Disney World: answering your questions on a magical vacation

This past March my family and I went on one of the vacations I've had on my bucket list forever - Disney.

I had a lot of specifics about how I wanted this vacation to go. I wanted my kids to be old enough to remember it and enjoy it, and young enough to still feel the magic that surrounds a place like Disney. My older son is 9 and my twins were 6 and I think that was definitely a great age to go (though I'm sure a few years earlier and a few years later also would work.)

Because this was a bucket list trip we decided to go all out. This trip was exclusively Disney, we had seven day park passes, we stayed on resort, we had a meal plan and we bought the photo package. I recognize not everyone will do Disney this way.

When I decided to write a post for Kids in the Capital about Disney I kept getting really overwhelmed at where to start. It was such a big trip with so many parts to talk about! I asked the Kids in the Capital community for some help and so I'm going to be answering some of the questions that came in through there, and also a few questions I've decided you should have asked but didn't :)

Let's start with the doozy

Why is it worth it? To me it seems like a lot of money and stress (and line-ups) so I'm still not convinced it's something I ever want to do....but maybe you can convince me

Disney knows what they're doing. Like, REALLY knows what they're doing.

My nine year old declared "This is the best ever and we haven't even done anything yet!!" when all we'd done so far was get up at 3am to catch a plane and then check in to our hotel. I think that alone was a great testimonial to what makes Disney special - it's clearly just magic :)

Ariel, I will love you forever.

So why is it worth it?

• Every detail is on point and adds to the experience (Check out my podcast on some of those details from a more marketing perspective on my business site)
• Every ride and experience is well thought out - from the lines, to the fast pass system, to the incredible detail put into each ride - they are all quite spectacular.
• There is something for everyone - let's say you have one son who is particularly unimpressed with princesses... he will be very impressed by the Jedis, the Toy Story rides and the cereal bar at the hotel.
• The looks of wonder on your kids' faces. My daughter walked away from meeting the little mermaid and looked and me and sighed and said "I just didn't know that she would be SO beautiful."
  The kids still haven't stopped talking about the fact that they met Kylo Ren (or that he invited my son to join the dark side - HILARIOUS, but also clearly because he saw that he was wearing a Darth Vader baseball cap at the time.)

How to do you handle all the walking? (My son was 4 when we went, so we used a stroller. When we go back, he'll be 7. What is reasonable to expect from a 7-year-old?)

So here is my first thought on this - you can walk all day and wait all day at Disney. You need to decide what you want YOUR experience to be.

Before we went I had some great friends make some suggestions to me. I knew to book Fast Passes in advance. I knew to have the app on my phone. I knew which parks we were going to on each day.

We kept each day fairly light. 

Now - keep in mind that we had a seven day pass for exactly this reason. I didn't want us to feel like we had to go go go - so we didn't. We generally went to the parks from morning until early evening. We only did a few rides that we didn't have Fast Passes for (30 minute wait times or less). We took it easy and enjoyed instead of rushing. So while there was quite a bit of walking, particularly at Magic Kingdom, there actually wasn't a whole lot of complaining, other than from me on the day I wore the wrong shoes and got a blister ;)

What are the meal plan pros and cons?

We got the meal plan that included one sit down meal per day, one casual meal per day, and one snack. (The meal plans only come with full Disney packages when you're staying on resort.)

We got the meal plan because our friends had raved about the quality of the food - we agreed, it was quite good though the restaurants we chose were not picked based on food as much as experiences.

We got the meal plan that included the sit down options because we wanted to have the meals with characters. These were a big hit, though they often were buffets and the food was no more than okay. But the kids loved having character after character come and see us right at our table. And I got a few selfies in too.

We were told that there would be lots of food in this plan, even though it only included two meals per day and that was completely true. We kept trying to save so that we wouldn't use all our credits up and in the end we had a lot left over at the end, which we attempted to use by buying character cookies in the gift shop at 6 in the morning before our shuttle to the airport ;)

A few tips about how you can use your credits - the casual meals don't distinguish between kids' meals and adult meals so you can get 3 adult sized meals to feed a family of five and then save extra credits for snacks and breakfasts. You can also turn a casual meal into three snacks, which we did several times for evening and afternoon snacks.

Was it worth the cost? I didn't do the math but I will say this. I got much nicer food because it was already paid for than if I had been choosing a la carte. It took away the daily "how much should we spend on food" decisions and we were just able to enjoy the fun restaurants.

So are there any cons? It was kind of expensive and we probably could have gotten away without it. That being said, I'd probably do it again.

Should you get the photo package?

This is the question I added! :) I loved having the photo package. Any time we saw a park photographer I knew we could get a photo and because I love photos (and that may be key) I wanted lots of photos.

It was a great way to get lots of photos with me in them (one of the things the main photographer in a family often struggles with). 

We got magic pictures which are super fun and the kids loved asking for (and you have to ask.) Being told to pose a certain way to be able to see later what gets added in is a lot of fun :) 

I didn't have to carry my big camera around with us or feel like I had to be managing taking photos. We got hundreds of photos during our week and it was well worth the cost. But again, I LOVE photos and prioritize that a lot in life. 

We had an amazing trip and I could happily go on about many more parts of our trip, including the resort we stayed in (Art of Animation). If there's anything else you'd like to hear about, leave a comment and I"ll work on a second post!

Letting My Daughter Play Wild in "Animal Jam"

My daughter played her first online game at the age of three. We were flying to Winnipeg for a family event and needed something to keep her entertained while on the airplane and during what could have been an otherwise boring family event for a preschooler (there was only one other child in attendance). The game was Monkey Preschool LunchBox and I still remember how surprised I was at how quickly she mastered my iPod touch. Swiping, clicking and figuring out what was actually going on were nothing for her.

Since then my daughter’s “screen time” has been very limited. I have never been a proponent of video or online games for young children and my daughter (now 7) has never been a kid who needs to be convinced otherwise, but recently she asked if I could download an app on my iPad called, “Animal Jam” for her to play. She wanted to play because a friend of hers talked about the game all the time and she was, naturally, curious. For some of you this game may be old news, but for us – online games was a new parenting territory.

Before agreeing I searched online for details about the game and discovered WildWorks inc. created it for National Geographic and it centers around animals and the natural world. The game was made for children in her age group. Each player has their own animal and creates their own animal name, they can then interact with other players in the online world of Jamaa and earn money and sapphires toward decorating and upgrading their den or upgrading their animal and animal apparel (dragon winged tiger anyone?).

Parents can set the controls so their child can only communicate with other players through preset phrases, such as “Hey everybody!” or “Want to trade with me?” (Because you can trade den furniture, unicorn hats, flip flops and many other fun treasures).

My daughter likes the game because she gets to be a horse (her absolute favourite animal). She is only “buddies” with her real life friends and her grandmothers, who she convinced to join Animal Jam and only play when she is around because why else would they play Animal Jam?

Somewhere amidst the many inner-game video games, treasure hunts and parties there are also educational tidbits about animals and plants… but don’t be fooled, that’s not why my daughter plays (but I often read over her shoulder and together we have learned a lot!). I like the educational aspect. I also like that the app and game itself is free to play (however sapphires, which are used to “buy” higher end treasures, cost real money).

I was worried the introduction of video games would be a bad thing for my otherwise creative girl who is outside whatever the weather, but other than a few times where I had to take the iPad away because homework needed to be done, she seems to understand there is a time and place for online games and that if it is nice outside then I don’t want her on the iPad (and she doesn’t seem to want to be anyway). I doubt it will stay this way, but for now… I’ll savour the moment.

I like Animal Jam and think it was a nice introduction into online games for our family. I grew up playing Pong on my family’s Commodore Vic20 and remember playing that for countless hours, so who am I to take away from my daughter having similar memories (albeit with more advanced graphics – and in colour)?

So, tell me, what video or online games do your children play?

Weekend Road Trip to London, Ontario

Gibbons Park, London, Ontario

London, Ontario may not be an ideal weekend road trip destination from Ottawa (after all it’s about six hours away by car and that is providing Toronto traffic is light), but when you have in-laws and a new baby niece to visit, it becomes the perfect road trip. :)

I enjoy our visits to London, Ontario and there are certain spots we make a point of visiting with the kids; so I thought I would share them in case you ever find yourself in this delightful Southern Ontario city.

Gibbons Park

If you brought your bikes make your way to Gibbons Park to enjoy the paved paths along the scenic Thames river. The trail system goes to other parks, including Harris Park and all the way to the larger Springbank Park. In addition to the paths there is also a playground, public pool, mature trees and a splash pad. There is also plenty of parking and shade-covered spots for picnicking. If you love wide-open parks with mature trees then you will love this park! There is always something going on: kids flying kites, a soccer game or just lots of families enjoying the area's natural beauty.

Storybook Gardens

Jumping Pillow at Storybook Gardens

Storybook Gardens has been a family attraction in London for decades (since 1958), but they recently renovated and improved the park by removing the animals and zoo and replacing it with an amazing playground, large splash pad and fun playhouses. Storybook Gardens centers around popular fairytales and nursery rhymes and there are traces of those around the park, but more so there are rides, slides and a giant jumping pillow that is perfect for kids preschool aged and up. My daughter loves the giant slides and playground. It’s a fun-filled way to spend a day in London!

Playhouses at Storybook Gardens

London’s Children’s Museum

For over three decades, the London Children’s Museum has been a popular destination for children. They have interactive exhibits and encourage children to learn by playing and touching. Admittedly some of the displays are worn out, but there is still plenty to see and do – especially on those rainy days when the kids are itching to run and get some energy out.

Fanshawe Pioneer Village

If you have ever gone to Upper Canada Village with your family and had a good time, then you will probably enjoy Fanshawe Pioneer Village as well. There is always interesting period-related activities going on in the historic buildings as well as throughout the village grounds. As with most pioneer villages, this interactive museum tells the story of rural communities, this one related to London and nearby counties from 1820 to 1920. It’s a great way for children to experience life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Victoria Park

Turtle in Springbank Park, London

Located in the heart of the city, Victoria Park is usually the hub of activity with festivals and musical entertainment. If there is an event going on in the City of London – it will be at this park. It’s also full of history and there is a memorial to the Boer War, which may be interesting if you are travelling with a history buff.

Above all, I recommend visiting the many scenic parks in London. The massive mature trees are stunning and the wide-open space is perfect to let little ones run free (especially after a six hour drive).

Have you travelled to London, Ontario? Where is your favourite spot to visit with the family?

Parenting for Your Child’s Rhythm

Each one of my children is a beautiful human being. I love to spend time with them, watch them learn, and notice what they are interested in. I enjoy their company but some days I find this hard to keep in perspective because I’m just not up to it. This is when I try to remember that time is fleeting. While some days seem long, months and years pass by quickly. 

As much as I feel so blessed to enjoy this time with them and experience how precious they are, what I really want is to ensure they feel how precious they are and get to know themselves really well. So, even though I want to give them confidence, love, and a feeling of worth what is more important is that they are learning to give this to themselves.

I would like to ensure that my children are not drawing their self-esteem from what I want for them but from what they want for themselves. They can do this by finding the feeling of confidence that comes from spending time with themselves and following their own rhythm.

This can be interrupted so easily by the busyness of life, rushing children out the door, and placing too much weight on socializing with others. You have the chance to let your children become strong in themselves before sending them out into the world. When they have a true sense of themselves they will also have what they need when it is time.           

To help your children have this feeling you can learn to follow them. Test it out slowly by going at they’re pace just a little bit more often. This might mean going a little slower at times or speeding things up, giving them extra time to play around the sink when they are washing their hands, allowing them to take time when getting their chores done and taking into consideration their desired schedule.

Sometimes children doddle because they are enjoying themselves and other times it is because they are feeling controlled. When you follow them you learn to see the difference and realize that both are about needs that are important to them. Understand that they have their own sense of how they would like to move through their day and they often don’t get to follow it.

By giving your children chances to follow their own rhythm they are finding resources within that give them a certainty that the way they naturally move through life is valid and valued. By giving your children chances to enjoy time with them selves they are building strength in who they are. This is what brings them the confidence to be who they are, to be authentic in relationships with others and put themselves forward in all their endeavours. 

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Kaeli Van Regan is the founder of Living Inside Out. I combine my love of life and nature with education in Child and Youth Work, Life Coaching and Energy Healing to provide coaching to expand yourself and uplift your family. I live in beautiful Old Ottawa East with my husband and three children. There are tips and tools on the website www.livinginsideout.ca with a lot more coming in the next couple of months as information comes out about my upcoming book and program Parenting Your Way.

Twitter: @kaeli_van

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaelivanregan/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVvQeRrM2EDjcPDM46BVmPg .

Get Outside with David Suzuki’s 30x30 Nature Challenge

My family and I love the outdoors. Whether we are cross-country skiing through Gatineau Park or kayaking on the Ottawa River, we love spending time immersed in nature. It is this love of the outdoors that has us eager to once again participate in David Suzuki’s 30x30 Nature Challenge. This will be our third year participating in the challenge as a family.

What is the 30x30 Nature Challenge?

The challenge is simple: get outside for 30 minutes a day every day in May. For some this challenge may be effortless, but for others it may seem nearly impossible – especially on cool rainy spring days or after a long day at the office. But once you make getting outside 30 minutes a day a regular habit, you’ll be amazed at how good it feels. 

Get the entire family involved!

Every year I enroll my daughter and I in this challenge. Whether we ride our bikes down our local trail, bird watch at a nearby wetland or hike with our dog at a local dog-friendly trail, we make it a point to get outside and in nature every day in May for at least 30 minutes. I’ll admit on busier days it can be challenging, but we hold one another accountable to make sure we do it (and we never regret it!). In our high-tech world I want her to remember how good it feels to unplug and spend time in nature - this challenge is a great way to do that.

Why participate?

We all know getting outside and taking in fresh air is good for us, and getting into nature is even better! Spending time in nature reduces stress and can improve a person’s physical and mental health.

For kids, nature provides a playground of endless possibilities – stick forts, hide and seek, scavenger hunts and more! My daughter is always finding “one-of-a-kind” rocks and pinecones on our nature walks.

Spending time in nature is a great way to teach your kids about the kinds of trees indigenous to the area. In fact, why not learn about a specific plant, bug or bird and then head outside to find them in nature? At our local suburban trail we often see rabbits, white-tailed deer and coyotes (from a distance), and soon the trilliums will be blooming!

Where can you sign up? 

Signing up is easy! Simply visit: http://30x30.davidsuzuki.org/ and enter your name and email address. You will be sent inspiring emails throughout the challenge and can follow other Canadians participating in the challenge by using the hashtag #30x30Challenge or #LoveNature on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Spring is a perfect opportunity to get outside and fall in love with nature. And even if you get outside on a regular basis, why not join the challenge and share with others how you spend your time - it just may inspire someone else to do the same! So, what are you waiting for?! Join the challenge! It starts May 1st!