When I saw these Mickey ice pop molds on Amazon, I had to try them! Mickey Mouse bars at home? What a great idea! There are even recipes to make the magic shell if you don't (or can't) but it in the store. Since one of our kiddos has a nut allergy, we can't do the bars in the park. Well, let me rephrase. If he can't, we won't. It's not fair. So, this looked to be a pretty intriguing idea...

Follow along with me!

First, you'll gather the ingredients for your favorite ice cream recipe, and put it in your ice cream maker. If you'd rather use store bought, that's fine too! You'll want to let it soften a bit so you can handle it. ​

​I started by washing the molds. They came in sets of four, so I did buy two sets. They consist of a silicone mold Mickey, a hard plastic flat Mickey, and a too short stick.
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Since I make our ice cream, here's a fun photo of that. My youngest says it looks like a...well, I won't tell you what. I mean...boys, right? 

I really love our Cuisinart ice cream machine. We've made all kinds of great flavors, but what I love best is the ingredients are so simple. For vanilla, you just need milk, cream, sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla. None of those ingredients you can't pronounce! Whisk it up and dump it in!
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Next was the messy part, and I think if I'd been patient and let me ice cream harden a bit more, and maybe it wasn't over 90 outside, it would have gone a bit better. I filled the molds, stuck in the sticks, and put on the backs. 
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Thankfully, we have a chest freezer, so with the Mickey bars on a baking sheet, I left them in there. I fully intended to make magic shell or decorate super cute...but...and here's where things got dicey. Remember I mentioned those short sticks? Yeah. They are short. They also didn't go into the ice cream very far, so this happened... 
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Those wee little sticks just don't work. I'm thinking wooden popsicle sticks would be better. But, it's not a total loss! My oldest and I love rice crispy treats, and when I've tried to use my Disney Parks sandwich cutter, it's always made a mess. These might be perfect...they are flexible, shaped cute, and I'm actually really excited to do that as I sis here and type about it. It might be easier, too. 

These can also be used for chocolate or to make ice cubes! So if you try them out (They were about $15 a package) and it doesn't work in your house for ice cream, try one of these other fun ideas! If you make soap, it might even work for that. 

Fun or flop...it was both! But there's also a world of possibility out there, and I'm not done with these molds yet! 

It’s no lie to anyone who knows me that next to the Magic Kingdom, where I feel like I’m stepping right into my favorite stories, I love Animal Kingdom. Soon, I’m going to be sharing some of the AMAZING photos I got of KiteTails, Disney’s special 50th anniversary show at Animal Kingdom. Today, however, I’m so excited to share these incredible, in fact, so awesome I’ve got to say it again, incredible National Geographic books. 

National Geographic is a staple in our house. Since a young age, my kids have devoured their books. The photographs are amazing, the facts interesting, and if one ever has had a question: “Let’s see if we can find the answer in a National Geographic Book” is usually what someone says. 

I was thrilled to be sent FOUR National Geographic books to share my opinions on. For a new homeschooling mom, not only are these going to be perfect for this year’s life sciences study in fourth grade, and Greek mythology in ninth grade, they have my kids begging for summer 2023 to get here so we can visit Animal Kingdom again. 

While at Animal Kingdom, one of our favorite things to do is walk the different treks. My youngest likes the Maharajah Jungle Trek,  where he can see the various wild cats! Tigers are his favorite, so he was excited to see that the 2023 National Geographic Atlas had a tiger on the front! He also wondered if it was a typo, (spoken like a true editor’s child!) as he said we weren’t in 2023 yet. 

These books are not only going to teach us about many of the animals found at Disney, but also introduce us to new ones!

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Each of these books are incredible. I’m honestly not sure which is going to be looked at the most. Check out some of these photos! What surprised me about the atlas, was it also had pages like this!
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Do you kids love just random facts? Some of these completely surprised me. I loved the tidbit about snow cones, one of our favorite summer treats! (See photo!) From everything to treasure and weapons, to animals, money, and well, everything in between, this is tied for my favorite of these four books.
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These also make for perfect road trip entertainment, instead of just electronic devices! Even if your kiddo only looks at each page, I’m thinking an hour of silence per book. Maybe more!

The thing I really love most about National Geographic books, is they take into consideration the target age of their audience. You know a kids book is going to be safe to leave kids alone with. It’s going to have age appropriate language, pictures that are engaging, and…I’m going to say it again…are just incredible. 

Now, yes…Greek mythology, that’s not quite Animal Kingdom, right? And everything I review has to have some sort of a Disney slant. That’s my thing. Don’t worry, it’s still Disney related! 

For years, Disney has been teasing that EPCOT may get a new pavilion. Greece is one that many people have asked for. It wouldn’t be a stretch, think about how many times a character from Greece has appeared in a Disney movie. Ahem, Hercules anyone?  What about Mal from Descendants? Did you realize that Zeus was her uncle? Zeus actually makes several appearances in Disney films, everything from muppets and animation, like Fantasia, to in Marvel movies. That’s right…Thor! Loki! Some of the most popular Greek names are in those movies. Maybe Season 2 of Loki will introduce us to a few other gods or demigods? In the meantime, you can get refreshed on your Greek mythology. 

Tell me, don’t these pictures just make you want to read more? What was neat about the Greek mythology book, was it’s not just stories, but interesting facts, too.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed these pictures and these connections to Disney as much as I have! As my husband says, I can turn anything into Disney. Maybe it’s true…I don’t know, but I see these books, and I sure think so! 

Stop by my Facebook page, tell me some of your favorite National Geographic books! How do you connect those to Disney?  

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This was THE trip that we weren't going to bring our stroller! Little man was going to walk the WHOLE thing! But, little man is also now a covid longhauler, and fatigues deeply. We wanted to enjoy our trip, so stroller it was. But...we weren't sure we'd need it every day, and to be honest, we'd gotten rid of ours a long time ago. We could have bought a cheapy umbrella stroller, but they are a pretty low weight limit. 

So, we ended up renting a Disney stroller. I was sure we'd need to do the double, but he squeezed in nicely to a single and let me tell you parents... I wish we'd always rented instead of bringing ours. 

While I've talked before about strollers to share what (I think) the perfect Disney stroller is, and later I talked about renting a Disney stroller it's great to see these new strollers out! 

The new stroller you can rent for your child to cruise the parks in is a totally different color. Right now, they are all new, which means smooth rides and no wobbly wheels, which was a pretty common complaint in the past. 

While the seats aren't the comfiest, and the stroller hood isn't retractable, it's a very sturdy stroller that can handle a substantial sized kid. Yes, he'd have had more room has we gotten the double, but this was just fine, and not used every moment of the day. A nice feature of the stroller is the pouch to put drinks. Of course, there's also an under stroller basket to drop your stuff and a parking brake so they don't roll away.
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But the best feature? Other than the smooth ride? It's the handle height! This might have been the first stroller ever that Mr. Disney Magic didn't have to hunch much to push. 

If you are in a pinch, your child is about to outgrow their stroller, or you don't want to pack one, a Disney stroller might be a good alternative. Yes...you do have to pay (alot) but there is a discounted price if you rent for multiple days. Be warned that you cannot use a Disney stroller at Disney Springs unless you also put down a $100 deposit. I nearly fell over when I realized that. 

You can, however: 

• Leave the park and return and get a stroller at no extra charge
• Park hop, and get a stroller at your new park
• Push the stroller either to the stroller area to return it, or the final gift stop just before park exit

It is very important though to remember one other thing. While your stroller rental payment never expires, you MUST have the receipt. You cannot have a photo, you must have the actual receipt. And it's a long one. So don't toss it in a shopping bag or throw it out with your lunch at Flame Tree.  Make sure you keep that with you at all times or you will be out of luck if you need a stroller. 

If you like to cool off in the summer heat with a little splash of water, Disney World's parks have you covered! I'm not going to state the obvious, that there are two Disney owned and operated water parks. That's just too easy. But, between the other parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, where can you or the kiddos get a tad wet? 

Here are the places! Now you'll know where to go, or where to avoid, if you are like me, and don't want soggy shoes. While not every ride is a drencher, some are.

I'm not including rides like Small World, where you are in a boat, but there's no chance of getting misted or splashed. These are just a lost of rides to help on those hot days, or to avoid if you aren't keen on the water splashing you.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom has a few fun places to get wet!

Splash Mountain: While this ride will likely be getting a makeover soon, it's a safe bet that the water aspect will stay the same. This is your best chance at getting pretty wet at Magic Kingdom. 

Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station: Okay, so this isn't really a ride, but it's a fun little play area for kids (and a few adults) to get wet! It's a splash pad, so you can choose how wet or not you want to get. 

​Magic Carpets of Aladdin: Luckily, you can avoid getting more than a few drops if you are the one controlling the magic carpet. My kids love to try and get me wet on this one! Luckily, the camel spit usually misses me!

Jungle Cruise: This ride, we've only gotten misted on, which is my kind of ride! It cools you briefly, but doesn't leave you soaked!

Pirates of the Caribbean: While you aren't really supposed to get wet on this ride, there is a spot or two where those in the front of the boat tend to get some splashes. 

Big Thunder Mountain: This ride only mists a little here and there, but honestly, you'll be dry before it's over!

Epcot

Epcot only has two places where you'll get a little wet. 

Frozen Ever After: This ride is more likely to get you a little wet (water coming from the small drops along the side) if you are in the front two rows. Nothing too much, and it really didn't go more than knee high, but it was enough to make us have damp shoes when we were in in the front row.

Remy's Ratatouille Adventure: Another mister! Watch out for the Champagne bottle! You'll likely be dry by the time the ride is over. 


Hollywood Studios

Without the behind the scenes tours, right now, there's only one attraction where you might get misted. 

Muppet Vision 3D: Since this is a 3D attraction, you might get a little mist on you from one of the things that pops out. 



Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom has a few misty spots, but we're only going to mention two rides with the possibility of water. 

Kali River Rapids: Depending on where you sit, you'll either get a little wet, pretty wet, or soaked. The thing about this ride, is you don't really know. Each time is different, as each ride is a little different. 

Flight of Passage: Disney does immersive well, so when you fly over water, and see a wave, you are going to get a few sprinkles on you. Nothing major, but it does add to the realism of this ride.


Did I miss anything? I might have! Do you have a favorite way to cool down at Disney? I love the random misters we run across! Enough to cool you for a moment, make your hair frizz up, but not damage any electronics you have out! 

If you head to Disney this summer, stay cool! 

Need more tips on how to beat the heat at Disney? Check out this blog article. 

Need a few more tips? Check this one out too!