If I Can't Plan my Own Trip....

I have no news to report on the house. After our annoying news from last week I don't know if I want to hear any more. That being said, I was at a conference with a friend this week and she told me that she was going on a big family trip in February. They're going on a Disney Cruise and she was thinking that maybe they'd head up to Walt Disney World (WDW) afterwards. Could I help her with planning some things for WDW? One of my favourite places to go, sure, if I can't plan a trip to Disney for us I'm more than happy to occupy myself with someone else's.

Now we've never been on a cruise so I can't help a ton there but I can help with Magic Kingdom Planning. Woo Hoo!  One thing that I know their kids can have fun with, wherever they are in the Disney Universe, is Autograph books and Pin Trading.

I never knew that Mickey and friends gave autographs when we took our kids to WDW back in 2009 but we learned soon enough and have 2 autograph books and a well signed Duffy from Epcot as proof.  As a teen I never saw this or at least I don't remember it and when we took our daughter to Disneyland in 2005 she was too young, it was a spur of the moment trip and we were just overwhelmed by the experience and all that was to see. I will saw that my friend is frugal, so buying autograph books is probably not in the cards for then so I think I'll enlist my own kids to help me make some for their friends.  A princess for one and a cool Car for the other.  A fun project for us.

Pin Trading is something that I never thought my kids would like.  I had read about it before our first trip and disregarded it as something they wouldn't be interested in or were to young for. My daughter found a pin that a cast member dropped and returned it only to be rewarded by being able to keep the pin. And that's how it started! Next the kids commented on someones huge pin collection while on the bus back to our hotel and were again rewarded by each being given another pin. Our son who was not even 3 at the time had great fun with this, they got something new every time.  The problem I have with this past time I have is how expensive it is.  We had a lot of luck the first visit but we did break down and buy some on our next visit. I learned and since then I've been an avid pin buyer on eBay.  Watch the auctions and don't pay more than $1.50/pin.  Who cares if they're new, you are trading them away!  I have a stash right now for our next trip so I think I'll pass on a couple to our young friends before they depart on their magical cruise.

This is where I've gotten in my mere days of entertaining this task for my friend.  I hope you've gotten an idea or two for your next trip.  As I add to my list of information to pass on, I'll update it here in between my house updates and hope it helps someone else!

No News is Good News...Right?

Well, we're still waiting. We are waiting for the BPO (Brokers price opinion) and then (I'm told) things will move faster.   Tick, tick, tick, I can't help but be impatient.  All the preparation I've been doing needs to be executed! It's not even just getting the house, I'm just ready to go somewhere warm. The crazy weather we've had in southern Ontario is driving me a bit nuts.

One of the non-house related things I accomplished was getting some Disney trading pins for the kids. EBay is a great place to get pins at an amazing price. This time around I got 25 pins and even with shipping they were less than a dollar each! It doesn't matter to the kids if they are brand new, especially since the trade them anyway! 

The other great thing I've had this week to keep me busy is talking to a couple of friends who are heading to Disney with their families.  As a self confessed Mickey lover, I love talking about Disney and what to do when you're there. (The whole family also loves Harry Potter and we are eagerly awaiting the new additions that are coming soon!) I hope that once we have the house and are able to welcome people, that we can help them with their vacation planning! 

Until the next update...