I'm not sure if there's a better way to start the morning than with the news that Dole Whip mix is available to the masses! Yes!! It's true! Gaze upon the beauty of that which is Dole Whip!

Now when you aren't at Disney, you can still enjoy the iconic, icy, yummy and dare I say it, good for you treat! No more DIY trying to find just the right recipe, nope! Get the REAL thing. God bless Amazon. I have said it many times, and I mean it. If you can't find it there, it doesn't exist. 

​Look at this... !! (Well, you'll  have to click the color to look at it) Pineapple! Raspberry! Mango! Orange! Strawberry! It's all here! Okay, so I  know Raspberry and Strawberry aren't at the Parks, but those do sound nice! 

​It looks like all you need is an ice cream maker. The other night I saw this one, on America's Test Kitchen, but since I don't have one, I might have to hint at Christmas time so we can get our Dole Whips outside the parks! 

Did you already know about this amazing at home Dole Whip mix? Are you excited to try it too?  Have you already tried it? I can't wait to! 

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Way back in the 90s, my little sister had the BEST collection of these Disney Sing Along VHS tapes. I used to love watching them, over and over and over.... but would my kids like them?
The clothes and hair were outdated, the animation nothing like what they are used to, could the magic and music of Disney stand the test of time? I wondered that many times as my mouse hovered over them on Amazon, and always left them in the Wish List. This past weekend, we were hitting one of the final yard sales of the season, and much to my surprise, I lucked out and found two on DVD for a dollar each! The Disneyland Fun, and Christmas songs! 

We had barely gotten home when I put the Disneyland Fun one in the DVD player, and to my absolute delight, within minutes both of my kids were plopped on the floor, laughing at Donald, screaming "Star Tours!" "Look at those Mickey pancakes!" "THE CASTLE!!" and other excited things. I can't wait to play the Christmas one. I was surprised how many of the songs I remembered, even ones that aren't from movies, like Making Memories, or Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA, and I look forward to my kids learning them, so next time we do walk down Main Street, they can understand why I'm humming it!

It seems like even though the people had cringeworthy outfits (remember those awful overalls?! and mullets that were so popular) my kids didn't notice at all. They didn't notice that Minnie and Mickey looked a little different, or that they rides looked different, heck, my 5 year old thought they'd upgraded them since we went, they just loved seeing Disney!! 

I saw they've got some Animal Kingdom, and other Disney World ones I never knew existed, and most of them are around the $5 price range, so I think a few more might find their way into our house. I've included Amazon links below if you'd like to order your own copies of some of the DVDs and relive old memories, or make new! 

Did you ever watch these? Did you have a favorite? Disneyland Fun was without a doubt my favorite, followed by the Winnie the Pooh one. 

It's that time again...backpacks, lunchboxes, notebooks and pencils! Whether they are for the kids, or for you (Hey! Who says a home office can't have fun pens?!) Disney is the way to go! Fun touches that remind you of that happy place, and personalize our space!


This year there are some awesome Disney products both in the stores, and online, and we thought we'd point out a few! Whenever possible, I do tend to look online, because it's so much easier to buy it, and nicer to have your stuff be a little different than everyone else, you know? When there are three Minecraft backpacks all lined up in a row that were bought at Walmart, it takes more effort for your kid to grab the right one, than the one that was bought at Amazon, because that one is going to be a little different.

So...lets start browsing!! Click on any picture to go right to Amazon's page for the product. This page does contain affiliate links. 


This backpack is soo adorable, AND such a good price!! It's less than $20!

​​Do your kids like Smencils? Spmencils are long lasting, scented pencils. They even have DISNEY ones!! The price is pretty cheap too! $7.99 for a pack of 5. Just plain ones run around $2 each in our area and are very popular.  

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​I have these exact pens, I splurged on them on our last trip, and the price is almost identical here!  

Breakfast is so important...how about some Mickey Toast or Waffles?  Again, less than $20! 

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​Do you put any Disney into the school year? What do you do?  

If you haven't gone inside of your post office in the last few days, RUN RUN RUN! They have Disney villain stamps there! They are also Forever Stamps, so that means if the postage goes up, the stamps won't need more postage applied. I was excited to be the first person at our Post Office to get a sheet. I even got to see her take them out of the vault! 

Aren't these adorable? I LOVE how even the back has an image, and quotes! Not sure I can bring myself to use these!

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I ask you....is there anything a little Disney CAN'T make better? 

This is part one of a three part series. You can go here to read part two, and ​here for part three. 

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I'll bet you've seen me mention pin trading a time or two (dozen!) and for those of you who know about it, you understand my love! Those of you who have never done it, you are in for a fantastic experience if you do take up Disney pin trading!


What is Disney Pin Trading?


Pin trading is a really fun way to collect mementos of your favorite moments of your Disney vacation, or collect favorite characters, shows or rides, all in lapel pins.




How Does it Work?


It's super simple! First, you buy yourself some trading pins, either online, or at the Disney Parks. From there, you can go and trade them with various Cast Members working at Disney. For example, let's say I have a bunch of pins that I don't really like, but I see a Cast Member wearing a pin lanyard, and on that lanyard I see a Tinkerbell pin I'd like. I go up to the Casts Member, ask if I may see their pins, and ask to trade for that Tinkerbell pin. I give her a pin, and she gives me the Tinkerbell. Super easy!




Is it Expensive to Do?


That all depends. There are people who will spend shockingly large amounts on pins, and there are others (like our family) who will seek out the best possible price and buy the pins in advance of a trip to trade. Pins can be sold individually, starting around $8 each, and there are booster packs containing anywhere between 4 and 8 pins, for around $27. Averaged out, the booster packs are a better deal, but you can also, with a little advance planning, buy those same booster packs online for $10 each or less, making your price per pin drop way down.




What Makes This Good for Kids?


I LOVE watching my kids want to go into a store, just to chase after pins. They get the fun of wandering through the store, but are so focused on trading pins, it's rare they want to stop and buy something. It also helps them to learn good social skills. They gain confidence and get to practice their manners when talking to the Cast Members. It's a great learning opportunity for them, and sometimes, they'll even have a conversation for a few minutes and learn some neat Disney fact, or some other tip the Cast Member tells them.




Do I have to Trade?


Nope! You NEVER have to trade unless you want to! If you are looking at a lanyard and don't see anything you want, just say “Thanks! Nothing this time!” And keep on going.




Who Can I Trade With?


You can trade with any Disney Cast Member wearing a lanyard around their neck, or a pouch at their hip. Stores and restaurants and resorts also have pin boards of varying types you can trade at as well.




What Kinds of Rules Are There?




The most important rule is the pin MUST be an official Disney pin. It must say Disney on the back. These pins will always represent something Disney related, be it a place, attraction or character.




Additional rules are you may trade two pins per cast member, or board per day. With thousands of cast members though, that's a lot of pins to pick from!


You also must not touch the Cast Member's lanyard. The lanyard is usually around their neck, and an excited tug to see their pins might hurt the Cast Member, or even cause the pin backs to fall off and poke someone.




I've Got All These Pins From Trading...Now What?


Now you can find a fun way to display them at home! You can make a pin board, use a pin book, keep them on a lanyard, in a drawer or box, just about anything you want to do! Imagination is the limit and the internet has hundreds of ideas!




Disney Pin Trading is fun, and can be addictive! Like all things, enjoy it in moderation and it not only enhances your trip, but gives you wonderful memories long after!


If you've never traded pins before, I'll have some upcoming parts in this series to give you some ideas of where to buy your pins, and some do's and don't!


If you have traded pins before, can you remember the first pin you ever traded for? Mine was a yellow and red square with Mickey on it!