kids could shoot foam balls out of cannons and climb around the hut. Caution it gets loud in there, so if you are sensitive to loud booms and shrieks keep an eye from outside.

Juliana and her friends had a blast running from one ride to the other, many times without needing an adult/ older sibling rider. This park is really geared towards the 6-12 age group or those who are really fascinated with Legos.

I remembered when we came with Juliana at age 3 ½-4 she was very limited on what she could ride based on height and age requirements. We encountered this same issue with Max, there wasn’t much all inclusive family friendly rides. Below are the rides and my 3 star rating on how family friendly and inclusive they are for ALL members of the family.

***LEGOLAND Express- Fun Town

***Fairy Tale Brook- Explorer Island

***Coast Cruise- Miniland USA

**Mia’s Riding Camp- (stand next to your little rider)- Heartlake City

*Cargo Ace- (not all adults will be able to fit alongside of their little flyer)- Land of Adventure

As you can see out of the whole park there was only 5 rides spread out far and wide that Max could enjoy.Wwe relied heavily on the play areas to keep him entertained while everyone else was on the other rides.

This visit we stopped at the Knights Smokehouse, members of our group had the chicken tenders, pulled pork, beef brisket and ribs. Everyone said that the food was tasty, although one said that their German salad was WAAY to sour to be enjoyable so be warned.

While you are there you must try their Apple Fries! Yumm they coast around $5 and make a tasty treat.

There was an incident in which we spoke to management about- more on that later, but we had that conversation away from the kids and all in all they had a marvelous day!

DIY - Lego Tees

Tackle It Tuesday:

DIY Special Occasion Tees:

My daughter's Girl Scout troop is going to Legoland and I thought it would be cute for them to have a special tee for their outing.
What you need:

• Blank white T-Shirts from the Children's Place that came out to about $3.50 after sale and coupon discounts
• Avery T-Shirt Transfer Sheets about $7 (note* I tried Target's Up& Up brand first but they didn't work as well)
• Home computer & ink jet printer (laser jet wont work)
• Iron
• Hard flat surface (not recommended to use ironing board)

I scoured the internet for a Lego mini fig head, copied pasted on a simple MS Word doc, added their nicknames in Lego font (also found online). Since transfer sheet packet came with only 6 sheets and I needed to make eleven tees; I put two per sheet and cut them after printed for transfer. 

Iron on for about 60 seconds and wait for it to completely cool. Then simply peel off!

To make our Lego fig more feminine I hand sewed on a cute bow  and voila ! They were a hit with the girls who looked great on their outing!

  

Cutting for a Cause

KEARTH radio station has teamed up with Locks of Love, Supercuts, and Girl Scouts for the 5^th annual Locks of Love week. Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that assists disadvantage youth dealing with illnesses that cause hair loss hair pieces.

A couple months ago J mentioned she wanted to cut her hair short; and a few days later I saw an email that Locks of Love week was coming up. I mentioned it to J if she wanted to participate in this event and she graciously agreed. This is J’s second donation, and this time she was really excited about being able to help.

Now thru June 7^th you can go to any participating Supercuts and get a free haircut with your donation (minimum 10 inches and other minor requirements apply). Also while supplies last you receive a FREE Paul Mitchell brush (while supplies last). Now you are able to donate at any time, but one of the great things about this promo time is that Supercuts takes care of collecting and shipping your donated hair.

J is a Brownie Girl Scout and her 12 inch donation earned her a special patch to add to her vest. When asked how she feels about her donation J responded: “Good, I think kids who lost their hair might feel better if they had hair.”