Oh Disney. You have a special place in my heart and in my daydreams. Disney is my happy place {so are buttons}. It’s no surprise that we’ve been looking forward to our trip, although perhaps me most of all, but Sam & hubby weren’t complaining. In fact, I’m really thankful that the two of them let me indulge in all the Disney crazy. So come along on a little daydream about our recent family trip to Disneyland.
There’s plenty of things to be proud about the city of Calgary. No matter, how cheesy, loud or crazy it gets, the Calgary Stampede is one of those things! As a born & raised Calgarian, I still get excited every summer for the Stampede. I anxiously look for the booklet in the mail, mark out a day when we can go down {and hopefully catch the World Stock Dog Championship}, and daydream of mini donuts until the fateful day arrives. Are you this nuts about Stampede, or is it just me? It can’t be just me, not when attendance can crack 1.2 million people each year!! Anywho, I thought I’d just share some highlights from our adventure this year.
We recently took a trip to London, Ontario to visit family. It was the first official vacation we’ve had in over a year and a half! Needless to say, it was nice to have a break from the regular grind. My oil-loving friends all reminded me to pack some of our essential oils for the trip {which I had already written down on the packing list}. The oils certainly don’t take up that much room & they are so worth it to bring along. So here’s my personal suggestions for travel:
Hope you have a very spooook-tacular Halloween! Thought I would share some pics of the Halloween festivities we’ve indulged in this year. It’s been a good one for us and love that we got to experience Halloween at Disney World with the “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” and also on our Disney Fantasy Cruise with “Halloween on the High Seas”. A very special year indeed!!
Happy Halloween, from our little spooks to yours!!!
I’m hoping to post more about our trip after we get back (with plenty of photos), in case you’re dreaming about your own Disney vacation. In the meantime, I thought I would share a couple of pre-trip tips with you. I’ve been collecting tips, cruise secrets, packing list suggestions, and the like on Pinterest, so head over there to get a helpful links to other blog posts.
One of the best suggestions I came across was pre-ordering baby & toddler items from Babies Travel Lite. What a stress-relieving solution for mamas (and papas)! Our little (ok, not so little) Sammy is not yet potty trained. In my mind, that meant we had two options: packing all the diapers, wipes & such we would need for an almost two week trip in his suitcase (including swim diapers) OR bringing just enough for a couple of days & trying to get to a store during our short Disney World stay to purchase the rest. Both options seemed a bit stressful. Who really wants to use any of their precious time at Disney World to go diaper shopping?! And that’s when I came across Babies Travel Lite. They’ve got diaper packages based on the number of days of your vacation. The packages are very customizable (choose your sizes, brand & type preferences). And it’s not just diapers, they have lots of stuff for meal time, bath time, and sun time. Even little potties for those that are in the potty training process. Place your order, and they will deliver it to your Disney hotel or cruise. We put together a diaper order and included some handy toddler snacks that we can bring along on our port adventures (since prepackaged snacks on cruises cost extra anyway). The beauty of it all is that now, we just walk onto our cruise and our box of goodies will be waiting in our stateroom.
We didn’t book our trip waaaaay in advance like a lot of families, but I’m sure it’s felt like a looong time for Sam. When a single day can feel like two or three to a toddler (and his mama), waiting four months for an oh-so-special Disney trip might as well be a year. As the day of departure grew closer though, I really wanted to do a simple countdown calendar, so Sam could have a more tangible way of seeing the passing of time and experience the excitement building up. I found several options, but went with free, printable design from 505 Design Inc. Just pick your design (Disney World or Disneyland), print, and cut. We hung ours in the kitchen and each morning we put up the new number and then count to it. Sammy can only count to 12, so I didn’t start the countdown until day 13. I think it’s a pretty fun pre-trip activity to do with kids!
Ok, that’s all I’ve got time for right now. Gotta get back to making lists, checking things off, and getting packed. Also still have boxes of tomatoes ripening in the basement that need to be made into sauce. See you when we get back from what will be an awesome family adventure!!!
Wishing you all a VERY merry Christmas! We are headed to our family cabin in the woods for a couple of days to spend some Christmas time with my parents and my brother & his wife. There’s lots of snow out there, so I’m picturing snowshoeing, hauling wood, cuddles by the fireplace, & lots of tasty treats to fill our bellies. It should be quite peaceful out there (or as peaceful as it gets with an-almost-two-year-old running around & demanding plenty of attention). We will be driving to the village of Clive to spend Christmas Eve with my hubby’s family. Another country Christmas, which depending on the whether, usually includes a hayride through the streets & caroling. There’s also quite a bit of jolly drinking. We’re going to spend the night at a hotel in Lacombe and then finally head home to our own Christmas tree on Christmas morning. We’ll be pooped out by the end and glad to be back in our own home. Then, it’s a day of rest, a birthday and another Christmas… oh my…
Safe travels to you all! Hope you’re able to enjoy a cuppa with someone special over the holidays, a cookie with a friend, hug your loved ones, and make a few priceless memories!
We love checking out the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo whenever we go to Colorado Springs. This year, Sammy was able to feed to giraffes (a fun experience for young & old alike). Yes, the tongue of a giraffe is REALLY that long, even a bit longer. Anyway, you can get really up close & personal with these guys. The Cheyenne zoo is known for their giraffe breeding program.
During our time in Estes Park, Colorado, we took a morning and explored a bit of Rocky Mountain National Park. We were staying just a few minutes away from the national park gates. With Sammy in tow, we couldn’t do much in the way of “actual” hiking, but we took a nice walk & stretched his little legs.
This last photo was actually taken from inside our cabin in Estes Park. We saw lots of wildlife including this gorgeous elk, a flock of wild turkeys, a cute little fox, and some beautiful stellar jays.
Well, we survived our two week road trip to Colorado. I’m just finally getting around to sharing pics of our adventures. These are all from our time in Estes Park, CO. Mainly, we were there for my little cousins wedding, but we did a little wondering through the downtown. You can sure see how much this small town has been impacted by the flooding that hit in October. They are slowly rebuilding, but some businesses won’t recover. We stayed at a cute little resort in our own quaint cabin at McGregor Mountain Lodge. I highly recommend it!
Here’s a good travel and basic storage tip… use a button to keep pairs of earrings together. Huh? Why didn’t I think of that?
Source: thetravelwriterslife.com via Sarah on Pinterest
