Thursday, December 4, 2008

Can’t Miss Disneyworld Restaurants (And the ones we will skip next trip)

We enjoyed our fifth trip to WDW this past summer and although that might not seem like many to those who live in the southeast, for a Minnesotan it is more unusual. We love Disney vacations! We always stay on-site (well one time there was a side trip to Universal/Hardrock Hotel). And use the Disney Dining Plan!

It is perfect because we don’t have to worry about the bill no matter which restaurant we eat at! If the kids want a steak at the Coral Reef, we don’t have to be concerned about living on P&J for the rest of the trip.

At Disney World there are lots of great places to eat but only a few make the "must go" list when it comes to ride and event fun over restaurant time. Here are the ones that make the cut and a few that didn't measure up.

Our 3 Can’t Miss Disneyworld Restaurants are:

  1. Coral Reef/Epcot (Those steaks are awesome!)
  2. The Garden Grill/Epcot (Love that fried fresh catfish!)
  3. 50’s Prime Time CafĂ©/Hollywood Studios (Fun servers and great food but eat all your food or it could be fed to you!)
Also worth noting:
  • Tusker House/Animal Kingdom (Wonderful Breakfast Buffet…When we have time to eat breakfast!)
  • Hoop de doo Revue/Fort Wilderness Campground (Great food and awesome show!)
  • Aloha Dinner Show/Polynesian Resort (Fire dancers are astounding and the pineapple bread was a treat!)
Skipping next trip:
  1. Chef Mickey’s/Contemporary Resort (Fun for kids, but food as good as at other restaurants.)
  2. Mama Melrose’s/Hollywood Studios (Service and food just okay...worth going if you get Fantasmic Priority seats.)
  3. Le Cellier/Epcot (I know this is on many others, 'don’t miss' lists but we just weren’t impressed…The moose mousse was cute though!)

Copyright 2008 Magical Mouse Tales



Monday, November 17, 2008

Disney Pin Trading—It’s Not Just a Hobby…It’s an Addiction!

It started innocently enough. A trip to Walt Disney World booked through Disney Travel gave each of us a free pin to keep or trade.It was the infamous 2000 Ribbon Dancer Pin. My husband and I gave our sons our pins so they could keep one and trade the other. The dancers were traded and after many more pin purchases, our family was hooked.

By our next trip my kids were official Disney pin traders and armed with a dozen or so pins purchased on sale at the Mall of America Disney Store. They loved trading with WDW cast members and had all of the pre-bought pins traded away by the end of the first day. After that we were back to the pin stands and spend a bundle on new pins for their collections.

By our next pin trading…I mean vacation, I had about two dozen pins for them each to trade bought from online sales at Disneyshopping.com and a dozen extras for the boys to trade for me. Again, most pins were traded within the first few days but we had discovered Hidden Mickey pins. So the kids were searching for specific pins on the cast member lanyards. This took more time and made the vacation a hunt. We did have to buy a few souvenir pins but not as many as on previous trips to the world.

Last summer we had another Disney adventure and the boys (and Mom) were well stocked with about 35-40 pins each. Again, they scoured the park to complete Hidden Mickey sets and add to their collections. Even though they had enough to last the trip, they think maybe 50 each is a good number for next time.

Pin trading adds to the fun and anticipation of a family vacation but heed this warning: It is very addicting!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales









Friday, November 14, 2008

Which of Winnie the Pooh's Pals has the Perfect Home in the Hundred Acre Wood?

Imagine you were going to buy a home in the Hundred Acre Wood. Let's pretend that for a minute that Pooh and all his friends have their homes up for sale. Whose home would you choose?

  • Eeyore's? Not a chance. An A-Frame built of sticks without a proper foundation that a butterfly could knock down in a second isn't worth consideration.
  • Gopher's? Though Gopher's actual home is never shown, it would appear to be underground. Underground, earth berm homes lack the curb appeal necessary for most buyers.
  • Owl's? The tree Owl's house is built in doesn't seem to support the weight of the home. On a very blustery day, the whole thing could be blown down.
  • Pooh's? Now at first glance, Pooh's place looks sturdy but I'd question the upkeep of a home maintained by a bear of very little brain. When a homeowner cannot even take down the name plaque of the previous owner, Mr. Saunders, it is doubtful that he would have the ability to do the upkeep on the interior. Besides when the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down, much of it was inside Pooh's house.
  • Rabbit's? Now this is a character that cares for his property! Rabbit always seems to have a rake or broom in his hand. His garden is fenced and laid out perfectly, but he does seem to have a egress problem with his door. If a guest cannot have dinner, or several pots of honey, without getting stuck on the way out, there is a problem.
  • Tigger's? It seems that Tigger may be the homeless resident of the Hundred Acre Wood as he is always bouncing up to his neighbor's homes but never appears to be at his own.
  • Christopher Robin's? Though probably the best choice of a home as it is currently being occupied by humans, Christopher Robin's home is not located in the Hundred Acre Woods and so it does not meet your buyer criteria.
  • Kanga's? Given this specific buying criteria, I would choose Kanga's home. She seems to have a lovely, well maintained rambler with a covered front porch. We know it is a two bedroom because Roo has his own bedroom. All other homes appear to be one room efficiency dwellings. To me, Kanga's two bedroom gem appears to be a perfect little cabin in the woods.
The question above is whimsical and not unlike what an actual buyer might go through when considering homes for sale currently listed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
I have shown a few foreclosures this past year that were not much better than Eeyore's pile of sticks. This is especially true of a few unmaintained decks. Several are so rickety, clients and I avoid being on at the same time if at all.

There have also been homes with narrow hallways and doorways. Though, I only recall one home where a full grown person could have gotten stuck in the floor opening of a spiral stairway, there were several others where I had to recommend that buyers consider how furniture would get in and out due to tight corners and narrow spaces.
And maintenance, or lack there of, by people whose heads seem to be a little "stuffed with fluff" is a common occurrence. I have seen homes where repairs were quite literally made with duct tape rather than a proper replacement.

Most home buyers strive to find the well maintained gem similar to Kanga's house. Buyer's dream homes usually are properties where all repairs and replacements have been made to code with proper materials. It is a house that is usable and accessible to everyone in the family without ducking their heads or turning sideways to squeeze through a doorway. Sometimes a buyer will even choose to look outside their original location parameters and consider a home on the edge of the preferred community to buy the exceptional home of their dreams.
Finding and buying the perfect home takes time but the process is made much easier when working with a knowledgeable REALTOR® that can tell an Eeyore pile of sticks from a comfortable cabin like Kanga's.

*Note All Character Photos were shots of Disney® Pins in a personal collection.
Are you searching for a perfect little Minnesota home and need help from a professional REALTOR ® to tell Kanga's Gem from Eeyore's A-frame? Give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2011 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/




Thursday, November 13, 2008

How Mickey Helped Teach My Child to Read


As a slightly neurotic first time mom, I knew from all of the parenting books and magazines that reading aloud was one of the best ways to get a child off to a good start with language. And it was said that it was never too early to start.

So starting at the time he was three or four months of age, I read books to my son. By nine months old, his favorite story was the Mouse Works Disney Classic, Dumbo. Not the abridged version either; this was the 96 page full story with the large colorful pages. He loved the Dumbo movie but I didn't want him to watch too many videos.

Against the advice of some of the experts, I did allow my young son to watch educational television and videos. He had three favorite video tapes: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, Sesame Street Letters and Sesame Street Numbers. After awhile these got old and a relative passed on Heigh-Ho, an old
Disney Sing a Long Song Tape. Now, this was something that I could watch over and over too. The music was fun and best of all; the words came up on the screen to “sing-a-long” with. We soon acquired the entire collection of tapes as they were a great educational tool, in my book anyway.

By the age of two, my son was reading words. And by kindergarten, he was reading chapter books. It wasn’t just a fluke either as my younger son was also an early reader.

It is important to note that I didn’t stop reading aloud to my children. We bought a few sets of Disney books that were offered one per week at our local grocery store. Ever book was read cover to cover along with that complete library of Mouse Works Classics. The kids loved the stories as much as I did. And I think the magic of the mouse helped turned my kids into early readers.

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales



Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah…Making it a Magical Day!


Last year, Disney had a contest to pick out ten moms full of Disney knowledge to help them with their new blog. I thought, I like to write and blog…What a fun opportunity to share my Disney knowledge and insight with others. There were thousands of entries and the moms ( and one dad) were selected for the prestigious Disney Mom’s Panel, but sadly I was not chosen. (Gotta admit here, I don’t think I even entered the contest.) Funny, when I heard of the outpouring of entries for the unpaid position, I was astounded that I wasn’t the only Disneyaniac ready to jump onboard for a chance to blog my heart out about our love of everything Disney. Go figure.

So as I wandered around the World with my family this past summer, I decided, why not blog about Disney anyway? Sure, I won’t have hundreds of thousands of people reading my posts, but I won’t have to answer any canned questions either. Going solo, will give me the opportunity to write my own Disney memories, traditions and thoughts. I can go off on a tangent and muse whether Pluto or Donald is Mickey’s best pal. I can review my family's experiences at favorite spots and tastes at WDW and tell my readers why I like and more importantly, don’t like them. Irrelevant things like the Mickey Shaped ice cream tastes just like a Dove bar…And the giant frosted rice crispy treats always seem to be stale! And, I can directly answer any and all questions from first time Disneyworld travellers that are asked...very quickly too!

Okay, I guess it isn’t as prestigious as being on the Mom’s Panel, but I am betting it will be just as fun. So come along for the ride as I share my Magical Mouse Tales and make it a magical day!