New Parade in Town

My son called me at work today very excited about something.

"Mom, do you know they have a new parade at Disneyland?"

He went on to say it had Cars and Sully and Woody and lots of other guys in it, but no Green Men (toy soldiers that were in the Block Party parade). He had clicked on a link in his favorites and seen a video of it and says we really have to go to Disneyland. He is right, of course.

It is called the Pixar Play Parade, and looks similar to the Block Party in that it is high energy with fun music and features Pixar characters. Our kids loved Block Party and so I am sure Play Parade will be a huge hit with them, too. Can't wait for that "someday" to happen!

Below is a picture of our Boy Wonder shaking his booty before the Block Party parade during the warm up activities hosted by the Green Men.

Feeling the Disney Magic

A couple nights ago, after a day where I had desperately searched for good deals to get us to Disneyland, our 3-year old Princess said, "Mama I want to go to Disneyland so I can meet Bambi and Thumper." (Bambi is not a big story in our household, so I can only assume she was looking through old books earlier in the day.) Wife told her that those were characters in a book, but that you didn't usually see them in Disneyland.

Her 6-year-old brother reminded us of the Magic Hat at the Disneyland Hotel - and how wishes really can come true. On our last day at Disneyland the last time we were there, as he walked under the Magic Hat, he wished he could meet some characters he'd never seen before. He was LOVING getting autographs. Well, in amazing Disney fashion, we ran into about 5 or 6 characters he'd not yet met, so he was thrilled.

A few minutes later, the Princess was off to bed, and I sat quietly by my son's side as he snuggled into his own bed. He looked at me very seriously and said, "Some things aren't really magic, but I think Disneyland really is magic." With tears in my eyes that my son could still feel the wonder 2 years after his last trip, I had to agree, "Yes, I think Disneyland is magic, too."

Missing Blogger Returns with a Fun Disney Tip

Wow - talk about playing disappearing blogger! I apologize to my loyal readers for being remiss in my postings. I fear law school is reaching its peak demands this semester with papers due and presentations to prepare, so my personal life has fallen a bit by the wayside. Let me see if I can come up with something quick and fun in the way of a useful kid-friendly tip.

OK - here's a good way to keep kids busy in the airport or in the Disneyland lines. Make up your own Bingo Cards.

Using pictures from the internet, or magazines, or just words if your kids are old enough, make up 5x5 or 6x6 grids of things people are likely to see on vacation. In an airport you might consider a restroom sign, a no smoking sign, a trash can, a backpack, and a camera. In Disneyland you could select the Mickey Head shape, an apple, a water bottle, a Tigger T-shirt and a specific character. Each person playing gets a card and whenever they see an item from their card, they draw an X through the picture (or word). Whoever completes a row first wins. Or, to make the game more challenging, have players complete the entire card. Our son loved playing this game, and when he was tired of it, he made up his own game (rules known only to him) using the spare cards.

Enjoy!

Sounds of Disneyland

I thought a fun Friday morning activity would be to come up with the first five sounds I think of when I think of the Disneyland resort. So, here they are:

1) Sound of the log hitting the water at the bottom of Splash Mountain.

2) Song: It's a Small World

3) Background sounds - kids laughing, people talking, people screaming as they descend Splash Mountain

4) Disney's Electrical Parade (formerly: The Main Street Electrical Parade).

5) The voice of the ghost host in The Haunted Mansion.

Hidden Mickeys in Your World?

Since our trip to Disneyland last summer, our kids are constantly finding "hidden mickeys" in our world. I was informed this weekend that Jordan, our dalmatian, has not one, as we'd always thought, but instead two hidden mickeys on his body. Also, my son discovered that if we put my head, his head and his sister's head all together, we create our own hidden mickey.

Pretty creative for a 5-year-old, right?!

Now THAT is a proud parenting moment :)

Disneyland in Your Soul

Thanks to mwaybob's comment about Disneyland getting into your soul, I find myself with something to chatter about this fine Friday morning.

Disneyland does get into your soul. When I first thought about this, I wondered if it had to do with going as a child vs. not going as a child. I was 6 when I first went, so I've been indoctrinated since a very young age. Then, I remembered my wife. She was 30 before I got to take her on her very first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. She'd never really even wanted to go. She was under the misguided notion that it was more like a big amusement park (not unlike parts of CA Adventure, now that I stop to think about it). I'm happy to say that she was quickly hooked and has not looked back!

So, what is it? I wonder about the mix of childhood nostalgia of stories and fairy tales, blended with music of Disney and other mass media movies (Disney knows how to make music work to tug at our hearts,right?), and something more....What is that something more? I guess THAT is the magic. I think most of us want to believe in magic, believe in the goodness of human beings, want to suspend disbelief long enough to imagine we're flying through space or hanging out with swash-buckling pirates, or that a walk down Main Street really will put our minds at ease.

The wonderful people behind all of the magic have worked hard decade after decade to bring to reality something that is as close to perfect as we are likly to get amongst so many humans. That doesn't mean it is perfect - rides break down, people get hurt, people get cranky, people throw their trash on the ground...but due to the extreme efforts, we still see the human desire of perfection around every corner, and that in itself, is close enough to perfect.

During our then 4-year-old son's first trip to Disneyland, on our first morning waking up at the Paradise Pier Hotel, he got himself dressed, brushed his teeth, and brought us breakfast in bed (Pop Tarts and juice) before the rest of the family was even up. If I'd ever doubted it before, here was living proof of the magic of Disney. Yes, it really is the Happiest Place on Earth, and at ages 1 and 4, Disneyland is already a part of our children's souls.

Thought of the Day

As you sit in your office, or your car, or your home with the hot sun streaming in on you, here's an image to dwell upon:

You are seated in a log, and have just slowly, painstakingly climbed the final hill of Splash Mountain. Poor Bre'r Rabbit appears to be done for...As you crest the hill, you can see across all of Disneyland when suddenly - -

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!


You plummet with breakneck speed down the mountain and into the refreshing mist at the bottom of the briar patch. (Did you take a breath in time to scream or was it too late?)

Soon the happy sounds of "Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah" reach you.

You know you're smiling.

Disneyland Podcast

From the official Disneyland Resort site - podcasts from the park. Way fun! Download to your iPod, or listen on your computer. Check out Podcast #10 for some great quick tips to make your visit more enjoyable. It is fun seeing people enjoying Disneyland, and hearing the sounds of the magic right on your own computer. While I love some of the personal podcasts and video clips that people post, I often wonder about copyright infringement issues (I'm a law student), so I'll stick to supporting this official podcast. It's quite good.

Enjoy!

Live Cam of Disneyland / California Adventure

Here's some fun for your Friday...or Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday.....

Live pictures from the Howard Johnson in Anaheim:

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/mattercam.htm

For those of us far away, this is a little escape to paradise.

Enjoy!