I love how patriotic Disney is. Every day, at 5pm at the Magic Kingdom, a special flag ceremony is held, the national anthem is played, and guests are invited to sing God Bless America. A veteran, is handed the flag to carry down Main Street U. S. A while musicians follow behind paying U.S. Military songs. It's a beautiful experience, and make's me feel proud that Disney recognizes our great Service Men and Women. 

A screen shot from Disney's website is below, with their description. Click on the picture, it will take you right to the information page. 
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Have you ever watched the flag retreat? We've only ever caught the tail end, but one day, we hope to see the whole thing. 

                             Click the picture above to go right to Disney's page, showing you where to meet Mickey. 

"Who's the leader of the club
That's made for you and me?
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E"

On our last day at Magic Kingdom, we always stop by to say "See ya real soon" to Mickey. The Magic Kingdom Mickey is very special, not just because he's a magician, but because he is more interactive than most...Mickey uses his magic to talk to you.

Sadly, those days have come to an end, and Mickey no longer can talk to the guests visiting him. Perhaps budget cuts or he's run out of magic in his wand, but we are sure going to miss him. There was something really special knowing that when Mickey was saying, "Hiya Pal!" he was saying it to YOU.

The reasons we've heard for the change was it was too confusing then when other characters didn't talk, or during other times Mickey couldn't talk, like when he visited Animal Kingdom. We always just assumed that Magician Mickey used his wand to speak, and without it, he was silent and never thought twice about when he couldn't talk. I guess that Disney Magic wasn't something others wanted to believe in! 

Perhaps one day, Mickey will be able to talk with others again, but for now, he's gone back to being a wonderfully interactive, but silent, friend at Disney. That makes me a little sad, and I'm not sure our next visit with him will be nearly so fun. 

"Now it's time to say goodbye
to all our company...
M-I-C (...you real soon!)
K-E-Y (Why? because we like you!)
M-O-U-S-E..."

So long Mickey! We're going to miss your awesome voice and the incredible interaction it gave. 

If I were to say you can't take something into Disney, you might immediately think I was talking about weapons. And nope, those aren't allowed, but did you know there was a whole other list? Those items aren't listed to inconvenience you, but rather to keep ALL guests safe. 

Unfortunately, some guests still take chances on bringing these items into the Parks, and risk getting them confiscated, or being asked to leave. 

You can go here, to read the list on Disney's site, but I've got a screenshot of it here for you too. 

From Disney's FAQ: 

​Plan ahead and safe yourself frustration, and time, by checking Disney's list of restricted items before you go! 

​Peter Pan is flying in to visit us all from Neverland (or rather, the Disney Vault) on June 5th! 

It looks like the cover has had a makeover, almost a little CGI looking, which make same wonder if the movie was touched up any. 

There's a slew of little bonuses, to tempt you, if you already own a previous copy like we do, or to delight you if you've never had a copy before. Check out some of the different versions Disney is offering!

I heard that they may be doing Peter Pan as a Disney Live Action film. Are you curious about that too? 

It was an exciting week for us when we stumbled across these adorable Do It Yourself Disney Pin Kits. They are at Target in the arts and crafts area, and each set comes with 18 pins, enamel paint, and backs. 

These pins are a little different than the ones you'll find in the Disney Parks, and yet, they are similar. Let me explain. 

Some of these pins are exactly like ones you can buy! But these, kind of fulfill a dream of mine, because I don't really like chaser pins. I love the colors, and often have wondered about trying to color mine in with nail polish. I haven't, yet, but this gave me a taste of what it would be like making these all day long. The best part is, we got to make them whatever color we wanted! 

You can see here, I compared a few to authentic chasers. The details are still there, even if these DIY pins are plastic. 

The kit comes with all of these pieces. The pins though, are not just DIY in the sense that you paint them. They also need to brooch style pin backs put on them. This means that these pin's can't be traded at the park. 
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Once we got all of the pieces out, we got to work. I advise you to have some toothpicks on hand for getting into those tiny areas! That was crucial for some of these have a LOT of detail!

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You can do more than one coat of the paint if you like, we just did one. It took a few hours for them to dry completely, but I'd say for our first try, we did pretty good! I was pretty surprised both kids said I could do the pizza one!

It would have been nice if they had been a little shinier, but that very well may come with the second coat. 

Besides having lots of fun doing this, it was only $9.99 at Target. You heard me !! Less than $10! RUNNN!! Who knows how long they will have them. 

​We've got a video too, Mr. Disney Magic put together of us making these! The kids insisted I act dramatic. Let me tell you, what Mr. Disney Magic DIDN'T record, was the real super excited me tripping over my new shoes, nearly knocking a half dozen people over looking for the aisle number the woman at the costumer service desk told me they were in. I'm sure people thought I was craaazy! 
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Are you new to Disney pins, or just getting started? I've got a great 3 part article series to tell you ever thing you need to know about them! 

Click here for getting started with Disney Pins
Click here for Disney Pin Do's and Don't
Click here for Disney Pin Trading Outside the Parks

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