My Disney Side - The Great Goofini

Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 4th stop on our Magical Blogorail.

I'm thrilled to be participating in the Magical Blogorail for the very first time on the Orange Loop, and I can't think of a better way to introduce myself to all of you then this week's theme: "Your Disney Side."





In case you're wondering what your "Disney Side" is...

"It’s the side you simply can’t wait to share. It’s the side of you that laughs more, screams more, and just plain lives life to the fullest. It’s the side of you that comes out to play the moment you and your family step through the gates of a Disney theme park."  - Disney Parks Website

Now, I think that's a good example of a "Disney Side", but I think that you'll find that Disney Sides vary from person to person.  Disney knows this as well, and goes further by having a quiz you can take to figure out your Disney Side.

I got the "Timeless" Disney Side.

I guess that makes sense since I've been going to Disney all my life.  My family starting going when I was just a little kid, I even worked there one semester on the College Program, and now, as Disney Vacation Club members, I take my family there nearly every year.

But there's nothing that says you only have one Disney Side.  I'm pretty sure I have multiple Disney Sides, and they're not just parts of me that come out at a Disney theme park.  The reason many of us blog about Disney is because we have Disney Sides we want to express while we're NOT in a Disney theme park.  I think Disney has touched and shaped my life in so many ways that it would be difficult to find a side of me that doesn't have some Disney in it.

So How would I describe my own Disney Side?

I think I'm like the the Great Goofini!

Though, with the kids in tow, I probably look more like this...

Like the Great Goofini, I'm an adventurous, thrill seeking, gadget-toting, "goofy" dad who's not ashamed to embarrass himself (or his family) in the name of fun!  I like to think of myself as a life-long learner, not being afraid to make mistakes. I've grown up with Disney and hope to continue to do so, and watch my kids do so as well.  


Walt Disney World is where I experienced my first thrill rides, once I was tall enough...  I love all the mountains, coasters, and unique thrills that Disney offers... and I can't wait for them to add more!

and of course, I've got my camera out to record the experience...

I've also discovered that I'm more adventurous in other ways at Disney.  I love to try new things, especially food.

I also love getting pictures with characters, and not just being one.  This started as a kid, and I went through a teenage phase where I was too cool for it, but thankfully as an adult, I've rediscovered that side.  

I especially love the hard-to-find characters.  So much so, that on one of my new Disney adventures, my first Half Marathon, I risked being swept to get every character picture I could manage!

And when I'm not getting my picture taken... I'm taking pictures.  Thousands and thousands of pictures....

When not at a theme park, you can find me watching Disney Junior even when the kids aren't home, or enjoying classic and new Disney animated features.  I torture my wife and kids by singing Disney songs... even "princess" songs.

I'm also a collector.  My baseball side and Disney sides have merged to create a collection that will eventually threaten to need its own room.

And these are just the balls... I've got jerseys, hats, gloves, ties, watches, bobble heads... 

My Disney side also comes out for almost every holiday.  I take inspiration from the way Disney decks out the parks for the holidays.  My dream is that one day my Christmas display will look like this:

and don't get me started on Halloween....

and of course, Halloween is a great excuse to get dressed up and be more of a character at home!!

So there you have it.  I feel like I've covered most of my Disney Side... but I'm sure like my children's toys, there are bits and pieces everywhere that I just overlooked.  

I'll leave you with one last image... here's me doing a cartwheel outside the International Gateway.  I did it because... well, why not!

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Ashley Aspires.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories

2nd Stop ~ I Am a Disney Nerd

3rd Stop ~ Disney with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

4th Stop ~ Home is Where the Mouse Is (You are Here)

Final Stop ~ Ashley Aspires

Frozen Birthday Party

The movie 'Frozen' has become an instant favorite and our family's new obsession. Naturally, when we asked our daughter what theme she wanted for her birthday party, she replied "Frozen!" Mommy was happy to oblige.

For every party I do, I like to create a fun and festive tablescape. For this party, we used cotton snow, blue organza fabric and a silver runner (this was just silver ribbon that I bought on clearance after Christmas).

We also decorated the party space with homemade snowflakes (thank you to my sister for all her hard work) and snowflake lights (part of our Christmas light stash).

We used the characters in the movie as inspiration for the eats and treats we had at the party. Some things required time and effort, while for others we took some help from the store.

Our appetizers and snacks included:

Olaf's Noses (Carrots and ranch dressing)

Sven's Antlers (Pretzels)

Anna's Snowballs (Cheese Balls snack)

Elsa's Cheese and Cracker Blizzard (Snowflake shaped cheeses on crackers)

The dessert side of the table included:

Frozen Hearts (White Chocolate Covered Strawberries made by my mom)

Olaf Snowmen

Kristoff's Ice (blue Jell-o cubes)

Rock Candy

Snowflake Sugar cookies and dip (thanks to my mom for making the cookies)

Powdered Donuts

But, the highlight of the table was the cake.

The cake was a simple yellow cake covered with whipped cream frosting. The top layer had a heart cut into it. I was originally going to fill the center with ice cream to be a "Frozen Heart",  but switched it last minute to a cool whip and fresh strawberry filling.

On top, I place mini Frozen characters that came in The Frozen Busy Book. I also decorated the cake with white chocolate snowflakes and crushed rock candy.

The birthday girl was thrilled with how her party turned out!

All the inspiration for this party can be found on my Frozen Party Pinterest board.  I hope you will be inspired to throw your own Frozen at home!

Wordless Wednesday - Disney Sidekicks

This week's theme: Disney Sidekicks

Who's your favorite Disney Sidekick?

Special Thanks to Deb at "Focused on the Magic" for hosting the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.  If you've hopped here, please feel free to look around, Like us, Follow us, Email us, or Subscribe to us.  Then be sure to use the link above to return to the blog hop and check out the other great blogs participating.  Thanks!

Mickey Mouse Talks!

On our last trip, we got to meet "Talking Mickey" at the Town Square Theater on Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom.  It was quite an experience, and it made us wonder if this is the future of character Meet and Greets.  Come see what we mean...


We had just entered Magic Kingdom after a great dinner at 'Ohana, and it was starting to rain. We took shelter in the Town Square Theater and got on line to see the recently debuted, and now fully installed, "talking" Mickey Mouse.

I'd seen several videos about Talking Mickey online, and I was very excited, but I wasn't sure how the kids would react.  In seven years of visits, Mickey had never said a word to Bella... what would she think?  And then there was Jackson, who at not-quite-three-years-old was great with characters (especially the Princesses) but at home was terrified of any stuffed animal that talked, sang, or danced...

So how would it go??

All that worrying about their reaction... and they were fine.  Jackson was a little thrown off by it, but he didn't run away screaming, so that was good...

I was also pleased that we got a joke, and not just a "hey, let's get a picture" like the guest before us.  But I really wished we had gotten the Haunted Mansion bit... that looked like a fun one!

But on the way out, Bella asked me why only that Mickey talks to you, and not the others you meet.  She is seven now... and she's getting close to figuring it all out (if she hasn't already), and she brings up a good point.  

Characters have evolved a lot through the years... in the early days some were downright scary, and remind me of the knock-offs you see wandering Times Square.

Thankfully, they got makeovers, new outfits, and became much better looking.... and cuddlier.

Then a few years back, they began to blink and "talk", but only in the stage shows.

And now Mickey is talking directly to guests... albeit only in this one location, and the conversations are a bit one-sided.  Mickey steers it, and I get the impression it's difficult for him to go off on any tangents.  He likes to stay focused, and the Cast Member there will help remind him to pose for a picture.

So is this the future of all Meet and Greets?  Will Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the rest of the gang start talking as well?  And is there room to make the conversation more interactive??  

Disney, you've raised the bar here, and it's quite impressive, but you've only set the standard that much higher for every other character experience!

What do you think of Talking Mickey?? 

Guests can meet with Talking Mickey daily at the Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom.

Disney Valentine's Day Cookies from the Princesses, With Love

One of my favorite Valentine's Day treats is the little conversation hearts. I love to read all of the cute sayings on each one. These traditional Valentine's Day treats were the inspiration for these cookies.

We took a little help from the store to make our cookies by buying prepackaged sugar cookie mix. For decorations we bought white and green icing, plus tips,and Disney Princess Glitter Gels.

Naturally, the kids wanted to help. My kids have been in the kitchen with me since they were babies and helping out not long after that. Bella helped make her first cookies at 18 months. She's been my little sous chef ever since. I think it's important to get your kids as involved as possible.

For the frosting, I used a mix of confectioners sugar and milk.  I then used gel food coloring to create the colors we wanted for the cookies.

Then it was time to frost.

Once the frosting was dry, it was time to decorate. We chose 4 princesses and 1 queen as inspiration for our cookies. The hardest part was finding a short enough saying for the cookies. Here is what we came up with.

Princess Aurora - "My Dream"

Ariel - "Kiss the Girl"

Belle - "Be My Guest"

Princess Anna and Queen Elsa (and friend) - "You Melt Me"

These cookies are a fun way to celebrate Valentines Day. You can even share them with your true love.

What treats will you make for your Valentine this year? Let us know in the comments.