Magical Memories Monday with the boys

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Welcome to Magical Memories Monday! A day that always warms my heart with happy memories and gets me craving my next trip to make even more memories. 
This week we asked our kids what their favorite Disney memory or activity is.

Getting a straight answer out of my guys is like getting me to ride EE twice in a row. 
I did my Disney best over the weekend. Being held captive on a long car ride with nothing but open road to stare at seemed to help us focus on the question at hand;) 
Peter's first response was the memory of the giant Genie bowling him over at the Contemporary. You can read all about it here. After further consideration and a few miles down the road. Peter decided the time he rode Rock n Roller Coaster with his cousins Ian and Laura on a trip in 2000.  

From the ride and not his cousins ;)

Then he remembered the time they got soaked taking a spin in the Breathless. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell the boat operator that my son drives race cars! We went faaaast after that! 

Magical Memories Monday ~ 20 Days to 20 Years

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Welcome to Magical Memories Monday where we share experiences we've had in the Disney Parks. Today I'm not sharing one of my experiences per se but sending you on an adventure to experience one for yourself. Before you get all Disney excited, I'm not sending you to a real Disney Park (wish I could) for a real adventure. 
I'm sending you to a special celebration series

Hostess ~ Didi Marie (@DISTherapy) of :DISTherapy 

Co-Host ~ Beth (@disneymom2jhe of Pursuing the Magic 

Co-Host ~ Manda (@mandadisneyblog) of Mandas Disney Blog! 

I'll be posting Wednesday on 1994 :D CLICK HERE 
Related articles

• Mentoring Mondays With Donna Kay  (focusedonthemagic.com)
• Magical Memories ~ Resort TV 2001 (focusedonthemagic.com)
• Magical Memories with Miyuki (focusedonthemagic.com)

~Magical Memories Monday~

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Often magical moments aren't part of a touring plan. Here a Cast Member created one such magical moment on Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom. Using only a few simple tools like a broom and a bucket of water he brought smiles to everyone around.

Some Guests kept walking without noticing the artwork below their feet. Others stumbled over it laughing. Sadly the water art evaporated in a matter of minutes in the FL heat but the magical memories that sidewalk artist created will always remain.

Have you seen the water artists in the parks? Did it make you smile?

Hope you are having a magical day!

Magical Moments Monday: Teaming Up To Change Lives #GiveKidsTheWorld #TagYoureIt

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Today we are giving you a chance to make magical memories possible for a child who could really use a little pixie dust in their lives. Interested? Yea, I thought you might be.
We've joined the Disney Writers United Ice Bucket Challenge Give Kids The World. Many of my dear blogging friends like Gayle of The DisneyGals, Kuleen from The Disney Kids and Didi from DisTherapy have already taken the icy plunge. 

Now it’s up to you! #TagYou'reIt! You can stage your own Ice Bucket Challenge, find one of the many other creative ways to come together, or take a moment to visit our fundraising page at Give Kids The World Disney Writers United.

Guest Star Day

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It's a fabulous fall Friday and a perfect time to spend with friends. Grab a cuppa and get comfy while we chat with my dear Disney blogging friend, fellow Magical Blogorail member and scrapbooking extraordinaire, Mary from Capturing Magical Memories. 

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Magical Memories

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Welcome to the latest edition of the The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic.com where each week Disney Bloggers gather to blog hop, link up and share their Disney Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday Disney related picture posts.

It's a fun blog hop for sharing your Disney memories and pictures. There's a theme each week that you can follow if you wish. Facebook pictures, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Flickr or video posts are all welcome. You can even email your pictures and I will be happy to add them to this page. Email your picture to Deb at focusedonthemagic@gmail.com. I'll make every effort to get them posted right away.

The theme for this week's Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, 9/12/12 is

  Magical Memories

I've posted this magical moment before but I just had to share it again, it's that magical for me.
Peter just let his AS disabilities go and stepped up all by himself for his very first pin trade in 2000. The Boardwalk greeter was so kind and patient with him. I could here him talking to her quietly.  We had discussed pin trading often, picked out a few pins to trade and he had watched his brother trade many times on previous trips. I guess all the preparation worked.  That was a magical moment!

Here's another magical memory for you. This picture is only a representation of the actual experience since my camera batteries died and I don't have a picture from it.
One night we were headed to Epcot for Illuminations. Rushing from the Contemporary platform I asked the operator if we'd make it to Epcot in time to see Illuminations. The CM just shrugged. He showed us to the second or third car, all by ourselves. The monorail ride was quiet and seemed slower than usual. Just as we passed in front of Space Ship Earth the monorail glided to a stop. I immediately thought it was broken and that we'd be stuck there for awhile, high up in the air with the World Showcase on one side and Space Ship Earth on the other. I remember saying to DH, we are going to miss the whole thing because something is wrong with the monorail.
Just then the fireworks started. All of us sat there in shock and awe as we watched Illuminations perched high above the World Showcase.

Time to link up...

Making Magical Memories in NYC

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If you're visiting NYC, stop by Times Square for some extra special magical memories! As part of Mickey's birthday celebration a big screen is set up high above The Disney Store on Broadway at 45th St. 

All are welcome to partake, as you can see from this awesome video from Disney Parks!! I might hop on the train tomorrow just to see this!!

The ABC's of Disney ~ The Letter "M"

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Today, we're focused on the magic of Disney with The ABC's of Disney.
We're moving along through the alphabet focusing each week on alphabet letter inspired posts. This week's letter is "M"

The letter "M" is for.......

Monorail

Disney Social Media Moms Celebration "On-The-Road" Magical Memories #DisneySMMoms

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Disclosure: I participated in the Disney On-The-Road Social Media Moms conference. This was a free conference, and I have not been compensated for writing about the conference. However, I did receive a fabulous gift filled Disney bag and promotional products at the event.

In June I attended the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On-the-Road” event held at the beautiful Crown Plaza Valley Forge in King of Prussia, PA. To say that I was thrilled, excited and honored to be invited to this event is an understatement. It is one of THE social media conferences of the year for Mom Bloggers. An invitation is highly coveted with some bloggers traveling long distances to attend the half day event in Chicago, Philadelphia and Phoenix Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On-the-Road” conference locations.
It was a magical day that flew by too quickly. Not so fast that I didn't snap a few quite a few pictures to share with you.

The hour and a half drive to Philly seemed to fly by as I rocked out to my favorite Disney CDs. I arrived at the conference at 7:30, right on schedule as the doors to the conference room opened at 8:am. Walking in to the beautiful  lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel I was immediately greeted by my blogging friends Lisa and James from Home is Where the Mouse is, Linda from Great WDW Tips, Amy from Mouse Ears Mom, all pictured below. After warm Olaf hugs all around we queued up at the registration desk which was also where we received our lanyards and magical goodie bags.While waiting for the doors to open I got to meet up with my DF Didi from DisTherapy and many more familiar friendly faces. It was a great opportunity to socialize, exchange cards and make new friends.

Magical Memories Monday with Miyuki, The Candy Lady

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Today we're exploring the magic in Epcot's Japanese pavilion with "The Candy Lady", Miyuki Sugimori. An amazing candy artist who learned the art from her grandfather an expert candy artist in Tokyo.

Crowds would always gather around to watch as Miyuki started with just a small warm ball of rice starch and corn syrup, food coloring and a few simple tools to create intricately detailed candy creatures. The process appeared to be similar to pulling taffy. 

You would see her squeezing, stretching and pulling to make the mixture pliable and to release any air bubbles that might form. 

The Disney Letter "O" Wordless Wednesday

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Welcome and thanks for stopping by The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic where each week we host a hop to share our Wordless Wednesday Disney related picture posts.

• Ostrich observing
• Be Our Guest
• Orange Pumpkins, Overly excited teen in October
• Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
• Oysters
• Off Kilter
• Oy Oy Oy
• Oolong Tea
• Oktoberfest
• Thank You to my friend Mary of Capturing Magical Memories for creating the OY,OY,OY & Oktoberfest tags.You can find them and more in her OyOyOy Kit.

Everybody neat and pretty? Let the O'hop begin!

Magical Memories ~ Resort TV 2001

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Today our Magical Memories take us back, way back to the 100 Years of Magic celebration in Walt Disney World, 2001 and the resort TV commercials. Do you remember The Yellow Shirt Guy and Park Hopper?  Together they brought guests all the latest park information to make it a Zip A Dee Do Da Day...




Part 1



Part 2



2001 Part 3 Downtown Disney



I really liked the toon look to these commercials and the excitement they created. I know we were always enjoyed watching them in our resort while unpacking or getting ready for the day. 
Do you remember the 100 Years of Magic Celebration?

Have a Zip A Dee Do Dah Day!

The Picture Keeper: Review and Giveaway!

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This week's must have is all about saving your magical memories! 

Today I am happy to review the Picture Keeper - PK4 and the Picture Keeper App.

Do you have photos on your computer or phone that need to be backed up?

The Picture Keeper will help you get those precious photo memories backed up safely on your PC or Mac. There are 4 different models to choose from, The PK-4, PK-8, PK-16 and The PK Pro. All models of The picture Keeper will automatically find photos on your computer and store them on the device. Whenever you download new pictures to your computer, you just plug the Picture Keeper in and it only adds the new pictures.
The Picture Keeper Mobile App for iPhone, iPad and Android provides a simple, easy way to wirelessly backup the photos on your mobile device to your computer. 

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Disney Social Media Magical Memories

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Welcome to The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic where each week we gather with other Disney Bloggers to link up and share our Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday Disney related picture posts.

This week's theme: Social Media Disney Memories

Focused on the Magic: Our #DisneySide @ Home Celebration Part 1!

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Disclosure: I received free products to assist with hosting a #DisneySide @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are my own.

It's no secret that we are a Disney Fan Family who loves to show our #DisneySide. So, when we were selected to host a Disney @Home Celebration again this year I was beyond excited. Our Frozen Fun For All #DisneySide Party was such a blast last time I couldn't wait to have another and try all the Disney themed recipes I have learned since then.

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Animal Kingdom Lodge

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Welcome to the another edition of the The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic.com where each week Disney Bloggers gather to blog hop, link up and share their Disney Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday Disney related picture posts. I am so sorry I wasn't here with the hop all ready for you last week. Hurricane Sandy had other plans for us unfortunately. I would like to thank my dear friend Beth for inviting everyone over to her blog Pursuing the Magic and organizing the hop there. It was so very kind and thoughtful! Beth is a very busy mom and owner of The Magical Blogorail and Pursuing the Magic. I hope everyone had a good time.
All your good wishes and happy thoughts really sustained me as I was missing all my Disney friends and having serious Disney blogging withdrawal;) I am very happy to be back! Full power ahead!

Let's share our Disney memories and pictures. Each week has a theme you can follow if you wish. Facebook pictures, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Flickr or video posts are all welcome. You can email your pictures and I will be happy to add them to this page. 

The theme for this week's Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, 11/07/12 is

"Your November Calendar Shot"

Pick one of your Disney pictures that would represent the month of November if you were to design a calendar. I chose a favorite picture taken at the Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby filled with warm earth tones and happy memories of our visit there last month. This picture is even more special because if you look closely at the gentlemen in the peach colored shirt, you may recognize him.

Do you see who I mean? Well, I'll help you out, it's the famous Disney Imagineer, Joe Rohde ! Yes, folks there I was snapping interior shots when low and behold the Disney geek I am spotted him through my Nikon 200mm lens. Later in the day I had the opportunity to chat with him and I have to say, he is a genuinely nice person.

Time to hop...

Disney in the Rain

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A rainy day in Disney World doesn't mean all your magical plans will be a total wash out. Being prepared with umbrellas, ponchos and a list of alternative activities might help you discover that rain in Disney can actually be fun and offer magical moments that you may not experience on a sunny day. 

Unless there is a possibility of a storm, most rain showers are in the afternoon and last a brief amount of time. In May it rained every day for the last 5 days of our 10 day trip. While most people headed for the gates we donned our ponchos or popped open our umbrellas and went with the flow making memories that will last a lifetime.

Downtown Disney is a great place to be when it rains offering many indoor activities. My son Peter and I were caught in a downpour there one Friday night. We decided it was a good time to play video games at Disney Quest which we hadn't done in a very very long time. I'm not a big video gamer so it's not on top of my list. I got to play the Wreck it Ralph game for the first time. Then we tried our hand at bowling at Splitsville along with a quick bite to eat. If it hadn't been raining I know we would have walked right by those magical experiences.

'Sleeping Beauty' Diamond Edition {Review} Free Printable Kits and Bonus Clips

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The Ultimate Disney Princess Fairytale Classic Returns For A Limited Time!

Finally released from the Disney Vault, Disney's ultimate princess fairytale classic “Sleeping Beauty” is available for the first time on Diamond Edition Blu-ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere.

Experience all of the pageantry and power of this wondrous tale on Blu-ray™, DVD, and for the first time on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere. Incredible high definition picture, thrilling, soaring sound, and all-new Diamond Edition special features that make this a must-own for every family’s classic collection!

Date Night at Disney

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My favorite resorts for date nights are The Yacht & Beach Club Resort, The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and The Wilderness Lodge with The Yacht & Beach Club resort having the best atmosphere. I love strolling along Disney's BoardWalk and stopping in at Jelly Rolls for a dueling piano sing-a-long.

At the very top of my favorites though is Palo on the Disney Magic and Wonder cruise ships. Palo is the adult only restaurant serving northern Italian cuisine. Every dish we've ever tried there has been delicious and served beautifully. Palo is located at the top of both ships with a panoramic view of the top deck and sea beyond. Seatings start at 6pm and is the perfect spot to watch the sunset. This has been a must do on each of our 4 cruises.

While on the Wonder we enjoy heading to Route 66 for drinks at the Cadillac Lounge and dancing at Wavebands. On the Magic the Beat Street section and the Rockin-D Bar offers up grown-up music and fun...and we have fun. On our last cruise my husband sang karaoke while dressed in a pirate outfit, complete with parrot and eye patch. That was a memorable date night!  

Do you have a favorite date night spot at Disney? 

__________ 

Related articles

• Our Favorite Things in New Fantasyland
• Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Riding Up Front on the Epcot Monorail
• Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Disney Social Media Magical Memories
• Magical Blogorail ~ Deluxe Resorts ~ Disney's BoardWalk Resort
• Magical Blogorail ~ Favorite Disney Bakery

Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop: Parades

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Hi Disney photography fans. Welcome to the latest edition of the The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop here at Focused on the Magic.com where each week we gather to blog hop, link up and share our #DisneySide Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday Disney related picture posts.

This week's theme is "Parades".
The Disney Parks are well known for their spectacular parades! The 20th Anniversary Surprise Celebration Parade in The Magic Kingdom circa 1991 brings back some wonderful memories for me.
It was a blend of Mardi Gras and Carnival del Rio with giant balloons, characters, acrobats, jesters and stilt walkers dressed in festive costumes.