Booked that Florida Disney trip and now you’re wondering what you NEED while there? Weather, heat, lots of walking… Here are some favorites I personally use and recommend to my clients as well.
1. Fans
We love the Mickey ear fans the most. I have 5 of them and every time we are at the parks people stop to ask me where I bought them.
2. Portable Chargers
My favorite is the Fuel Rod because you can swap used ones for fully charged ones around the parks and resorts for free.
3. Bags
Fanny packs are in, I suggest you get one for easy access to all your things.
4. Cooling Towels
I haven’t personally used these, but I see tons of people wearing them around the parks especially during the summer. If you get hot easily, I’d buy one of these packs instead of paying the resort up charge prices.
5. Hair Accessories
Make sure you travel with hair ties and clips. These are my favorite Disney themed ones.
6. Stroller Covers
It tends to rain in Florida. When I had kids in strollers I always took a rain cover. It keeps your things and the seats dry while you’re on a ride or even while walking around the park to find cover.
7. Ponchos
Speaking of rain in Florida, you’ll want to bring ponchos. That way if you get caught in rain you are prepared to keep moving along. Again, you’ll want to save money instead of buying the Disney Parks ones.
8. Stroller Bags
If you have a stroller, I suggest adding a bag for more storage. These are some of my favorites.
9. Toiletries
As you are around the parks all day, you will want to refresh. Sunscreen and hand sanitizers are musts in my opinion. These are some that we use.
So you’re going to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (or you want to… book with me here) and want to be ready for the cutest and spookiest time of the year. Do these thirteen essentials and be on your way to a ghoulish time!
…1…
T-shirts
Are you a Grumpy, then wear a Halloween T-shirt. Can be for one or for all!
…2…
Costumes
Wear costumes galore (just no masks on kiddos older than 14). Amazon always have inexpensive finds or create your own Disney Bound. Our favorite for our kids are from Taylor Joelle and Only Little Once. Make sure you take the weather into account, Florida in August, September, and November can be VERY sticky!
…3…
Trick or Treat bags
Bring Trick or Treat Bags to gather all the candy galore! Can be used on Halloween again or next time you visit!
…4…
Mickey Ears
Spook all with your ghoulish Mickey and Minnie ears! Match your shirt or costume, or make this your stand out piece de resistance!
…5…
Spooky Merchandise
Snag Halloween merchandise online and at the parks. Online will sometimes be less expensive and can be customized. However, shopping while at MNSSHP is always a treat. Look for new Loungefly bags, Halloween spirit jerseys, fan favorite ears, and more!
…6…
Snacks and Sips
Enjoy themed snacks and sips. Some of the oldies but goodies include: Pumpkin Spice Milkshake at Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies Chocolate Mickey Waffle Sundae at Sleepy Hollow, Billy’s Worms and Dirt at Pecos Bill, Caramel Pretzel at Golden Oak Outpost, Hades Hatred drink at Cool Ship and so much more!
…7…
Characters and Villains
Find your favorite characters in their Halloween costumes. Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Donald will for sure be in their cutest costumes. Catch villainous special guests like Jack and Sally, Cruella De Vil, Jafar, Lotso, and more!
Character map made by Resortgal.com in the past
…8…
Glow Gear
Light up the night with glow sticks or reflective items. Since it’s a Halloween Party, the lights will be dim and you might want something that makes you stand out.
…9…
Spellbound Attractions
Ride the spookified attractions: Mad Tea Party, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Once the park is officially open for the party at 7, the overlays are set on certain rides. On Pirates there are ACTUAL pirates interacting! Space Mountain loses all ambient light and becomes spookier than ever. Everyone’s favorite teacups turn into a madder Mad Tea Party!
…10…
Hocus Pocus Show
Watch Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular is a fan favorite with the Sanderson Sisters front and center with some of the meanest villains around. Hear your favorite songs from the movies and get in the Halloween spirit!
…11…
Boo-to-you parade
Catch Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade featuring spooky characters like the Headless Horseman, Dr. Facilier, and dressed up favorites like the princesses and Mickey and friends.
…12…
Photo Experiences
Take ”Magic Shot” pictures with creepy photo ops around the park. Past experiences included a picture with the Headless Horseman at the entrance, hitch hikers by The Haunted Mansion, spooky additions on main street, Mickey in his Halloween suit at Town Hall and more.
…13…
Not-so-spooky spectacular
Finish the night with the spookiest fireworks show. Mickey, Minnie, and friends are taken to a mysterious haunted house with dancing skeletons, ghosts, and Disney Villains! Special spooky projections on the castle, laser, lights, and fireworks make this a must see event.
This is a fall event your family can’t miss. If you have any questions or want to book tickets, contact me here. MNSSHP takes place on certain nights at Magic Kingdom, August through October!
This year is just whipping by! I swear we just celebrated New Year’s and now we’ve moved to Florida and are on spring break. The spring holidays are about to be in full swing. My life is as chaotic as I can handle, and I know I am not the only one. My Walmart+ membership has truly been a lifesaver. I’ve been enjoying this membership for about 6 months now and enjoy all the fantastic features the $99 membership gets me. Not to mention, its less expensive than some other memberships around. If you’re not yet familiar with Walmart+ I suggest following the links here so you can see what is available in your zip code. Here where I live I get to enjoy free shipping, no order minimum on last-minute items all season long at the everyday low prices you love (Excludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges.), unlimited free delivery on fresh, high quality groceries for wins all year long ($35 order minimum. Restrictions apply.)
As soon as we got to Florida, I did an immediate Walmart order, taking advantage of my Walmart+ deliver from store option. While searching for some home essentials and even patio furniture (click the link to see the fabulous set we got), I noticed the Easter shop had everything I could ever need to check that task off my list. So why not, I went ahead and ordered all the basket goodies for my girls (and the patio furniture) with one click! I linked some sweet items that I think kiddos of all ages will love and won’t break the bank!
The busyness of the holidays are fully upon us. From last minute shopping for stocking stuffers, to making treats for neighbors and friends, and finding teacher or boss gifts. Every day it feels like there is something I’ve forgotten to buy! Thank goodness for my Walmart+ membership! I have been setting up pick up orders and deliveries left and right. Free shipping, no order minimum on last-minute gifts for all your holiday moments all season long at the everyday low prices you love (Excludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges.), unlimited free delivery on fresh, high quality groceries for holiday gatherings and gifting wins all season long ($35 order minimum. Restrictions apply.)
Whether you’re baking treats for friends and neighbors or grabbing quick holiday sets, Walmart has everything you need, in-store or online. This week I did a quick Walmart run and bought things to make holiday bark for my favorite neighbors. Below you’ll find the easy recipe and some other items that you can grab online or in person to gussy up yourself and your gifts this season.
Home Made Treats
No matter how adept you are in the kitchen, holiday cheer ingredients are a must. Walmart has everything you need to make this simple holiday chocolate bark, even the boxes to hand them out in!
Lay chocolate bars in varying colors to cover the entire sheet pan
Let chocolate melt for 10 minutes
Take out and “stir” with a toothpick or fork to mix colors
Sprinkle cranberries, sprinkles, candy, and broken pretzels or whole mini pretzels
Let cool in freezer
Break up and place in containers to share!
Quick Gifts Ideas
Tis the season for little thoughtful gifts and if you don’t feel like cooking anything I suggest a gift set or cookie box. I know we shop for teachers, bosses, administrative assistants, and friends. Here are some cute finds that you can grab in-store, pick up,or via free shipping and no cooking required!
Holiday Wear
Click to shop my dress
Ugly holiday sweater? Check! Cute tacky Christmas sweater dress? Check! Walmart is ALWAYS and has ALWAYS been my family’s go to place for the cute/tacky sweaters. There are so many options in-store and online. You will be the talk of the holiday party for sure!
I hope that with a little spirit and a Walmart+ membership you’ll finish up all your holiday season needs quickly and happily! Merry everything to you and yours.
The holidays are here, sorry to tell ya but you’re probably behind on your shopping already! Don’t fret, I have the solution for you. Walmart+! Everyone’s favorite superstore is one upping the rest with their Walmart+ membership. Free shipping, no order minimum on last-minute gifts for all your holiday moments all season long at the everyday low prices you love (Excludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges.), unlimited free delivery on fresh, high quality groceries for holiday gatherings and gifting wins all season long ($35 order minimum. Restrictions apply.)
We all know that this year above all else, we will have issues with getting things in on time. Walmart+ will remove all your worries. Whether you shop online or in store at Walmart, you will feel the benefits of Walmart+. Other than the savings, and free shipping with no minimum, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the contact free mobile scan & go shopping! Check out Below you will see some gift guides I’ve created for my life needs, if they fit yours, please shop the photo (affiliate) links below.
Decorating can be pricey, and custom decor even more so. However, if you are like me, being stuck at home for the past four months (and counting) is really pressuring my “itch to switch”. A large doormat like the one I made could cost you in upwards of $30 plus shipping on Etsy. Now don’t get me wrong, those people deserve that money, because it requires a bit skill to do this right. If you follow my instructions and take your time, you can make your own mat for much much less depending on what you already have at home!
What you need
Coir doormat- I like the Ikea Trampa 2’x 2’11” and Ikea Trampa 1’4″x 2′ because the quality is great and they’re $10 and $5 respectively. Another option could be this one, easy pick up but $20.
Acrylic paint– I’ve used this brand twice now and it works perfectly. Once acrylic dries it becomes waterproof.
Small hard bristle brush
Stencil Vinyl – make sure you get this brand, it will make all the difference. I pictured the Cricut brand below and it does not work well for this.
SVG cut file or make your own on Cricut or Silhouette- I’ll link some of my designs below
How to:
Find your perfect design. At the bottom I will link some cute one’s I made on illustrator that can be used on Cricut or Silhouette
Measure out how big you need your design. If your design is bigger than your cutting mat then I suggest slicing your image at a good mid point. Cut on stencil vinyl setting.
Peel off the entire sheet of stencil vinyl. It is ok if the positive, AKA the words, stay on the page. just be careful not to loose the middle of letters like the “o”, “d”, “e”, etc.
Then place entire sheet on your rug. Make sure to place it centered both vertically and horizontally. As well as make sure if you had to split the image that you space that correctly.
Use pins and painters tape to hold down stencil and inside of letters to rug.
Take your brush and press paint down into rug. I like to lightly mark the stencil and then remove it and fill in the spaces without the stencil in place.
I like to saturate the paint so that no part of the coir shows where the design is. We have had a rug I made outside for 10 months and it hasn’t faded a bit, so I think that helps.
Finally, let dry and make sure to layer it on top of a larger woven rug right on your doorstep! This one would be great for the smaller coir mat.
My biggest advice to you, is TAKE YOUR TIME! If you are not confident in vinyl and moving it around, another way I’ve done this successfully is by using poster board and taping it down. I think the best trick is to make sure you lightly mark the stencil and then remove and fill it in. It’s easy to accidentally get paint under the stencil so I try to avoid doing that at all costs. Most important of all, have fun! And for those of you who aren’t crafty, I will link some cute rugs you can buy from the hard working peeps on Etsy!
On a socially distanced wine night in April, a girlfriend of mine and I shared our woes over vacations cancelled. That is when we hatched a plan to escape the Dallas suburbs and drive down to the Texas coast. Surely, by June things would be better and worst case we would just cancel! Lucky for us, it was the perfect socially distanced vacation.
Every time we each told someone we were heading to Galveston Island, people were hesitant and warned us that it wasn’t like a Florida beach. Don’t get your hopes up was often said. We honestly became nervous but trucked on. Marielle had been told by a couple of different friends that they love the Jamaica Beach area and mostly Pointe West. So, we went in blind and trusted them and VRBO.
When first getting onto Galveston Island we were immediately reminded of Daytona Beach or Cocoa in Florida. They’re fun beaches, more so for a spring break crowd, but a little too crowded for our taste. As you continue south another 20 miles you notice the scenery changes. Gone are the motels and roadside parking. There’s mostly pastures to your right and homes on stilts with ocean views to your left. I couldn’t get over the juxtaposition of wildflowers and cows on one side with pretty homes and natural beaches on the other. After being cooped up at home for three months, it felt like heaven!
Pointe West is a resort with privately owned residences and condos spread out over around 1000 acres of beach front land. The Beach Club houses a pool, fishing pier, fitness center, and restaurant. The Sunset Pool houses a pool with beach views, a hot tub, and a lazy river. We stayed in the residences at a private home called Las Brisas. Most are two stories, but some are one or three. Ours was two stories and had 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. One of the rooms had two bunk beds with the bottom bunk being full size. We loved the two balconies that overlooked the little pond and felt like the home was just perfect for two families with two kids each.
Like I mentioned before Galveston itself is more of a tourist spot and tends to feel a little shabby. The Pointe West area of the island, is really only homes and condos. You have to drive a little ways to go to the grocery store or to a restaurant, but that’s fine. We were totally prepared for that, and brought enough food and supplies to just stay home. There are little bridge passes that go over the natural dunes. I love it because being from Florida, it just looks so different sprinkled in with wildflowers and cactus. The beaches in this area were really secluded, you can’t drive on them, and really its only people who are staying in the homes or condos who use them. They’re wide spread and full of soft sand. My only complaint is that this sand is so fine it really ends up everywhere. You will 100% eat sand at some point, just get used to it. The water was PERFECT. No, it wasn’t crystal blue, but it was perfectly tepid and very shallow for a long ways out. The wind is always blowing and the waves are the best combination of low and choppy. We literally just rolled around or sat in the water for hours. The kids boogie boarded and jumped waves galore. It was indeed heavenly.
Another thing we were warned about were bugs. I have to say, in this particular area they weren’t a problem, not even during the dawn and dusk hours. We were able to enjoy beautiful sunsets walks on the beach and make s’mores under the stilts of the house without a hitch.
what we learned to pack
SO MUCH sunscreen
Canopy tent- it is SUNNY
Easy meals and snacks: lunchables, adult lunchables, sandwiches, burgers, fajitas, fruit, cereal, juice boxes, water, lots of wine and Whiteclaws etc. 😉
Lots of swimwear, you will want to wash them at night because that sand gets in your suits
Coolers!
and well I think you can figure out the rest!
For a quick trip to a family friendly beach in Texas, this is the one. At only an hour and half from Houston and five hours from Dallas, its close enough to be worth it. I’m glad we didn’t get deterred and listened to those who loved this area. We love it too!
It’s Pride month! 🌈 My mom always loved rainbows for their beautiful inclusion of all the colors. I think wearing rainbows is such a happy way to show support and remember that there’s always a rainbow after a storm. I noticed a trend in cute rainbow outfits and things so I figured why not round them up for all of us!
Jennie says
Great job. Sooo many great choices