Day Four of Our Trip to Disneyland

We woke up early and finally went to Toontown Madness. It comes with our Disney package we bought through Costco but we never go. This year we finally went it it was really fun.
We got this great picture right before Minnie and Mickey left to get ready for the show/parade.

After the show no one got in line for pictures with Pluto so we kept taking more and more.

The girls got a picture with both Chip and Dale, I have no idea which one this is!

This year we also tried the roller coaster in Toontown for the first time and both girls loved it. We went on it a few times in a row before they would let us go somewhere else.

Isn't this a great picture. Last year we only had one family group picture so this year I made sure to get a few.

The girls really wanted to go on the Nemo ride so we went to get in line. When we found out it was over an hour wait Daddy went to get the stroller. While we were waiting Princess A was admiring the pins of one of the attendants. We ended up trading some pins and with out us asking he put us in line for the very next sub. As we were heading to California's Adventure Park we saw Pinocchio. We had never seen Pinocchio before so this was the first time we were able to get a picture with him.

The day before Princess A was so excited to meet Ariel she forgot to show her the picture she drew of her in the scrapbook. She was so disappointed I went and asked at Ariel's Grotto if we could get Ariel to sign it. We had to wait a little while, until brunch started, but then we got the signatures and some extra pictures.

We then went and rode Toy Story Mania one more time and the girls each won another stuffed animal at the Rubber Duckie Carnival game. (Princess A won a platypus and Princess G the largest prize, the large duck!) When we were coming out of the Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular (which was great) we saw the Heroes. That is what the girls call the Incredibles.

We happen to get them as they were headed back inside so we had to get this picture as Mr. Incredible was walking. What a mommy does to get her girls a picture.

The last thing we did was watch the Pixar Play Parade. It was so cute and we all enjoyed it. Much better that the new parade in Disneyland, Celebrate! A Street Party. We really tried to like it. It is really not a parade but more a Disney character version of High School Musical. So if you like High School Musical you might like it but we did not. The music was not that great either, we actually ate inside so we would not hear it. I just miss the great parades from before, especially the Parade of Dreams. We still sing the Welcome song all of the time.

Day Three of Our Trip to Disneyland

This was the day of characters, besides Pooh and Tigger we did not see any Disney Characters the first two days. As soon as we entered Disneyland we saw Pluto.

We saw Minnie but while in line we spotted Donald Duck with almost no one in line. This is the first time the girls have taken a picture with Donald and they were very excited.

We hopped back in line with Daddy and they got to meet Minnie Mouse! I just wish we had the Minnie Mouse ears that day.

We also met Alice, the Mad Hatter, Cruella and Goofy.

Next we rushed over to Ariel's Grotto in California's Adventure Park to have brunch with the Disney Princesses. This girls were very excited to meet Ariel. Princess A was so excited she forgot to show her the picture she drew in her sketch book of Ariel and we had to come back another day to show her.

The girls barely ate since they we so excited waiting to meet with Cinderella.

The next princess was Snow White, she was so sweet.

Princess Aurora is Princess G's favorite princess and she was tickled pink and kept dancing in circles waiting for our turn.

Princess G's second favorite princess is Belle. The girls just love seeing the princesses and it is so nice to see almost all of of them in one spot instead of trying to find them all over or waiting in that huge line at the Princess Faire in Disneyland.

Daddy wanted a picture with Lightening McQueen and Mater. This was new as we did not see them last year.

We also went in the newly updated Small World. A few Disney characters are now incorporated in the ride, it was fun trying to find them all. We found new ones each time we went on the ride.

We finally took the girls to Mickey's Toontown. Their favorite room in all of the houses is Minnie's kitchen. They would stay for hour if we let them. We always have to make a wish in her wishing well on the way out too!!

Last year we went to a small Aladdin show in Disneyland and got to meet Jasmine and Aladdin afterwards. The show was cancelled but when we came off of the Jungle Cruise they were at the entrance taking pictures. The girls were so happy as they both were a little disappointed that the show was cancelled (we still saw the big production in California's Adventure Park but they love the more personal show too!)

We were getting hungry and decided on chicken sandwiches for dinner. While we waited for Daddy to get the food Princess A was picked for the Jedi Training Academy. Last year she was picked but when she saw Darth Vadar and was scared that he would hurt her with his Lightsaber and left the stage. I explained to her that it is against Earth Law to bring real Lightsabers to earth so he was just using a practice one. Once I convinced her of that she couldn't wait to battle Darth Vadar the next time we came. She was so excited to be picked and she did defeat Darth Vadar in battle! I will post the video later.

We finally rode the Autotopia and we all decided to call it a night.

Day Two of Our Trip to Disneyland

We started our day how we ended our trip the year before, riding Dumbo!
Considering how tired we were the day before we were at the gates of Disneyland when it opened. The line was so short we rode Dumbo twice in a row.

Next Princess A couldn't wait to go on Mr. Toad's ride. She loves this ride and always has to go multiple times. Princess G will go on it but always holds her ears the whole time.

They are so cute wearing the Minnie Mouse ears. Princess G kept asking me to wears hers!

I am wearing the ears while I took this cute picture.

Princess G really wanted to ride the carousel. She did not get 'Roses' the first time so we went a second time. I ran really fast and just got 'Roses' before someone else could. You can see how happy she is to be riding 'Roses.'

After finally getting off the carousel we went to California's Adventure Park to ride the new Toy Story Mania. It was so much fun. It did have a long line, it usually was between 45 and 90 minutes during our visit. We waited about 40-45 minutes. It was well worth the wait!!!

We took a ride on Triton carousel and then went to the Playhouse Disney show. Last year the show was closed so it had been over two years since we had been. Princess A was not excited to go but once the show started she was just as thrilled as Princess G. I missed seeing Bear of the Big Blue House but the show was fun and entertaining even for parents.

Since we were nearby the girls wanted to go to Bugs' Land. I have no idea why but they just love the Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. It is cute but so boring. They love it so of course mommy took them. Daddy got a break and left me to go on all the rides.

We skipped the bumper cars but rode all of the other ones. Flik's Flyers is one of my favorite ride in Bugs' Land. I also like the spinning Francis' Ladybug Boogie ride too.

We headed back to the Boardwalk area to possibly ride the Toy Story Mania again. The line was over an hour long so we tried some of the carnival games. The girls played the fishing for Rubber Duckies. Everyone is a winner which is perfect for our girls. Princess A won the medium prize (a duck) and Princess G won a little turtle.

We then went back to Disneyland to spend sometime before the fireworks.

Daddy found a spot and sat down. I took the girls on another Buzz Lightyear ride. I took them back to Daddy and went to wander the shops of Main Street by myself. I found the cutest necklaces for the girls (a bead necklace with an enamel princess, one with Cinderella and the other Aurora) but as I did not have my wallet I had to get them another day.

They had high winds and kept delaying the fireworks. Thankfully they did have them that night as I don't think we could of stayed up late again. They show was wonderful!! It was not only fireworks but also a light show. The girls we asleep before we were even out of the park.

Day one of Our Trip to Disneyland in May

For the last couple of years we have celebrated Princess A's birthday in Disneyland. This year with so much going on we didn't go in March as usual. Well my husband could not resist so we ended up going at the end of May. The girls found out we were going when the Easter bunny left a letter from Mickey Mouse inviting us to visit Disneyland. The second ride we went on was the Teacups (we tried Star Tours but Princess G was too small so only Princess A and I went.)

After this picture we remembered to take off our hats for pictures.

Of course we had to get a picture with Pooh Bear. This year we did autograph books (we usually bring a few storybooks for the characters to sign.)

Next the girls saw Tigger. We still have never seen Piglet though we have seen Eeyore at least once. Later we ended the night with another ride of Buzz Lightyear, always a family favorite. We were up at 2:30 am to catch our flight so we were all so tired and ready for bed by eight o'clock

Carefree Ultra Protection Review

I tried the Carefree Ultra Protection liners and was impressed. They are a little bigger than most liners and had wings on the side which helped keep them in place. I also liked that they were unscented. I really don't want scents on liners and such. If you visit their website you can request a sample so you can try it out for yourself. Today is the last day you can also enter the Carefree Fresh Start Fund, giving women a chance to win $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000 for a “fresh start.” Would you love a fresh start? Every one would love a fresh start at least once in their life. My fresh start was when I left for college. I went completely across the country and I loved it. It was hard to be so far from home and to not know anyone. I did not even visit the school until a few days before classes started. It was scary but so exciting!!! My fresh start was the beginning of a wonderful life. Do you need a fresh start? Make sure you enter you might just win and be one step closer to a fresh start!!

Thank you Mom Central for this review opportunity.

My First Bike

I remember going to Toys 'R Us to pick out my first bike. It was pink and white with a white basket with plastic flowers on the front. We had a long driveway (three pairs of cars fit easily) and I rode my bike back and forth all the time. We lived on a dangerous street that was curvy and cars drove 30 to 40 MPH, if not more. We also did not have sidewalks so the driveway was the only place to ride. It wasn't very long before I was asking my Dad to take the training wheels off. Dad kept putting it off so I had to wait until my grandparents came to visit and I talked Grandpa into taking them off. He was great at taking the wheels off but was not good at helping me to learn how to ride the bike on my own. I fell and really scrapped up my knee and after he yelled at me I refused to ride my bike. After they left I went outside and taught myself. It was so exciting to race up and down the driveway over and over!! I still love riding bikes. Growing up we even took our bikes sometimes on vacation.

5 Minutes for Mom is having a contest to win two Strider Running Bikes! Princess G would just adore one of these Balance Bikes sold at Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles.

Wordless Wednesday: Best Friends

Best Friends, sisters and stuffed animals (Pinky, Sunny and Hoppo)!

all® Small & Mighty® 96 Loads Review and Giveaway

I usually use all® Free Clear. Princess G always had very sensitive skin as a baby so I always washed her clothes in it. It is easier to just use one detergent for the whole family. I have even bought the giant bottles of it from Costco and they are huge. I was so excited when they started selling all® small & mighty 3x. The container is smaller but you still get just as many loads with less added bulk. I normally buy the 32 load size of all Small & Mighty. I was sent the bottle seen to the left. This one has Time Released Freshness and my husband was so excited!! He loved the scent and so did the girls. I am still using the all Free Clear for the girls clothes but I did wash their special friends (Pinky, Sunny, Hoppo and Goldy) in the all® Small & Mighty® 96 Loads StainLifter. Our clothes came out as clean as always but this time they had a lovely scent that really lasts. I have done a few loads using the all® Small & Mighty® 96 Loads bottle and it is so much easier and lighter in the 3x concentrate version. The detergent is a little bit slower when dispensing that the regular version but it is more concentrated so that makes sense. The amount needed is less so the total time to pour probably ends of being the same. My only complaint, and it is really not a complaint, is I don't see why the detergent is dyed blue. It seems silly since the container is opaque so why make it blue? Save the money you spend on the dye and just leave it clear (or what ever color it naturally is). Besides the whole dye thing (I don't know why everything has to be dyed!!) I highly recommend all® Small & Mighty® 96 Loads or the 32 Loads. I have been using all since before Princess A was born and have converted many family members to it. I hope you will try all® Small & Mighty® 96 Loads Free Clear (my usually version) or StainLifter (the one I reviewed).

Now for the giveaway: Two of my readers will each win one coupon for a free bottle of all® Small & Mighty®.

• To enter please visit all® Small & Mighty® and list another scent or type of all available.


• If your email is not easily available on your blog please leave it in the comment.


• US only


• The contest will end July 22 at midnight PT.

Extra Entries:

• Follow my blog (2 entries)


• Blog about giveaway with link to this post (3 entries)


• Please leave a comment for each entry.

Thank you Mom Central for this review and giveaway opportunity.

Our 4th of July

We were invited over to some friends to celebrate the Fourth. They had built a tree house since the last time we had visited. The stairs were a little scary to the girls at first, but by the end of the night Princess A had no problems and Princess G only need help coming down.

The tree house is a little more like a deck around a tree but it was so much fun. All night my husband and I took turns helping Princess G down since they kept climbing up there to play. When we weren't going back and forth we were enjoying so much yummy food. I was so stuffed I was not hungry until lunch the next day!

The girls also had fun playing and exploring the backyard. We stayed until after 9 which is way past the girl's bedtime. When we got home lots of neighbors were setting off their fireworks. We gave the girls a quick shower bath, got them in their nightgowns and set them up with snacks to watch the fireworks. They each had a bowl of pretzels, favorite stuffed animals, warm blanket and a little chair at the window to watch the show. The girls were asleep by about 10:30 though the fireworks went on past midnight!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We will be playing in the sprinkler and later we are going to a friend's for a BBQ.

I knew I was going to be outside yesterday so I had this post scheduled to post in the morning yesterday. It never posted and was still listed as scheduled to post 7/4/2009. I am a little annoyed with blogger!! This had been happening a few times and I don't know why it has stopped working!

Playdough Fun

Princess A made this "Play dough guy with crazy hair!!" She was so excited that she wanted to show Daddy. Since the play dough is getting a little stiff I told her she could leave it out for Daddy to see when he got home.

Princess G made mostly ice cream treats. She made a few for Daddy to see and left them with the Play dough guy in case he got hungry. She did tell him he had to wait for Daddy before he could have any. They played for over 90 minutes straight!

Guitar Hero Modern Hits and Decades Tour Review

I was so excited to do a review of Activision’s Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades. I have been hearing about Guitar Hero for so long but I had never played it. When I first tried Guitar Hero I played a few practice games before I got the hang of holding down the right button and using the pick stylus at just the right time. Once I got the hang of it (and finally went through the tutorial and figured out the star shapes and the electric bonus) I had a blast. The girls wanted to try it too. They did not get the timing just right but still thought it was fun. The two games, Activision’s Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades just ROCK!!! I was having such fun my husband wanted to play. He has a PSP and never really plays DS unless one of the girls ask him for help with one of their games. We put one game in each DS and decided to have a Guitar Hero duel! It was so fast and easy to set up the dual player game. We played three songs and I won all three!! My husband thought the songs were fantastic and the playing against each other made it so much more fun. I like that at the top of the screen is a dial that indicates who is in the lead (it reminded me of those meters they have in movies to measure how loud the crowd is and the louder they are the more they like the group playing.) A great feature is that you can pause in the middle of a duel and both games pause. It came in handy when the girls kept needing my help. I have been playing for days and can't wait to play against my darling husband when he get home from work. Each game is fantastic on it own. You get to work your way up a career, play venues, get paid, buy stuff and rock out. Personally playing against someone else just give the game another dimension. Plus you get the songs from each game when you play a dual player game, doubling the songs available!! I can see myself playing this game over and over for a very long time.

Guitar Hero is also having a contest on their Facebook page to win some great Guitar Hero stuff. Click here to go to their Facebook page, sign in to Facebook and click the Sweepstakes button at the top of the page. Good Luck!

Thank you Mom Central for this review opportunity

Business Trip with Daddy

My darling husband had to go on an overnight business trip at the end of last week and we went with him. The girls were most excited about staying in a hotel and going in the pool. Here they are with their Hippo floaties. There are some outlet malls near the hotel and I really want to check out a few shops. I went in a few, got a few things but did not stay long. The girls only wanted to get back to the hotel!! Later that night Princess G did not seem well. She fell asleep at bedtime, which they never do in a hotel. They always try and stay up. By the next morning I knew she had a fever.

The plan was that I was going to finally get a little shopping done Friday afteroon. Since Princess G was sick we only stopped at a shop selling discontinued Disney merchandise, well after a quick stop at Target for some Children's Ibuprofen. We had seen the shop the day before but it did not open for business until Friday morning. We each got a shirt and the girls picked out Snow White purses (really make-up bags but they think they are purses since that is what Daddy told them.) After the one stop we went home. Princess G is still sick and miserable. Princess A was sick for a whole week so I am going to assume I will be home every day at least until Thursday.

Our Father's Day

Daddy with his two little Princesses!
Princess A gave Daddy the Zelda book she made (pictured above), a Grumpy t-shirt, Punch-Out for the Wii (they have been playing it every night) and a picture and card she made at school.

Princess G made Daddy a book too. She also gave him two ties (very nice ones I picked out), a My Little Pony book and a bag of kissies (she blew them into the gift bag.)

Even though Princess A was still sick and we had to stay home it was a wonderful Father's Day.

(Princess G now has the cold and that is why I have not been blogging!)

Fun at the Park

This is their new game. Instead of pushing your sister you grab her legs!

Giggle! Pull and let go!

When that gets boring go on the slide, both up and down it!
Then go back and do it all over again!