Disney Wordless Wednesday: Parades | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

Song of the South Family Movie Night | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

The 9th movie in our 2016 Disney Resolution list is Song of the South. This movie was released on November 12, 1946. It's a story about a young boy, Johnny, who goes with is mom to stay with his grandmother on her plantation. It appears his parents are separating, so dad is not seen much. While on the plantation, Johnny befriends a young African American boy named Toby. The two of them, along with Ginny, a poor white girl, often visit an old African American man named Uncle Remus who tells them the stories of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear. 

Hop to the Music {Giveaway} | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

I received free products in order to host the Hop to the Music Giveaway. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Now is your chance to Hop to the Music with your favorite Disney soundtracks! You have the opportunity to win a spring basket containing the following:

• The Lion Guard soundtrack
• Zootopia soundtrack 
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack
• Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Mix Vol. 1. soundtrack
• Kion plush toy (To explore the full line of Lion Guard products, including the Kion plush, please visit your local Disney Store or DisneyStore.com.) 
• Meet The New Guard (a lift-the-flap book) from Disney Junior's hit series, "The Lion Guard."

One lucky reader will win this Hop to the Music prize pack!

The winner will be chosen on April 8th at 12:00am! The winner will be notified by email (the one used to enter the giveaway) and will be announced here. If it comes to this blogger’s attention that the winner of this giveaway has won this prize on an additional blog, this blog reserves the right to choose another winner. Please allow 4-6 weeks for prize delivery as it will ship directly from the facility and not from this blogger. Only open to U.S. Residents only.

Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received free products in order to host the Hop to the Music Giveaway. The opinions expressed here are my own.

#DisneyKids Preschool Playdate | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

I received free products, including the celebration kit, from Walt Disney World and MomSelect in order to host the Disney Kids Preschool Playdate. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Last weekend we had the best time at our #DisneyKids Preschool Playdate! We invited several of our friends from the neighborhood and their families. After eating hamburgers, beans, fruit, chips and Nesquik milk (we pretended we were eating burgers from Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe) we had a fun time decorating our own Mickey Cone Cakes. Some of us chose Mickey Rice Krispy Treats!

We had a big job of cleaning up ALL the sprinkles!

Walt Disney World Freebie Friday: WIFI | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

phone charging station at the Rapunzel
bathrooms at Magic Kingdom

Throughout Walt Disney World Resort (theme parks and hotels) guest can access FREE complimentary WiFi. This high speed service is available in these areas:

• Magic Kingdom Park
• Epcot
• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
• Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park
• Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
• Disney Springs
• Disney’s BoardWalk
• All Resort Hotels
• Fort Wilderness (but you must pick up a cable modem kit at Meadow Trading Post)

Disney Wordless Wednesday: Unforgettable | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

A horrible quality cell phone selfie photo of our family at MNSSHP watching Wishes together! :)

Mickey and the Beanstalk at Walt Disney World | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

As part of our Family Movie Night Resolution, it's been fun to see how so many of the older movies still have a presence at Walt Disney World. I remember seeing Mickey and the Beanstalk as a child, but didn't realize it was part of the full length, Fun and Fancy Free. This movie has quite the presence in Fantasyland!

Fun and Fancy Free Family Movie Night | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

Fun and Fancy Free is actually the 10th movie in our 2016 Disney Movie Resolution. We had to skip Song of the South because we don't have it... yet. I have a friend who is letting us borrow it soon!
Fun and Fancy Free was released on September 27, 1947 as another Disney "Package Film" (feature-length compilations of shorter segments). This film has two segments: Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk. Jiminy Cricket is the host as he walks through a house and comes upon a doll, a bear, and a record player. This begins Bongo- a story about a little circus bear who makes it to the wild and falls in love. 

Disney Party Planning Tips | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

How do you plan a Disney themed party? There are so many things to consider when throwing a party. I'm going to walk you through our process when planning a party!

1) Several months (3-4) before the party, work with everyone involved (the honoree, birthday kid, special couple, etc.) and choose a theme. When doing this with my boys, I try to keep in mind which themes would have pre-made items at party stores and what we already have at home that we could incorporate into the party. I also try to think about games and activities that could easily be done to tie into the theme. Then I give them choices based on what they are interested in. Majority of the time I try to choose several Disney character themes- 1) they love it, 2) I love it, 3) there are plenty of ideas out there, and 4) I know I can easily blog about it! :) For my 3 year old, we are already talking about options for his September party: Wreck it Ralph, Big Hero 6, or Monster's Inc.

Walt Disney World Freebie Friday: BoardWalk Ballyhoo Tour

One Freebie I'm excited to try on our next trip is the BoardWalk Ballyhoo Tour! This is a free 60 minute tour around Disney's BoardWalk Resort where you and your family can learn about the history of the Resort and the Imagineer's inspiration from Atlantic City. This history lesson is a guided tour of the "Showplace on the Shore."  You'll have a chance to explore all the hidden areas of the resort.  

You will begin at the Belle Vue Lounge and move to the miniature carousel in the lobby.  Then you'll head to the Luna Park pool and the boardwalk itself. You'll have a chance to look at the early 20th century artifacts, artwork, and architecture that are unique to the BoardWalk.    

Disney Wordless Wednesday: Royalty | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

Walt Disney World Freebie Friday: BoardWalk Entertainment | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

Honestly, during the day there aren't many free activities at the BoardWalk.  However, during the evening hours, usually between 6:30-10:30pm, you can find all sorts of FREE entertainers. In the past a group called the "Boardwalk Busters" performed various acts along the Boardwalk such as juggling, magic shows, and musicians. The Busters are no longer a "group", but you can still find fun entertainment along the Boardwalk such as street performers whose acts may include comedy, fire eaters, jugglers, balancing acts and musical entertainment.

We make sure to visit the BoardWalk at least once every visit to see what FREE entertainment we can find!

Hollywood Studios Attractions: The Great Movie Ride | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios opened on May 1, 1989 when the park opened. Located at the end of Hollywood Boulevard, you'll find a full scale replica of Hollywood's Graumann's Chinese Theatre which houses The Great Movie Ride. Outside the Theatre, you'll find hand and foot prints of legendary Disney characters. Once inside the theatre, you'll find memorabilia, such as props and costumes, from many notable movies including Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz. One area of the queue includes a huge movie screen showing clips from popular movies from the past- many of these movie clips will also have appearances in the actual ride. 

Disney Wordless Wednesday: Flowers & Gardens | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

Disney's BoardWalk Inn Review | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

The one and only time I stayed at Disney's BoardWalk Inn was in the late 1998 when the resort was still new. At the time, I was actually a member of Disney's Vacation Club. We stayed in a studio villa on the second floor overlooking the Boardwalk and Crescent Lake. Obviously, I was not blogging then, so I didn't take any photos of our room, the resort or the extra amenities this amazing resort has to offer. Luckily, I was able to find photos from wdwnews.com to use!

image from wdwnews.com

Make Mine Music Family Movie Night | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

We were a bit late on watching movie #8 of our Movie Resolution, which was Make Mine Music. This was the first time we had seen this movie. It's a lot like Fantasia in the fact that it's a collection of animated shorts with lots of music. There were two shorts in the film I had seen: Casey at the Bat and Peter and the Wolf. I remember reading the Peter and the Wolf book as a child and Casey at the Bat is one of my favorites, being a baseball fan!

Walt Disney World Freebie Friday: ESPN Radio Shows | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

While this FREE activity at Walt Disney World's BoardWalk Resort might not excite everyone, my family would love it! While at the ESPN Club, visit the Sports Central TV and radio studio. If you're lucky, you might catch a live interview with a celebrity athlete. Shows such as Mike & Mike in the Morning, Sports Reporters and Up Close have been broadcast from this facility! You can watch the broadcast for free!

I didn't realize this until I saw Mike Golic strolling around the Boardwalk on one of our trips! :)

Disney Wordless Wednesday: March Calendar | A Disney Mom's Thoughts

I'll be honest. It's been crazy around my world for the past few weeks and I wasn't going to post today... until I realized my friend Deb from Focused on the Magic was BACK! She's been on a hiatus due to health reasons, but is back hosting the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop so I had to participate.

This shot was last March when I went to my first Atlanta Braves Spring Training game at ESPN Wide World of Sports!