July 7th- Sorry I've been MIA

Hello Everyone!

I'm so sorry I've been gone, I got really wrapped up with my Disney trip, and then life seemed to get in the way when we got back.  I'm going to continue with this blog, but I don't think I'm going to continue with daily content.  Life with a toddler is just too crazy hectic to commit to everyday posting.  I'm still going to come on and post when special Disney things cross my path, and rest assured, I'm still working Disney into my life every day.

I have been working on a Disney related project since I've been back from Florida, writing a trip report chronicling our adventures in the World.  I've been posting my trip report on the DisBoards, but I'm also going to post it here, so you can see what I've been up to and read about our vacation.

So here it is- the very first installment of The Fearless Trip Report- May 12- 18th 2011!

Dateline: Orlando- Oct 2010- after a week of pre-dawn wake up calls from our 10 month old son, my husband stands in the middle of our Saratoga Spring studio and shouts, “We are never going to Disney again”

Dateline: Alexandria, Virginia- January 2011- after honoring her husband’s wishes for a WHOLE THREE MONTHS, Marissa goes ahead and books another Disney vacation for May. Husband reluctantly acquiesces.

I’m calling this story the fearless trip report for two reasons, the first being that you really have to be fearless to take a toddler to Walt Disney World. They are not known to be the easiest traveling companions, and can get downright persnickety when things don’t go their way. They are mercurial little creatures, but when the stars align, there is nothing better than seeing the unfettered joy on the face of a child.

The second reason is that even though we’re WDW veterans, and have taken our son Everett to Disney three times in the first 10 months of his life, we still went into this trip with a lot of fears. We all know that no two Disney trips are the same, but I think that is doubly true when it comes to trips with babies and toddlers. Each month brings new changes and challenges, enough to cast doubts into the hearts of even the most hardened WDW travellers. In the days leading up to our May adventure I asked myself- “Would this be the trip he became afraid of the characters?”, ”What about the fireworks?”, “Would he tolerate being confined to the stroller all day?” “Would he still like the rides, or potentially even worse, would he scream when it came time to get off them?”, “Would he eat any Disney food?” and most important if you have read our last report “Would we get any sleep?”

All of these questions swirled in my head as I was preparing, and I did my best to put them out of my mind, repeating my mantra “A day at Disney is always better than a day at home”.

Of course there were a few setbacks in the days leading up to our trip that made me extra wary, including a disastrous meeting with the Easter Bunny, a hunger strike, a giant tantrum in the mall over being removed from the merry-go-round, and a bad cold which lead to Everett waking up screaming multiple times a night. None of these instances did anything to instill confidence in taking Everett back to Disney, nevertheless we persevered.

I am happy to report that not only did we survive this latest Disney adventure, but we thrived! That’s not saying it was all pixie dust and rainbows, but we didn’t have any character or ride meltdowns, Everett did not starve, and we did sleep, well most nights…

So if you’d like to join us on another adventure of toddler proportions please stick around, because next time we’ll meet the cast and get this show on the road- or in the air.

April 15th- WDW NewsCast

For my daily Disney devotion on April 15th I watched the WDW newscast that aired on April 13th.  This newcast is a weekly show done by Lou Mongello of the Walt Disney World Trivia Books and WDW radio show.  I used to listen to his podcast religiously, but since becoming a mom, I really don't have the time to devote to a multi-hour podcast each week.  The WDW newcast is perfect for me, because its short and just hits the weeks highlights.  On April 13th they were discussing the possible return of the original Tiki Room and the enhancements to the Haunted Mansion queue.  Since I want the HM queue to be a total surprise, I fast forwarded through that part, but I did listen to the Tiki Room segment.  Basically it is all speculation at this time, but there is some hope that the original show may be restored for the 40th anniversary of the park.   I personally would love to see a return to the original, mostly because it wasn't as scary, and would be much more child friendly. 

If you would like to watch the show, you can see it below!

April 14th- a Virginia Safari

On April 14th I took Everett to the Reston Zoo,  a local park here in Virginia.  We really enjoyed all the animals, but the highlight of the day, for both me and Everett was the wagon ride around the free ranging animals.  It definitely did not rival Animal Kingdom in theming or authenticity, but there were some of the same animals.  We saw Pattersons Elin, and Watusi Cattle and (my favorite) Thompsons Gazelle- but everybody calls them Tommys!  I wanted to take some pictures, but I had to keep both hands on my little boy, he was really enjoying the ride and would have very much liked to jump overboard and join the animals on the "savannah".  

April 13th- Disney memories

I'll admit I tear up during Disney commercials, and the one I saw on April 13th was no exception.  I was watching TV, when one of the new Disney memories TV spots came on, all I could think about was how close our trip was, and how much I couldn't wait to get there to make new memories with my little boy.

April 12- Beast Castle

There are amazing things happening with the Fantasyland Expansion!  Portions of the Beast's castle are finished and for my daily Disney Devotion on April 12th, I read this article from WDWmagic.com about the progress that can be seen rising up from behind the wall.  I can't wait to get there and see it for myself!

April 11th- Shanghai Disney

Photo courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog

For my daily Disney devotion on April 7th, I read about the ground breaking for new Disney park in Shanghai.  The concept art is beautiful and I'm sure it will be an incredible park.  One of my goals is to visit every Disney park in the world, so I hope to someday get there, but I'm sure it will be a while.  Until then, I'll keep updated on its progress and continue to dream.  For coverage of the new park in Shanghai, you can check out the Disney Parks Blog.

April 10th- Babycakes

For my daily Disney devotion on April 10th, I decided to honor Downtown Disney's newly opened cupcake bakery, Babycakes, by enjoying some designer cupcakes from my local cupcake establishment.   I love cupcakes, and living right outside of DC, I'm in cupcake central.  There are literally three cupcake bakeries within walking distance of my house.  My favorite is Lavender Moon, and Everett and I split a flourless chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream icing.  It was so good, I may just have to honor Babycakes a little more often!

April 9th- Impressions de France

Photo courtesy of allears.net

On April 9th my husband Mark was entertaining Everett while I was attempting to get some chores done around the house.  He decided to put on some classical music in an attempt to create a calming atmosphere that might transition nicely into nap time ( I didn't want to tell him this, and hurt his feelings, but its going to take a lot more than classical music to calm my rambunctious boy!).  Anyway, while I was downstairs sorting laundry, I caught the strains of a familiar tune and recognized instantly the music from Impressions de France.  I abandoned the laundry and bounded upstairs to ask him what he was playing, and it was Claire de Lune by DeBussy, which is featured in the soundtrack from Impressions de France.

I think the film is beautiful, and I love to sit and watch it after I have stuffed my face with pastries from the Patisserie.  The music brought back some very happy memories and was my daily Disney devotion for April 9th.

April 8th- Hidden Mickey

On April 8th I took Everett to a soft play area at our local mall, and there I noticed a hidden  Mickey!  I love hidden Mickeys, and although I'm not the greatest at spotting them in the parks (that distinction goes to my husband Mark), every time I find one it makes me smile.  This hidden Mickey outside of the parks was an extra special surprise and it made my day.

April 7- Mickey Mail

On April 7th I received a wonderful letter in the mail- my Magical Express packet!  I was extra excited because this will be my first experience with Magical Express and it was my first time receiving "Mickey Mail".  I know this mean my vacation is right around the corner, I can't wait!

April 6th- It is a small world!

Photo courtesy of intercot.com

On April 6th, I was sitting watching the news with my husband Mark.  There was a report about how Japanese children are returning back to school after the tsunami and earthquake, and then the cut to some footage of first day festivities.  The children were in an auditorium, and the chorus was performing.  When I recognized the tune, I at first couldn't believe my ears.  Sometimes I worry that my Disney obsession causes me to view the whole world through "magic-colored" glasses, and I thought perhaps I was imagining the Disney reference.  I looked over to my husband who was laughing at me, and verified that I indeed was hearing the Japanese schoolchildren singing that Disney classic, "Its a Small World".

April 5th- Phineaus and Ferb

For my daily Disney devotion on April 5th I read this article in the Disney Parks Blog about the new Phineas and Ferb meet and greet coming to Hollywood Studios.  I was pretty excited about it, because we're big Phineas and Ferb fans in this house.  We'll have to check it out on our May trip!

April 4th- Disney on sale

On April 4th I was taking a walk through my neighborhood, when I noticed that our local Books-a-million was getting ready to close.  I was a little disappointed, because I hate to see any stores close in Old Town, especially ones that I frequent.   I decided to head in to take a look at some of the store closing sales, and I found a great book for Everett.  Its from the Thumper tails series and it features little windows that slide open and shut.  Everett has a Christmas book that is similar, and it is a favorite.  I'm getting a little tired of reading about holly and reindeer, so I figured Thumper would be a good substitute.

April 3rd- Disney expertise comes in handy outside the parks.

On April 7th I traveled with my family back into DC to take in the cherry blossom festival.  I had some misgivings about the crowd level, since it was literally the first nice day all spring, and I knew that it would be mobbed.   While on the metro traveling into DC, I decided to use a technique inspired by the monorail to judge the crowd level.  There is one point on the metro where you are outside and elevated, which affords you a pretty decent view of the tidal basin and surrounding traffic.  I figured I could use this birds-eye view to help figure out where the crowds were concentrated.  Those of you familiar with the Epcot monorail loop can easily figure out where I got this idea, since you can easily scope out the crowds in Future World, and if you have keen eyes, even read some of the wait times, while you are looping through.  This was a small moment of Disney serendipity, and a good example of how Disney knowledge is useful both inside and outside the parks.

April 2th- cave paintings

On April 6th I visited the Natural History Smithsonian with my family.  It is a wonderful museum, and we just happened to run into a few Disney touches.  The museum recently opened a new exhibit on human origins, and being an anthropologist, I really wanted to check it out.  The whole exhibit was really well done, I think they did a great job of catering to lay people, while also providing enough to keep professionals engaged.  One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was a section that was built to look just like the inside of a neolithic cave, complete with cave paintings.  It really reminded of the cave scene in Spaceship earth, complete with the handprint paintings that I have always found so fascinating.   I tried to take a picture with my new phone, but since it was pretty dark it didn't really turn out, but if you can picture Spaceship earth in your mind, you'll have a good idea of what the exhibit looked like.

April 1st- Pirates Invade NYC

April 1st marked the launch of the latest collaboration between Hayden-Harnett and Walt Disney Signature, Pirates of the Caribbean!  Hayden-Harnett is a Brooklyn based design team that creates fashion forward handbags, accessories and apparel.   They've partnered with Disney to celebrate the upcoming release of the 4th Pirates film and have created an exquisite collection including cuffs, handbags and scarves.  The details exhibited throughout the collection are enough to make any Disney fan swoon and look like they have been swiped right from the beloved attraction.  These are some truly beautiful fashion pieces, but you can tell that Tony Hacker and Ben Harnett really studied both the attraction and films and incorporated that theming into the design, making them over the top outstanding to both  fashionists and Disney fanatics. You can check out the Hayden-Harnett website and the new Pirates Collection here

March 31- Mary Blair does diapers!

I don't know if I've been living under a rock, but on March 31st I discovered the Mary Blair inspired diaper bag design by Petunia Pickle Bottom.  The PPB company partnered with Disney to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Its a Small World and created the unique design.  The print is beautiful with stylized cherry blossoms and really does look like something created by the signature style of Mary Blair.  I'm completely in love and am wishing upon a star to receive one as a Mothers Day gift.  You can check it out here

March 30th- Disney at Gymboree

I've been taking Everett to Gymboree since he was 10 months old.  He really loves the program, and I think it has really helped him advance his motor and social skills.  On March 30th we moved up to the next age group, the 16-26 month olds.  This was a new class, with all new kids and new activities.  One of the new things that really caught my attention was a song based on the tune "Hi-Ho, (The Work Song)" from Snow White.  I don't remember the exact wording, but it made me smile that every week at Gymboree we'll be sneaking in a little extra Disney into Everett's life.

March 29th- another check in the box

For my daily Disney devotion on March 29th, I put another check in the box of my trip planning spreadsheet.  One thing that I needed to buy before our trip was a pool floaty for Everett.  I wanted to get one of the baby inner tubes so he could comfortably float around the pool at Port Orleans Riverside.  I picked one up at Walmart while running errands, so now I am one step closer to our May vacation!

March 28th- Diaper cake

On March 28th I began creating a diaper cake for my friend Caroline who is having her second baby this month.  I had never made one before, but, I had seen lots of them at various baby showers and I thought I'd give making one a try.  I do have a secret crafty side, but I don't get to tap into it very often because I don't have the space or the time for any serious craft projects.  One of the things I would obviously need for a diaper cake would be diapers, and there was no doubt in my mind which brand I would buy.  I'm a loyal Huggies customer, and I'll leave it up to the readers to decide if it is because I think they are the best product, or if I just love that they are decorated with Disney characters.   Anyway, I think the diaper cake came out really cute, even if the lighting in my house is awful and my camera takes poor pictures :)

March 27th- WDW Today LIVE

For my daily Disney devotion on March 27th I listened to one of my favorite podcasts (other than Communicore Online, of course) WDW today do their monthly live show.  I was considering calling in with a question, but I was having too much fun in the chat room and listening along.  The live show is  posted in itunes on on the WDW today website  if you would like to listen along.

March 26th- Music from the Poly

Photo courtesy of wdwmemories.com

On March 26th I took Everett to a music class at Gymboree.  We've taken a few music classes, but I wasn't prepared for what I would hear when we entered the classroom. The class was starting a unit on music from the south Pacific, and it sounded like I had just walked into the lobby of the Poly.  I really enjoyed being transported away from the cold northeast and into one of my favorite places on Disney property, if only for an hour.

March 25th- Epcot video

For my daily Disney devotion on March 25th I watched this really awesome video on youtube.  You can check it out here.  It is a photo tour of Epcot using stop motion photography.  The video uses over 5,000 photographs and it looks like the guy is just floating through the park.  What I love best about this video is that he synced the audio that you would hear in each section of the park/country in WS, with the images that you are seeing.  Its one of the best fan videos that I have ever seen, so I think you all should take a look.

March 24th- Podcast

On March 24th I recorded another episode of Communicore Online with Shane Roberts.  In "Marissa's Mommy Tips" for the week of the 24th we discussed child friendly (and not so friendly) dining in the Magic Kingdom and Magic Kingdom Resort area.  The podcast can be found on itunes, or you can check it out at the Communicore Online website

March 23rd- Recording Disney Memories

For my daily Disney devotion on March 23rd I took some time to continue working on my trip report.  Its a real work in progress, and I didn't finish the segment, so I never got to post it on the message boards.  I get get a little done, but I better keep working because my next trip will be here before I know it!

March 22nd- TJ Maxx

For my daily Disney devotion on March 22nd, I took a trip to TJ Maxx to look for the Disney Dooney and Bourke purses.  I read on the Dis boards that someone had found one of the Disney Dooney's at a TJ Maxx in Massachusetts, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a look at my home store in Alexandria.  I have one Disney Dooney and Bourke purse, and I'm planning on buying a second when I go down to WDW in May.  I would have loved to find another, especially at a large discount, but unfortunately my home store did not have any.  Better luck next time!

March 21st- Pluto saves the day

Everett and Pluto watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade

On March 21st I flew back to Virginia after spending a week at home in Connecticut with my parents.  Navigating an airport can be a difficult task, but add a rambunctious toddler into the mix and it becomes nearly impossible.  Luckily I had Pluto to help me.  Pluto, in this case, is the plush child backpack/leash that I bought for Everett.  I bought the leash for our upcoming Disney trip, but it has really come in handy in many situations even before we left for vacation.  We used Pluto on the day of the Alexandria St. Patrick's day Parade, and also at the Mystic Aquarium.  I know that many people frown on child leashes, but Everett likes having a little room to roam, and I like not having to worry about him bolting off.   For my daily Disney devotion on March 21st- I counted on Pluto's help to get me and Everett through the airport and home to Virgina safe.

March 20th- souvenir flashback

One thing I love about having "grown up Disney" are all the random Disney artifacts that can be found in my parents house.  Park maps from the '80s lingering on bookshelves, Figment beach towels in the linen closet, laminated Disney placements in the cupboard, but my all time favorite crazy Disney souvenir is the Contemporary Resort ash tray that my parent brought back from their honeymoon in 1976.   Neither of my parents have smoked in over two decades, but that ash tray is still hanging around the house.  It really is a unique Disney artifact, and some day it may just make its way into my suitcase and come home with me.  Do you think anyone would notice that it was gone?

March 19th- Entering the 21st Century

On March 19th I went with my brother to the Verizon store to pick out my first smart phone!  We were looking at all of them, and he was talking to me about all the features, but all I wanted to know was would I be able to get the WDW Lines app on my new phone.  Disney really has to be your first priority!   Its supposed to be coming on Monday, so I'm really excited to be able to check the wait time for Space Mountain from my living room in Virginia!

March 18th- Nana!

On March 18th my daily Disney Devotion was a double dose of Peter Pan magic.  To start with Everett and I watched Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Junior.  Well, I should say that I watched it, Everett mostly played with his toys, and really only paid attention when the Pirate band was playing. 

After we finished watched I took Everett out for a walk along a paved walking trail in my parents hometown.  While we were walking we came upon a man walking three dogs.  Everett just loves dogs, and when he saw them he sat right up in his stroller, and started pointing and saying "gog"! The man walking the dog saw Everett's excitement and asked if he wanted to meet the dogs, he told me that he has young kids at home and that the dogs just love children.

I got Everett out of the stroller and he was thrilled petting the "gogs".  I asked the man what breed of dog they were and he told me that they were Newfoundlands, and then asked me if I knew Nana from Peter Pan.  He then told me that Nana in the original Peter Pan books was a black and white Newfoundland, just like the three dogs he was walking.  I thanked the man for letting Everett pet his dogs, and we went on our way, with a little extra Disney magic in our day!

March 17th- Life in the Jungle

March 16th- Hot Dog!

On March 16th, for my daily Disney devotion, I watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Everett.  We were visiting my parents, and I let Everett watch it as a treat, since we don't usually do TV at home.   I also want to try and expose him to the characters, so he'll have a little familiarity for when we visit WDW in May.  It was a really cute show, but it didn't really hold his interest for too long.  He did like Pluto, and would point to him and say "gog" (dog).  Pluto always was my favorite, so I guess I'm raising Everett right!

March 15th- What's in a name?

For my daily Disney devotion on March 14th I checked out the daily Disney blog from the Orlando Sentinel.  Usually they are reporting yesterday's news, Disney fan sites are so much more reliable for up-to-date WDW info, but today they were blogging about an unusual topic, naming your children after Disney characters. The blog post, which can be read here listed some of the best baby names inspired by Disney characters.  They list some unusual choices such as Eudora (from Princess and the Frog) and Thaddeus (from Wind and the Willows), but there was one glaring omission- Alice.  Personally I love the name Alice, and it was a top contender if Everett was a girl.  I love that it is a traditional name, but not the sort of name you hear everyday.  The only problem that I had with it is that, being a Disney fan, I figured everyone will think I chose it just because of its Disney connotations, and not because I think it is a beautiful, classic choice. 

March 14th- Rainforest Cafe!

March 13th- Seak Peak Under the Sea

For my daily Disney devotion on March 13th I checked out this video on the Disney Parks Blog.  It is all about the new Ursula audio-animatronic that will be making her debut with the Little Mermaid ride that is being built in Fantasyland. I usually don't like to learn too much about new rides before I can see them in person, because I like to be surprised, but this video is pretty spoiler-free.  I am starting to get really excited for 2011!

March 12th- Leavin' on a Jet Plane

My daily Disney devotion on March 12th was a cruel twist of fate.  I was heading home to Connecticut to visit my family, and my flight (which originated in Baltimore) traveled first to Bradley Airport in Hartford, and then continued on to Orlando.  I was really tempted to just stay on, and see if they would notice, and hopefully Everett and I would hitchhike our way to WDW.  It was a cruel twist of fate to be on a plane bound for Orlando, but forced to get off before we got there!

March 11th- Disney Ambient Audio

I have always loved Disney audio.  One of my favorite things to do as a child was pull out my Fisher-price record player and put on my record with the music from the Main Street Electrical Parade.  I was well on the road to Disney geek-dom at a very young age.  My love of Disney audio has not waned over the years, and one of my favorite things to do is listen to the various Disney radio stations on Live 365.  Mouseworld Radio is my favorite, but honorable mention goes to Reedy Creek Radio and Radio Buena Vista.   For my daily Disney devotion on March 11th, I listened to some ambient Disney audio, and dreamed about my upcoming trip.

March 10th- Bath time with Mickey

For my daily Disney devotion on March 10th, I chose Everett's Mickey Mouse hooded towel for his bath.  I received the towel for my baby shower, and ever time I have used it, it has made me smile.  Nothing is sweeter than a fresh, clean, little baby all wrapped up in a towel with ears. I'll skip the picture so he doesn't want to kill me in about 15 years, but trust me when I say that he's pretty darn cute!

March 9th- Trip Report updates!

On March 9th, for my daily Disney devotion, I continued working on my poor neglected trip report, getting out another segment.  I really need to get cracking on finishing, because we're almost ready for a new trip!  If you would like to read my report, you can find it here

March 8th- Branching out

For my daily Disney devotion on March 8th, I decided to branch out and try a new Disney podcast.  Other than Communicore Online   I just listen to WDW today.  I used to be a listener (and sometimes contributer) to All About the Mouse, but since they ended their run I have yet to find a podcast to take their place.

I decided I would try WDW News Today.  I thought, based on the name, that they'd have a roundup of Disney news, which is something I've been out of touch with since moving away from Florida.  As it turns out, they are an all-purpose Disney podcast, with a little news, dining and some other stuff.  The reason I say "some other stuff" is because I haven't truthfully finished listening to the episode yet.  It was something like two hours long, which is too much for this busy Mom.  I've been listening when I can (mostly while feeding Everett lunch), but I've got a ways to go to finish.  

I don't think I'll add it to the rotation, because I don't think I can do it justice.  I find that I have to rewind to remember what they were talking about when I last left off.   It really is too bad, because I'm sure it is great. The parts I've listened to so far about ranking the Disney Resorts 40 biggest moments is very interesting.

I used to love long Disney podcasts before I was a stay at home mom.  I used to work in an archaeology lab, and I would spend my days classifying and cataloging artifacts, and listening to Disney podcasts.  I couldn't get enough back then, and really the longer the better.   I would have listened to an 8 hour podcast and been very happy.   Times have changed and I guess I have to continue my search.  If anyone has any suggestions for a good *short* Disney podcast, I'm all ears.

March 7th- Haunted Mansion updates

photo courtesy of itallstartedwithamouse.tumblr.com

On March 7th I stumbled across some information about the updates to the Haunted Mansion.  I thought that they were just going to work on the queue, and plus it into one of the NexGen projects Disney is working on, but I guess there will be some changes inside as well.  To read the whole article you can go here but it talks about how new projection effects are going to be used in the hitchhiking ghost scene.  Apparently they will be able to "do" more with the guests and handle doombuggy slowdowns better.   I'm pretty attached to the old hitchhiking ghosts, and one of my favorite parts of the ride is guessing which of the three will "follow me home".  So far the imagineers have a pretty good track record with updates to the Mansion, and I really hope this will be a winner as well.  I'd hate to see one of the most iconic scenes of one of the most iconic rides be changed for the worst!

March 6th- Ferdinand

For my daily Disney devotion on March 6th, I reached back into the Disney vault and watched the short,  Ferdinand the Bull.  I had seen it previously on the Disney channel when I was a kid, but it had been probably 20 years since I had seen it last.  Since it was a short, I decided to watch it with my son, Everett, thinking I might have better luck holding his attention with Ferdinand than an entire feature length film.   Well, Everett did watch sporadically,  while simultaneously trying to dismantle my living room, but it was really nice getting the chance to share a Disney classic with him.  I thought it was really cute, but the animation was certainly lacking, not nearly up to the par of some of the other early classics I had watched recently such as Snow White and Pinocchio.   Still we both enjoyed it and it was a lovely way to spend some time on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

March 5th- Parade!

note the Pluto backpack/leash- another Disney detail!

March 5th was the day of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Old Town Alexandria.  It is also one of my favorite days of the year.  I love the buzz of excitement around the town on parade day, and I enjoy the car and dog shows that occur before the main event.   It may not be as great as Spectromagic, or even Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It, but it is as close as I'm going to get here in Virginia.  In true Disney fashion we staked out our spots about an hour before parade time, but unlike Disney,we brought folding chairs. 

Everett loved the parade and actually stood still and watched it, which was a first for him.  I really don't think I've seen him stand still since he became mobile.   His favorite parts were the small Shriners cars, and the police motorcycles.  I'm thinking maybe I should take him to Lights, Motor, Action on our next trip.  I was really happy that the parade captured his attention, because I think that it bodes well for our upcoming Disney trip.  On our Oct trip, we couldn't take him into any shows, because he didn't have the attention span, but this time I have high hopes for a melt-down free Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

March 4th- Fastpass Fitness

photo courtesy of faqorlando.com

Every Wednesday and Friday (and some Mondays) I take a stroller fitness class called Stroller Strides.  I have been doing it since Everett was 8 weeks old and it has really helped, not only with shedding the baby weight, but also with making Mom friends.   The classes consist of power walking or jogging segments, broken up by strength training stations.  I have never really been all that into exercise, I never was very athletic,and before I got pregnant, I didn't exercise regularly.  This class has really been a big change for me, and while I still don't love it, I have gotten much more fit.

My favorite part of the class is the power walking segments, because every time I speed walking down the track, I use fastpasses as my inspiration.  I visualize that I am walking as fast as I can to aquire that coveted first fastpass of the day.  Some days I imagine I'm walking toward Toy Story Mania, other days Splash Mountain, and still others Expedition Everest.  On March 4th, I visualized heading toward Soarin' and imagined all the steps I would take from rope drop to the fastpass machine.  I find it really helps me maximize my speed and also gives me a dose of Disney magic first thing in the morning.

March 3rd- Mickey socks

My March 3rd daily Disney devotion is courtesy of Target.  I took Everett to Target to pick up a few items, and I just couldn't pass up browsing the dollar isle.    While there, I spied these socks and just knew I had to take them home.  What Disney fan could pass up Disney socks for only a dollar!  Everett will now have themed socks to wear on our upcoming Disney trip.

March 2nd- Bambi

On March 2nd I was once again listening to NPR (who would have thought that NPR would be such a trove of Disney references!), when Bob Mondello came on with his weekly DVD review.  I mostly don't listen to his reivews, being for movies I'm never going to see or am not interested in, so imagine my surprise when he started reviewing Bambi!  He gave high praise to the movie and to the new blu-ray DVD, and summarized some of the new features and content.  If you would like to hear the review you can click here

March 1st- Disney lies

On March 1st, I happened across a different type of Disney webite- www.disneylies.com  It is a very tounge-in-cheek look at the parks and park history, and as the webstie states it is "your source for lies, distortions, untruths, half truths, urban legends, rumors, and just plain made-up stuff about Walt Disney, Disneyland Resort, and Disney films.  I wasn't sure what to make of this site, until I started clicking around and realizing just how funny it was!  I am a big Disney fan, but I also have a sense of humor, so I really enjoyed the authors take on classic rides such as the Jungle Cruise and the Hall of Presidents.  If you believe all things Disney to be sacrosanct, please don't visit the site.  If you enjoy a good laugh, check it out!

February 28th - Hooray for Hollywood

Photo courtesy of Publicspark.com

My daily Disney devotion for February 28th was an audio memory.  I was once again, listening to NPR, when I caught the strains of "Hooray for Hollywood".  It wasn't in conjunction with a news story (although it was the day after the Oscars), but was just some filler, played while waiting for the new hour's programing to begin.  It was a brief clip, but it was enough to bring back memories of riding The Great Movie Ride, and transport me to Hollywood Studios, if only for a brief moment. 

I can't count how many times I've ridden the Great Movie Ride, but I'll never forget the first time I rode it, which was during soft openings for the new Disney-MGM Studios.  I remember how excited I was to visit the new park for the first time, and how proud I was to be one of the first guests to experience all that it had to offer. The Great Movie Ride will also always be special to me because it was my Grandmothers favorite ride.  Was it because of the trip through movie history, or perhaps for the rest and AC, I'll never know, but I do know that she never passed up a chance to take a trip through the movies.

February 27th- A taste of Frontierland

photo courtesy of themouseforless.com

One of my favorite Disney snacks can be found in Frontierland, the churro.  Alright, so it can be found in many places throughout the Disney parks, but personally I associate churro with Frontierland.  For my daily Disney Devotion on February 27th I got myself a churro at Costco.  It certainly wasn't as good at the Disney churros, but it was a close enough approximation, and it's inferiority apparently didn't dissuade either my husband Mark or Everett from taking (more than) a few bites.   It was enjoyed by all and made me look forward to eating a churro on the "secret" walkway to Splash Mountain, overlooking the mill on Tom Sawyers Island.

February 26th- preping for feature film Friday

I'll admit, I've been slacking a little with feature film Friday.  The real problem is that I don't own many of the really early Disney films, and neither does Netflix.  I've decided that this blog project is the perfect excuse to expand my collection of Disney films (something I've wanted to do for a long time anyway) and for my daily Disney devotion on February 26th I got on amazon.com and ordered a copy of The Reluctant Dragon.  Now hopefully it will just show up in my mailbox before Friday...

February 25th- Virtual Vacation

A virtual vacation to Disney is better than no vacation at all.  Many of my Disney friends are down in the World this weekend for the Princess 1/2 marathon.  I wish I was there cheering them on from the sidelines, but at least I can follow their adventures virtually.  For my daily Disney devotion on February 25th, I spent a lot of time on-line following facebook and twitter accounts and checking in with my friends as they arrived for their magical vacations.  Seeing where they are and what the are riding is probably the next best thing to being there myself.

February 24th- making my list and checking it twice

As most of you know, I'm planning for a Disney trip in May.  As most of you also know, there are a lot of things to do and to get ready before visiting Disney.  I have made a checklist of all the things I need to get in order before we leave, and for my daily Disney devotion on February 24th, I was able to put two checks in the box.

I needed to order a new travel bag for my stroller, which is a really important accessory for successfully gate checking a stroller.   I have a stroller bag currently, but it has gotten pretty beat up, and my stroller manufacturer, UppaBaby, has recently put out a new and improved model.  This stroller bag is great because it comes with a guarantee, if my stroller is damaged in any way by the airline, UppaBaby will replace it for free.  I don't know of any other stroller company that will provide that level of service, which is one of the reasons I love UppaBaby.  In my opinion they are the Disney of stroller companies.

I also had one other item to order, a snack tray for my stroller.  UppaBaby strollers, like many high-end strollers, do not come with a snack tray.  However, many moms contacted Uppababy and let them know that they would like to have one as an option, and UppaBaby listened and delivered.  I was really excited about the new snack tray, because I thought it would work out great for our Disney vacation.  Instead of having to hunt down highchairs at CS restaurants, I could just feed Everett in the stroller, brilliant!   As a side note, I ordered the stroller travel bag and snack tray on Thursday afternoon- and it arrived on my doorstep on Friday afternoon.  More kudos to an awesome company.

February 23rd- spreading the good news- again

On February 23rd I was at my stroller strides class, when I was approached by one of the other moms...

"You're the Disney person, right"....  music to my ears!

Not only was I happy to be known as the "Disney person", but I was really happy to talk with her about the possibilities of taking her two small daughters to Walt Disney World.  She was a little hesitant about the idea, worried that they were too young, and if she should wait until they would remember, worried that they would have to ride alone or that the characters would be too scary.  Well luckily I know plenty about taking kids to Disney and I'm sure that I was able to put some of her fears to rest.  I also offered to help her plan if she decided to take the vacation.

For my daily Disney devotion on February 23rd, I'm spreading the good word, trying to convert one family at a time to the magic. 

February 22- new merchandise to covet

image courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog

On February 22nd I was checking the Disney Parks Blog, when something really caught my eye.  Disney has once again partnered with Dooney and Bourke and has released a new line of handbags and accessories using the 40th anniversary collage.  I have one of the original bags and I really love it, but this new line has really got me salivating.  Oh Disney, you had me at "retro Walt Disney World icons".

February 21st- Updating my Trip Report

Well I know that I have mentioned trip reports here in this blog before, but I know that I haven't mentioned my trip report.  That is because I was being a terrible slacker and was not updating my report from my October Disney trip.  For my daily Disney devotion on February 21st I changed all that and posted a new update of my trip.  The report can be read here

February 20th- Mickey joins us for breakfast

My daily Disney devotion for February 20th occurred even before breakfast.  I was home visiting my family and in-laws and on the morning of the 20th, my in-laws took my husband, my son and myself to breakfast at one of their favorite local spots.  I had never been there before, so imagine my surprise at moment of Disney serendipity when I was pursing the menu.  I was checking out the kids choices, thinking about what Everett was going to eat when I saw, printed clearly on the menu- Mickey Pancake.  I, at first, thought I was seeing things, that my Disney devotion was beginning to warp my perception of reality.   I looked again, and it was still there, clear as day.  I showed the menu to my husband and said "I know what Everett is eating", and pointed to the coveted menu item.  My poor husband rolled his eyes and shook his head.

I know I should have taken a photo of the Mickey Pancake, that a good blogger would have had the camera at the ready.  Well, mine was in the car, and since I had a hungry toddler I didn't take the time to run out to retrieve it.  You'll just have to use your imagination, but it was thoroughly enjoyed by Everett (and I took a few bites as well) and when we were done, just a lone ear was left on the plate.

February 19th- Advance Ride Reservations?

For my daily Disney devotion on February 19th, I ran across and read and interesting article about the future of fastpass and park touring.  The article can be read in its entirety here, but it mostly talks about the Disney NexGen project.  I have heard about the NexGen project with regard to the new interactive queue lines, but this article specifically referenced a proposed change the fastpass system that I don't think I'm going to be thrilled about.  In the article Disney Parks Chairman Tom Staggs talks about instituting a system in which you can reserve fastpasses before you even leave for your vacation.   Staggs describes in a article "a "version of Fast Pass for an entire Disney vacation." Future guests, he said, will be able to reserve specific ride times for popular attractions, secure seating for shows, make restaurant reservations and pre-book other experiences before they leave their homes on vacation." 

Now, I'm all for booking certain experiences before you leave home, things like the Bibbity, Bobbity, Boutique and fireworks cruises make sense to plan ahead of time, and if Disney can find a way to make it easier, than I'm on board.  What gives me pause is the mention of booking popular attractions ahead of time.  I'm already not a fan of the Disney dining system.  I think it is beyond crazy that I have to get up and be on the phone at 7 am 180 days before my vacation starts to get a crack at the more popular Disney restaurants.   I don't usually make my vacation plans that far in advance, so I'm typically locked out of the more popular dining locations.  If this system of pre-booking is extended to rides, than I'm really not going to be happy.  Its hard enough to plan out your dining 6 months in advance, I really don't want to be planning my ride times that far in advance as well. 

I have a toddler, and they certainly can be unpredictable.  If I have to reserve my fastpass time for Toy Story Mania 180 days (or 60 or 10 or even the night before), I will have no idea what the day is going to hold.  I like the flexibility of the current fastpass system, which allows me to make decisions about rides once I enter the park.  I can't schedule when my son will be cranky, or sleepy, or hungry, and a system that rigidly determines when I ride the headliner attractions is not going to make my vacationing any easier.

We will have to wait and see what happens with this new system, but I have a sinking feeling it is going to have much the same effect as ADRs do on dining, that I'm going to have to work even harder to plan my Disney vacation and I will loose even more vacation spontaneity.

February 18th- feature film Friday

Even though we were traveling, I still was able to keep up with Disney feature film Friday.  Instead of sticking with chronological order, I watched a more recent Disney movie, Secretariat, with my husband and parents.  My parents are big horse people and own a racehorse, so this movie was right up their alley.    I didn't get a chance to see it when it was released, so I was interested as well.  It was a very cute movie, and even though I knew the ending, I found myself caught up in the races, very worried he wasn't going to win the Derby.  My family all really enjoyed the film, it was a big hit and an excellent way to spend some time relaxing at home.

February 17th-a portion of princess

Today for my daily Disney devotion I watched a portion of the Princess and the Frog.  It was a travel day, and Mark, Everett and I were headed up to Connecticut to visit our families.  I had loaded The Princess and the Frog onto our Ipad, using the handy digital copy included with my blu-ray.

My plan was to sit in the back seat of the car with Everett and show him the movie, and also the episodes of Dinosaur Train and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that I had downloaded.  Since I was most interested in watching Princess and the Frog, I queued it up first,  unfortunately, Everett had other plans.

Everett does have some experience with the Ipad, I've downloaded a few children's apps and we've played from time to time, but he doesn't have much of an attention span when it comes to media, and he just loves hitting that big button, sending us right back to the main screen.  Well, his habits pretty much held true even watching a video.  All he wanted to do was hit the menu button, and when I put my hand over it, he would get very upset.  We were able to watch maybe the first ten minutes before he had a total meltdown, and at that point I put the Ipad away.  I'm sure it won't be long until he is interested in Disney movies, but it was not February 17th.

February 16th- Why does Shakespeare have Mickey ears?

So today I was paging through facebook, when I see this image pop up in my news feed.  It is from a NTY article, and I clicked on it, wondering what on earth Mickey and Shakespeare had in common.  Well, I read the whole article, and it was about the interplay between commerce and the arts and intellectual property rights. There was nothing about Mickey and friends at all-  so I ask you to read the article here   and tell me, did I miss something?  Am I the only one who sees the Mickey ears prominently displayed on the bard's head?  NYT, why are you messing with me?

February 15th- Down in Fraggle Rock

Today Everett woke up with a fever again, so I decided to keep him around the house.  I don't usually let him watch TV, but since he is sick, and I figured it would be a good way to get him to sit still and rest, I decided to give it a try. 

The new Disney channel- Disney Junior- which is geared toward children ages 2-7- debuted yesterday, so I decided to give it a shot.  We watched a little of Special Agent Osso-Three Healthy Steps, which Everett seemed to like, but I didn't find that interesting.  Since I had to watch TV with him, I started scrolling through, to see if I could find something we both could enjoy.  As I checked through the guide, what did I find- Fraggle Rock!  I was super excited, I hadn't seen Fraggle Rock since I was a kid and I knew that Everett would like the puppets.  It was a big hit with both Mom and baby, and I'll have to remember the time slot, in case we need some extra entertainment again in the future.

February 14th- Disco Yeti

Image courtesy of www.Discoyeti.com

For my daily Disney devotion on February 14th- I'd like to spotlight a fun Disney blog I stumbled upon.  Its www.discoyeti.com, and it is written from the perspective of the poor broken Yeti from Expedition Everest, continually stuck in B-mode with that annoying flashing strobe.   The blog is really clever and cuts to the heart of the issue.  I was lucky enough to see the Yeti in A-mode, in fact I was there opening weekend for Expedition Everest, and I have to say that B-mode is such a terrible waste of an incredibly cool animatronic.   I understand that the ride would have to go down for a lengthy refurbishment to fix the Yeti permanently, but I think it would be worth it, don't you?

February 13th- Two Brothers

Photo courtesy of problemgirl_jen

On February 13th, we took a family outing into DC.  We headed to the National Archives to see Part II of the civil war exhibit "Discovering the Civil War: Consequences".  We saw the first part of the exhibit last fall, and were really interested in its conclusion.  It was excellent, using many original documents from the archives and focusing on such diverse topics as Spying and Conspiracies, graft, technological advances in armament and prosthetic limbs, the two drafts of the thirteenth amendment, and memorializing the Civil War.  It was very informative and enjoyable, and Everett was extremely well behaved. 

My Disney devotion comes in with the soundtrack I had running through my head during the entire exhibit.  I bet most Disney fans could guess what song I was humming as I toured around the exhibit- that's right- Two Brothers.

Two brothers, on their way.
Two brothers on their way,
Two brothers on their way,
One wore blue and one wore grey.

One wore blue and one wore grey
As they marched along their way
The fife and drum began to play
all on a beautiful morning.
One was gentle, one was kind
One was gentle, one was kind
One came home, one stayed behind
A cannonball don't pay no mind.
A cannonball don't pay no mind
if you're gentle or if you're kind
It don't think of the folks behind
all on a beautiful morning,
all on a beautiful morning...

February 12th- Planning my itinerary

For my Daily Disney Devotion on February 12th I got working on my itinerary for our May trip to WDW.  Every good Disney fan needs a touring plan, and while I'm not one of those fan with the color-coded and laminated itinerary sheet, I do like to know what my day will hold.

I logged onto my trusting planning site, touringplans.com, which has never steered me wrong.  I've used their touring plans and crowd calender predictions for many of my vacations and they have always been spot on.

I knew that I wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom for my first vacation day, and I scored a coveted Crystal Palace ADR for 8:10 am, and I also scheduled Everett's first haircut at the Main Street Barber Shop for 10:30.  My plan was to knock out Fantasyland between breakfast and haircut, and using a modified version of the touring plan for parents with young children, here is what I have planned for my first morning:

7:00 am- leave POR for the Magic Kingdom
7:20- arrive at MK parking lot
7:50- arrive at MK turnstyles
8:00 am- enter MK- take empty Main Street Photos
8:10 am- ADR at Crystal Palace
9:00 am- head to Fantasyland
ride (in order)
Peter Pan
Its a Small World
Mad Tea Party
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Carousel

make it to Main Street Barber Shop by 10:30am


Do you think this looks like a do-able morning?

February 11th- Mouse Surplus

Photo courtesy of Mouse Surplus

While I was podcasting with Shane from Communicore Online last night, we got to talking about Mr. Toads Wild Ride.  He is recently back from a Disneyland trip, and rode the remaining version of Mr. Toad on his vacation.  I was reminiscing about how much my brother's and I loved that ride, and I told him that I never have and never will ride the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, forever standing in solidarity with the evicted Mr. Toad.

Well I woke up this morning with a link in my in-box to the Mouse Surplus website sent to me from Shane.  He found that they are selling a prop lot from the original WDW ride, for a mere $4,999.00.  As awesome at that would be, its not quite in the budget this month...

Mouse Surplus is a really cool site, you never know what kind of unique theme park treasures you will find.  I highly suggest checking it out, if only to dream. 

February 10th- Podcasting again!

For my daily Disney Devotion on February 10th, I recorded another segment of Marissa's Mommy Tips with Shane from Communicore Online  We discussed the ups and downs of flying with children.  I gave some of my tried and tested tips for managing the heightened security, getting all your baby gear safely to your destination, and how to entertain your little one on the plane!  It is all on Episode 42 of Communicore online and you can find it on itunes, or listen to it directly off the website itself.  Let me know if you have any feedback on my podcast segments by e-mailing me at marissa@communicoreonline.com

February 9th- Disney Baby

Everett at 6 weeks with his first pair of ears, caught mid-yawn!

I ran across this article the other day and I have to say, as a new mother, I was thrilled!  I have been really disappointed with the Disney clothing and accessories available for infants, and I'm really pleased to see that Disney is stepping up to the plate to bring Mom's high quality items for their babies.   When I read about how maternity hospitals all over the country are going to be offering new moms a sample Disney cuddly bodysuit, I was really jealous.  It would have been a welcome alternative to the formula samples that were being pushed at my hospital.

You can currently buy Disney branded infant clothing, but there is not much variety, and the quality is only fair.  The clothes are currently sold at retailers such as Wal-Mart and Sears, which is indicative of their level of quality.  When I read that the new clothing line would be sold at Nordstroms it really peaked my interest, because I know that Nordstroms only stocks high end baby items.

The part of the article that I found the most interesting dealt with building brand loyalty right from birth.  Disney is such a savvy company, it makes sense that the earlier you start dressing your baby in Mickey ears, the earlier you start thinking about juniors first Disney vacation.  

The line from the article that states "Mr. Mooney is working on a loyalty program, for instance, in which pregnant women might receive free theme park tickets in return for signing up for e-mail alerts" really has got me thinking.  I love the idea of a loyalty program for Disney fans, and if this is the way that that the Disney company is going to open the door, I'm all for it!  Disney, you already have my e-mail address, I'm ready for my free theme park tickets whenever you want to send them my way!

February 8th- Happy Birthday to Me!

I think my family knows me pretty well...

Now the only question is what to spend them on during my next Disney vacation!  Any suggestions?

February 7th- let the countdown begin

I'm a sucker for countdowns, I love methodically checking off boxes until the much hoped for day is here.  I had a wedding countdown clock, I swear by advent calendars, I even have a "days until our commitment to the Navy is up" clock (775 more days for anyone interested), but my favorite countdown of all is to a Disney vacation.  I spent the day of the 6th preparing our latest calender, but the morning of the 7th I got to take down the very first number and officially kick off our countdown.  Only 95 more days until Disney!

February 6th- On Stranger Tides

My daily Disney devotion for February 6th was the best part of the Superbowl.  I'm of course taking about the extended trailer for the new Pirates Movie, On Stranger Tides.  I was really excited to see this spot, in fact it was the main reason I watched the Superbowl at all, and it did not disappoint.  I'm really excited for the new Pirates movie, I'm glad the story is moving in a new direction, and I really hope that it is better than the last one.  I'm afraid that if this Pirate's movie is a flop, that will be the end of the franchise, and I'm hoping for at least a few more great Jack Sparrow adventures.

February 5th- Fantasia

Since I wasn't able to do feature film Friday on Friday (I instead got to go on an actual date with my husband- yay babysitting co-op), so I did it on Saturday.  For my daily Disney devotion on February 5th I watched the Disney classic Fantasia.  I had to watch it upstairs on the non-blu ray player, so I wasn't able to do any of the fun commentary, but it was enjoyable none the less.  Fantasia was the very first movie I ever saw in a movie theater, and it has always had a prominent place in my heart.

February 4th- Photopass

photo courtesy of stitchkingdom.com

I'm getting more and more excited about my upcoming Disney trip in May, even though I feel like I've dropped the ball when it comes to obsessive Disney planning.  I've worked out a skeleton itinerary and made my ADRs, but there is lots still to check off on my Disney "to do" list.

For my daily Disney devotion on February 4th, I got around to checking off one of those boxes, and I signed myself up for a photopass share on Facebook.  I have never done this before, but I think its going to work out great.  Basically you join a group of people who are all going to WDW around the same time, one person pre-orders the CD and makes a group account, and then everyone who is part of the share uploads their photopass pictures to the same account.  Disney makes a CD with all the pictures and mails them to the group leader, who then makes copies and mails them out to the others in the share. 

By using a photopass share you can get the benefits of the photopass CD, and have access to all of your photos, without having to spend $99.  Considering I spent almost $50 on three photos from my last trip, this will really end up being a bargin!

February 3- trip reports

A great way to prolong the magic of a Disney trip is to write up a trip report, and share the wonderful memories and magic with other Disney fans.  Reading trip reports is also a great way to get a little dose of Disney between trips.  I love reading trip reports, and now that I have a little one of my own, I especially love reports that feature young children.  I have learned so many wonderful tricks and tips reading these reports, and spread some Disney magic.  For my Daily Disney devotion on Feb 3rd, I started reading a brand new trip report, written by a Disney veteran, who travels to the parks frequently with her daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters.  I have read their reports in the past, and they just recently started a new one from their Oct. trip.  Since we were also down in Oct, we had very similar experiences, and it is almost like reliving my trip once again. 

Here is the link to the trip report, its a good one! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2611094

February 2- Cherry Blossoms

photo courtesy of Orlandothemeparknews.com

My daily Disney devotion on February 2nd is a musically memory, that brought be back to the glory days of Old EPCOT.  I was making Everett dinner and listening to NPR (I do a lot of listening to NPR, that and Disney podcasts!), a segment on China and capitalism.  I truthfully was not paying too much attention to the bulk of the report, I was mostly focused on getting Everett to eat his vegetables, as opposed to throwing them on the ground, when I heard a piece of music that literally caused me to stop in my tracks.  It was the Chinese folk song Sakura, Sakura (which is the Chinese word for cherry blossom).  This music struck an immediate chord, and I recognized instantly where I had heard it before.  It had been part of the original (and in my opinion the best!) Illuminations which premiered in  1988.  The original Illuminations featured all of the World Showcase Pavilions (except for Morocco and Norway), with traditional music from each country and lights on the pavilion.   Sakura, Sakura was the song that played for China, and hearing it took me right back to my childhood, standing pressed up against the railing around the WS lagoon, watching a fireworks spectacular.

Mo'Rockin

Photo courtesy of Disney.com

I was paging through Real Simple magazine the other day, when an advertisement caught my eye.  It said "Morockin' Chicken, that's what it tastes like".  I don't think I need to explain the reference to most Disney fans, but just in case, Mo'Rockin is a musical act that plays in Morocco in Epcot.  Mo'Rockin is one of my favs along the World Showcase (along with Off Kilter), so I had to try the dish.  It was a fairly simple recipe, from the Campbells Kitchen (it was a soup advertisement), but it seemed perfect for a quick weeknight meal.  While certainly not as good as the food you get at Restaurant Marrakesh, or even the Tangerine Cafe, it wasn't bad and the name alone was enough to transport me back to one of my favorite places in Epcot.

For those that might be interested here is a link to the recipe  http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipedetail.aspx?recipeID=60558&fbid=GhjAY6MD3j0  I made mine with chicken breasts, since that is what I had on hand, and skipped the almonds, but it still was yummy.

January 31st- Grocery Shopping

I cannot resist the siren song of Disney, even when it occurs in the grocery store.  I'm sure I could have bought Everett some other snacks, but I couldn't resist giving these a try.  We are all about multi-tasking in this household, Everett will have a side order of Disney indoctrination with his snack.

January 30th- I spy

Don't you just love those days when Disney is everywhere!   My daily Disney devotion on January 30th occurred when I was walking down the street in Old Town Alexandria.  I was passing by the Hallmark store, when this display caught my eye.

Now I really need to stop myself from going in there and buying out the store!

January 29th- righting a wrong

For my daily Disney devotion on January 29th, I got myself to Target and purchased Fantasia (and Fantasia 2000) on blu-ray.  Now I have no excuses, and I can go back to watching all the Disney films in chronological order.  I know as a true fan I really should have purchased it when it first was released, but in my defense, I really thought someone would end up getting it for me for Christmas.  I guess since all my family knows I am a big Disney geek, they all assumed that I had bought it the day it was released :)

January 28th- Walt and El Grupo

So, for my feature film Friday, I have been watching Disney films, and my plan was to watch them in chronological order (because that appealed to the obsessive organizer deep down inside of me).  Well, I ran into a snag this Friday, because I was supposed to watch Fantasia, but I realized I did not own the DVD (I do own the VHS, but I wasn't about to pull out the VCR, not even for my devotion to this blog).  Instead I vowed to remedy the situation (see my daily Disney devotion for January 29th!) and watch a different film instead. 

I decided to try out Walt and El Grupo, I could stream it on Netflix, and I had heard some reviews of the film last year on various Disney podcasts.  I'll admit I really didn't remember too much about the premise of the film before I sat down to watch, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I vaguely remembered that it was about Walt Disney going down to South America to do research for the Three Caballeros, and something about WWII or War Bonds or something.  Well I had it partially right, the film set the scene, starting with a strike that was taking place at the Disney studios, and then a request from President Roosevelt for Disney to travel to South America on a goodwill tour.  The film was an amazing documentary, drawing from the personal diaries and letters written by the participants of the trip and making use of the photos and films taken on location.  I really liked how they interviewed the family members of both the Disney employees who were part of the trip and the individuals they worked with in South America.

The group or "El Grupo" as they were known traveled to Brazil, Argentina and Chile and took in the flavor of the countries concentrating on recording native dance, music and clothing.  The personal interviews, drawings, film and photographs they took on the trip were used extensively in the making of Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros.  The documentary also focused on how the trip effected the different members of the group, many of who went on to have long and successful careers with the Disney company.  One of the most interesting stories, in my opinion, was about Mary Blair, who over the course of the trip developed her signature artistic style.  You could see from the drawings she made of local children in Peru the beginning spark of the artwork that abounds in Its a Small World.

I really enjoyed the film, it was a portion of Disney studio history that I knew nothing about, and not only was it informative, but it was beautifully filmed.  If you havne't had a chance to watch it, I'd definitely give it a shot.