If Disney's Halloween parties have you in the mood, but a trip there isn't happening, how about creating your own? Especially for those of you teal pumpkin families, this might be a fun way! 

Oriental Trading has these fantastic tokens that our kids can collect, and then trade in for treats of all varieties! I'm actually thinking I'm going to get a bunch and let my kids earn them by doing extra jobs, as well as turning in their unsafe candy. Total win win! My kids already trade out their candy, but this just looks so fun...who wouldn't want to earn these to trade in for fun things? 

Speaking of Halloween, it's never too early to plan a costume! Check out Disney DIY costume ideas! 

You can go here for kids costumes and then you can go here for adult costumes! 

Need a little more Disney spookiness? How about some easy Disney Halloween decorations? 

Next, we share our annual list of our favorite Disney Halloween books and our must watch Disney Halloween movies! 

Each year we project a movie outside as we hand out treats. This year, it's going to be Coco. I can hardly wait! 

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While the continuation of our multipart series on Who would win: Disney World, Dollywood, or Hershey Park is on the way, I wanted to stop and share what's been keeping me so busy. 

My book is finally finished, edited, beta read, reedited, formatted, and artwork completed. It's my hope that this book has something for everyone. 

The book is split into two parts. The first half is for those who need dietary considerations at Disney World. Anyone who might need to know ahead of time what to ask, how to order, what to watch out for. 

The second half are those tips and tricks for saving you wish were all in one place along with a lot of practical advice.

This book was designed to be easy to slip into your bag for vacation, or passed around before hand. It's NOT overwhelming! It's actually going to be the thing that lets you enjoy your vacation with a minimum of stress. 

I'd love to hear what you think if you buy my book. Reviews are always appreciated, so that small books like this, have a chance to show up in Amazon's algorithm, to help those who need it to find it. 

Want to buy a copy? Click here or the picture at the top! 

Thank you for your support over the years! There will be a special giveaway coming soon to promote my new book!

I love high quality photos, especially those of Disney! Let's be honest though, between juggling the Dole Whip, the camera, people bumping into you, and of course, the wrong setting on your camera just as you go click, those perfect photos don't always happen! 

Thank goodness for stock photos, huh? especially the FREE ones. 

So what can you do with these? Besides the obvious, of phone or computer backgrounds, I've seen others make the most amazing and crazy awesome crafting items. Everything from holiday decorations to party invites, memory books to memes. Possibilities are only limited by your imagination, and we all know what Walt said about imagination! 

So where do I get mine? There are a few great places, each with a huge selection of free and paid stock photos. Here are my favorites. 

Pexels

Deposit Photos

I use these the most, and each time I get a fantastic, high quality image for free. You'll find your favorite Disney photos, but you'll also find great images for all kinds of uses. Start typing in keywords, it will be hard not to browse for hours! 

What will you do with these? I'm thinking some amazing inspirational Walt Disney quotes on top of a few of these might be in my future! 

The following is an abridged and unedited page from my upcoming book, Vacationing With Food Allergies at Disney. Though you might not have food allergies, there's still some very helpful planning information, because who doesn't get hurt at times on vacation? 

Finding First Aid
 
Disney is well equipped to handle emergencies. Each of the theme parks also has a first aid station. What you’ll find there, is they are able to handle anything from rashes or chemical burns (like from a sunscreen your kid’s face didn’t like!) to headaches, those lovely pollen allergies Florida always seems to have, and just about any of the minor things you might need, including scrapes, sprains, and other injuries. Just don’t expect a Mickey bandaid! Sorry kids, they are plain flesh toned.

All first aid stations are staff by a nurse, be it a Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant or Licensed Practical Nurse, or some combination of the three, all working for the local hospital system. They are very helpful and caring. More than once we’ve been offered a quiet place to rest or even lie down if needed. And for various little things, we’ve been given a dose for now, a dose for later, or multiple little packets of cream.
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Obviously, just because there IS a first aid station fully stocked does not mean you should leave your epipens at home. And, it’s likely you travel with a few meds too. If there’s something you need non urgently, your resort gift shop will likely sell it. We also tend to travel with quite a few first aid essentials, just because. Let’s be honest…it’s always something!

First Aid Essentials 

Here’s what I usually put in my mini first aid kit.

• Bandaids
• Ointment
• Dermaplast
• Anti itch cream
• Thermometer
• Gauze / tape
• Alcohol wipes

Additionally, I always bring:

• Advil
• Tylenol
• Zyrtec
• Multiple epipen sets
• Upset tummy meds
• Any prescription medicines

I make a small sandwich sized Ziploc bag with a portable kit. A few advil, some bandaids, etc, just to throw in my park bag. I’ve used it more than once.

Last year it was drizzling and our shoes were a bit wet as we stood in line at Space Ranger Spin. There was a child swinging on the bars, maybe ten or so. She was almost my size, so when she slipped off the bars and fell right into me, her body filled with momentum, it literally knocked me over. Thankfully, I didn’t fall on my kids. However, I got a deep gash on my ankle from her shoe, watched as she started swinging into the opposite direction, completely unaware, and cleaned and covered my ankle before we got on the ride.

That mini kit really comes in handy for headaches from the heat, minor skinned knees, or the other little things that you don’t want to be bothered to get out of line for. 

For the budget side, I like being able to reach for my own inexpensive products, instead of paying a few dollars for a dose of medicine at the giftshop, or a big bundle for a tube of anti itch cream. 

What do you pack in your mini first aid kit? 

You guys know there's nothing I love more than FREE money for Disney!  It's how our family of four can save BIG on trips to Disney even though just like you guys, our salaries aren't.  (And let's be honest, since the pandemic, who has a lot of extra? Everything costs more!) 

So, wouldn't $10, $50 or even some fun swag for the kids be AWESOME? Yep! Keep reading. 
It's not often you get money totally FREE for reading FREE bedtime stories! 

When I heard about this, I HAD to share. Full disclosure, I write for this company, BUT they are being so incredibly generous with this referral program, I got permission to share who they are, what they do, and how YOU can plump up your piggy bank a bit as you save for your next Disney trip. I'm so super envious I can't join, but I want you to be able to! 

I'll bet your kids have shelves full of books right? Who doesn't love a story? But do those same stories get a little tiresome, for both you and the kids? What if every night, for FREE a bedtime story was emailed over. Something super cute, like this: 
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(The details on how to get $10 or  $50 or other free goodies is after the story!)

Okay, so now that you've seen there are quality... (and yes, I wrote this one! You can click here to find a little more about what I do as a writer and editor) Let me tell you how you can get the CASH FOR DISNEY!! 

As I've already said, it's FREE to sign up for the stories. Stories are delivered every night at the exact same time in your email inbox, just at the perfect moment to share for a snuggle before bedtime or during. 

But, by telling others are the stories (that are FREE) and having them sign up with your referral code, you can get some awesome swag and money! What could you buy for $10 or $50 at Target or Amazon in prep for your trip? 

Snacks?  What about maybe new sneakers?  Maybe it's time to get new Park bag essentials? 

It's SUPER easy to earn this guys! How big is your family? Got a brother or sister with kids who can sign up? The other moms at playgroup? Your friends at church or the gym? I bet you could get people to sign up easily! All you have to do is tell them it's FREE, book store quality stories, delivered each week night to their email. Easy, peasy. Register, confirm the email and that's IT. 
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I'm passionate about children reading, and I'm not alone. Watch this short video from the creator of Story Tyke. 

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I can't wait for you to get your first story! There have been some AWESOME ones! Every night is different! You can click here to read a little more about the people who make StoryTyke happen. You'll even get to see a little image of me!  

2020 was pretty crazy, but a lot of good things came out of it. Let's start planning out 2021 or 2022 trip now. Come back and let me know how much you were able to stick in your savings with this trick! 

Click on any of the images above to visit StoryTyke or, just click here! 

Reading your children stories has never been so rewarding! ​(Pun totally intended!)