How to do Disneyland in the Rain

You've done all the planning, made all the reservations. You've bought the tickets, but the forecast says RAIN!  DON'T PANIC.. your vacation isn't ruined. Here are some tips on how to be wet and still have fun.

The number one thing that I heard from people about rain is..to buy ponchos. I searched every store I could think of and I couldn't find them anywhere. I did not want to spend the money in the park so I packed our best raincoats and umbrellas and hoped for the best.  Don't skimp on the ponchos

As you can see, our light raincoats were no match for the sudden downpour that happened and we remained wet for the rest of the day. If I could impart any wisdom to you, BUY PONCHOS. If you can't find them in stores anywhere, then fork out the bucks and buy the Disneyland ponchos available on main street. It may be a bit more money, but it's worth not being miserable all day.     Bring extra layers
As much as ponchos help, once you've been walking miles on end in wet socks, the trench foot can be wicked bad. Bring extra socks, gloves, etc. I "threw in" a couple of extra sweatshirts and things for the kids and halfway through the day, they changed out of their wet clothes into dry clothes and it was amazing how much extra energy and cheeriness they gained. Pack the extra layers in a waterproof bag. I use a cooler bag I bought at Costco to keep food cool on hot days. It also serves as an excellent waterproof backpack for all those dry clothes you want to keep dry.
  Stay Dry and Have Fun

You've got the right gear, now what do you do? Just because it's raining, doesn't mean you can't ride. There are plenty of fun rides where you can stay dry..even in line. Start out on the Jungle Cruise. The line and the ride, while in the elements will be a dry one and it can keep you in that jungle atmosphere.
Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Nemo, and It's a Small World are all long rides that you can enjoy inside. Rain can also force people away from standing in a line, so most wait times are short.
Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters are also great for keeping dry.

  Take the time to Meet and Greet

Every time we go to Disney, my kids want to see Tinkerbell and the line is always monstrously long, even at the beginning of the day. When the rain came pouring down, we saw an opportunity to go visit Pixie Hollow and to our surprise, we literally walked right up to her... NO LINE! When it's raining outside, your Disneyland experience doesn't have to be a downer. Go see the people they want to see most! Visit Fantasy Faire, the wait for that is totally covered and the lines are quite short.

            Sit back, relax and enjoy the show.        

  
Rain presents a great opportunity to hit up some of those shows you've been meaning to see. Like the Fantasy Faire theater, or Mickey's Magical Map. Over in California Adventure you can go see Aladdin or sing along with the Elsa and Anna at the Frozen Sing-a-long. These theaters offer a dry place and some entertainment that sometimes we forget to stop and enjoy when we're busy riding all those rides.

  When in doubt, Tiki-out

The tiki room is another great place to enjoy a break from the rain. It offers warm temperatures and fun, classic Disney charm. Our family enjoyed the refuge during a particularly nasty part of a storm. But even the rain shouldn't deter you from enjoying those famous dole whips. They are worth standing in line in the rain for!

  Enjoy those treats! 

Another wonderful treat is those famous Disneyland hot chocolates. Reasonably priced and full of warm goodness, they cannot be beat, even when standing in the rain. Of course, if coffee is what you need, the Starbucks on Main Street is highly motivating for a rainy day at Disney. I also suggest the gumbo at New Orleans Square or the chili bowl in California Adventure.


  Go Big or Go Home

Of course, there are some rides where you just cannot avoid getting wet and to those brave souls who still want their Disneyland adrenaline fix, I say.. go for it! During a rainstorm can be the perfect time to hit up that roller coaster you all love so much, because those lines thin out pretty fast and only make room for the die hards. We made the trek to Big Thunder Mountain and screamed in the rain with no wait time at all. We ended up going on it 3 times in a row because we could just walk on. It can make for exciting, wet memories!

  YOLO

If you're already wet, you might as well get more wet. Take the rain as a perfect sign to go all in on those water rides you may have been avoiding. Guaranteed Splash Mountain and Grizzly River Run will have very short wait times. We decided to do Grizzly right before the park closed. We had no wait time, we got soaked and then we walked home. It was the most fun ever!

So don't let that rain damper your time in the park, after all you are still in the happiest place on earth. Make the most of your experience and make memories to last a lifetime!

Patterned Curtains using canvas drop cloths and acrylic paint

 Hey guys, it's been a while since I've posted a DIY blog. I've been involved in several projects for my livingroom this summer and I'm eager to share this one with you!

So I have this extremely big sliding glass door and have spent several years trying to find the perfect curtains to go on it. Because it's so hot here, I try and get sun blocking curtains. But, as anyone else can attest to, those are not the "pretty" curtains you want to use to accent your home.

Last summer on a whim, I decided to buy the pre-packaged canvas dropcloths from Home Depot. They come with one side already pre-hemmed so they are no-sew. I cut them down the middle and then hot glued a hem at the top for the pole to go through. I'm telling you, hot glue is my best friend.

We have loved them and they have kept out that hot sun in our home, but their canvas color makes our white walls look, well pretty drab. I have spent months just staring at them, trying to come up with a solution. I have spent countless hours scouring pinterest, to no avail. I wanted some kind of pattern on them, but everything on pinterest seemed very complicated and I was terrified of messing up.

One day at Michaels I happened upon a Fleur De Lis stencil on clearance. I have always loved a bit of french charm and took a big leap and bought it and some wine colored acrylic paint. I bought 4 bottles of it. I spread out that curtain and measured (ok I somewhat eye-balled it) how I wanted to pattern to look and commenced painting. It took me a couple of hours.

This is the rough shot of what it looked like when I was half way finished. I think the hardest part of the project was replicating the same pattern on the second half of the curtain. It took some effort.

                           But this was the end result and I couldn't be more thrilled with it.

There were definitely splotches occasionally and each time I painted it, it always came out a little differently. But I actually like that they looked a bit different. It didn't seem like something I bought at Pottery Barn. It felt handmade; organic and a little retro.

In total, I spent $15 on the dropcloth, $5 on the stencil and $8 on the paint to make curtains that spanned the entire length of a very large wall. $28 isn't bad, and it's fun to know that I made them myself.

Can't wait to share my new office with you guys soon! For more DIY tutorials check out my DIY link at the top of the screen. I love to meet new friends, hit me up on Pinterest.

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Top 10 Best Places to Rest Your Rump at Disneyland

There comes a point in every Disneyland trip when it doesn't matter whether you're old or young, have kids or not; you must find a place to relax and you must do it... NOW! 

Maybe you're suffering from heat exhaustion or nursing a wicked bad blister. Maybe you're wanting to eat your packed lunch in solitude or you just want to get away from your whining grandkids. In any case, today I'm sharing with you the Top 10 Best Places to Rest Your Rump at Disneyland.

#1: One of the best meeting spots in Disneyland is The Hub. It's in the center of the park and there are a lot of benches available. The best spot in that section to sit is towards the right near Tomorrowland. Not only does it have plenty of room for large parties to eat, or rest your feet, it's right next to a garbage can and is facing the castle. It's a great place to have one of your party sit and save spots for an upcoming parade: Prime real estate come parade or fireworks watching time. It's also central to all the food vendors on main street and great for people watching; a perfect place to send Grandpa when he's tired.


#2: If you find yourself in Fantasyland, a great place to park it is near the Small World giftshop. Located right next to the bathrooms is a nice little brick wall that's perfect for a bathroom or snack break. It's shade provides relaxation while you sit and wait outside the ampitheater for shows like "Mickey's Magical Map". It gives you the advantage over other waiting people as you can relax that hiney of yours and swoop in at the opportune time when they open up seating for an event. It's also conveniently near a train depot stop in case you want to continue calming your caboose with a nice leisurely train ride.

#3: "I'm in Fantasyland but I don't want to go all the way back to Small World!"  Have no fear, another spot in a tucked away corner is near the exit of Sleeping Beauty's castle walkthrough. Located just steps to your right as you're entering the footbridge of the castle, this is a wonderful little nook for a quick rest. Across the way is the Bippity Boppity Boo Boutique where your little princess can shop till she drops. There are also some drinking fountains nearby and you can enjoy the ambience of the castle. But there's not a lot of sitting room and high traffic so it's really just a quick resting place until you regain your energy. Editor's Note: If you have misbehaving little ones, it's also a wonderful spot for a time-out.


#4: Finding rest for your weary derrier can be tricky in Toontown. It's often crowded and can be unforgiveably hot. I suggest resting your rear at the entrance to Toontown, where there are plenty of park benches. It's a great place to keep the little ones while the older ones hit up the Roger Rabbit ride.

#5: Now you're in Tomorrowland and your desperate for a behind break. I suggest the park benches directly across from the Star Wars giftshop. It's near a few vendors selling refreshements, close to the foodcourt area and it is right at the center of Tomorrowland. This basically means it's where rides like Star Tours, Space Mountain, Captain EO and Buzz Lightyear all feed out of, so if you're meeting a party that has split up to conquer Tomorrowland, this is a great place to sit.

#6: Now let's hightail that hiney to the French Quarter where Disney favorites like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion are. Right near the train depot is a lovely little brick wall that overlooks the French Market restaurant. It's shaded and you can enjoy some live jazz music most days. It's a great stop off if you've just gotten off the train but you're not quite ready to conquer New Orleans Square.

#7: If you find yourself in Critter Country, have no fear. Rest your tired tuckus at the second level seated diningroom of the Hungry Bear Restaurant. You don't have to be eating to enjoy a shaded, peaceful area with a lovely view of the river and Mark Twain's riverboat every now and then. Not to mention it's right by a water fountain and bathrooms. Heck, you could camp out there all afternoon.


Are you ready to explore the restful spots inside California Adventure?

#8: My favorite spot is located at the back of the park next to Goofy's Sky School in Paradise Pier. It's a tucked away, shaded by an awning place full of tables. It's a wonderful getaway spot to eat a packed lunch, or try out the Corndog Castle restaurant just steps away while you're being entertained by one of the many unique live bands playing on the small stage. There's also bathrooms and an outlet if you're like me and have absolutely depleated the battery life of your phone.

#9: Fischerman's Warf in Paradise Pier is also a great spot to relax that rump of yours. Full of lots of benches, next to bathrooms and also smack dab in the middle of some amazing places to eat, it's a prime location for if your fatigued fanny is famished.

#10:Carsland is a spot you could spend half the day in, but where do you park your posterier? Right next to Flo's V8 and directly across the street from the Cozy Cone, is a fantastic little shaded area with benches to spare. It's got bathrooms and waterfountains and is conveniently next to the main Carsland street so you won't miss when Tomater or Lightning McQueen drive down. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Motown music that's sure to keep you in a great mood.

And there you have it, the top ten best spots to rest your rump at Disneyland. For more fun and interesting Disneyland info, check the labels : Disneyland Secrets or tips and tricks. Thanks for reading!

How to Take a Sensory Kid to Disneyland

Olivia turned 3 this month and we felt like it was time to reward all of her hard work with a trip to the castle that she daily talks about. We had the chance to take our other kids a couple of times, but we always left Liv at home due to her maturity but also her extreme sensory issues that made it seem impossible to take her.

But as she got older and became obsessed with the Disney princesses and that big beautiful Disneyland castle, we started to think about how unfair it was to withhold that experience from her just because it would be "hard" to do. Yes, it would be challenging, exhausting, sometimes frustrating and, at times, unnerving. But when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, she still deserves all the life experiences and magical moments that every other kid deserves. And so, we set out planning our daughter's introduction to the land we love so much.

Plan ahead
It's important when dealing with sensory issues, to plan ahead. The first thing we decided was that we wanted to take only her. All the other kids stayed home so we could put all our energy and focus on Olivia. She could set the pace for the day, and if she had a bad day, it wouldn't affect everyone else. We planned the 8 hour drive to L.A. around her schedule and needs. Providing many snacks, comfortable clothes, protective sun shields and plenty of entertainment for her as well as many stops so she could run around. It worked out really well and when we felt like she might start having "a moment", we would play her favorite music that was a cue to her to calm down. We all made it there and back in one piece.

Transportation

We also decided to take a stroller. While most people do this regardless, this was a big decision for us as we had never taken a stroller to Disneyland. But we felt like we needed to be able to create a safe place for her and a place where she could rest as she became fatigued. While we originally planned for those things, the stroller ended up being so much more. It ended up being the place where we would put her in a time out. When she would become overwhelmed or inconsolable, we would put her in the stroller and put her comfort blanket over the top of it to create a quiet, dark time out environment to allow her to calm down in her own space, while also giving her time to change her attitude.

We chose a hotel that was a little bit further away and went with taking the bus to and from the resort. $24 for the 3 of us for 3 days wasn't half bad and the payoff of not having to walk the 3 miles back was priceless. Particularily because as night hit, the moodiness can sometimes worsen, and it's nice to be able to make a quick getaway. Olivia also enjoyed the stimulation that the bus ride provided and we used it as a signal to her to prepare herself for the park.

Clothing 

Because our Olivia was into princesses, we wanted her to be able to dress special for the occasion but she also has major sensory issues to clothes, so we worked around that by offering a wide variety of outfits and layers. She loved Ariel, so instead of choosing an itchy Ariel costume, my mom made her a special Ariel tutu that she could take on and off as she became uncomfortable . I gave her many sock and shoe options as well as comfortable layers like leggings and cardigans that we could easily add or take off as the day went on. She really loves the tiara, but I made sure to make it comfortable and light. We also included sunglasses which helped BIGTIME with her light sensitivity. Mostly, it was me that had to learn to be flexible. I brought a big fluffy princess dress that I wanted her to wear so badly, but when she tried it on, it didn't feel right so I immediately let it go and allowed her to choose what clothes made her comfortable. WAY LESS of a battle, and she was a much happier girl because of it.

 

ACTIVITIES

We tried to plan out a few things that we knew she would want to do and see at the park each day in order to gain momentum in her experience. And we did our best to do those things first, while she still had patience and energy. Because she loved the princesses, we knew meeting them would be a priority. While she wasn't keen on the line, we managed to distract her by keeping her stocked with snacks and fun things like chapstick and jewelry to play with while waiting. I'm not going to say that all line experiences were amazing, some were downright difficult, but we did our best to choose the things with the shortest lines and to always make sure that she was the one who wanted to do each activity. If she chose, it was much easier for her to wait in line. And when we would try to do a ride and the line was too long, or she wasn't feeling it, we let go of the idea and tried something different. The key is flexibility and not putting too many unrealistic expectations on the trip.

We also tried to do a lot of shows and fireworks as those things didn't require standing in line and you could sit down and take breaks while doing them. This allowed for her to calm down and for all of us to slow down and enjoy things a bit better.

MELTDOWNS

As much as we all like to pretend like the 300 pound Gorilla isn't in the room, let's face it... there will be meltdowns. The key is, to not let them take you by surprise. Plan ahead. For us, this meant taking frequent breaks. But where do you take breaks for sensory kids? We find that the pavillion at the back of California Adventure by Goofy's Sky School is an EXCELLENT place for lunch. Because that park is so very hot it's difficult to find shade and quiet. But this place has covered and totally shaded places to eat and it's not overly populated because, not a lot of people know about it. It's next to a wide variety of restaurants and bathrooms. Heck, there's even a plug in for your phone by the bathroom. It's a great place for a break. It does have lots of live music shows though, so if your child has sensitivity to noise, I would plan on bringing ear plugs. But if your kid has that sensitivity, that is probably something you do all the time anyways. We chose to pack our breakfasts and lunches and snacks. Obviously, it's cheaper. It allows for you not to have to stand in yet another line and pay a ridiculous price for food your child may or may not eat. But it's also a chance for you to provide foods your child is familiar with. Olivia has a sensitivity to textures in food and will hardly touch anything she's not familiar with. So we made her a sandwhich and snacks as if she was sitting at home. When that meltdown hit, the familiarity of the food allowed her to calm down and focus on eating. She also enjoyed the familiar snacks we packed throughout the day as needed.

We brought her security blanket which helped considerably as well. Obviously it kept her warm, but it also was present during rides that she was a little unsure of and worked like a charm (and got pretty dirty). In hindsight, a backup blanket might have been a good idea.

BOTTOM LINE: There are only so many things we can do to keep our sensory kids from outbursts. They will happen. People will stare, and possibly whisper and pass judgement on your kid, on your parenting and on how annoying the whole situation is. You gotta have tough skin. But you also can remember that these are all people you will never see again. Besides, you're not here for them, you're here for your child, and to provide them with as much happiness, love and imagination as you can. Those are the people of the world that will never understand.

Experience= Priceless

For all the planning, overpacking, and worrying, for your child, the experience really is invaluable. In our family, we have a saying...

We Do Hard  Things

We don't do things because they're easy, but because they're worth it. And this trip, was so so so worth it.