Disney Archives • Page 4 of 6 • diy mama

by Shelly on May 4, 2017 Leave a Comment

My First Disney World Media Event

In a couple days, I am going on my first Disney World media event! I say ‘first’ because I am determined to do this again. Being a Disney College Program Alumn, I have a very special place in my heart for Disney World. Crying at the first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle is a natural reaction. Cravings for Dole Whip as soon as the weather hits 80 degrees occurs every year. Busting into any conversation regarding a Disney vacation can not be helped. It’s a sickness I have and I’m happy to have it.

You can guess my reaction when I was asked by a friend to join her on her travels to Disney World for a media event directly before the opening of Pandora. Heart attack. Squeals. Tears. Fanning myself. Deep breaths. Repeat.

In an attempt to not give too much away before my trip, I’ll let you know that we’ll be taking behind the scenes tours of the resorts and Disney’s newest addition Pandora- The World of Avatar. We’ll sprinkle in a few firework dessert parties and meals at restaurants I’ve only dreamed of experiencing. To say the least, I have no clue what I’m most excited for. This trip will be full of firsts for this Disney Mom!

Pandora- The World of Avatar

A small glimpse of what’s ahead in Pandora- The World of Avatar:

I will be sharing my trip live on IG Stories for any Disney fans to follow along. We’ll also be meeting a few Disney team members that will be able to answer questions about:

Pandora- The World of Avatar/ Animal Kingdom
Hollywood Studios

I would love to ask them any questions you may have. You can tweet your questions to my Twitter account. Be sure to follow #wdwresorts and #visitPandora for updates from all of the media guests this next week.

Photos by Disney Parks Blog

by Shelly on November 9, 2015 10 Comments

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutMovieNight #CollectiveBias
Inside Out was a roller coaster of emotions but I loved every second of it. To get our #DisneySide on, we saw Inside Out the day before our vacation to Disney World. Sophie can’t sit through movies at the theater yet, so I was anxiously awaiting it’s release on BluRay + DVD at Target. I wanted her to see this movie now as she’s learning about emotions and how to talk about them, but it will definitely be watched several times throughout her life. Inside Out is a timeless story.

I had to get the movie (and a little Joy figurine for Sophie) the day it came out and was so excited to have a special movie night as a family on Friday. We’ve recently started ‘no tv until the weekend’ and it’s only going to get harder with the cold rainy weather, making last Friday’s movie night that much more special! I also really wanted to have a family movie night because…

We’d finally get to say ‘OK!’ to her when she repeats ‘show?’ for the 10000th time.
I wanted to see what I missed from the first viewing in theaters (you know how you always pick up on more detail the second time?)
I’d seen this polka dot cake on Pinterest, that I hadn’t seen until after Sophie’s birthday, and desperately wanted an excuse to make it. My family was not disappointed.

Movie snacks were a must but I wanted to have an assortment that would make everyone in the family happy. I picked up some trail mix, sweet and salty popcorn, tortilla chia rolled chips and apple juice to go along with the Inside Out Memeory Orb cake. Not surprisingly, Sophie just wanted more cake. Speaking of cake, here’s how you can make it at home:

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

Ingredients Needed:

2 boxes of white cake mix
Vegetable oil (amount depends on which cake mix you get)
Egg whites (amount depends on which cake mix you get)
Vanilla pudding mix
Cookie spray and flour
Food coloring gel
2 tubs of white frosting
Cake pop mold
3 6″ round pans
Round cereal (or other Memory Orb candies)
Jelly Beans

Mix cake as directed by the box. I made one box as directed but added the vanilla pudding mix for added moisture in the cake pops since they will be baked twice. I waited until the cake pops were baked and cooled before I mixed the second box to insure it would be fresh.

Divide the cake batter into 6 bowls. Using 1/4 tsp of red (Anger), yellow (Joy), green (Disgust), blue (Sadness) and purple (Fear) coloring gel, mix the cake batter well. You will have cake batter left over after filling your cake ball mold. I poured them into cake liners and took them over to a neighbor as a ‘thanks for being cool’ treat. Be sure to follow your cake pop mold’s instructions on greasing. I recommend filling but not overfilling (like I did) the cake pop molds. The less overflow you have, the less you’ll have to trim off once they’re baked. Remember, you want round orbs for your cake.

Joy helped me make sure all the memory orbs were safe before I put them into the oven. After greasing and flouring, I filled each 6″ pan with a small amount of white cake batter and placed the cake pop orbs evenly on top. I filled each of the three pans equally with the cake batter before placing them on a cookie sheet in the oven.

This next part was my favorite part of making this Inside Out Memory Orb cake. I used a knife to level out each cake, revealing the brightly colored orbs. As you may have seen on Twitter, despite using cooking spray and flour on each pan, one still broke in half. Thankfully once it was covered by icing in the end so no one could tell.

I first did a quick crumb coat of icing on the cake and let it sit in the fridge to harden. I followed it up with a thick layer of icing, topping it with memory orbs (Trix cereal) and Joy added an extra layer of her memories along the bottom to make sure we were all super happy to eat this cake.

I have to admit to you, I was extremely nervous to cut the first piece. I knew the orbs were beautiful inside but was worried that they would all be one color (with my luck). Thankfully I got each wonderful emotion in the very first slice.

I would definitely say we each added a yellow orb to our memories after this fun Inside Out Movie Night. Be sure to head out to Target (because I’m pretty sure I don’t have to twist your arm) and pick up a copy of Inside Out on BluRay + DVD. My favorite is always the deleted scenes and bonus features and the extra 20 minutes in Inside Out did not disappoint. For added Inside Out fun, check out Kim’s Inside Out Emotions Game that you can cut out and play along with the movie. Sophie wasn’t quite ready for the dice rolling part but she really liked recognizing and replicating the emotions she made.

You might also like my Movie Night Snack Necklace:

by Shelly on November 4, 2015 12 Comments

Surviving Disney World with a Toddler

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using links below.
I want to start out by saying how absolutely perfect our trip was and that I wouldn’t change one thing about it. The reason I loved our trip, despite the tears and tantrums, was because I expected the worst. Not to say I was dreading our trip, knowing Sophie might not be her smiling self 100% of the time, but I was prepared for the melt downs. Surviving Disney World with a toddler is easy when you’re prepared to leave a show with a 30min wait time or know that she’ll only eat one bite of her $15 meal.

I may have been, what some say as, over-prepared. Being a Girl Scout and ex-Disney cast member, I had thought of every possible disaster and had a plan to turn our frowns upside down. There were a few key tips that I want to share with you that may not make your vacation bliss, but will help in making it more fun for everyone. The goal is for both parents, siblings and toddlers is to have a magical time during their stay at Disney World!

Surviving Disney World with a Toddler

Hydrate. No matter what time of year you visit Disney World, you’ll need to stay hydrated from the sheer amount of walking. Some people bring filtered water bottles to the parks to re-fill as needed. We chose to carry a Camelbak bladder in a hiking backpack so we would have water any time we needed. Having it easily accessible to Sophie as we waited in lines was perfect. It also saved us money by avoiding sodas and juices in the parks.
Just do it. Go with the flow. If there’s something you think your toddler may or may not like, just try it. Sophie surprised us on the things she liked and didn’t like. For example, we thought she’d love the Festival of the Lion King and Frozen Sing-Along Celebration but both had fog that terrified her. Also, if there are rides they love, let them go multiple times. We did Teacups and Aladdin’s Carpet multiple times, yet she was afraid to go on Dumbo. Our plan was to have three must-do attractions each day and anything else was a bonus. Remember not all fights are worth a tantrum. Sophie wanted to wear her sweatshirt one morning when it was 80 degrees outside. We let her wear it and by the time we got to the parks she was ready to take it off. Our motto was ‘if it doesn’t hurt her, or someone else, let her do it’ (to a degree). She was the star of the show during the Enchanted Tiki Room because she was singing and dancing in the aisle. She wasn’t bothering anyone and it made her (and the rest of the visitors) happy. We went on this trip to see Disney World through her eyes.
Bring your own. I did a lot of research ahead of time regarding bringing our own stroller. I had been wary because Sophie always refuses her stroller, wanting to be independent and walking on her own. We decided to bring it to make the airport experience easier and are so glad we did. Sophie’s City Select Stroller was the perfect stroller to take with us. She loved riding in it because she could climb up on her own and it was comfortable. The stroller was heavy enough to hold our rain cover and our backpack without tipping. We attached a Fetch locator in a discrete location so we would be able to locate our stroller via our phones if it got stolen. I also wanted to make sure we would be able to easily spot it in the line up of identical strollers by tying a tassel of colorful ribbons to the handle. If you’re not comfortable bringing your own stroller, there are several stroller rental places in Orlando that will deliver to your hotel. They’re much easier to manage and more comfortable than the park’s plastic strollers.
Nap. My biggest tip to anyone who asks me for advice on their Disney vacation is to nap, no matter their age. Every trip we’ve taken, we wake up early to be there at park opening, have lunch at the resort, nap or lay by the pool during the hottest part of the day and head back for Extra Magic Hours. Unless you’re used to high sensory during your every day life, you’ll need a break from the sensory overload that the parks bring. If your kids no longer nap, a relaxing walk around your resort, cartoon watching or reading books will help them last until the end of the night without breaking down from exhaustion. If you’re only in the parks a few days and don’t want to take time to nap, plan to do calm rides in the middle of the day such as TTA, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress or the Monorail.
Embrace the rain. It rains a lot in Orlando. During certain seasons it rains every day at 3 o’clock. The slowest season is hurricane season (for a reason), which is when we always visit. Don’t let the rain stop you from enjoying your time in the happiest place on earth. Bring your own poncho or buy the Mickey Mouse ponchos in the park to keep as souvenirs. If your kids won’t wear their poncho (like mine) it’s warm enough that it’s ok if they’re wet for a little while. I remember going as a kid and loving that it rained because all you saw was a sea of yellow ponchos everywhere! The rain also clears a lot of people out of the parks meaning shorter wait times. If you’re sure you don’t want to get caught in the rain, have a few inside attractions set aside to visit while it rains.

We would love to be able to visit Disney World every year but realistically can not. We will be better prepared for our next trip by learning from our trip this past September. We will probably wait until Star Wars and Pandora construction is done before going next (if I’m able to stand waiting that long). What are your biggest tips when traveling to Disney World with kids?

For more Disney vacation tips, check out my favorite Disney World pins:

by Shelly on June 4, 2015 5 Comments

Disney Park Tips

Being a former cast member and current Disney obsessed fan, I know a lot about Disney. I’m most knowledgeable on Disney World but am a huge fan of the history of Walt and the imagineering of the Disney parks. Sharing my experiences and knowledge comes very easy to me, which is why people often seek me out when planning their Disney vacation. Today, I’m planning our September Disney trip and have realized it will be a very different experience than our past vacations because we’ll have a toddler in tow.

Here are my top five Disney park tips:

Stay on property. This is the biggest question I get asked and there’s no denying that the perks with Extra Magic Hours, Magical Express, park merchandise sent to your room and the convenience of transportation can not be beat. Throw in the awesome pools, night time movies, wide range of food choices and perfect Disney theming and it’s the best decision you’ll make.
Utilize your MagicBands if you have specific attractions you can’t miss. This will be our first time in the parks since MagicBands have been active so I’ve been researching it like there’s no tomorrow. If you’re the type that likes to plan, making reservations for meals (180 days out) and attractions (60 days out) ahead of time will put your mind at ease.
Celebrating something on your vacation? Milk it for all it’s worth. Get a button and wear it proudly! We have been in the parks after just being engaged and on our anniversary and, as always, the cast members are so sweet, but so are the other guests! I loved telling people about our engagement story at Wishes. If only I could wear it around now and get the same perks.
Take a break. This is a tip that I suggest to guests of every age. Bring breakfast bars with you on your way out the door an hour before the park gates open (unless you’re staying at a resort that is close to the park). Hit your favorite ride right away and as the park starts filling, stop for a late breakfast/early lunch. Take a break during the middle of the day when the parks are the hottest. Even if you don’t take a nap at your room, go to a pool to relax or even play a round of put-put. Do something with less stimulation and give your legs a break. Head back to the parks late afternoon and you’ll be able to stay up easily through the Extra Magic Hours.
Talk to the Cast Members. The Cast Members will be your biggest resource of knowledge. They know the best place to stand for the parades and fireworks, best snack vendors, where Mulan might show up and where the hidden Mickey’s are. They also have great pins for pin trading. Asking a cast member to see his pins led us to the behind the scenes tour of Enchanted Tales with Belle before it was open and countless line cuts to rides.

Do you agree on these tips? What did I miss? I may have a whole new set of tips once we experience the parks with a toddler! I have a feeling my new number one tip may be ‘bring Advil’.

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World, feel free to ask me any questions you may have. The same goes for those of you considering the Disney College Program. Disney is my second biggest passion and I wish for everyone to experience the magic as I do.

Follow Shelly @ DIY Mama’s board Disney on Pinterest.

by Shelly on March 20, 2015 10 Comments

Disney’s FROZEN Easter Backpack

I was so excited when I got accepted to make a Disney’s FROZEN Easter basket for Sophie! This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DisneyEaster #CollectiveBias

I was especially looking forward to Easter this year with Sophie to begin our traditions of Easter egg hunts, big flowery hats and eating Peeps. I knew I wanted to do an Easter basket for her while putting my own spin on things, so all of her goodies will be things she uses all the time (rather than a ton of candy and more stuffed animals).

When I heard I had the chance to do a FROZEN themed basket, there’s no way I was passing that up. Sophie is more than obsessed with FROZEN and especially loves Olaf. We’re taking her on her first trip to Disney World and wanted to make her a #DisneyEaster ~~basket~~ backpack filled with everything she’ll need for her trip.

I had a fun time going to Walmart with her Grandma to pick out goodies for her trip. I wanted to do a mix of FROZEN items and practical Disney Vacation items. I’m most excited for her FROZEN PJs because I want to start the tradition of giving a new pair of Disney PJs when we visit the parks.

The fillable Olaf eggs are also super cute and I know Sophie will get a kick out of them! I didn’t want to go crazy with the sugar because I know she’ll get plenty from her Easter egg hunt. Putting cereal and cheese crackers in the eggs will still be a fun surprise for Sophie once she discovers the Olafs.

Bringing along this insulated waterbottle will save us from spending extra money on soda and juice and keep her hydrated better. The Girl Scout in me wanted to protect her so I packed some SPF50 lip balm, 100% UV sunglasses, Mickey band-aides and sun hat. Sparkly Princess bows were a must as well as her neon outfit, Olaf socks and pink heart shoes! I seriously can’t wait for her to open her FROZEN Easter Olaf backpack and see how cute she is rocking those shades!

By the way, Olaf loves Peeps as much as summer. What are your family traditions for Easter? I remember getting dressed up in matching dresses with my sister, finding a real egg during an Easter egg hunt and having an indoor Easter egg hunt because it was raining and loved it just as much.

For more Spring inspiration on decor and recipes, check out my Pinterest board!
Follow Shelly @ DIY Mama’s board Spring Decor & Recipes on Pinterest.

My First Disney World Media Event

Pandora- The World of Avatar

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

Inside Out Memory Orb Cake

Surviving Disney World with a Toddler

Surviving Disney World with a Toddler

Disney Park Tips

Disney’s FROZEN Easter Backpack

Life Planner

Preschool Montessori Bedroom

7 Tips to Make your Road Trip to Disney Magical