Do you have a nostalgic love for dollhouses? When I was little I loved making dollhouses and I loved making dollhouse furniture out of anything and everything (no joke, I use to make side tables from those white plastic pizza savers). I had a few pieces of real toy furniture but I really preferred to make it. I suppose that's where my love of DIY and Interior Design started. When my boys were small I built them a DIY play kitchen from scratch, needless to say I had more fun making it than they did playing with it and I eventually sold it online. Today I'm sharing another DIY bucket list project, my Modern DIY dollhouse (no, my boys didn't play with this one either but we passed it onto a family friend so it'll get some use).

This year we decided to take the kids to Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Florida. It was our first visit and it was just as magical as I had hoped. Before we left I did some research and talked with some friends and family to ensure we made the most of our trip since we were only visiting the park for one day (note, one day is doable but you'll inevitably leave wanting more). In doing my research I got a bit overwhelmed so I thought I'd distill it down and share my top 10 tips for your first visit to Disney World (specifically from a boy mom).


1. Ask Guest Services for a "First Visit" Button
When you arrive, be sure to ask Guest Services for a “First Visit” button. This will let the cast know it's your first visit when they see you in the park and they will do their best to make sure it’s extra special. Plus, the button makes a great souvenir. You can also get a "celebration" button if you're celebrating a birthday or other occasion.


2. Wear your Disney Gear
This is a tip from sister-in-law, thank goodness she reminded me. Everyone wears something Disney related and it really feels like part of the magic. Remember to pack your Disney gear or purchase it as soon as you get on site. Especially the ears!


3. Bring an Autograph Book
Characters are walking around all day or have scheduled meet and greets specifically for photos and autographs. The autographs are special because the are usually specific to the character. For example, we got “Shakey’s” signature and it was all wobbly. One thing we wish we would have done is to book a character dinner at one of the restaurants, this is the best way to get a lot of autographs in a short amount of time plus you need to eat anyway.


4. Download the "My Disney Experience" App
The My Disney Experience app is such a great tool for organizing your day. You can book your fast passes, restaurant reservations, receive notification, see wait times and magic hours (certain days some parks open early or close late). The best thing about the app is the mobile ordering at quick serve restaurants, you can order and pay for your food while enjoying the rides at the park and pick up your food without waiting. Such a great time saver. Download the app ahead of time so you can familiarize yourself with it and plan your day ahead of time.


5. Book your Fast Passes but Don't Panic
We were such rookies at this and it made us feel behind the ball. If this is you all I can say is don't panic. Every guest receives 3 Fast Passes that you book within the app or on park kiosks. If you're staying at a resort you can book them 60 days in advance. We booked our fast passes the morning of our visit because we bought tickets onsight. Once we figured out the Fast Pass booking process there weren't many rides left. This had us feeling a little worried that we wouldn't ride anything but that wasn't the case. The Fast Pass availability changes throughout the day and even if you don't get a Fast Pass on the ride you want the line ups aren't too bad. Disney World does such a great job of crowd management that you never feel like you're wasting your day in line-ups. I suggest booking your Fast Passes for the afternoon of your visit and ride as many rides as you can in the morning before it gets too busy. At Magic Kingdom, my boys (age 4 and 6) enjoyed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Speedway, Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean. Splash Mountain and Space Mountain are also great as well but my little guy wasn't tall enough. (PS - my kids were too scared for the haunted mansion, despite the pic below).



6. Get to the Parade Early and Secure a Good Spot
This one comes from my son's JK teacher and I'm so glad she told me about it. Head down to Main Street early approx 45 min before the parade. Cobb a squat on the curb and get your kids an ice cream while you wait. Aim to get a spot on the right side so you're in the shade. Trust me. The parade is amazing and it's just not the same if your kids can't see. My boys loved the Maleficent dragon.




7. Quick Serve Restaurants have Healthy Options and are Affordable
I was pleasantly surprised that the quick serve restaurants were reasonably priced and offered healthy options like salads. If your kids are like mine and only eat pizza be sure to go to PinocchioVillage Haus in Fantasyland for some delicious flat bread.  If you go during off-hours, hold onto your receipt, sometimes it offers 20% off at souvenir shops. Don't forget you can bring snacks into the park and you can ask for free ice water at almost any quick serve restaurant so bring a water bottle.


8. Phone Charging
Bring your charging cord. You will be taking a lot of photos and video and you don't want to run out of battery. If you need a charge there are outlets in the stumps near the Tangled restrooms in Fantasyland (or you can use any outlet you find in the park).

9. Bring Pennies and Quarters
There are a numerous penny press machines all over Magic Kingdom (locations here) each with their own design and story. These pressed coins make great souvenirs and my kids love it. Each one cost $0.51 so be sure to bring your quarters and pennies.

10. Watch the Fireworks on the Second Floor of the Entrance
The fireworks are hands down the best thing I have ever seen. It gets very crowded and when the fireworks begin many people put their kids on their shoulders so your view might get obstructed. To avoid this head down to the entrance and go to the second level to watch the show. Be sure to leave a few minutes early to avoid a wait at the monorail.


On this trip we only visited the Magic Kingdom as we didn't want to rush it and we also needed to squeeze in a visit to the grand-parents while we were in Florida. While Magic Kingdom is totally doable in one day I highly recommend planning a few days to allow you to visit all the parks and have enough time for down time. I'm already planning our trip back to see Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

This one is a bit of a throw back because I was looking through my files and realized I never fully posted the Woodland Birthday Food Ideas from my son's first birthday (yep he's four now, that's how behind I am lol and don't ask me about his baby book - still not done). Anywhoo I felt I made some pretty fun food for his woodland party so I thought I would share regardless of how of how long it took me.

I made the movie screen by simply tying two knots at the top of a king bed sheet and hooking on some bungie cords that were wrapped around a tree. It worked out perfect. This could work anywhere really, you don't need a huge backyard to make it happen (plus you could always just pull your TV outside if that's easier). For added comfort and ambiance I layered a few outdoor rugs, pillows, blankets and hung some outdoor lanterns.


For the snack bar I picked up a few southwest melamine plates and platters from Kitchen stuff plus, (so on-trend, affordable and durable!) I decided on a semi-camping, semi-movie menu; popcorn, s'mores, cookies, milk, you get the idea (and I threw in some fruit for good measure). The kids loved it.





One of my favourite things were these old fashion milk glasses and metal straws and my boys loved them too (although they did get spilled a few times lol). We eventually used these acacia wood serving trays to act as tables while the movie was playing.





Special thanks to Kitchen Stuff Plus for helping me set the scene for this magical moment, my boys loved this DIY outdoor movie night. I have a feeling we'll be doing it again real soon. PS - we watched Minions but I couldn't get it to show up in the photos lol.

These past few days I've been feeling really nostalgic and a little teary eyed about how fast time goes. It seems like just yesterday my youngest was doing a cakesmash photoshoot for his first birthday and now I'm setting up his Monster machine Birthday party for his fourth birthday.

My little guy is such a joy and has always had the best comedic timing. One time, when he was about 5 months old, he accidentally dropped the ipad and when i picked it up I saw he had typed "hj m[on;" into the search bar (I always think of that as the beginning of some of the most memorable things he has said to me).

Last year he wanted a dinosaur birthday party and this year he wanted another dinosaur party but he had new ideas every few days so I knew it would change. We landed on a monster machine birthday party, specifically Blaze and the Monster Machines, one of his favourite cartoons (honestly the kid could say "Let's Blaze!"before many other words and believe me it led to many embarrassing moments in public).


We had a few scheduling changes so I literally bought and made everything the night before; I'm talking the cake, the decor, the gifts and loot bags. I made a large size Blaze out of a few sheets of bristol board and taped it to the wall with a special happy birthday message. On the morning of his party I heard the kids wake up and walk down the hall, I quickly walked out to see his reaction. He was excited by the balloons and then freaked out when he saw Blaze on the wall, letting out a loud steady scream ahhhhhh (lol I thought he was going to fall over). His older brother said “it looks just like Blaze!”

 
I prepared the rest of the party while his older brother was at hockey. I set up the table, put out the cake and displayed the loot bags. The cake turned out a bit more rustic than I had anticipated, I just kept layering on stuff to cover gaps, but my son loved it. When he saw the table he said to me “why do you do all this?” and I said “because we’re celebrating you”.




Grandamama and grand-dad, your Uncle, cousins and neighbourhood friends attended the party. You spent most of the day playing ps3 Jurassic park with the kids in the basement. The joy I saw on your face all day is something I will always remember. We ended the day scrolling through some old photos of you as a baby on my laptop and then got ready for bed. When I snuggled with you at bedtime that night you said to me “I love you mommy… for my birthday party” (another one for the memory bank).

After sanding and priming it was ready for some fun paint. I found this great colour from Canadian Tire's Premier Paint line call Starry Night. Their paints are washable and scuff resistant - perfect for a little boys bunk bed. I decided to keep the walls white to add contrast and really make the blue paint pop.