Disney


Well, when I wrote this post I didn’t assume that Disneyland and the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel and Spa would be closed! In these unprecedented times, when everything is closed and most people’s travel plans have halted, it’s still a great time to reminisce and think about a better tomorrow. With optimism and future family travel adventures, I wanted to recap our recent stay at the Grand Californian.

I’ve gotten super spoiled. Prior to 2019, I had only been to Disneyland 1 time when I was six. Then, I moved to LA and last and prior to COVID, I think I’ve been about 10 times. I LOVE Disneyland. It really is a magical place. I feel like a kid every time I get to go and experience the fun through my children’s eyes. Just one week before COVID quarantine started, I was able to attend the Disney Food and Wine Festival with my sister, who was visiting.

When Disney Parks invited us to visit Walt Disney World AND go on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, I honestly couldn’t believe it. For several days, I was in shock. I first received the invite in the late fall of 2021. We were supposed to depart at the end of January, but due to the surge in Omicron, they postponed the trip. Thankfully, they rescheduled it for the end of March, and I was able to take some time with my kids so we could participate.

This past weekend, we were lucky enough to attend the re-opening ceremony of Disneyland’s Toontown. We got to visit the day before it was open to park guests for a special media tour of the new attractions and rides. Toontown has been closed since March 14, 2020. Initially, the entire Disneyland park was closed due to COVID. However, even after the park reopened, Toontown remained closed for renovations.

When I was planning our trip to Europe, my kids had one big request: to visit Disneyland Paris. It was something they were so excited about, and honestly, I was curious to see how it would compare to the Disney parks we’d visited in the U.S. Our adventure began with a train ride from Geneva to Paris, a journey filled with anticipation.

Visiting Walt Disney World is magical at any age, but visiting with pre-teens and teens? It’s a completely different kind of unforgettable. Earlier this fall, National Geographic invited us to visit Walt Disney World as part of their Best of the World 2026 celebration and we had the chance to explore Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Magic Kingdom through the eyes of my kids.
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When I was six years old, my parents took me Disneyland. It was my first time on an airplane and I can distinctly remember the excitement leading up to this trip. Given my fond memories of my first time at Disneyland, I wanted my kids to have that experience around the same age. Since my parents were going to be in town, it felt like the perfect opportunity for all of us to experience it together – just as I had 30 some years ago. So I made all the plans. Going to Disneyland with little kids takes a little extra planning, but it’s totally worth it.

Last week, Disneyland invited me to attend their opening night of Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure Park. I’ve never been to Halloween at Disneyland or Disney World before, so I had no idea what to expect. What I did learn was that I definitely want to visit Disneyland every single Halloween, it was that special.

I recently partnered with Hasbro on a sponsored Instagram post, so they sent me two Simba toys for my kids. Simba is an interactive, robot-style animal that is so much fun to play with. He instantly became like a family pet for us. They were so generous to send us two Simba toys, that I wanted to give one of them away to a lucky reader or follower. To enter, all you need to do is click the link below and choose your preferred mode of entry.

The magic is back! The magic is here. To say I was excited to be invited to the Disneyland reopening on April 30th is an understatement. We have been patiently waiting for more than a year to be back at Disneyland. Literally a week or two before we received our invitation, my kids were reminiscing about all their favorite things at Disneyland and talking about how much they miss it. Prior to the closure, we had visited only a week before and got to experience the Magic Happens parade. Some of our fondest memories in the parks happened right before the closure, so we were beyond excited to be back.

The new The Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild movie came out last weekend on Disney+. They invited me to throw a watch party, and I realized this would be such a fun birthday party theme for any kid that loves the Ice Age movies. If your child loves Ice Age, here are some ideas on how to create the perfect Ice Age birthday party.

I live in Los Angeles, so we make trips to Disneyland happen at least a couple of times a year. It is one of my kids’ favorite things to do in Southern California, and we’ve been lucky enough to attend some really cool events at Disneyland. However, when we received the coveted invitation to attend the Disney Creators’ event at Walt Disney World, during their 50th birthday celebration, my response was omg yes!

It is officially Disneyland Halloween time! It is my favorite time of year at Disneyland. I do love Christmas time at Disneyland too, but there is something that feels extra special at Halloween. We were lucky enough to get to attend the opening night of Oogie Boogie Bash and be some of first people to experience Halloween at Disneyland. Read on to find everything you need to know about Halloween Time at Disneyland.

We’ve been having so much fun designing new Halloween gear using our new Cricut machine. Just last week, I posted about these cute skeleton shoes. I also shared this cute Vampire t-shirt too. We are heading back to Disneyland this weekend, so I thought it would be fun to try making a DIY Halloween t-shirt too.










