A heads up for those of you anxiously awaiting season 2 of Ducktales! You'll be seeing more of your old favorites, and some soon to be new cast starting October 20th! Get ready! 

Want to see if our top 10 favorite things about Ducktales match up with yours? Click here! 

You also can go here to get your FREE printable Ducktales luggage tags! Use them anywhere you need to call DIBS on your stuff! Just don't forget your post it's, like Louie! 

Disney Springs is filled with many amazing places see, and a whole lot to do. Despite what many people think it’s not ALL Disney shops down there. There are many Disney shops and WOW are they amazing, almost like a mini trip to the parks, but there’s a ton of other really great stuff to do there too!

Here are a few of our favorites that’s AREN’T Disney!

​

​The Lego Store


The biggest Lego store I’ve ever been in. What’s so fun though, is outside, under a covered area are loads, and loads of Legos for you (or your kids!) to play with! A great spot when you get too hot, or it’s raining.  There are huge Lego sculptures inside the store, outside the store, and even in the water! It's the perfect place for lots of pictures, and outside of the back entrance, is even a special Lego wall, perfect for more pictures! 

​

​


​Characters in Flight by Aerophile- Balloon Ride


The world’s largest, and also entirely hand painted hot air balloon! Enjoy a tethered ride with views up to 10 miles! It’s a little tough to get on this one because it is weather permitting, but whether you ride, or just gaze up at it, it’s an impressive sight.

​

​Uniglo


What a neat store this is! Uniqlo is a brand from Japan and everything is just awesome! Well fitting, cute, and sizes and styles for everyone, with amazing prices! It’s also the place to get licensed Disney apparel at (dare I say it?) Target prices.

​
​
​Coca cola store


I think this is really cool! There’s a rooftop beverage bar! You can rest your feet, sip a drink and enjoy the amazing views. I’ve never tried one of the Coke tastings, but you can actually buy different sample platters of coke products from all over the world. A larger Club Cool from Epcot if you will. Plus, this is THE place to get any fun merchandise for the collector that you know, you know.

​Cirque du Soleil Boutique


This fun and bright colored store has everything! Unique apparel and gifts, toys ,cds, DVDs and more, all from the various shows of Cirque du Soleil.

​
Disney Springs has so much more! Over 100 shops and over 50 restaurants! From high end shops, to toys for any age, and something for every taste bud, you can’t go wrong stopping by! It’s possible to spend a whole day here and not do anything Disney, and it’s also possible to spend a while day here and do nothing but Disney!


What’s your favorite Disney Springs stop? And do you still want to call it Downtown Disney, too?  

Disney has always made sure that ALL of their guests, no matter what challange faces them, can still have a mgaical experience. A holiday at a Disney Park is no different. Once again, Disney is offering guests with food allergies a chance to enjoy trick or treating at the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, a chance to enjoy treats, with no tricks. 

If you are attending this event, you can ask for a treat bag that's for allergy treats. You'll get a special bag, with a teal pumpkin, and as you go from stop to stop, you'll be able to collect a token to be redeemed for different allergy free treats! There's all kinds of great stuff to pick from, AND you can read the label information on the food products to make sure that the treat is safe for you, or your child. 

Not sure what the Teal Pumpkin Project is? You can click here to read about it! 

Our house has always had treats and trinkets that any child of any age or any allergy can enjoy, but this year, the Teal Pumpkin Project has taken on new meaning for us, since our youngest now has a severe nut allergy. It makes me so happy that Disney is so inclusive of all guests, and we are proud to be connected even in a small way, by proudly displaying our own teal pumpkins this year! 

Even without a teal pumpkin, it's easy to be part of this. Just have some treats that are safe for anyone, in addition to your usual treats you love to pass out. Dum dums, Smarties, and Tootsie Rolls are just a few that don't contain any of the top 8 allergens. You can also hit the dollar store for stickers, slinkies, mini notepads and other fun things! You might be the reason that a child who has had to say "No, thank you, I can't" all night long, or collected candy, knowing it will be given to a sibling because it's not safe for them, will get to have a few treats for themselves that are safe, and they can enjoy! 

You guys know I am ALWAYS on the lookout for the perfect Disney bag. It’s almost embarrassing how many I have bought and rejected, or tried and never want to try again. Guys...I think I might have found THE bag! 

Today, we are excited to do a review on the Montem Diadema 18 L Hiking Daypack, AND one of YOU will have a chance to win your own!  

This Daypack comes in three different colors, so there's one that will fit your personal style.  It’s water resistant, which is an absolute must, especially at Disney World or on any water ride. Even though it’s ultra light, it’s also rip resistant and I sure put it to the test, pulling and tugging on all of the seams and over loading it with all the essential Park stuff this Disney Magic Mommy needs.  

A little about Montem

​  

​
I am sure glad it was born. There’s so much to love about this company, all products are designed in the USA, there’s FREE shipping on every US order, and they make it easy if you need to return something. A quick look through the site shows how innovative and high quality their products look. 

The Diadema Daypack does not disappoint! When I took it out of the packaging the first thing I noticed was how big it was! What’s exciting though, is it isn’t big because it’s wide, it’s big because it’s long, so no matter what size person wearing it, they are going to be able to hold their load comfortably and not feel like they can’t fit through a narrow opening, think a crowd, a doorway, or that tiny space between parked cars.

​The straps might be my favorite feature, they are mesh on the front part that would sit on your shirt. Raise your hand if you’ve had this situation before at a Disney Park...you are next to get your photo taken with the character you’ve waited over an hour to see in a twisty, crowded queue and no air conditioning in nearly 100 degrees. (Hello Hiro and Baymax!) You take off your backpack, and see….EW! Yep. Those awful sweat lines from your backpack straps. You are either going to have to put it back on, or hope when you get home your picture touching up skills are awesome. Mine aren’t, so yup. Backpack on. Sigh.


With these straps, you aren’t going to have that problem. There's even a neat little sliding feature to adjust the height of the chest strap! Perfect for someone who is taller, or shorter! To make the weight distribution more even, there’s even a waist strap! I love bags with that extra strap. It really makes you able to carry your pack without strain on your shoulders.  
​

​On the outside of the Diadema Daypack there are two pouches. Perfect to hold water, sunscreen, your phone or whatever else you need quick access to. The pouches area really deep. My bottle of water barely poked through the top, so that's great! Nothing can fall out if you bend over! 
​
​

The front has a small zippered pouch to hold money, or Disney pins, or whatever else you want slightly secure, and there is also a pouch on the inside going almost the entire depth of the bag. When we reached in, there was a surprise!  ​

​

​Nope! Not the Hulk’s shower cap Spiderman stole! It’s actually a rain cover for your daypack! How great is that? This is going to be the bag I don’t have to worry about covering up with my rain poncho, and hoping the rest of me can still stay dry!

​But I know you guys have the same question I did…. Will this hold everything I need?
​

​My answer is YES! I packed all my usuals! Pins, sunscreen, sunglasses, phone, money, autograph stuff, ziplock bags, drinks, snacks, baby wipes, camera, ponchos, epipens for the youngest,  and I STILL had room.

Because the Daypack doesn't have a zipper, it cinches up, and there's the outer flap you can snap closed, so you don't need to worry if you've got something really long you are trying to squeeze in, like an umbrella, folding chair, camera tripod or sporting goods. It's going to fit!

This is going to be the BEST bag at a Disney Park, because it’s so deep, you can just put your small packages inside of it when you hit a gift shop and keep your hands free, or you can carry your towel cushion for the parade, or water park along with anything else you might need. With a backpack this big, we might even finally be able to to be a one backpack family!

Outside of the parks this daypack has a lot of different ways to use it! It would be great for the gym, sports, including outdoor sporting activities, and even just to keep on hand, because it smushes down so tiny. I really could see this being a great travel bag, too. 

Remember I said YOU could have a chance to win your own Diadema Daypack? The generous folks at Modem are giving ONE lucky winner their own Diadema Daypack! You can enter below! I wonder which one they will surprise you with! 

​

The rules are simple, but please read them:


Winner will be announced Friday October 4th

• USA and Canada entries only, please
• Must be aged 18 or older
• Winner will be notified by email from Disney Magic Mommy and has 72 hours to reply from time of email, or another winner will be chosen.
• Winner must provide real name, and mailing address to Disney Magic Mommy, which will then be given to the Modem representatives.
• Prize will be shipped to winner within 30 days

Still not convinced? Watch my video testimonial, (or don't if you love me!) then keep scrolling to enter! (Disclaimer, I really don't feel comfortable being on video, to top it off we had our kids plus a neighbor's kid running in the yard, and one kept grabbing my legs. Oh the distractions they caused! It's a wonder I got this recorded!! I really feel so awkward in it!) 

Nestled in a little cove, in one of the dining rooms at Be Our Guest in Disney's Magic Kingdom is the Enchanted Rose that Beast was given. Protected by a glass dome, the rose flickers, and petals fall, vanishing almost instantly. 

If you have dinner in the castle, Beast will be there, perhaps you can ask him if he is worried what will happen when the rose has lost all of it's petals.  

While we all know how this story ends, when you dine at Be Our Guest, Beast is still Beast, he hasn't returned to his Princely form yet, so maybe he has no idea if Belle is going to fall in love with him before the last petal falls. 

What do you think? Have you ever had a chance to look at this amazing rose? I always take a quick peek when we go, and reluctantly move aside so someone else can see it and photograph it too. It is an absolute marvel, and without a doubt, magic.