Disney with my muggletines

Ahhhhh......love love love how this Valentine's post is basically a month late, bahahah!

I am glad this blog is not my sole job. I would probably be fired! 

So as you guessed it, this is a Disney post. We sure are making good on our annual passes! As we speak, we will be heading back to Disney the week of spring break, the same week the entire world has spring break. 

Since we can't ever go to Disneyland during off peak times (thanks dumb jobs) we have to suck it up and go with the masses. I heard Valentine's weekend can especially be brutal. However, we were prepared. Also, I don't know if my brain took a mental valium, but I was SUPER relaxed the whole trip. I know that makes me sound bad, but I have a tendency to be a bit high strung on vacays.  Maybe I am turning a new leaf! Here's the breakdown of our trip:

The drive down:

We officially hit the road closer to noon that Friday. I was battling a cold and not feeling well at all. I loaded up on sudafed and we made our way down. The drive down was pretty decent, not a lot of fuss. We made stops to let Rowan stretch her legs. OF COURSE we hit LA around 6:30 when basically when hell is unleashed, especially because it was a Friday. We took the 210, and even that was psychotically packed. So we did something nutty and drove city streets of Pasadena all the way through to the 57. It was a little crazy but we avoided so much traffic. We ended up at our hotel around closer to 9.

The hotel:

We booked our hotel through priceline and we stayed "off campus" (aka not the Disney row of hotels)  and stayed at the ALO hotel in Anaheim. I wasn't exactly excited we were a 10-15 minute drive to the park, but it was fantastic. We took the shuttle everyday at 7 and it dropped us off right smack at the front. Rowan LOVED the shuttle too. Let's get back to the hotel though...holy crap it was super lovely, amazing staff, and we overall had the BEST experience! They also had a yummy buffet breakfast each morning! I HIGHLY recommend this hotel. Pardon the crappy photo quality and the mess of our room lol!

Actual time in Disneyland: 

Everyday we got to the park by 7:15-7:20 each day. We were only there for Saturday and Sunday, so we wanted to take advantage of every second! Guys, I can't stress enough how important it is to come early if you actually want to enjoy your day. Because of that we were able to do so much and enjoy ourselves. Sure enough, it got crazy packed by the afternoon and it didn't help that it was an ungodly warm that weekend too. In the afternoons we didn't get to do nearly as much because it was so packed, but because we came early, we weren't stressed about it. We did one parade and I had to yell at a lady for trying to push me out of my spot. Besides that, no one died LOL! Rowan super enjoyed all the rides she could go on, but didn't really like the Haunted Mansion. I also got to sample some of the Star Wars treats that were pretty good! We did all the fast passes for all the big rides and felt satisfied! 

Breakfast with Minnie:

SO we bit the expensive bullet and had breakfast with Minnie! It was amazing! As most of you know, Rowan has a MASSIVE love for Minnie. It was also a great opportunity to  meet all the characters! We booked the earliest breakfast you could get (7:20 am) and I highly recommend that. The place was empty and we got MASSIVE quality time with the characters, it was unreal! I was nervous about Rowan being scared but she wasn't! She loved everyone! Her reaction to Minnie drove me to tears! I think I was just as excited as her! Since this breakfast ain't cheap, I literally ate my way through the place. Rowan hardly ate everything and towards the end was getting antsy and acting a little wild. I think it was huge sensory overload for her, but it was worth every penny!!

Stuff we learned:

By now, I feel we have a good handle on traveling with the girl. However, every dang time I feel like we learn something new! Here's some things I learned:

-Rowan HATES HATES HATES lines.

 I know this is a big fat DUH but it never was an issue before, LOL! Oh lordy! That was hard trying to entertain her! We thankfully didn't wait horribly long for a lot of stuff but the worst was the 45 minute wait for Dumbo. We did snacks, sang songs, and eventually broke down and put on a show on our phones. I'm sure I got judged, but at least she was quiet, right!?! Anyone have tips? 

-HAVE ALL THE SANITIZER WIPES. 

I know everyone is different, but I personally like carrying hand sanitizing wipes. I buy 2 big containers and pack about 20+ wipes for the day. However that wasn't enough. Rowan and I got pooped on by a bird and we were down to 3 wipes. I was almost in tears because as y'all know, I am  HUGE germaphobe, like I may need therapy bad. I was freaking out lol! I learned we personally should just pack the whole container. 

-You can never have enough clothes.

I pack about 2 changes of clothes for Rowan, but I think we need to do three. One of the days Rowan peed through her diaper and got her pee everywhere. Another day was the bird pooping incident. I feel we went through her clothes like no one's business.

I think by far this was my most favorite Disney trip! I am so thankful we have the opportunities to do these trips! 

A very Disney Christmas: recap and tips

Yes, Christmas happened forever ago. However, I couldn't pass up blogging about this!
Disneyland is pure magic at Christmastime. The decorations, parades, music...it just feels wonderful. However, every single person thinks that way too, which makes Disneyland practically unbearable with the massive crowds. It gets especially worse the week of Christmas, as we all know.

And that's when we decided to go, HAHA.

Partly we had no choice. Our winter break started then, and we couldn't take time off, mainly because we have to keep our days in case girl baby gets sick. We mentally prepared ourselves that it was just going to be crazy.

So...how was it? It was actually fun! Of course, we had bumps in the road, but we still had fun!

The ride down:

The first part of our trip was a bit disastrous. While trying to grab lunch on the fly, our car battery died while in Lodi. Thankfully, we were around the corner from Chevy, but it set us back a good hour and a half. I was trying to not freak out (I'm a control freak bahaha) and kept reminding myself this could have happened in the middle of nowhere. I'm so thankful it happened right at the beginning. Once we were all fixed up, we bolted. We stopped in Coalinga for dinner, at Harris Ranch. Literally this place is in the middle of nowhere. It was nice, clean, and the food was decent. It gave a chance for Rowan to stretch her legs, which is huge. While the food was great, it was just a bit pricey for my liking. We ate quickly and got back on the road.

 I am pretty lucky Rowan is a decent car baby. She will watch Baby Einstein and she is happy. The drive was looong but we made it safely to our hotel and went straight to bed. 

The hotel:

I get lots of questions from people in regards to where we stay. If we can, we try to stay at our timeshare, Worldmark by Wyndham. However, if it's booked, we stay at the Super 8 near Disneyland. I am not a total hotel snob, but I was leery about it the first time we booked our stay. Turns out the rooms are pretty nice, CLEAN and does their job. This was our second time staying and didn't disappoint. For reviews, click here.

Actual Disneyland:

We went to the park Saturday-Monday. Honestly, Saturday and Sunday were GLORIOUS! We made it a point to get to the main gate by 7:45. I personally wanted to leave earlier, which caused bickering among hubby and I. Is it just us, or does everyone bicker with their spouse on vacation?! LMAO! Sadly, the morning is our worst because we have different ideas. Luckily we get over ourselves quickly! Going back to going early... everyone seems to go early, and it can be a little irritating when you  see the whole world flooding towards the gate. HOWEVER....don't let that scare you. Once you get in, the crowds disperse and it's empty. Y'all, it's worth getting there early. We did SO MUCH each of the days! We even went on Haunted Mansion 3x in a row because of the low crowds! Of course, it peaks around 4. Saturday and Sunday weren't bad at all, but Monday became psycho with all the Christmas crowds flooding the park. Thankfully we left that afternoon.

What we did:

Okay, the obvious, going on every ride we could! We utilized the rider switch pass as much as we could. The one big thing on this trip, is that Rowan pretty much hates the stroller. Now that she is an accomplished walker, all she wants to do is walk (why, dear Jesus, why did I stress about her walking!?!? LOL). I will admit it sucks being in the stroller, so we really focused on rides that she could do. If you didn't already know this, toddlers can pretty much do any ride, besides Indiana, Star Tours and Space Mountain. Rowan absolutely loved the carousel, Dumbo and especially small world. She had me in tears because her joy was so precious! Since the afternoon was the worst each day, we took it upon ourselves to do a show, or a parade. The Christmas parade is way too precious and Rowan loved it! I started bawling because Mickey caught Rowan's joyful screams, pointed and actually spoke to her from his float! I about died! The next day, we caught a showing of the Disney Junior show in California adventure. While all the kids enjoyed it, I'm pretty sure us parents were singing along just as loud as the kids! I highly recommend that show if your kid loves Disney junior. This was Rowan's face the entire time:

I think Rowan didn't even know what to do, lol! She  got especially screamy and shook like a leaf when Mickey and Friends came on!

What we ate:

Disneyland is quite costly with their food, but it is also super good! We were pretty disciplined about bringing our own food for lunch, and eating breakfast in our room. We saved so much doing that! Now, I know everyone knows this, it isn't new. However, if this is your plan, truly stick with it! We saved so much money that way. We of course treated ourselves with hot chocolate, frosted sugar cookies, churros and popcorn. Restaurant wise, we like the Pizza Port right near Space Mountain. It has decent choices and the food isn't half bad. We also tried out Carnation Cafe, which was pretty decent! I LOVED how they fixed Rowan's plate!

We also ate off site once, at California Pizza Kitchen. We also saved money that way, as it seems  a litle cheaper than in the park! While in California Adventures, we like eating at the Cocina Cucamonga right next to wharf area. We didn't eat there this trip, but worth a stop if you want Mexican.

A shout out...
While in the park, we stupidly left our backpack on the bench in DCA (in front of the Little Mermaid). While it thankfully didn't have our wallets, it sure did have our Disney pins (which are like gold). I was sad and  but MORE annoyed at ourselves. We reported it missing and 2 days later, we get a call from Disneyland! They found and immediately shipped it free. Cheers for Disneyland!

The drive home:

My biggest regret of the whole trip was my constant worry about the weather. Specifically, I was worried if the weather got bad on the drive home, they would shut down the grapevine. For my non-Ca peeps, the grapevine is a MAJOR ROUTE between North/Central California to the South. If it ever gets shutdown, there are alternate routes, but your drive increases by hours (4-5+ hours for us) and basically all hell breaks loose. Back in October, we nearly got caught on a horrific mudslide on the grapevine, so I am a bit traumatized. Anyway, we weren't supposed to leave till Tuesday. Weather reports said Tuesday was supposed to be all day rainy and crazy. So, I begged to leave early. Hubby was actually pretty upset about it, and we lost some money on the hotel. However, I had a feeling that we should leave and I am thankful we ended up leaving early.  We left around 5:30 that night, which is insane. The drive home was fine, a bit long, but uneventful. Traffic actually wasn't bad for LA and we got home around 1:00 am. I just wished I didn't worry so much about it. Lessons learned!

Tips that were helpful to remember:

-PACK PACK PACK extra clothes!!!!!! 
I can't stress that enough! I planned 2 outfits a day for Rowan, but for some reason, it didn't seem like enough. You never know what can happen.

-Plan for the weather.
 We knew there would be a chance for rain, so we stocked up on appropriate jackets and a stroller rain cover  for Rowan. It did actually rain while we were there!

Wipes, wipes and more wipes...
     enough said. You can't pack too many!! Also, this goes for diapers too!

-Don't forget baggies, plastic baggies (for poopy diapers), and knives (for cutting). 
This is big if you buy food and store it in your room. Every night I would pack our lunches. If you are cutting up anything, a knife is useful. I have been on a trip or two where I don't have cutting utensils and I feel helpless! AND DUH don't take it with you to the park and if you are flying in, obviously don't take a knife.

-Sanitizer, all purpose cleaner, santizing wipes- 
Now this is only if you are a germaphobe like me. When we get to hotels, I sanitize and wipe down everything. Don't forget the paper towels too! I also carry those wipes and hand sanitizer in the park, Major lifesavers!

Baby wearing is essential
People give me a hard time for  still wearing Rowan. I LOVE it though, I'm addicted! I use the Lillebaby carrier in black and gray and it is wonderful! It was a nice break for Rowan and she even slept almost a good two hours in it! She is a chunkette and this carrier gives me tremendous support! Carriers can make life easier and we always have one on hand!

Utilize the baby centers:
I am in love with how amazing they are. They are located in both parks  and are a perfect place to go for a break or a diaper change in a clean space.

Plan a medicine kit:
I always have one on me for trips. Ours has neosporin, bandaids, advil, tylenol, motrin, a thermometer, pedialyte packets and hair ties. We also pack the nebulizer with the appropriate treatments. This kit is so useful!

Be advised..
Thanks to the idiots, oops I am mean terrorists that have ruined things for everyone, Disney has upped its security. I am actually quite thankful for that. Due to that, check in at security is now a little longer because they randomly select people to go through metal detectors and now really check bags thoroughly. Honestly, I am thankful!

If you read this, I am high fiving you!! Despite the small bumps, I am so glad we went! And of course, a recap post wouldn't be the same without a photo dump!

How we survived taking a baby to Disneyland

 

This post is SUPER long over due, and I am so excited to post!!

Back in the day when we were baby-less, I scoffed at the idea of taking a baby/toddler to Disneyland. I saw the beleaguered parents, dealing with screaming, angry kids. Wasn't this supposed to be the happiest place on earth?  I vowed that we wouldn't take our future children till they were at the VERY LEAST 7 years old...

2 years after that vow, here  I was preparing my first trip with my then 15 month old, HA! Talk about eating your words!!!

Hubby and I had been planning this trip for months. We were supposed to go in March, but postponed thanks to the stupid, preventable (oops did I say that?) measles outbreak. We decided to rebook our trip for July.

We got a lot of wide eyes, snorts and kinda rude comments when we would tell people we were taking Rowan. A lot would say we were crazy, she's too young, she won't remember, make sure we take an entourage, etc.

On the flip side, my Disney loving friends were beyond encouraging, and all have taken their children young.

I pored over different mommy blogs who wrote about Disneyland with babies and toddlers. I picked my friends' brains over their experiences. I felt prepared.

The one glaring difference between all of these experiences and ours was that we WEREN'T taking an entourage of family. My family wasn't able to go, plus I wasn't about to ask them to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a trip they didn't plan for. Plus, I wanted to be able to experience Disneyland just us and see if we could do it.

I will admit, I had VERY LOW expectations for our trip. I imagined it would be super stressful, hotter than hades and packed to the gills. Turns out I was right, except for one...

it actually wasn't stressful

Yep you heard me right. So, here are some things and tips I learned...

1. You can do it on your own- 

I was so afraid that we weren't taking family, but honestly, I think this is the easiest it will ever be! It was 2-1 ratio, and plus since she wasn't walking, she wasn't dying to get out and run. It was doable! Having patience and low expectations was key. That was huge!

2. Rider switch pass is your best friend-

Holy best invention! I was certain I wouldn't ride anything big. Um, not true!  Rider switch pass is basically like a fast pass for those waiting behind. You simply jump in the fast pass line and boom you are on! What we did was grab fast passes first thing. Hubby would wait a MAX of 20 minutes and get a rider switch pass. At this time, I would feed Rowan a snack or shop. He and I would trade once he was done! I rode pretty much all the big stuff, and it was great!

3. BRING EXTRA EVERYTHING -

We learned that we went through wipes like no one's business! This is common sense but pack extra everything, ESPECIALLY snacks ( we ran out day 1)! Water bottles especially since its so dang hot! However if you do run out, the baby care center is legit, which brings me to my next point..

4. the baby care center will be your best friend-

I had heard of this magical place, and it was everything! It has every baby supply you can imagine (of course for a price) and it is CLEAN! Every time Rowan pooped, I insisted we go there to change. I am a GERMAPHOBE so the center was my new bestie. If you are nursing/bottle feeding or want a calm place to feed their lunch, this IS the spot!

5. Have low expectations and have PATIENCE. Seriously- 

I have a tendency to be a perfectionist, which isn't a good thing most times. I let go of any notion I had in my head, kept very low expectations of the trip. I told myself to simply go with the flow (sometimes hard for me) and it lended itself well for our trip. We had the best time, and did so many fun things. Also this is obvious, but be patient. I am not a patient person (LOL) and I had to really prep myself that there were be lots of people, lines, and some people who are stupid (i.e. not paying attention, pushy, etc). I only lost my cool once when we were walking through a massive crowd. Someone pushed me while I was wearing Rowan and I may or may not have said "touch me again and I will break your nose". I know, tacky and ridiculous, but don't mess with mama bear. They wisely kept quiet and moved away.

6. Parades and shows are a great distraction-

We didn't see many shows, but managed to catch a tail end of a parade. We also got to see of World of Color, which Rowan loved! They serve as great distractions and good time to take a break.

7. Be prepared for your baby to be loved on!

This is a fun one. Rowan gets complimented (like every other baby) when we are out and about. However, she was a hit at Disneyland! Workers and other people were so sweet and kind over her. My heart wanted to burst!

8. Baby wearing and stroller naps are a life saver

There were times Rowan could hardly stand a single second in the stroller! Cue in my moby (which wasn't that bad)! She enjoyed the closeness while still being able to be out of the stroller! Oh and stroller naps are a lifesaver! Rowan would NEVER nap in the stroller but she did in Disneyland! Holy miracle! 

9. Knowing how your baby is, know when to stop-

 I feel "lucky" that Rowan is a decent traveler. However, I do know my child and her breaking points. One of the days we left early to rest, etc. Don't try to over do it, take breaks! Everyone is much happier and things going even more smoothly.

I was so happy with how our trip turned out. We got annual passes and plan on going multiple times this year! If you are a newbie like me and are hesitant to go, don't be! It will be better than you can imagine!

Some of my favorites: