New Airport Guidelines

Here is some important new Airline guidelines that are in place now due to the recent event. If you are traveling with your children make them aware of this information.

1.Enhanced security precautions are in place at all international airports with flights to the U.S.
2.Passengers must arrive especially early for any international flight as enhanced security on U.S. Bound flights is affecting all travel times
3.All carry-on bags are being subjected to extra security screenings, causing delays at security gates.
4.The Canadian government has banned all carry-on bags for passengers traveling to the U.S. because new screening requirements are causing excessive delays. Only exceptions are purses, cameras, coats, laptops, musical instruments, medical devices and items for baby care.
5.TSA urges all travelers to check as much carry-on baggage as possible but says that items such as car seats will be accepted on board flights.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are both waiving some baggage fees for the mandatory checked baggage on flights to the U.S. from Mexico and Canada.
6.According to the TSA, all passengers regardless of age (including minors and unaccompanied minors) will be subject to additional screening if selected at random or if circumstances warrant.
7.Secondary passenger screenings are very likely to include full body pat-downs and manual inspection of all hand carried items.
8.In flight, at the discretion of the pilot and the individual airline, passengers may be required to stow all their personal belongings for any portion of the flight.
9.In flight, passengers may be required to remain in their seats with their hands fully exposed to view, for any portion of the flight but most likely, for the final hour of the flight.
10.Additionally, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reminds travelers that, according to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all U.S. and Canadian citizens, age 16 and older must present a valid, acceptable travel document that denotes both identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. by land or sea. All air travelers of any age are required to present a passport at time of entry to the U.S.

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you are taking the time to sit back and enjoy your family. Pictured above is Christmas past for us. It goes by so quickly. Enjoy every moment.

Disney Presents.....

Don't miss Disney Prep & Landing tonight at 8:30/7:30 central on ABC. Head over to the Kringle Academy to practice landing Santa's sleigh. If you miss the show tonight don't worry you can go to Disney.com and watch original short, Tiny's Big Adventure, and see the full holiday special again online.

You've Got To Be Joking

An email was sent to me with the following remedies. They are all worth a shot. Give me some feed back if anyone tries one.


Eliminate ear mites. All it takes is a few drops of Wesson Corn Oil in your cat's ear... massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.

Kills fleas instantly... Dawn Dishwashing Liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Good-bye fleas.

Rainy day cure for dog odor: Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?

Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never been advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes... cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus:Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Easy eyeglass protection... to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... if menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Balm for broken blisters... to disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

Vinegar to heal bruises... soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain .

A special blog to Garrett, Alexandra and Madison.

This blog is dedicated to Garrett, Alexandra and Madison. They are the lucky ones that will be heading off to Walt Disney World very soon. I hope they have a wonderful time at Disney and enjoy every bit of what Disney has to offer. I have contacted a very close friend of mine (Mickey Mouse himself) and made him aware of their arrival. I ask that he send some magic their way. Oh and kids see that jolly man in the picture above, well he and Mickey are really good friends. Be on the look out for Jolly ole Saint Nick in the parades. Promise me when you get back you will tell me all about your trip. Have fun!
Your friend,
Miss Tammy

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Enjoy the day and think about what you are thankful for. Don't forget to look for Mickey in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Start Defrosting Those Birds

One of my fellow bloggers, Kristen at Couponing To Disney says to allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F.
Refrigerator Thawing Times
(Whole turkey)
8 to 12 pounds..........1 to 2 days
12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days
I also recommend looking over those recipes to make sure you have all the ingredients you will need. Good luck with those Birds ladies and enjoy the day.

The Limited

Take this coupon HERE into The Limited to get $15 off your purchase through Nov. 23rd! (NOTE: Not valid on markdowns or accessories)
This makes for a great deal on a Christmas gift for the girl in your life.

Happy 81st Birthday Mickey! Thank you for the memories.

Disney Blogs

On the left side of the page (Disney Blogs) I have added several links to sites that is full of information about Disney. I will try to bring you as much as I can but these sites have old archives that will help you in all your Disney vacation planning. Be sure to sign up for their newsletters. Also sign up for my site to receive emails of updates.
Happy planning!

$5 off any Disney Blu Ray

Print yours HERE (IE) or HERE (FF)Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

I love Yankee Candles!!!

Another great coupon just in time for the Holidays. Buy 2 regularly priced large Housewarmer candles and you can get 2 free with this printable coupon. These coupons are not good at the outlet stores.

Always wanted to be an elf?

Thanks to Office Max you can go to http://www.elfyourself.com/ and make you and members of your family out to be elves. This is just hilarious. Give it a try.

If you haven't joined yet you should. Vocalpoint is a great site loaded with information and after signing up you will receive high value coupons. In my mailbox today were Pantene coupons. A $2.00 coupon for me and 3 $1.00 coupon to give to friends.

To register with their site and begin receiving your goodies, click here.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims families and friends of the Fort Hood tragedy. This nonsense must end.

Disney's Hidden Treasures

I was surprised the other day by a very close and dear friend of mine Trese, who has been a guest blogger on my site. She gave me a book titled The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World. I am not a big reader, as Trese knows, but this is one book I will dig deep into. I can't wait to share some of the things I learn. Stay tuned for some hidden magic. I am bringing back Trese's post so you too can learn from all the books that are out there. Oh and Trese we are going on a Moms Only Trip again very soon. Prepare yourself.

I would like to introduce and welcome a very close friend of mine to the blog, Trese D. Trese and I became friends 12 years ago when our sons were in Kindergarten together. We have remained friends ever since and have adopted each other as sisters. We rewarded ourselves in December of 2007 with a "MOMS ONLY TRIP" to Walt Disney World. It was absolutely great. Although we missed our family we had the best time. It was nice not having to worry about everyone else and think of only yourself. I highly recommend going with a friend or spouse at least once. Below Trese has given you a lot of information on a few of the tools we use to prepare our trips. I know you will find these resources helpful. Take it away Trese!Hello everyone, my name is Trese and I am a Disney World fanatic too! I find it most useful to be very prepared before you go to Disney and then have a way to be organized once you get there. In order to preplan, be sure to check out Disney’s own website www.disneyworld.disney.go.com for any information they may have. To begin with you can order a free vacation planning guide. I then recommend getting one or more travel guide books specific to Walt Disney World. I will review three of these guide books here. When you have your trip all outlined head back to Disney’s website to order your free customized maps for each park you plan to visit. With these maps you can have a trail laid out for you with each of your destinations numbered in the order you want to visit.Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World is one travel book that is helpful in planning your trip. This book is more of “Disney publicity” but still has some helpful tidbits as to timing to visit certain attractions and nice information on the attractions at each park. The book also features details about each of the Disney World Resorts. The other nice feature with this book is that it has beautiful color pictures of resorts, park attractions, other attractions such as golf, and Character pictures. This is really a great feature if you scrapbook to add to your own pictures of special moments. The scrapbook feature is the primary reason that I would buy this book.The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is a really great book to pick up insider tips from those who have been there to experience Disney World firsthand. This not only has the book’s author’s opinions on everything from restaurant reviews to ride descriptions but also from people who have written in about their individual experiences. This is a very thick book and not necessarily meant to be read cover to cover. I bought some sticky tabs that I could write on to divide my book into the sections that were important to me and that I would want to access once at the resort or individual parks. There are numerous web sites listed, as well as a special one you get when you buy the book, that provides you with additional information on numerous topics. This has a wealth of information and is especially useful for the first time traveler to Disney World.PassPorter’s Walt Disney World is by far my absolute favorite. It is not necessarily as in depth as The Unofficial Guide but has all the information you could ever need in a concise format. This book is in a spiral binding and is already divided into sections. Especially helpful is each park section as they each include their own map. One feature that I especially like with this book is that it has ratings from the each of the author’s as well as an averaged score from book readers who have sent in their own comments all compiled on a scale of 1 to 10. With regard to each of the rides there is a good description of what to expect and then when appropriate a toddler tip, kid tip, or teen tip. Additionally there are all types of planning charts available in the book. My absolute favorite feature is in the back of the book where there are pockets for you to write down information about your journey, room, and then one for each day of your stay. This came in very handy to record information about reservations, flights, things to do each day, etc. Then in the pocket you can store receipts and any small mementos you want to save. On the back of these pocket charts is a place for you to record your memories. We recapped our day before we went to bed each night and now can remember each day in detail. This is a book I would purchase for each and every visit to Walt Disney World.

Home Depot

The Home Depot Kids Workshop for November will take place this weekend. November 7th @ Home Depot – 9am-noon: The kids will make a Trivet and December 5th from 9am -noon. The kids will make wagons.

While you are there for the kids craft, trade in your used or broken incandescent Christmas lights $3 discount on a new strand of LED Christmas lights (up to five strands). The strands are priced at $5.97, making them just $2.97 each after discount! These type of lights will save you on your electric bill. More savings Whoo!
Thanks, Money Saving Madness!

More Deals For Christmas

On Saturday November 7th, Old Navy will sell their performance fleece scarves for $1.00. Yes $1.00! The limit is 5 scarves per person. Thanks to Daisy at Deal Fanatic for the info.

Time To Start Shopping

http://sites.target.com/images/2009HolidayCoupons/holiday_coupons_print.html

The link above will get you to the toy coupons for Target. Head on over there and snag the deal on the Wii games. Right now they are on sale for buy 2 get 1 free. By clicking on the link above you can print a coupon for an additional $10 off when you buy 2. The games are as low as $14.99. They are going off the shelves fast so get a move on it.

Scenario:

Buy 3 Wii games at $14.99

Total will come to: $44.97

-$14.99 (For the one that will be free)

-$10.00 (By using one of the Target printable coupon)_______

Final out of pocket will be: $19.98 + tax

That is like paying $6.66 + tax a game. Can't beat that.

This can apply to any Wii game of any price. Obviously your out of pocket will be more.

The New Disney Store

Disney will soon introduce Imagination Park.
For those of you that visited the Disney Store in the mall well a new experience is headed out way. Disney Store is going be doing a million dollar per store remodel. There will no longer be rakes of cloths and shelves of toys. The new stores will be interactive. “The world does not need another place to sell Disney merchandise — this only works if it’s an experience,” said Jim Fielding, president of the Disney stores. Emily at Couponing with Disney says,"The new store will have a theater for children to watch film clips they choose, a stage to participate in karaoke contests and an option to chat live with Disney Channel stars via satellite. Merchandise for sale in the store will have magical features. Walk by a “magic mirror” while holding a Princess tiara, for instance, and Cinderella might appear and speak to you.With the push of a button, eight 13-foot-tall Lucite trees will crackle with video-projected fireworks and sound to celebrate a guest's birthday or special event. There will also be exclusive scents released in the store. For example, if it's Christmas the whole store might smell like a Christmas tree in honor of Disney’s “A Christmas Carol." For those of you wanting to travel to the most magical place on earth you will be able to book your vacation there on a touch screen kiosk. Stores will open in May beginning with California, New York and Spain. I can't wait to experience the magic!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun night tonight with all the little ghouls and goblins. As you can see my boys are still enjoying the holiday as well. I have been away for sometime now from my blog and very excited to get back to posting. Look forward to many post next week. So off I go to enjoy the night with my family and friends. See you all next week.

Remember to set your clocks back tonight.

Free Digital Disney Books

Here is a great craft to do with the little one on a gloomy day. Go HERE and register to gain access to three free Disney Digital books! Click on the words for pronunciation. NO CREDIT CARD REQUIRED! I did this with my niece and nephew and they loved it. Enjoy!
Thanks Lori at http://www.momsbyheart.net/

Free Disney Ticket

In 2010 Disney will start a new promotion called “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” Beginning January 1, 2010, search and sign up for a volunteer opportunity from a participating organization. Complete your service for the volunteer opportunity you selected. After your volunteer time is completed and verified you will receive a voucher to redeem your Disney theme park ticket. For complete details on how to get a FREE Disney ticket for volunteering go here. (thanks Couponing to Disney)

Saving In A BIG Way

Bigg's is doing it again, TRIPLE COUPONS. That's right. Starting Friday October 2nd thru Monday October 5th Bigg's will triple manufacturer coupons $.50 and below and will double manufacturer coupons $.55 to a $1.00. Any coupon over $1.00 is at face value. Don't forget to sign up for a Pumps Perks Card if you don't already have one. The last time Bigg's did this promotion I saved $1.46 per gallon of gas at Sunoco. What a bonus!! Bigg's has just recently changed their hours. You may want to call and check to see what time they open and close. Good luck and enjoy.

Senior Pictures

I can't believe it but my first born is a SENIOR this year. I am so proud of his accomplishments and the young man he has grown into. Above are his Senior pictures. These things can be so expensive. As an amateur photographer I decided to take his Senior pictures myself. I have been very busy taken his friends pics as well. If you are looking for a way to save money in this area, don't hesitate to send me an email to discuss how I can take your son or daughters pictures. Contact me at cgtrs@aol.com . Please put in the subject area Senior Pics.

My Previous KMart Shopping Spree

I know this is late to display but I thought it might give you some motivation to go to KMart for their next Double Coupon Event. Missing in the photo above it another package of Cottonelle toilet tissue. My total cost before coupons was $128.17. After coupons I paid only $36.98. I tell ya, saving is addicting!

Sophie's Angel Run

http://www.sophiesangelrun.org/

Sophia Grace Meinhardt

February 26, 2005 - August 21, 2006

I am reaching out to my fellow bloggers and blog readers to take time to visit the site above. The beautiful baby girl that you see pictured was taken from her family suddenly due to a brain tumor. In memory of Little Sophie, and to aid in the pediatric research of brain tumors, her parents organize Sophie's Angel Run. The event takes place on September 27th, 1pm at St. Jude Church in Bridgetown. This is a wonderful family event to attend so mark your calenders. I can't urge you enough to visit the site and read Sophie's story.

All Hands On Deck!

Have you always wanted to go to Alaska? Well Disney is making that possible. Disney Cruise Line will offer Alaskan cruises during a four-month season of seven-night sailings aboard the Disney Wonder in summer 2011. The Disney Wonder will depart out of Vancouver, B.C., calling on popular ports such as Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. Click on the link to hear more information about the ports. http://m1e.net/c?51839928-JLBvIvU0f2EKE%404602047-r7InDoqj0DTb6
The Disney Wonder will also sail seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

The World Is Expanding!

Disney World will begin a major expansion of Fantasyland that will be finished in 2013. This is the largest expansion in the history of Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland will double in size. Toontown will close so that they can build new areas such as spots for Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle. Also featured will be Beast's castle, which will include a new restaurant that will be counter service during the day and table service by night. Hate those long lines for Dumbo? Well another part of the first phase of the expansion will be the doubling of Dumbo, and a new interactive, three-ring circus tent. Let's not forget Ariel, The Little Mermaid. She will get her very own attraction (which will also open at Disney's California Adventure). The first phase of the expansion should be concluded in 2011. The second phase of the expansion, which should be finished by 2013, will be the construction of Pixie Hollow, featuring Tinker Bell and her fairy friends.
Disney isn't stopping at the Magic Kingdom, Star Wars II: A new, 3-D version of the "Star Tours" attraction will debut at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2011. This will include new elements that will take you to many familiar places in the Star Wars galaxy.
You can read about more of this at the link below.
http://land.allears.net/blogs/dnews/2009/09/walt_disney_parks_and_resorts_2.html
Thanks to Allears for this new information.

Free Night of Theater 2009

Keep checking the link below for a free night out to a live show. Hoping there will be something offered in Cincinnati.

Free Night of Theater 2009 - Home Page Welcome

The Gratitude Campaign

Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and wanted to convey to them your thanks. A gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which could be used, and has started a movement to get the word out. Please everybody take just a moment to watch The Gratitude Campaign;and then forward it to your friends. THEN START USING THE SIGN http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php

Princess Contest

If you have a little princess at home here is a contest you want to enter. Click on the link below to enter for a chance to win at a Disney vacation.
Good Luck!
http://family.go.com/princess-picture-contest/?CMP=NLC-FOB_WhosTheFairest

We're Back!!

We are back from another wonderful trip to Walt Disney World. I have to say this trip we experienced more rain than we ever have in Florida. Speaking of water this was also the trip we spent more time at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach than we ever have. Needless to say by the end of our stay we had all the water we could take for one trip.

The crowd level was down for the month of July. At check in Saturday we asked the hotel clerk if she had notice the crowd level being down. She did say that on Saturday during this time in July they would normally check in a 1,000 new guest. They had only checked in 600. So does that tell you anything. Disney obviously is taking somewhat of a beating from the economy. Look at all the offers that are out there from Disney. I don't think I have ever seen this many offers. They even had the bounce back offer going on. This means there is a special advertisement in your room stating that if you book at trip during certain dates remaining in 2009 you would receive a discount. I believe 30% or 35% off your room rate. I didn't look at it in much detail because I knew I would not be returning anytime soon.

As far as food goes I believe the pizza at Disney's Pop Century Resort has gotten even better. We had it 3 times during our stay. It is always pipping hot. The lines at the counter service area was never busy. I did see several people warming up microwave meals in the microwave. Two families that were taking luggage to their rooms had totes of food. I am happy to see that people are cutting corners in areas in order to still have family time at the most wonderful place on earth, Disney World.

I will say, although my boys are 17 and 15 now, when we go to Disney we have the absolute best time. Even the 14 hour ride down was a great part of the trip. At one point of the ride down we all were laughing so hard we were crying. The memories we have from our trips at Disney.

Oh almost forgot, My oldest son had the second and third highest scores of the day Thursday on Toy Story Mania. We took a picture of his scores. He was pumped. How cool is that? I will post some pics later.

In Memory Of Molly

It has been a week now since our precious Molly has left us. I knew it would be difficult when the day came but I never realized how difficult. It is truly amazing how close you can become to your pet. She fit into our family so well. She gave us so much joy and love. We miss her so much. Now rest Molly. We love you!

Time to save!!

OK everyone head on over to the Disney Outlet Store and take a look at all the bargains. www.disneyoutlet.com. This is the time to get those T-shirts and souvenirs before you head to Disney. Make sure you use the special code to get and extra 30% off your purchase. Now is a good time to buy for Christmas with these deals. Don't forget to take a look at the Halloween costumes for October.

To all those dads out there:

Happy Fathers Day!

Thank you to all those that lost their lives protecting our country and freedom. Our heros!

You've got to try it!

I have had $3.00 coupons off of the Kashi pizzas for awhile now but could not find them in any stores. Yesterday I found them at Meijer for $5.29 each so I purchased 2. I had the Mediterranean Pizza today for lunch and guess what I loved it. I just started a diet 2 1/2 weeks ago and have already lost 7lbs. I am really trying to cut portion sizes, eliminate Coca Cola, sweet tea and deserts. I am also watching calories, adding more protein and fiber to my meals and drinking a lot of water. Seriously a lot of water. When I looked at the Kashi Pizza box I immediately seen it has 260mg ALA which is an Omega 3, 15 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. It is made with 7 Whole grains and Sesame with Flax seed. No I am not one to eat frozen pizza but this is not your ordinary frozen pizza. You just have to try it. Kroger, starting Monday, will have the Kashi pizza on sale for $3.99 each. I will be stocking up.

Oh by the way here is what the Mediterranean Pizza has on it. Spinach, fire roasted red onions and sweet red peppers, four signature cheeses including Feta with roasted red pepper sauce on stone fired crust. Guess what it is all natural!

My KMart Deal

Here it is, my Kmart deal. Price before coupons $257.46. Price after coupons $79.74. Total savings $177.72. Not bad!

Your Support Is Needed

In June of 2006 dear friends of mine lost their child to Cancer. Their daughter Hannah (pictured above) was only 2 1/2 when she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. Hannah fought for 7 months going through 6 rounds of chemo and many surgeries. Many were there for Hannah as she courageously fought for her life and we can still be there for her by supporting the CancerFree Kids Butterfly Walk on May 9th 2009. The event will take place at Cottell Park, Mason OH starting at 9am. You can register individually or as a team at http://www.butterflywalk.com/ . On line registration ends 5/7/09. All event details can be found at the above link. Last year the event raised over $40,000. All proceeds generated by the Butterfly Walk go directly to CancerFree Kids. It takes people like me and you to see that a cure is found and only by donating can this be done. I challenge all you bloggers to form a team and come out to this event. We enjoy helping others save money, imagine the joy you would feel knowing your support would help a child. Please take the time to look at http://www.butterflywalk.com/. Feel free to contact me personally at cgtrs@aol.com if you have any questions that may not be answered by visiting the site. Hope to see you there!

Tammy

Our Favorite Disney World Resorts

For those of you that did not get to see my guest post at http://blog.nickels-n-dimes.com/ well here it is for your viewing pleasure. I hope the information I provide is helpful to you. If you ever have any questions about Disney World feel free to email me at cgtrs@aol.com. I am happy to assist you in your Disney trip plans.

Hello everyone! My name is Tammy and I absolutely love Walt Disney World. With this guest blog I would like to share my family’s two favorite Disney resorts. I have just recently developed my own blog site so that I can share Disney Vacation Deals, money saving tips, and the experience I have gained from my many trips there.

My first visit, to the most wonderful place on earth, was our honeymoon in August of 1990. Since then, I have been there 14 times. I have learned that the best way to go is to stay on Disney property. Disney truly takes great care of their guest.

We have stayed at 3 of the Value resorts and 2 of the Moderate resorts. Our favorite value resort is Pop Century. This resort does not share bus transportation with any other resorts. The other value resorts do and this can lead to long lines to and from the parks. The 50’s building, B and C, are our favorite to stay in at Pop. You should ask to face Hourglass Lake. Here you are able to see the fireworks from Epcot IllumiNations, not to mention it’s very quiet facing the lake and walking path which can be nice after a long day at the parks. Pop Century is the only resort that has a frozen Coke machine. This is one of the highlights for my boys.

If you are looking for a more adult theme, I recommend Port Orleans: French Quarters (our favorite Moderate resort). Port Orleans gives you the feeling of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is situated on the bank of the Sassagoula River that offers a free boat ride to Downtown Disney or its sister hotel Port Orleans: Riverside. It is a wonderfully peaceful resort. My parents absolutely love it here as well. You have the opportunity to rent fishing poles, pedal boats, rowboats, bikes, or take a horse drawn carriage ride. The rooms are a bit bigger than at Pop Century but not drastically. The food court is comparable to the value resorts but at Port Orleans you also get the benefit of sit down restaurants.
All moderate resorts have hot tubs where the value resorts do not.
Port Orleans: French Quarter is one of Disney’s smallest resorts. You would not be disappointed with any building on these grounds.

I highly recommend not getting a room that faces the pools at any resort. Disney’s lifeguards go off duty, I believe, about 10 PM. Guest are allowed to stay in the pools and swim at their own risk. It can be very loud. It seems like the noise from the pools echo and when you are trying to get to the parks early the next morning you want your sleep.

Some helpful tips when staying at any Disney resort.

Due to airlines charging for those extra suitcases try cutting down on the number of outfits you bring by doing laundries while you are on vacation. I know the last thing you ladies want to do is laundry, but think of the savings. The laundry facilities are by the pool so while you are enjoying a swim throw your laundry in. Purchase one of those pop up, mesh, clothes hampers. This packs very nicely in your suitcase taking up no room at all and makes it convenient carrying the laundry down to be washed. Bring along some travel size detergent and dryer sheets and you are ready to go.

Disney offers refillable mugs at your resort. The mugs are around $12 each. Unless you plan on being at your hotel a lot I would not invest the money. They don’t hold that much once you put ice in them. Take along those Kool-aid Singles or Crystal Light singles to add to water. These can also be carried into the parks and added to the free cup of ice water you ask for.

We usually eat breakfast in the hotel room or on the bus headed to the parks. I bring Pop Tarts, Quaker Oatmeal Bars, and baggies filled with our favorite cereal, in our suitcases. Capri Suns also pack well to go along with breakfast. These also work well for snacks while in the park to hold you over until lunch or dinner.

Take along a fitted sheet for the bed. When packing the fitted sheet I put a dryer sheet in the suitcase with them so you have a fresh smell when you slip under the covers at night. This also keeps the flat sheets the resorts use from getting all knotted up underneath you when sleeping.

There is not a lot of room on the bathroom counter for shampoos, deodorants and other personal items. Purchase an inexpensive plastic hanging shoe holder and hang it on the bathroom door. This will hold all those items and keep them from clutter up the sink area.

We always take our pillows from home for a better nights sleep. You can purchase the bags that compress the pillows for easier travel. I got mine at WalMart and you simply roll the bag after you sealed it to push the air out. They can be found where you find luggage.

We have also packed at small cooler filled with peanut butter, crackers, chips, bread, jelly, fruit cups, cans of pop and any other non perishable item you can think of and send it on the airplane. We didn’t have any problems but I would call ahead and ask if this is OK for the particular airline you are flying on. When we get there we fill the cooler with ice. For all you Mountain Dew lovers, like my husband, Disney has a contract with Coke so you will not get Pepsi products in the World.

Remember to enjoy yourself and be a kid again!

Thank you Cincinnati Cents, for bringing this to our attention. With these offers you can get the movie BOLT for only $6.99!
Buy Bolt at Target for $15.99
use the $5 printable coupon here
submit for $6 rebate with this form
You need to buy a box of pasta, including Ronzoni Smart Taste, Ronzoni, San Giorgio, Creamette, American Beauty, Prince or Skinner but you can usually get a box of Creamette for around $1.

Birthday At WDW

For anyone attending Walt Disney World on their birthday don't forget to register your birthday on their official website (which you can find on the left side of my blog) in order to get your voucher for free admission. Prior to entering the gate go to the will-call window and get your fastpass. Everyone in your party receives the fastpass but all must be present and have your park pass in hand. What a great gift! There are others to choose from but this would be the one I would pick during peak season. Oh by the way the cake my son is holding in the picture was made just for him on his 13th birthday by one of the Disney Bakers. I called Pop Century the week before our arrival and placed the order. They had never heard of a chocolate chip cookie cake so I had to explain. It turned out just wonderful and was $12.00. It was ready to pick up at noon the day of his birthday. He was so surprised.

Make Note

Making plans to go to Walt Disney World? Well make note, McDonalds will be holding their convention this year in Orlando July 12-24. They are not staying on Disney Property but there will be select dates that Disney's Hollywood Studios will be closed to the public and opened only for those attending the convention. They say to expect thousands to attend. On July 15, 19 and 23, Disney Hollywood Studios will be open 7:30 p.m. -midnight for McDonalds employees only.

Something New At Downtown Disney

The new "Aerophile" tethered balloon will begin giving rides at Downtown Disney next week. Prices have been set at $16 for adults and $10 for ages 3-9, plus tax.

I Have A Secret!!

Rumor has it that Walt Disney World's next promo will be FREE DINING!! Yes you heard me correctly, but this is a rumor. Travel will need to take place between August 15 - September 30, 2009. This will be available for booking starting on March 30th.

Disney Crocs

Click on this link http://www.crocs.com/products/outlet/ and you will find some great prices on Disney Crocs.

Disney Pins

If you are headed to Disney and love pin trading I recommend hppydiztrader from eBay for the purchase of Disney Trading Pins. Look to the left side of my blog and you will see her name, click on it and it will take you to her store. I have purchased from her 3 times and was completely happy with everything about the transaction, shipping and quality of the pins. These are the same pins you would buy at Disney that would run you $6.95 to as much as $12.95 each. I recommend buying the $2.50 PER DISNEY PIN GRAB BAG LOT. She is now offering free shipping. This is a buy now special and is not always available. You do not get to pick which pins you want. It is a total surprise but you can tell her if you are purchasing for a boy or girl or even tell her a few of your favorite characters. There is no guarantee on what pins you will get. This pins are new. I am not even headed to Disney and I am thinking of buying. If you have any questions feel free to email her and she can give you the answers. I do not know this person personally but have been extremely happy with my pins and transaction with her. Oh don't delay on purchasing the GRAB BAG LOT. It is only available for 4 more days.



Don't know anything about pin trading? Well I plan to give you the scoop in an upcoming post. So stay tuned!

Walgreens Shopping Adventure

Ok last night I stopped at Walgreens on my way home from work to get the deals. Here is what I ended up with:
5 bottles of Garnier Conditioner
4 bottles of Garnier Hairspray
1 Garnier Styling Product
2 tubes of Colgate Toothpaste
8 Glade deodorizers

Total savings was $123.42
I paid $6.30 (This was all tax that I owed, products were totally free!)

Here is how it breaks down. Garnier Hair products are on sale for $2.99. I used the $2.00 coupon out of the Walgreens Easy Saver Booklet to bring them down to $.99 each. I then used a $1.00 manufacture coupon for each one making them free. (Still have to pay tax). Same with the Glade products. They were on sale for $7.99. Used the $4.00 coupons out of the Easy Saver Booklet to bring them down to $3.99 then used my $4.00 manufacture coupon for each one making them free also (again have to pay tax). Colgate Total Toothpaste priced at $3.49. Used the Easy Saver Booklet $2.50 coupon bring it down to $.99 each. I then used a manufacture coupon for $1.00 making it free. The other Colgate Toothpaste was on clearance $.62. I used a $.75 manufacture coupon making this item free also with overage that went toward my tax on the item. I ask the clerk why the toothpaste was on clearance because the expiration date was good until 2010. She said the company must be changing the packaging or formula a little bit so they have to clearance. There was a lot of orange tag items in the store (orange tag means clearance). I told her I would be back tomorrow with my coupon box to see what else I could get for free.

For those of you that have never used the Easy Saver Booklet they are located at the front of the store where the sale ad is. These coupons can be matched with manufacture coupons for higher savings.

Photo of the Week

Ever wonder what Main Street at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom would look like empty, well here it is. My friend Trese and I went on a Mom's Only Weekend December 2007 and was chosen to enter the park before any other guest. It was amazing. It would have been nice if the photo pass photographer would have stepped out of the picture, oh well.

Disney' s New Online Check-in Service

For more information about the new Online Check-In Service call 407-W-DISNEY or your local travel agent or visit www.disneyworld.com. This is a complimentary service allowing you to check-in within 10 days of your arrival date. At that time you can request room preferences (which is not a guarantee)and let them know of your expected arrival time. There will be a special welcome location where you will obtain your room keys and registration material. This is offered at select Walt Disney Resort Hotels and Disney Vacation Club Resorts.

Spring Is In The Air

This is one event I have yet to see and would love to:
Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival - - Starting March 18-May 31, 2009. New in 2009 will be the 'Cinderellabration' Topiary, Pirates Adventure Zone, and Pixie Hollow Playground. There will concerts on the weekends only: 3/20 - 3/22 -- Davy Jones 3/27 - 3/29 -- Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Old Navy

Old Navy has created a new site where you can get coupons. This site went live last Thursday but the coupons were gone very quickly. It is supposed to be updated every Thursday so hopefully you will be able to snag some of these coupons today. There is a trick, you need to hunt for the coupons. The coupons are hidden on the web page. Check on this thread for comments on where people have found coupons. Some of the savings were up to $75 off $100 purchase. WOW! Here is their new website: Old Navy Weekly.

McDonalds

On Fridays between March 6 and April 24, 2009, participating McDonalds locations nationwide will be selling hamburgers for $.49 and cheeseburgers for $.59. There's no limit! Check your local McDonalds to see if they are participating.

Home Depot Kid Clinics

FREE Home Depot Kid Clinic

March 7th @ Home Depot – 9am-noon: Home Depot Raceway

April 4th @ Home Depot -9am-noon: Window Birdhouse.

Grocery Shopping Adventure

Today I went to Meijer, Walgreens and Kroger. Pictured above is everything I purchased at all the stores. My total out of pocket for all 3 stores was $97.36. My total savings was $176.09. Not to shabby! If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you will be able to see all the items better.

Disney World Closures and Refurbishments

The following are some upcoming closures at Disney World. You can always check for updated information by visiting http://www.disneyworld.com/

Hollywood Studios
Studio Backlot Tour closed though 2/28/09 for refurbishment.
AFI Showcase closed though 2/28/09 for refurbishment.

Water Parks
Typhoon Lagoon closed through 3/22/09 for refurbishment.

Epcot
Universe of Energy/Ellen's Energy Adventure closed through 3/22/09 for refurbishment.

Magic Kingdom
The Hall of Presidents closed through 7/1/09 for refurbishment and installation of the new President.
Liberty Square Riverboat closed 2/19/09 - 2/28/09 for refurbishment.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin closed 3/2/09 - 3/9/09 for refurbishment.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority (Magic Kingdom) closed 4/19/09 - 8/19/09.
Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom) closed 4/19/09 - 11/21/09 for refurbishment.

Mans Best Friend

Play Me!

Bayer is encouraging all pet owners to get to the vet and have your animals checked out. Due to the economy some owners are forgoing the yearly check up for their pets. Go to www.gettothevet.com and print your $20 vet voucher.

Disney Vacation Planner DVD

Click below to order your free

Disney Parks Vacation Planning DVD.

Stockpiling

Stockpiling

I was visiting over at Little Miss Know It All's Blog and wanted to share with you her stockpile of all her goodies. Check it out! Maybe someday I will share with you my stockpile that I am working on.

Posted using ShareThis

Helpful Tools For Planning Your Trip

I would like to introduce and welcome a very close friend of mine to the blog, Trese D. Trese and I became friends 12 years ago when our sons were in Kindergarten together. We have remained friends ever since and have adopted each other as sisters. We rewarded ourselves in December of 2007 with a "MOMS ONLY TRIP" to Walt Disney World. It was absolutely great. Although we missed our family we had the best time. It was nice not having to worry about everyone else and think of only yourself. I highly recommend going with a friend or spouse at least once. Below Trese has given you a lot of information on a few of the tools we use to prepare our trips. I know you will find these resources helpful. Take it away Trese!

Hello everyone, my name is Trese and I am a Disney World fanatic too! I find it most useful to be very prepared before you go to Disney and then have a way to be organized once you get there. In order to preplan, be sure to check out Disney’s own website www.disneyworld.disney.go.com for any information they may have. To begin with you can order a free vacation planning guide. I then recommend getting one or more travel guide books specific to Walt Disney World. I will review three of these guide books here. When you have your trip all outlined head back to Disney’s website to order your free customized maps for each park you plan to visit. With these maps you can have a trail laid out for you with each of your destinations numbered in the order you want to visit.

Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World is one travel book that is helpful in planning your trip. This book is more of “Disney publicity” but still has some helpful tidbits as to timing to visit certain attractions and nice information on the attractions at each park. The book also features details about each of the Disney World Resorts. The other nice feature with this book is that it has beautiful color pictures of resorts, park attractions, other attractions such as golf, and Character pictures. This is really a great feature if you scrapbook to add to your own pictures of special moments. The scrapbook feature is the primary reason that I would buy this book.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is a really great book to pick up insider tips from those who have been there to experience Disney World firsthand. This not only has the book’s author’s opinions on everything from restaurant reviews to ride descriptions but also from people who have written in about their individual experiences. This is a very thick book and not necessarily meant to be read cover to cover. I bought some sticky tabs that I could write on to divide my book into the sections that were important to me and that I would want to access once at the resort or individual parks. There are numerous web sites listed, as well as a special one you get when you buy the book, that provides you with additional information on numerous topics. This has a wealth of information and is especially useful for the first time traveler to Disney World.

PassPorter’s Walt Disney World is by far my absolute favorite. It is not necessarily as in depth as The Unofficial Guide but has all the information you could ever need in a concise format. This book is in a spiral binding and is already divided into sections. Especially helpful is each park section as they each include their own map. One feature that I especially like with this book is that it has ratings from the each of the author’s as well as an averaged score from book readers who have sent in their own comments all compiled on a scale of 1 to 10. With regard to each of the rides there is a good description of what to expect and then when appropriate a toddler tip, kid tip, or teen tip. Additionally there are all types of planning charts available in the book. My absolute favorite feature is in the back of the book where there are pockets for you to write down information about your journey, room, and then one for each day of your stay. This came in very handy to record information about reservations, flights, things to do each day, etc. Then in the pocket you can store receipts and any small mementos you want to save. On the back of these pocket charts is a place for you to record your memories. We recapped our day before we went to bed each night and now can remember each day in detail. This is a book I would purchase for each and every visit to Walt Disney World.

Today's Grocery Shopping Adventure

From time to time I will post my Grocery Shopping Adventures. Today my Mom and I headed out in the cold weather and was able to save a boat load of money. Above are my purchases alone. The photo you see includes all purchases made for the day. We visited Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger, Target and Meijer. I am not going to take the time to break down what I spent and saved at each location, but I did want to share with you the grand total. With all stores combined my total savings was $181.60 and what I spent was $89.67. Is that AWESOME or what!!! I save by buying things when they are on sale and using coupons for those items. It really does pay to shop smart.

Lowes Coupon

Doing a little remodeling like us? Well head on over to Lowes with this $10 off of $50 coupon. Go HERE for the coupon. Information provided by Lizzy's Language.

Guest Blog

Becky over at Nickles-n-Dimes has had some technical difficulty with her site and is now up and running again. Head on over and read my guest blog about Disney. Becky has been a great resource for my when I head out grocery shopping on the weekends. I am sure you will learn a lot from her if you study her site on a regular basis. Thanks Becky for the opportunity to be a guest blogger!

www.nickels-n-dimes.blogspot.com

7days for the price of 4 EXTENSION

The word is out! Disney has decided to extend the vacation special get 7 days for the price of 4 through August 15th. This includes hotel stay and Disney park passes. So if you thought you missed out, your in luck. Call today to book this awesome deal.

Room Only General Public Discount

Now the general public can receive a discount when booking a room only reservation at any Disney resort. You must book by February 4, 2009. Contact Disney Travel Agents by calling 1-407-WDISNEY or a travel agent that specializes in Disney and use code OZI. You will need to ask which days are offered in February and March for the discount. Discount may vary depending on the dates you are staying. Be aware that weekend rates can be higher. It is possible to receive a room at a Value resort for as little as $49 a night plus tax. So don't delay. Book now!

Kroger Mega Sale

Headed over to Krogers tonight to take advantage of the Mega Sale. Above you will see (17) 8oz bags of Kraft shredded cheese, 2 blocks of Kraft cheese, 3 boxes of Wheat Thins and (5) 1/2 gallons of milk.

Total Out of Pocket was: $17.30

I saved $58.53 Total savings was 77%

How did I do it:

Kraft cheese is on sale for $1.99 a bag
When you buy 10 you automatically get $.50 off per bag.
At Krogers there is a blinkie machine by the cheese section that has coupons for $.75 off per bag. These coupons then become $1.00 off at checkout even though they say do not double on them.
Each bag comes down to $.49.

The Wheat Thins are also part of the Mega Sale which means when you buy certain products in multiples of 10 you receive $.50 off each product. I also had a $1.00 off of each box of Wheat Thins making them only a $1.00.

Kroger Milk is on sale for $1.20 on the 1/2 gallons.

Now I know what you are thinking, does Tammy's family really eat that much cheese? Well we do like our cheese but did you know that you can freeze cheese? So stock up people.

Calling All Scrappers

Here is your chance to get a free Disney scrapebook.  Simply purchase 2 Jif Peanut Butter or 2 Smucker's Fruit Spreads, send in the store receipt with these items circled and it's yours free.  Offer expires 3/31/09

Go HERE to download your PDF.

Disney's Armed Forces Salute Ticket

For anyone looking to take advantage of this offer you must contact the ITT office on your base. If you are retired from the military contact your local bases ITT office. It is my understanding that tickets can be purchased for friends and any family members. Vouchers will be given and then you will need to redeem the vouchers for tickets at any of the theme parks. To be sure contact 1-407-wdisney and ask for details about the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets.

Are You One Of The Lucky Ones?

Disney has just recently sent out emails to select people offering 40% off a Disney Stay at a select resort in a standard room for stays most Sunday-Thursday nights. There is a pin # assigned to these emails that you will need to use in order to get the discount. If you did not get this email and have plans of going in 2009 just call Disney (1-407-wdisney) and ask if there is a pin # attached to your name. You may very well have the same discount but did not get the email. Some of you are asking how do I get this pin # sent to me? Well it is magical!!! No really it usually goes out to random people that have visited Disney before. Some have simple ordered a free vacation planner DVD from them which has gotten their name in the Disney system and have been lucky enough to receive this special email or postcard in the mail. If you are able to take advantage of the deal it is worth it.

A Disney special for those who served.

From now until December 23, 2009, active and retired U.S. Military, including members of the U.S. Coast Guard and activated members of the National Guard or Reservists, can receive ONE complimentary 5-Day Disney's Armed Forces Salute Ticket (Base Ticket with the Park Hopper option and Water Park Fun & More Option. The No Expiration option is not available, and this ticket is not upgradeable.)

Those eligible include:
-- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard-- Retired military personnel-- Federal/State National Guard and Reserves (with active papers dated 1/1/08-12/23/09)NOTE: Department of Defense (CIA, FBI, Secret Service) and Coalition Forces are excluded.

It gets even better, military members may also purchase 5-Day Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion Tickets for up to five family members and/or friends for $99 plus tax (Park Hopper Option and Water Park Fun & More Options may be purchased for an additional $25 + tax for each option. No Expiration option is NOT available).

Complimentary "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" tickets for admission to the Walt Disney World Resort can be obtained only at participating US military base ticket offices (including Shades of Green), or at Main Entrance theme park ticket windows. Military personnel who obtain an exchange voucher at a military base or SOG will need to activate the voucher at Main Entrance theme park ticket windows in order to use those tickets (no more than one such complimentary ticket per service member will be activated).

Guests can pre-purchase the companion tickets (in the form of an exchange voucher) at Shades of Green or at a military base, TAX-FREE! The exchange voucher is then taken to a Main Entrance theme park ticket window, where it is exchanged for the actual ticket. The companion tickets can also be purchased at the Main Entrance theme park ticket windows, but if you do this, you must pay tax.

This offer is only available once per service member.
In addition to this ticket offer, eligible members of the U.S. Military can save up to 40% on rooms at select Disney Moderate Resorts, for stays most nights January 4 to December 23, 2009 (not available at all 2/13-2/15, 4/4-4/18, 5/22-5/24, 7/3-7/4, 11/25-11/26/09). Ask about special rates through December 23, 2009 at other select Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. For details:
http://m1e.net/c?51839928-DATW/DdBHthAs%403871557-ko9YLVuqeV2PQ

Free Suave

Get your free bottle of Suave on January 14th. Go to Suave.com and get your $3 coupon. You can purchase Suave product you like even lotion.