Under the Sea Birthday Party!

Okay guys I went a little crazy on this next party, but honestly I could not help myself. My daughter turned 5 a few weeks after we learned that the gender of our baby due this year would be another boy....and since we are considering stopping our family growth at 4 kids, I had to say goodbye to the idea that she might be my only little girl. And previously my husband and I had decided that we would only throw a big birthday party and invite their friends every other year, and then have a mellow party with family at our home and get them a present instead. But then I realized that if she would be my only little girl, this MIGHT be my only chance to throw my princess a princess themed party while she is young enough to think mermaids and the color pink is cool. Soooo maybe it was a way of me dealing with my grief of loosing the "perfect family" image I had created in my mind, and maybe it was more for me than for her, but WHO CARES! I did it anyways, and I loved every second of it, and she felt like a real princess on her special birthday.

Beginners Guide to a Superbowl Party

January playoffs are well under way and I felt like there was no better time to create this post than a few weeks before the 50th annual Superbowl on February 7th, 2016. The first Superbowl party that I hosted was in 2014 when our Seattle Seahawks played against the Denver Broncos which happened to be my brother-in-law's team as well. And since both brothers had their teams going against each other, I decided it was a good enough reason to throw a party.

DIY Disneyland Autograph Books

As promised, here is a tutorial and all the images we found to use in our custom Disneyland autograph books! I did all the hard work for you (you're welcome!) and tracked down more than 70 characters, since you never know who you're going to see in the park.

I found this darling idea on Dara's Not in Jersey blog to make custom pages for each Disney character to sign, and then to organize them into a 4x6 photo album. Then when you get home, print a picture of your child meeting that character, and put it into the sleeve next to their signature page. It is such a cute idea and it not only saves you money on an autograph book, but it also makes a great souvenir that you and your kids will cherish as much as any souvenir you buy at the park.

Since it was my first trip to Disneyland, I didn't know which characters would be in the park so I printed out 2 copies of each page to make 2 autograph books, and it ended up costing me a ton in paper and printer ink. So in order to save you some dough, this is how I recommend you make your album...

Disneyland for Dummies. Tips for first time visitors.

Disneyland for Dummies. MamaMAE's Top Tips for First Time Visitors (and Parents!!)

Let me give you the back story to this post...I've been DREAMING about visiting Disneyland since I visited the park with my family as a kid. I was maybe 7 or 8, and all I can remember about the trip is that it was a magical day and I was extremely happy and had the time of my life. As an adult, I felt that a trip to Disneyland would be my dream family vacation. This year my hubby and I felt like our kiddos were old enough to go, so we booked our condo and I spent every free moment I had reading every piece of material I could get my hands on about Disneyland. I read every Disney blog I could find, I met with long time Disneyland veterans and asked them every question I could think of, and I spent tons of time researching all the best tips and tricks that would make my experience magical. And you know what I found?...a lot of overwhelming information. I walked into Disneyland thinking that I knew it all, that I was a pro and the day would be perfect. And to skip to the ending of the first day...I cried the entire walk back to the parking lot because I was so overwhelmed, and learned that I had missed out on so much. So after crying the whole way back to the car, I pulled myself together and went back to the drawing board and made an entirely new plan for the next visit. And you know what? It was the most magical day for my kids, and for me.

I decided to write down all the essential beginners tips for all you first timers, in hopes that these will help you get an idea of how the park works, and how to make the most of your trip without over stressing or over spending. All of my best tips for parents who plan on bringing their munchkins to the park are near the bottom.