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Prone to Wander

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Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary Review

August 17, 2017 by Abby

Whether you’re traveling with adults or kids, a big group or a small one, getting a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary is one of the best decisions you can make.

Whether you're traveling with adults or kids, a big group or a small one, getting a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary is one of the best decisions you can make.

Kayla of Main Street Made Easy was generous enough to give us a complimentary custom Disney itinerary; however, all the opinions expressed below are mine alone.

From the moment I found out I’d be taking a group of students to Anaheim for a school trip, I knew we had to visit Disneyland and California Adventure. After all, for those living outside California, Disney and Anaheim are practically synonymous. I had a few students who had never been to a Disney park, so I was thrilled that I’d be the one to introduce them to the magic.

When I began planning our trip, I did what anyone does when vacation planning: I crowd-sourced on Facebook. I asked for general Disneyland and California Adventure tips, but my friend Kayla from Main Street Made Easy offered to make us a custom itinerary. We only had about a day and a half total to visit the park, so I wasn’t sure Kayla could help us much, but I accepted anyway.

Can I just say that was the best. decision. ever.

Why You Need a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary

You’ll Get Insider Tips

I’ll be honest: I’ve been planning my family’s future Disney trip for a few years now. I’ve got a Pinterest board dedicated to tips and tricks and I’ve even read a couple books on the subject. I thought I could do a pretty job getting us around the park. I’m sure I would have, but I wouldn’t have done nearly as a good a job as Kayla did.

Whether you're traveling with adults or kids, a big group or a small one, getting a Main Street Made Easy Custom Disney Itinerary is one of the best decisions you can make.

In addition to an itinerary of which rides to do when, Kayla included all sorts of insider info about the best places to eat, where to rest, and how to snag prime parade and fireworks watching spots. You may think you’re prepared for your trip, but it’s likely Kayla has information you don’t.

Here’s an insider tip from me: before entering the park, take a photo of the ticket(s) for everyone in your party. Disney is great about replacing a lost ticket, but they need the serial number in order to do that. The fastest way to find the number of the missing ticket(s) is to have a photo.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: life, travel — Tagged With: Disney, Disneyland, honest review, review, travel

Tips for a Fun Technology-Free Road Trip

July 6, 2017 by Abby

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripTreats #CollectiveBias

Are you ready to give your kids the same old-fashioned road trip you enjoyed as a child? Check out these easy, creative tips for a fun technology-free road trip!

Are you ready to give your kids the same old-fashioned road trip you enjoyed as a child? Check out these easy, creative tips for a fun technology-free road trip!

Road trips were a huge part of my life when I was younger. My siblings and I lived in New Hampshire with my mom and my dad lived in Mississippi. Semiannual drives south (and then back again) meant we were well-versed in all things road trip. All that time spent in the car took place long before smartphones and tablets and DVD players (although I do think my older brother got an old-school GameBoy at one point).

With all the technology-related entertainment options available to us now, it can be tempting to hand the kids a music player or a video game and let them zone out for hours on end. That makes for a pretty easy trip and, trust me, I’ve done it a time or two. But if you long to leave the gadgets at home, keep reading for tips for a fun technology-free road trip.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, Holiday, life, Parenting, travel — Tagged With: road trip, snack, snacks, travel, traveling, wandering

What to Pack in a Toddler Carry-On

May 20, 2016 by Abby

Take it from a mom who travels frequently with young children: here’s everything you need to know about what to pack- and what not to pack- in a toddler carry-on.

Take it from a mom who travels frequently with young children: here's everything you need to know about what to pack- and what not to pack- in a toddler carry-on.

Flying is pretty routine for our children. G took his first flight at just over a month old, B when she was two weeks. Since then, we’ve traveled numerous times with both of them. I’ve lost count of how many times each has been on a plane, but I know G, who is five, has taken more than a dozen round-trips. By now, we feel like we’ve got a pretty good grasp on what to pack in a toddler carry-on to make the trip as smooth and, dare I say fun, for all involved.

What to Pack in a Toddler Carry-On

Take it from a mom who travels frequently with young children: here's everything you need to know about what to pack- and what not to pack- in a toddler carry-on.

What We’re Bringing

The picture is what will be in B’s backpack. I buy most snacks and activities in pairs, so G’s will be nearly identical.

  • Crayons and a zipper pouch (both from Dollar Tree): We have plenty of crayons at home, but these are fresh and unused and will make the kids’ day.
  • Coloring: Paw Patrol coloring activity (Toys ‘r’ Us), Jake and the Neverland Pirates coloring book (Dollar Tree), Frozen art set (Toys ‘r’ Us), and Jake and the Neverland Pirates activity (Target). These were all $1 each and they feature our toddlers’ favorite characters. The Frozen activity has stickers, and we’ll have fun coloring the rest.
  • Homemade playdough, a plastic spoon, and a cookie cutter (all brought from home). It’s a little unconventional as far as airplane activities go, but it holds B’s attention longer than any activity or TV show, and G enjoys it, too.
  • LeapPad (Amazon). I originally bought the pink one for G for $40 during a Black Friday sale and it’s since been passed on to B. We don’t have any expensive games or apps, but B has a blast using the built-in coloring feature and watching a few inexpensive videos. We’ve since bought a newer one that G will bring. It has a few math and reading games that he enjoys.
  • Snacks: baby food pouches (Big Lots, peanut butter crackers (Dollar Tree), and Peppa Pig cookies (Big Lots). These snacks totaled $5 and the crackers will be shared between both kids for both our flights out and our flights back. We love those pouches because they’re a mess-free, healthy, on-the-go treat.

There are, of course, some things we’re bringing that aren’t pictured:

  • Blankets: we bring one blanket for each kid. They both have an attachment to a particular blanket, so bringing those will comfort them. The blankets will also be nice if it gets chilly and when we try to convince them to nap.
  • Extra Batteries: this one is a no-brainer if you’re bringing electronics of any kind. We love rechargeable batteries because we can charge them during a layover.
  • Headphones: pack headphones if you’re bringing any type of electronics, but also if the airplane might have in-flight entertainment. Most airlines will sell headphones, but they’re expensive and ill-fitting. These are our favorite kid headphones.
  • Reusable water bottles: we have and love these Nalgene bottles and we always pack them when we fly. It’s so much cheaper to fill those bottles at water fountains or with free water on the plane than to buy several overpriced bottles. In addition to the reusable bottles, we also bring flavored water drops. The kids don’t drink juice, but they love flavored water.
  • Extra clothes: we pack two extra pairs of clothes for each kid. They’re still toddlers and you just never know what sort of accidents, potty or otherwise, might happen. It never hurts to throw in an extra outfit for yourself, too, just in case. In addition to those extra clothes, we also pack a few plastic grocery bags because, if anything gets wet or dirty, we’ll want somewhere to put it.
  • More snacks: we aren’t spending 12 hours traveling with only a few snacks for our kids. B and G don’t always care for fast food, especially when we’re traveling, so in addition to the snacks pictured we’ll bring a few bananas, Goldfish crackers, and granola bars.
  • Medicine: I always bring medicine in case one of the kids gets a fever during our travel day. We also pack Benadryl to give the kids before our longest flight, which is about three and a half hours (this is something our doctor suggested we do). The kids wouldn’t nap otherwise. I think we all appreciate the sleep they get.
  • Wipes and Sanitizer: Both are no-brainers when packing a toddler carry-on. My kids can make a mess eating just about anything, so between cleaning them and the surfaces around them, we go through a lot of wipes (when they’re younger we just use diaper wipes; as they get older, we mostly use Wet Wipes). My kids hate the sound of- and refuse to use- those loud hand dryers in the bathroom. If those are the only option in the airport bathroom, we skip it and use hand sanitizer instead.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: motherhood, Parenting, travel — Tagged With: motherhood, parenting, toddlers, travel

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