Let’s get ready Disney fans! Disney on Ice is back in the Dayton area, with a whole new show!

Disney on Ice’s Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey is coming to our area, and you MUST be there! It’s so rare that we get a taste of Disney in Ohio, so take advantage while you can
Shows begin this weekend at the Nutter Center in Dayton from  October 20-23, 2011:

Thursday, October 20 – 7:00 p.m. performance
Friday, October 21 – 7:00 p.m. performance
Saturday, October 22 – 11:00 a.m. performance
Saturday, October 22 – 3:00 p.m. performance
Saturday, October 22 – 7:00 p.m. performance
Sunday, October 23 – 1:00 p.m. performance
Sunday, October 23 – 5:00 p.m. performance

$13.50 (children 2-12 are $12)
$17.50 (children 2-12 are $12)
$28.00 (VIP)
$35.00 (Front row)
$40.00 (Rinkside)

Opening night only: All $17.50 and $13.50 level seats are $11.00.

There is a $5 per car parking fee as well.

and THEN at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati from October 27-30, 2011. For some of us, we can go see it in TWO locations! Not that I would do that, or anything…

I have been to several Disney on Ice shows with my family, and wouldn’t dream of missing it. It’s a great time, geared for all ages. The characters are brought to life, and (at the Nutter Center) every seat is a good one.

I am super excited to take my family to see Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey at the Nutter Center.  M already can’t stop talking about Ariel!

Now for the discount: you can purchase (up to 4) tickets for only $10 each.  If you’re going to order online, make sure you enter the promotional code MAGIC at checkout.  It excludes rinkside, VIP and Opening Night tickets.  Tickets will be subject to availability and service charges apply. You know, the legal stuff.

I am so pleased to share with you something that I’ve been wanting to say for announce for some time now:

THE DISNEY STORE IS BACK!

And it’s right here, in Southwest Ohio at Kenwood Mall!

Yes, I cried. Yes, I was speechless. And yes, I totally took my kid out of school to experience it’s opening!

It’s the newest concept for the Disney Store, and a complete destination within itself. I was completely blown away with the level of detail and magic put into every corner. It truly goes above and beyond what I have come to normally expect from Disney.

And that says a lot.

It’s got it’s own castle,

that little princesses can walk through:

to their very own magic mirror complete with talking princesses (I’ll have more on that magic later, as soon as I get through some technical difficulties):

located just west of Pixie Dust Lane,

And for the boys, there’s a whole wall of CARS,

And even details for the adults (see how many locations you can recognize!), they literally have something for everyone,

There’s even a movie theater, with an interactive que and craft/coloring table (that my daughter went crazy for- you can even see pictures of her on the Disney Store’s blog enjoying it):

And even one lucky guest got to open the store with a GIANT key!

We had an amazing time, and can’t wait to head back for their Grand Opening on the 10th for more fun and surprises!

Disclosure: I was invited as a special guest to a media preview of the opening. I received a gift bag thanking me for coming. No money exchanged hands. But you all know I’d totally be all “fan girl” at the Disney Store coming back to my area!

One thing that I am very proud of, is that my daughter (5) is a GREAT traveler.

I think it’s because as a family, we’ve done quite a bit of traveling since she was 3 months old. Whether it be by air or car (we still haven’t hit that cruise yet) she’s always been very happy even in the 9 hour car rides or the 4 hour layovers.

Here I’m going to share with you some of my top tips, tricks and products that I absolutely don’t leave home without.

First up- the tips:

It’s all about keeping your child happy, and on their schedule if at all possible. If you’re leaving on a 7:00am flight (that means security check in at 5:00am), make sure they head to bed an hour or two earlier than normal. You can start this process by 2 weeks before departure, cutting your child’s bed-time back by 15 minutes every 3 days. Your child will adjust because their bodies cannot tell 15 minutes from none. Really. It’s advice I had gotten from my pediatrician early on, and it really does work.

Surprise your child- it’s okay to eat healthy on the go, but those little packages of 100 calorie cookies are a great way to distract from a high-stress situation. Or, if your child has a favorite snack, bring it along to help ease the transition. I’m always known for taking longer in the security line because I bring my daughter’s favorite applesauce with us. While it’s under 3 ounces, it still has to be wiped for explosives. This extra step doesn’t bother me if I know it will help keep my child happy while we’re waiting for the plane. It’s also same for the car. Want to make it to that rest stop that’s still 30 minutes away? Pull out the snack.

My tricks:

Theme your trips. I know it might sound cheesy, but if you’re headed to Disney World- have Tinker Bell visit your child during the night with some goodies. She normally brings my daughter a back pack full of glow bracelets (to share during the parades), coloring books, crayons, magnets & board, stickers and small toys. Sometimes, she even brings tiaras! If you’re headed to Washington DC, pack mini space ships, books about the presidents and so on. These are a great way to get your kids not only excited about the trip, but also gives them distractions. I get most of my items from the Dollar Store, so I never spend more than $10.

Another trick I have is loading videos on my smart phone. My daughter feels very special when I let her do anything with my phone, so when she gets to watch an entire video on it- well, let’s just say I’m the bee’s knees. It’s super easy to do and most of the time free (when I upload my own videos from home).

I also give my child a Hot-Wheels sized airplane every time we fly. She has a blast playing with it in the terminal while we’re waiting for our plane to arrive. Once, we were sat next to a pilot on his way home who knew everything about her toy plane. He kept her occupied the entire two hour flight by telling her about it, and then quizzing her on what she remembered as they chatted. It was a great experience, and I am so glad we had that toy with us.

And then there’s the products…

I could go on and on here. In fact, I already kinda have. I know I’ve mentioned a few things above, but here I’m going to share with you more smart products to keep you and your kids sane.

First, I received the coolest piece of luggage from Colorado Bag &Baggage. It’s a Hey’s Disney LED hard case Pooh and Tigger carry-on. Hey’s has several exciting prints to choose from, but we happen to love the Pooh and Tigger one, because they look like they’re on vacation. Plus, there are special LED lights within the wheels when the luggage is being rolled. It’s a cool effect, and we always get people asking us where we got it from. It’s also super easy for my daughter to use it. Protruding wheels keep the case elevated so it never drags on the bottom. It’s also specifically designed for kids, at only 3.8 pounds it’s easy to pull (and fill) with a mono grip adjustable handle that fits comfortably. We never get complaints from our daughter even walking in the longest corridors.

Next up are the Expo washable Markers. I had never even heard of these beauties until I was blessed to have a House Party for them. They are the first washable erasable markers from Expo that have no odor and are completely washable. There’s also very little lint. You can use them on almost every dry erase board, but I recommend Expo’s 8.9″x11.8″ Dry Erase Learning Board. It’s blank on one side for creative use, and lined on the other so your kiddos can work on words, letters or sentences. It also fits perfectly in a book bag or carry on.Who says you can’t learn while traveling?

Then there’s the Sesame Street USB. If you’re like me, you never go anywhere without your laptop, so these little USB memory sticks are perfect for keeping your kid entertained without taking up a lot of room. Each USB stick is character specific with a full length Sesame Street video loaded onto it. You also have direct access to SesameStreet.com (for use in terminal or using in-flight WiFi). It has the capacity for storing over 400 songs, photos and written content as well. It’s a one-screen, one-touch process to access the movie as well, so it’s easy for the little ones to navigate. It also has a built-in bungee cord, so once you attach it, it’s nearly impossible to lose.

So now you’ve heard some of my tricks and tips, and have seen some of the products I can’t live without when traveling with my kiddo. What are some of the things you find most useful?

This morning, it was within my time frame to book my 180-day Disney Dining Reservations. After 3 months of planning, I finally got to book where I’m going to eat in 6 months. While I’m not a fan of this much of an early reservation system (I miss you, my 90 day system!), it’s a necessary evil if you want to book some good places. The booking system online opened at 6:00am, and the phone lines opened at 7:00am. I was on at 6:00am planning most of our reservations, and on at 7:00am with a cast member to book some of the special events (like Bippidy Boppidy Boutique and Hoop de Doo).

So here’s my plan:

Day 1: Arrival day! Breakfast will most likely be Cinnabon in our local airport.

Lunch: Earl of Sandwich at Down Town Disney.

Dinner: 1900 Park Faire at Disney’s Grand Floridian. It’s a character buffet dinner; featuring Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and the step sisters. This is a tradition for us, as we always have dinner here on arrival.

Day 2:

We’ll be focusing on EPCOT’s Innovations West and East. Due to the construction at the Magic Kingdom, we’ll be spending 2 days at EPCOT.

Breakfast: Akershus Princess Story Book Dining in Norway. One of the best deals on property, it’s a delicious buffet breakfast (try the dill schmear!) with the princesses that includes a portrait package at no extra cost! It’s a must-do and a fantastic photo-op for the family.

After breakfast: AAA Story time in Norway. This event is free and available to AAA members (who booked their Disney trip through AAA) only.

Lunch: Garden Grill is no longer serving lunch (BOOOOOOOO) so I was completely at a loss for where to eat. So I thought, for fun, let’s check Le Cellier (for those of you not in the know, this is one of the most coveted reservations on Disney property. It’s up there with Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Castle.) availability. Surprisingly, it was available, so I jumped on it!

Dinner: Kona Cafe in the Polynesian (our hotel). I did not make reservations, because I wanted to keep the evening open. I feel I’m safe in this instance because every time I’ve been, there have always been a ton of open tables.

Day 3:

Our second day of EPCOT, in the World Showcase!

Breakfast: 1900 Park Faire. A character buffet featuring Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. We’ve never done this one before, so we’re super excited. I also booked this a little early so we have time to explore before the World Showcase opens at 11:00am.

Lunch: Via Napoli. EPCOT’s new Italian Pizza Restaurant. It’s a first for us, as it had just opened when we went last year and was impossible to get into. My husband is REALLY looking forward to this reservation, as pizza is his favorite and one of his specialties.

Dinner: Chef de France. Probably one of the best places to eat in all of Disney (and yes, I’ve eaten at Victoria and Albert’s). The food is INCREDIBLE, the bread to DIE for and the French Onion soup is out of this WORLD! It’s beautiful at night, and with Remy visiting, is highly entertaining.

Day 4:

We’ll be at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. And I’ll be breaking a HUGE rule of mine. For the first time. Ever.

Breakfast: Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary. A character breakfast buffet featuring the Fab 5! This was M’s pick. I’m not a huge fan of this one (very loud and always packed) but she asked for it. And since it’s her birthday trip… I lost out.

Lunch: BREAKING MY RULE. We’ll be doing lunch on the fly, most likely Quick Service. I’d love to try Flame Tree BBQ. We’ll see how the weather is though.

Dinner: Since AK closes early (Disney has discontinued evening extra-magic hours for this park) we’ll be heading to Hoop de Doo. Another favorite of M’s, and for adults. It’s an all-you-can-eat dinner show featuring BBQ and unlimited beer and sangria. It’s located in Pioneer Hall at Ft. Wilderness. It’s a beautiful location. Bring your camera for sure!

Day 5:

Breakfast: O’Hana in the Polynesian. An all you can eat breakfast featuring Lilo and Stitch. We’re really looking forward to this one!

Lunch: Totally open again!

Dinner: Mama Melrose Fantasmic package. We’ll be eating early, so we can head right over to get our special assigned seating. It will be M’s first time seeing Fantasmic, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Day 6:

Breakfast: Crystal Palace. Our first time eating here for breakfast (we normally hit the lunch crowd). A character buffet featuring Pooh, Tigger, Eyore and Piglet.

Bippidy Boppidy Boutique is on the list next. We’ve booked the Crown Package (hair, rhinestone crown, Mickey clip, makeup and nails), and buy the dress separately. M isn’t into all the shoes and accessories, so we save money by buying the costume in Down Town Disney (you get 10% off using your AAA card).

Lunch: TBD. Could be a quick service meal. Could be Liberty Tree Tavern. Who knows!?

Dinner: Will be early, due to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (which we’ll be attending). We’ll be dining at Cinderella’s Castle, at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Day 7:

100% totally on the fly. Another rule, totally broken. But this is going to be our last HUGE trip for awhile (I say, but J disagrees with me. We’ll see who wins this one.) so I want to keep things open.