Simple Soap Saving Hack

Does your family waste SO much liquid soap at the bathroom or kitchen sink? I know mine sure does. Here is a quick, easy, and CHEAP tip to save soap (and money) big time! | This post contains affiliate links |

The cover photo for this post shows the bottle of soap “before” - but I’m going to show you a quick and easy way to modify the pump so that it uses less soap with every pump! To do this you only need 3 simple items you probably have on-hand already.

Materials

• Liquid Soap - you can use any liquid soap pump (even refillable ones) but personally we love Mrs. Meyer's handsoap (usually we use Oat Blossom but we're still using up one of the holiday scents here)
• Small Zip Ties (we used black here because the pump is black, but you could use white or another color zip tie if it matches better)
• Scissors

How To

Seriously this couldn’t be much easier!

Simply put the zip tie around the soap pump where it goes down, tighten (but not too tight), and then trim off the extra. Ta-da, it’s done!

This “ring” made by the zip tie will prevent the pump from going down all the way. This way you get like a “half-pump” of soap rather than a whole pump (personally I feel like a whole pump tends to dispense far too much soap).

Now it dispenses far less soap = less waste!

Once the zip tie has been trimmed it’s barely noticeable. This little hack has saved SO much soap in our family - I really notice us going through the hand soap much slower. I hope this little trick will save you soap and money too!

PS - if you buy the same brand soap over and over you can reuse the pump top from bottle to bottle so you can keep reusing the same zip tie modified top if you don’t want to keep using up zip ties.

Disclaimer: Use at own risk.

How AI is Affecting Blogging and Influencers (+ Tips on AI-"Proofing"* Your Blog!)

AI (Artificial Intelligence) programs have progressed by incredible leaps and bounds over the last year and will only continue to improve and become more integrated into our daily lives. I’ve been blogging for the past 10 years and have noticed a big change in the blogging world, for myself and acquaintances in the industry. Here I thought I’d share some of my personal observations as well as tips that will hopefully help preserve your blog against AI.
DISCLAIMER: This posts shares personal opinions/observations and predictions on how to help your blog in this changing world. I am not an expert and you should do your own research on these matters and use my tips at your own discretion/risk. Please also keep in mind that AI is rapidly evolving and observations and predictions shared in this post may not apply in the future.

How AI is Affecting Blogging + Influencers

Decreased Traffic

With people utilizing AI more and more these days, they tend to visit websites less. This is especially obvious with the integration of Google’s Gemini (AI feature), among others. Now when you Google something Gemini will often give you a summary of the best or most common answers at the top the search results. This might answer your question enough to keep you from clicking around at the rest of the search results.

Decreased Ad Revenue

This one is pretty straightforward… less traffic = less ad revenue. After all, websites get paid for ads based on how often an ad is viewed or clicked on and if there’s less traffic to a site, there will be less ad revenue.

Decreased Affiliate Link Clicks

Again, this one is pretty straight forward - if you have less traffic to your website, less people will be seeing and clicking on your affiliate links, meaning less affiliate income.

The decrease in traffic is really hitting ad and affiliate link revenue HARD for so many websites, not just regular blogs.

---

How to AI-“Proof”* Your Blog

*It’s worth noting that I don’t think you can truly 100% “AI-Proof” your blog - AI tech is really good and only getting better — HOWEVER, I do think there are steps you can take to help preserve your blog, traffic, and income. They include:

Gain a Loyal Following

Try to gain a loyal following of people who read your blog regularly. Some ways you can do that is to regularly post engaging content to keep them coming back for more - maybe a regularly occurring series (like making over a room step-by-step or chronicling your decluttering or healthy-lifestyle journey). Or regularly posting new, great recipes to try. Try to find your niche and your followers will continue to check back in for more.

Keep a Loyal Following Across Multiple Social Media Channels

These days they best way to see and be seen (and have your blog be seen), is to post on social media. This is how a lot of people will discover your blog in the first place - but don’t put all your eggs in one basket! It’s important to try to gain a following across all social media platforms, that way if one goes down (or gets banned.. like TikTok may) you still have a reach across other platforms.

Write Detailed Posts with LOTS of Pictures (Especially for How-To Articles)

Right now for the most part AI is great at summarizing and giving general answers - but if people want specifics, especially for a how-to post, they will want lots of details, step-by-step instructions, and PICTURES. This is especially true for any kind of hands-on craft or DIY or home improvement project with a lot of nuances. Provide a lot of details and pictures and your post will continue to be more useful than a summary would be.

Utilize Keywords + Long-Tail Keywords

Keywords and long-tail keywords are important for your blog to place high in search results. After all, you want your blog post towards the top of search results if possible - even if AI has a summary of answers at the top. That way if people want to read a little more on the subject and scroll down a bit your post will (hopefully) be one of the top options to choose from to read more.

Keywords are straightforward words that describe your post, for example: “how-to”, “declutter”, “cleaning”, etc, - they are important but it’s easy to get lost in search results with just regular keywords. This is why it’s important to also include long-tail keywords which are the specific phrases that people might actually type into the search to find your post, for example: “how-to declutter your house with small kids”. In general, long-tail keywords give you a better chance at placing higher in search results.

Consider a Pay Wall to “Hide” Your Best Content

If you have REALLY good content that people would want to pay for, consider implementing a pay wall for readers to access it. Examples of this could be having readers pay for a course on your website or pay for access to an exclusive newsletter that offers info and content that they couldn’t find on your website otherwise.

I hope this post gave you some food for thought on how to preserve your blog and blog income in this rapidly changing world. Best of luck!

DISCLAIMER: This posts shares personal opinions/observations and predictions on how to help your blog in this changing world. I am not an expert and you should do your own research on these matters and use my tips at your own discretion/risk.
*I don’t think you can truly 100% “AI-Proof” your blog - AI tech is really good and only getting better — however, I do think there are steps you can take to help preserve your blog, traffic, and income. Please also keep in mind that AI is rapidly evolving and observations and predictions shared in this post may not apply in the future.

Affordable Yankee Swap / White Elephant Gift Ideas

‘Tis the season of Yankee Swaps! (Being from New England, we call them Yankee Swaps but most parts of the USA call them White Elephant Gift Exchanges.) Yankee Swaps are always a fun time and joke gifts usually rein. That said, it can be hard to decide what to bring as your gift so here are a variety of affordable gift ideas, ranging from funny to nice to extra cheap/free, all broken down into categories for easy shopping (I will keep adding to this list as I think of more). | This post contains affiliate links |

The first thing to consider before you choose your gift is your audience… is this a professional work party? Then you might not want to bring the toilet coffee mug.. however if the party goers have a sense of humor then silly gifts may win the night! Also consider if there’s an inside joke you can play up - for example one year at our work party someone wrapped and gave the dead houseplant that had been sitting in the breakroom for months! Now that was a clever and funny gift idea.

Funny and Silly (Joke) Gift Ideas

• Framed photo of yourself - preferrably in the dramatic, cheesy department store photoshoot style
• Burrito Blanket - Not going to lie, I kind of want one of these! haha
• Toliet Mug (with an extra surprise)
• Bean Boozled Game - This is a funny game: spin the spinner, take a jelly bean... is that yellow speckled jelly bean buttered popcorn flavored or ear wax flavored? You won't know until you try it!
• Scratch Off Dad Jokes - everybody loves a corny Dad joke!
• A Rotisserie Chicken (and a side) - this one is so unexpected it's bound to get a laugh. Just make sure you buy it right before the party and maybe put it on ice packs so it doesn't go bad.

Practical and Nice Gift Ideas

• Lottery tickets/Scratch off tickets - everyone dreams of winning big!
• A Cozy Blanket
• Food basket - come up with a theme and include nice snacks or drinks
• Nice office supplies (a nice set of stationery, pens, etc)
• A board game or card game
• A Gift Card to a Local Shop or Restaurant

Cheap or Free Gift Ideas

• Something from around your house that you’re not using - coffee mug, knick knack, etc.
• Something half used from your house - like a candle.
• Split and repot one of your houseplants to share
• A Big Package of Toliet Paper or Tissues - People often get excited for these before opening because it looks like a big gift!

SIMPLE Disney World Planning Tips & Tricks for First Timers

This past October we went on our first trip to Disney World as a family and it was amazing! We’ve been putting it off for awhile because we wanted the kids to be bigger and, to be honest, it sounded just absolutely overwhelming to plan everything! After reading many other blogs and following some forums online we were so nervous to take the leap and go but we did it and we’re so glad we did. We luckily had a smooth trip and we are so thankful for such a fun and relaxing week as a family. Here I thought I’d share some of the tips and tricks we learned along the way while planning it all ourselves - without making it overly complicated. | This post contains affiliate links |

Disclaimer: This post shares tips based on our experiences - please do your own research regarding what will work best for you and/or your family and realize that things may be subject to change.

To Use a Disney Planner or Not?
(We Booked Ourselves)

First thing to consider is whether to use a Disney Planner or not… ultimately we did not use a planner because we’re very cautious people and giving a stranger all our info and letting them plan our itinerary just made us nervous. That said, tons of people use Disney Planners all the time and have great success - it doesn’t cost you anything (they get a kickback from helping you book) and it can take a lot of the stress away from planning. Most people find a Disney Planner by word of mouth — However we planned everything on our own.

When to Go?

Deciding when to go is the next step. It’s a good idea to consider both how old you want your kids to be as well as time of year. For us we wanted our kids old enough to do most of the rides and walk the whole time (we did not want to deal with a stroller - but that’s our personal preference). And you also want to consider time of year… summertime can be brutally hot, hurricane season can have weather impacts, holidays can be insanely busy, and popular school vacation weeks can be very busy as well. (Ultimately Disney is always busy but if you want to mitigate that some try to pick a less-busy time.)

Picking Hotels (& Booking Flights)

Many people choose to stay “off property” at an Air BnB because it can be cheaper, but staying on Disney property was very important to us. We wanted all the perks we could get and if you stay on Disney property you get things like free transportation to and from the parks from your hotel, early entry times for the parks, earlier availability to book Lightning Lanes, and more.

We checked the Disney World website periodically to see what was available for hotels and rates for the week we wanted to go. One thing we noticed was prices and availability changed A LOT, so it’s worth checking often and being patient until you see something that works for you and then jump on it! Once we saw a hotel/parks pass package available for the hotel we wanted (we stayed at one of the value resorts) and week we wanted we quickly looked at flight availability. For us we wanted a direct flight from our local airport and we lucked out with flight availability lining up with the hotel stay and we booked everything at once. We also opted for the travel insurance through Disney just in case plans had to change (this does not cover your flights though, FYI).

To Park Hop or Not?

One option for ticket packages includes Park Hopper Tickets (which usually cost more) - this allows you to visit more than one park per day, otherwise without Park Hopper once you scan into a park you can only visit that particular park for the rest of the day (you can come and go, but only to that one park for that day).

For us we did not get Park Hopper, and it worked out great - it was cheaper and our I don’t think our kids would have had the patience to add the hassle of transporting to another park in the middle of the day. For our trip we had 5 full park days and it was easier to focus on one park per day, with the last day as a make-up day for whatever park we wanted to spend additional time in (we went to Magic Kingdom).

Book Airport Transportation

Next consider transportation from the airport to your hotel (or Air BnB) and back to the airport at the end of your stay. Some people choose to rent a car for the length of the stay. Other options include hiring an Uber or other rideshare, booking a MinnieVan, or MEARS (a bus service). We opted for MEARS and it worked out great. If using something other than Uber or another on-demand rideshare service, I would recommend booking your transportation early. (If you need car seats make sure to coordinate that too with your transportation company.)

Disney Gift Cards

There are some stores (like Sam's Club) that sell Disney gift cards at a discount... the offers can vary but you can typically get Disney Gift Cards for less than their face value. Also if you have a Target Credit Card you typically get 5% off Disney Gift Cards at Target.. so in that case a $500 gift card could only cost you $475!

Some people will pay for their whole trip this way… buying a few Disney gift cards here and there when they can over the course of weeks/months. The savings can definitely add up but we were wary of locking all our money into gift cards - especially in the event if the trip needed to be cancelled or rescheduled. So instead we got a few gift cards to have as spending money while we were there for food and souvenirs. Some family members also got our kids a Disney gift card so they could have their own spending money which was very thoughtful. (*Note: If you do use physical Disney Gift Cards make sure to save the Gift Card even if it’s spent until your trip is done… I’ve heard stories about people cancelling their trip or an aspect of their trip or making a return and the funds automatically go back on the gift card.. if you don’t have the physical gift card or a record of it’s information then it can be very difficult to use those funds again.

Buy Some Souvenirs BEFORE You Go

To put it bluntly, souvenirs inside the parks can be PRICEY. In order to save money, buy some souvenirs ahead of time, especially for your kids. Some examples would be things like ear headbands, stuffed animals, shirts, or bubble wands (if you do checked luggage).

Carry-Ons Only

I know it’s not for everyone but we’re a carry-on only family - we just don’t like dealing with checking bags and collecting them afterwards and the stress and time involved with that. Because of that, we packed everything we needed in a small duffle bag each - for that we love our L.L. Bean Duffle Bags for carry-ons. We still made sure to put luggage tags on everything too on the off-chance we had to gate-check our bags when we boarded the plane.

Every family member carried their own clothes, tolietries, etc - and each of us even had an extra pair of shoes in our bags! For tolietries I could not get in travel sizes (like particular sunscreen and shampoo for our little one with very senstive skin), I used TSA-approved travel bottles (similar ones linked) to bring our own from home. (I even labled the bottles with a label maker because the sunscreen and shampoo looked the same in the bottles.)

Pack an Extra Bag of Snacks/Food

We also brought one extra small backpack (it was my husband’s “personal item” at check in) that we STUFFED full of snacks, granola bars, and two empty Nalgene water bottles (which we also stuffed with granola bars to save room). While you can get grocery delivery at Disney hotels, we wanted to avoid it if possible (one less thing to deal with and one less expense because Disney hotels charge a small fee for grocery delivery). Double check with your airline that there’s no issue bringing a backpack of snacks, but we had no issue with ours - we also made sure it didn’t have any liquids and all the food was factory sealed. Once we got to our hotel room we took all the snacks out and the backpack became our “park bag” for the trip - and then became our souvenir bag for the trip home (since by then we had eaten all the snacks.)

Pack Ziplock Bags

Definitely pack some ziplock bags from home, in a variety of sizes. They come in handy much more than you would think! They’re great for protecting souvenirs or books you buy, keeping some snacks for later that your kids didn’t want to finish, organizing your park bag, packing wet or dirty items for the trip home, etc. - the possibilities are just about endless.

Pack Cooling Towels

One random item we were thankful to have packed in our park bag were cooling towels. These are thin special towels that you get wet, ring out, and then can drape around your shoulders/arms or on the back of your neck. They really help cool you down when it’s hot! Even though we went to Disney at the end of of October it was still quite hot during the day, and I swear some parks (like Epcot) were extra hot because of the lack of shade. The cooling towels were a lifesaver for keeping our kids comfortable in the heat.

Have a “Park Bag”

Having a small backpack to bring around in the parks is a must. Cute Loungefly bags are very popular at Disney, but I personally don’t think they’re very practical. For us we found the Osprey Daylite pack to fit the bill perfectly - it was big enough to carry snacks, disposable ponchos, our refillable Nalgene water bottles, cooling towels, and still have enough room to fit small souvenirs or some thin sweatshirts. It’s also small enough to be able to bring on most of the rides - including roller coasters. Also the Osprey Daylite carries the weight SO well - even full of souvenirs and two full Nalgene water bottles you barely know it's there. An amazing added feature is you can use the cinch buckles on the sides to thread through the Nalgene water bottle loops to keep them extra secure. My husband carried the bag most of the time but we all took turns with it occasionally.

I also carried a Lululemon Belt Bag on me at all times that was perfect for carrying my phone, wallet, anti-friction balm (to help prevent blisters), and hand sanitizer.

(PS - if you're looking for a fun but simple Disney-themed bag, Lululemon also has this really cute Mickey Outline Belt Bag that I totally would have worn!)

And don’t forget to make sure your Park Bag is packed and ready each night to make the mornings quicker and easier - especially if you’re Rope Dropping!

AirTag Your Kids & Strollers

You may want to consider AirTagging your kids, especially if you’re concerned about the possibility of getting separated from them in the airport or parks. We used bracelets to hold our kids’ AirTags (they wore an AirTag on one wrist and their Magic Band on the other). It was also super helpful in finding each other when we did split up… sometimes I would take one kid to the bathroom or to get food at one food stall, and my husband would take our other kid in the opposite direction to a different food stall. By using the AirTags we could easily find each other to meet back up afterwards.

If you have a stroller (we did not), it’s highly recommended to AirTag them. Cast Members constantly shuffle and move strollers around in stroller parking areas to make room for more strollers, a parade coming through, etc. And while it’s unlikely, rarely strollers do get stolen too… so definitely AirTag them to keep track.

Park Gift Shop Tip

When you're in Gift Shops in the Parks always check if the item you’re interested in is available elsewhere - like The Disney Store Online or Target. Unfortunately most items in the Park Gift Shops are “Park Exclusives” and unable to get elsewhere, but at least several of the things we looked at were available other places - sometimes slightly cheaper too. And even if it’s the same price online, if you’re able to buy it from home it will save you that much more room in your luggage ;)

Be Kind to your Feet

You will walk a lot in Disney - a LOT. We averaged close to 10 miles a day!

Thankfully we’re in pretty good shape, our kids are big enough to walk and keep up, and we all wore good footwear - so we had no issues. That being said, make sure you’re prepared for the amount of walking you will do. If you need to, start taking progressively longer walks weeks or months in advance to help train up for it. Definitely pack a comfortable pair of broken in sneakers as your main walking shoes, plus another comfortable pair of shoes as a back up in case your sneakers get wet or your feet need a break from your regular shoes one day. Many people recommend “crocs with socks” though I brought Oofos - but please pack whatever suits you best. Other things that you may want to consider packing are anti-friction balm, blister bandages, compression socks if needed, and epsom salt lotion (it feels so nice after a long day on your feet!).

Paying Extra for Lightning Lanes (LL) is Worth It

Initially I was totally against Lightning Lanes (LL)… Me: “No way are we paying extra money towards rides.. this trip is expensive enough!”. However, my husband insisted we get them and I’m so glad he did because without them there was no way we could have fit in half of what we did otherwise. With LL we luckily were able to fit in EVERYTHING we wanted to do and more. We found the trick to be to schedule your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP) as early as possible in the day (even if it’s on a “throw away” ride that usually doesn’t have a long line) and then keep stacking and modifying your selections as you check into rides.. you can have a total of 3 rides booked ahead at a time with LLMP. Sometimes it kept us running from one side of the park to the other because we had to work around what was available and when, but we were able to fit SO much more in.

We also booked Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP) for the new/popular rides those were available for, like TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. With all LLs you check into the LL line at your scheduled time and you’re able to get right on the ride with no wait or a very short wait… on the other hand we saw regular wait times for rides typically range from anywhere from 5 minutes to 240 minutes (that’s FOUR HOURS!), with the average being probably between 20-55 minutes… still that’s a long time to wait in line, especially if most rides have a wait like that you would end up spending most of your day standing in line. Also, I don’t think our kids would have had as much fun or as much patience if we were in lines all day, every day of our trip.

Use Apple Watches Instead of Magic Bands for Adults

If you already have an Apple Watch you can link your tickets to your watch and use that to scan in at the gate for park entry, Lightning Lanes, and for PhotoPass pictures and skip buying a Magic Band. The one thing it can’t do is unlock your hotel room door… which we learned the hard way one night when we locked ourselves out of our room after using the pool. Oops. (Don't worry though - you can get a key card to keep in your wallet for the door.)

Get a “Security Band” if You Use Magic Bands (for Kids and Adults)

It is possible to do Disney without Magic Bands (you can get key cards at your hotel that can be used for ticketing, Lightning Lanes, hotel key, etc), but having everyone in your party either have a Magic Band or an equivalent (like a linked Apple Watch) will make everything go a lot smoother and quicker - especially at park entry and Lightning Lanes. For those with Magic Bands, using a "security band" like these on them is a MUST. Magic Bands just do not stay on well at all, and if you don’t want to loose it on your trip you must secure it and these worked perfectly for us!
(My husband and I even added the security bands to our Apple Watches for extra peace of mind.)

Don’t Stress About Dinner Reservations

Unless you’ve got your heart set on dining at a very specific, hard-to-get restaurant (like Ohana’s, Tusker House, or Cinderella’s Royal Table), don’t stress about making reservations early. For us we waited and made reservations at several sit-down restaurants (including Character Meals) about a week before we went and had no problems making reservations for the days we wanted, though the time choices were somewhat limited. However, once it was the day-of we were able to modify the reservations and choose from lots of time slots to better suit how our day was going (either move the reservation up earlier or back later).
**Definitely check ahead of time though what the cancellation/modification policy is of the restaurant you’re eating at because some will not let you change it within a certain amount of time of the current reservation without a fee.

Buy Silhouette Frames When You Get Home and Save the Space in Your Suitcase

My single must-do/must-have souvenir from Disney was getting Silhouette Portraits done of our kids in Magic Kingdom. It was such a cool experience watching them work and cut a perfect likeness within minutes! I recommend getting them done mid-day if possible, as the line seems to be shorter. After the silhouettes are cut and it's time to pay you have the option to buy the frames there if you would like. I had every intention of buying oval frames there but at the time they were sold out of ovals and only had rectangular frames which I just wasn't interested in. So we got our silhouettes to-go in a little gift bag (tip: it would be a good idea to bring a large ziplock bag to protect the silhouettes a little more).

When it came time to pack up and go home at the end of the week I was actually very thankful we didn't buy the frames in Disney - we travel with carry-ons only which were already stuffed to the brim with our regular items and all our other souvenirs. There would have been no room for frames.

Once we got home I shopped around online to find oval frames that fit the silhouettes. After reading a lot of mixed reviews I ordered several different frames to find the one that fit best. After some trial and error I found the PERFECT FIT oval frames for the Disney World Silhouettes right on Amazon - and they come as a set of two! It was meant to be ;)

Do Early Entry and Rope Drop the 2nd Most Popular Ride

By staying on-property we were able to do Early Entry at the parks - this is when guests staying at Disney resorts are allowed in approximately 30 minutes earlier than normal entry. It doesn’t sound like much of an edge, but it’s a huge advantage - especially if you get in line at the gate early and you’re among the first people in. Being in early lets you take photos and enjoy the scenery without as much crowds as later in the day - this is especially noticeable at Magic Kingdom.

You can also “rope drop” a ride this way - which means you get to the ride entrance before they “drop the rope” for that section of the park and start letting people queue up for the ride(s) in that section. (Keep in mind not all rides are available during early entry, but some will be open and some you can start lining up early for - you can check the list of what’s going to be available for Early Entry on the Disney website.) We found that the most popular rides were still crazy-busy and would quickly develop insanely long lines at rope drop, but the not-as popular rides would be walk-on. Therefore we we would make sure to schedule our LLs for the most popular rides and try to rope drop the second-most popular rides. For example, on the day we went to Animal Kingdom, Avatar Flight of Passage had an insanely long line at rope drop but Avatar Nav’i River Journey was walk-on - in fact we rode it twice in a row with no wait!

Eat One Meal a Day from Packed Food to Save Money

To help save money on food costs eating out in the parks, we typically ate breakfast in our hotel room before we left for the parks for the day. We had planned on doing that anyways to help save money, but since we would leave so early for Early Entry nothing was open yet for breakfast anyways so it ended up being a necessity. In our carry-on bags we had one backpack full of granola bars, breakfast tarts, dried fruit, etc. and it was perfect for a quick breakfast before heading to the buses or Skyliner to get to the parks.

Get Free Water in The Parks

Another way to save money is to bring refillable water bottles and ask for free water at any of the quick service food stalls. They will give you cups of ice water than you can pour in your refillable bottle (they’re not allowed to fill your bottles for you for sanitation reasons). There are also some water refill stations at places around the parks, they’re often near a bathroom but not all bathrooms have them.

A lot of people will complain about the taste of the water, but we didn’t mind it. We did bring Gatorade packets just in case (for flavor and for hydration purposes), but I think we only used them once or twice.

You Can Get a Doctor “House Call” to Your Hotel Room, If Needed (Though I Hope You Won’t Need It)

During our trip our oldest daughter unfortunately had an awful cold (she had tested negative for Covid/Flu prior to leaving). One night it seemed to peak and we were questioning if it could have developed into pneumonia… we wanted to get her checked ASAP but it was the middle of the night and the local Urgent Cares were closed and we had no transportation. I called the front desk and the hotel could have provided transportation to the local Emergency Room or they could connect me with a third party company that provides “house call” doctor visits in your hotel room.

We opted for doing a house call since it wasn’t a true emergency and we wanted as little disruption as possible for our kids. The front desk connected me with the company and I provided patient information, her symptoms, and payment (they do not take insurance - you must pay up front but you can try to submit to your insurance later for reimbursement). Within an hour a doctor was knocking on the door - he was very nice, professional, and came with a large rolling bag with equipment in it. He took patient history then checked her nose, ears, throat, and eyes, listened to her lungs, and took her O2 reading, pulse, and temperature. Thankfully everything checked out fine - she did not have pneumonia, it was just the peak of her viral cold and she was all set.

When he left he provided us with a superbill that we could submit to our insurance to try to get reimbursed. Unfortunately for us he was not in network for our insurance which was a bummer so we were unable to get reimbursed (though a portion of the bill did go towards our out-of-network deductible so at least that was something). Nevertheless, it was well worth it for peace of mind and convenience - it was still cheaper than an ER visit and a lot less disruptive.

Most Importantly: Be Flexible and BE NICE

The most important tip of all, in my opinion? Be flexible (set low expectations) and be nice. Seriously.

If you go into your trip expecting nothing but magic and pixie dust and doing every single thing you want you’re probably going to set yourself up for disappointment. Rides go down.. a lot. Character lines can be long and close for breaks. Your kids may be pooped out and want to go back to the hotel at 1PM. One reservation may take longer than expected and cause you to miss another reservation. So be willing to compromise, go with the flow, and be flexible. If you set low expectations on how much you will be able to do, you will automatically win when you exceed those (low) expectations.

And above all - be nice, please. For the most part all the guests we met were very nice but we also came across some doozys who were exceptionally rude to Cast Members or even their own kids. Please have patience with everyone and you’ll have a much better time.

---

I hope these tips based on our experiences will help you! Definitely do your research and be flexible and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful trip!

Disclaimer: This post shares tips based on our experiences - please do your own research regarding what will work best for you and/or your family and realize that things may be subject to change.

---

Two Minute Garage Door Makeover - No Tools Needed!

A few years ago we built a detached garage on our property which we nicknamed “the barn.” We were on a tight budget when we had it built so we kept everything very basic - basic windows, basic doors, etc. Now that we’ve lived with it for a few years we’re slowly upgrading what we can with easy and cheap DIYs, like this two minute garage door makeover - no tools needed! | This post contains affiliate links |

The front of our barn just looked so plain and boring... it definitely needed "something" to give it more character and the basic builder-grade garage door just wasn't cutting it. One day while I was on Amazon I came across these magnetic faux hinges and handles with amazing reviews and thought that was perfect!

To install them I wiped down the garage door real quick first to remove any dirt and then just stuck the hinges to the door right from the box. There are several magnets on the back of each item so they’re easy to stick on and reposition as needed.

| Magnetic Faux Hinges and Handles for Garage Doors |

The faux hinges and handles are made from thick plastic so they won’t rust - but they certainly don’t look plastic! Even up close they have a lot of texture and really look like forged metal. The handles even fooled my kids and they totally thought they were real! And if you want to keep your doors more simple you could easily just put the hinges up or just the handles and leave it at that.

This quick addition to our plain garage door really has made a difference in making our “barn” look more finished and giving it better curb appeal. Hopefully next year we’ll get the driveway paved up to it and add some landscaping and then it really will be done.

Looking for more cheap and easy DIY’s? See our previous Blog Post on how I added “window panes” to our basic builder-grade windows and it’s made such a difference. They’re still up years later and look as good as the day I first put them up.

PERFECT FIT Oval Frames for Disney World Silhouettes - on Amazon!

We recently came back from the most amazing and magical trip to Disney World! It was our family’s first trip and we had such a wonderful time and learned so much along the way (separate blog post coming soon to share more on all that we learned). One of my top must-dos for the trip was to get a silhouette portrait of our girls done as a souvenir. | This post contains affiliate links |

At the time of writing this post, they currently have Silhouette Artists at Magic Kingdom and at Disney Springs. We tried twice at Magic Kingdom to get them done but the first time we went was towards the end of the day and the line was long and our kids were tuckered out so we had to skip that day. The second time we went to Magic Kingdom during the middle of the day and it was a success - a short line that moved fast and it was so amazing to watch the Silhouette Artist work! The subject sits in a chair across from the artist (many artists can also work from a side view picture if it’s a good one - they can even do pet portraits this way), and then they get to work snipping the paper with sharp little scissors. They cut two sheets of paper at once and you end up with two sets of portraits (mirror imaged). The artist did both our kids within minutes and it’s a perfect likeness to them, I was so impressed!

Afterwards when it's time to pay you have the option to buy the frames there if you would like. I had every intention of buying oval frames there but at the time they were sold out of ovals and only had rectangular frames which I just wasn't interested in. So we got our silhouettes to-go in a little gift bag (tip: it would be a good idea to bring a large ziplock bag to protect the silhouettes a little more).

When it came time to pack up and go home at the end of the week I was actually very thankful we didn't buy the frames in Disney - we traveled with carry-ons only and there was no way we would have had room for the frames in our carry-ons.

| Oval Frames that fit Disney World Silhouettes (they also come in other colors too!) |

Once we got home I shopped around online to find oval frames that fit the silhouettes. After reading a lot of mixed reviews I ordered several different frames to find the one that fit best. After some trial and error I found the PERFECT FIT oval frames for the Disney World Silhouettes right on Amazon - and they come as a set of two! It was meant to be ;)

I recommend taking out the plexiglass piece and using that as a guide to trace and cut out your silhouette to fit in the frame (I did not use the oval mat that came with the frame - and don’t forget to remove the protective plastic film from both sides of the plexiglass). It worked perfectly for us! We kept one portrait for ourselves and gave the other one to the grandparents as a thank you for house sitting for us. It’s such a special souvenir that we’ll treasure!

Disclaimer: I found that these frames fit the Silhouettes we got this year (Fall, 2024) at Disney World perfectly. I would think they should also fit the Silhouettes from Disneyland and Disney Springs too, but I cannot confirm that because I haven’t tried it yet myself.

---

Spirit Week Theme Day Ideas

Having worked at a middle/high school for a few years now I’ve experienced a bunch of Spirit Weeks and they can be pretty fun! I thought I’d share a list of some of the favorite Theme Days I’ve seen or have heard about from others - some are quite creative and ridiculous. I will continue to add to this list as I come across more fun ideas. Disclaimer: always make sure you check with your school/administration for any parameters or rules for Spirit Week Themes as every school will have different expectations as to what’s acceptable or not.
| This post contains affiliate links |

Class Color Day

This is a classic theme day - every grade or classroom gets assigned a color and kids from that group are encouraged to wear that color. Some people get really into it with head-to-toe color-coordinated outfits and even face paint or temporary hair color!

Wacky Hair Day

For Wacky Hair Day kids are encouraged to wear their hair wacky! Side ponytails, mowhawks, temporary hair paint/color, crazy wigs, etc - and some kids even go all out with a crazy hair cut (with parents' permission/help of course).

Halloween in (Whatever Month You’re In) / Costume Day

This is a chance to bust out those Halloween costumes, dress up, and have Halloween in March (or whatever month you’re doing Spirit Week). Giving out some candy/trick or treating in the school might be a fun addition too. Just make sure those costumes are school appropriate!

Superhero Day

Dress up as your favorite Superhero! Kids can wear store bought costumes or easily make their own with some paper emblems taped to their shirts or homemade masks/capes.

Circle of Life Day

For this day each class is assigned a period of life… for example Freshman dress as babies, Sophomores as college years, Juniors as midlife crisis, and Seniors as senior citizens - of course.

Beach Day

For this one wear your beach-inspired items - think floral print shirts/outfits, shorts, tank tops, sandals, sun hats. Throw a towel over your shoulder or grab a beach ball to complete the look. Adding a flower lei necklace is an easy way to achieve Beach Day status.

Tourist Day

Tourist Day attire is usually very similar to Beach Day attire, but usually with the addition of a map, cameras or binoculars, and tall socks with sandals.

Anything But a Backpack Day

This one is always a favorite in our school - the idea is instead of bringing a backpack to carry your stuff, you bring just about anything else (a laundry basket, a microwave, a shopping cart, etc). Check out our dedicated blog post on Anything But a Backpack Day for more ideas!

Career Day

Career Day is a chance for kids to dress up as what they might want to be in a future career. Doctors, teachers, lawyers, electrician, plumber, race car driver, business owner, etc. This can be an easy one to put together from home with either nice or work clothes and a few accessories (a clipboard, a small toolbox, etc.).

Historical Figures Day

This can be a chance make a spirit day a bit educational as well as fun if kids need to provide a fact about their historical figure in addition to dressing up. Kids could pick figures from world history long ago (Julius Caesar, for example), our national history (ex. George Washington or Betsy Ross), or more recent history (ex. Steve Jobs or Sally Ride).

Little White Lie Day

For this day you write a school-appropriate “little white lie” on a white t-shirt (or a white piece of paper taped to your shirt). They’re typically sarcastic ones like “I’ve never been late to class” or “I always do my homework.” And if you’re not into poking a little fun at yourself you could do something easy and neutral such as “This shirt is blue” (but it’s actually a green shirt), etc.

Ugly Sweater Day / Festive Sweater Day

This is always such a fun one, especially around the holidays! Everyone is encouraged to make or wear an ugly/tacky sweater or a festive sweater. If you make your own sweater it's a chance to get creative and repurpose an old sweatshirt or sweater and add your own fun twist to it - think rickrack, pom poms, old ornaments (just make sure they aren't breakable!), etc. - Don't forget to use a glue gun to make decorating your sweater easy!

There are also tons of options available online if you want to buy a tacky sweater - just make sure it's school appropriate and not offensive.

BBQ Dads & Soccer Moms

On this day it’s encouraged to dress up as the stereotypical “BBQ Dad” or “Soccer Mom” - kids had a lot of fun with this one and some girls dressed up as BBQ Dads and some boys dressed up as Soccer Moms (you can do whichever you prefer - or a combo of the two!).

For the BBQ Dad ensemble think: aprons, spatulas, white sneakers, khaki shorts, baseball caps.
For the Soccer Mom ensemble think: oversized sunglasses, leggings, an oversized waterbottle (Stanleys optional), oversized sweatshirt, and of course a cross body belt bag.

Adam Sandler Day

This one is pretty easy for most middle/high school kids to pull off - the goal here is to dress in “iconic Adam Sandler style” which pretty much consists of things like baggy basketball shorts, oversized t-shirts and flannels, and dark sunglasses. This is easily doable for most kids/staff and a lot of fun. (It’s also particularly a favorite here because Adam Sandler is a NH native!)

Meme Day

I feel like this is a hard one for me - I guess I’m just too old, haha. But for this day you’re supposed to dress up as or reference a meme. A few that I saw - that I understood - were the “‘I’ll allow it’ guy” (wear a sombrero and carry a piece of paper that says “I’ll allow it”) and the one where Kermit the frog is drinking tea (bring a mug of tea and add a green felt zig-zaggy collar like Kermit has). A few other people just printed out a meme and taped it to their shirt and we let it count - such as a picture of Grumpy Cat saying “this is my happy face.”

Disclaimer: always make sure you check with your school/administration for any parameters or rules for Spirit Week Themes as every school will have different expectations as to what’s acceptable or not.

Garage Locker Power Tool Organizer - Fits Between Garage Doors!

Lately our garage has been kind of a mess - my husband has been rebuilding our rotting deck and the power tools he has have multiplied with no good place to store them. I was getting tired of tripping over sanders and planers so I thought I’d come up with a way to get all the small power tools easily accessible and organized for his project. In my search I came across the perfect locker solution! | This post contains affiliate links |

I realized the space between our garage doors was vastly underutilized. It’s a skinny spot but tall - with a lot of potential for easily-accessible storage. I thought about building shelves there but then it would be open and kind of messy. I tried finding a cabinet that would fit but they were all too wide. Then I realized a locker would fit!

I searched for single-width lockers and found many options and considered doing a single tall locker or a double locker. But then I came across this amazing single-width locker with six doors/tiers! It was perfect for my needs - it fit right in between the garage doors and each tool could have it’s own cubby. This locker fit perfectly in our garage but make sure to measure your space first as you may have a narrower (or wider) space to work with. There was assembly required for the locker but it went together easily and then it was ready to use!

One important thing to consider before you put a locker in your garage is how you will contend with wet floors. We live in New England and in the winters especially our garage floors get quite wet when the snow melts off our cars… in order to protect the bottom of your locker from rusting you probably want to raise it up off the floor. For us we used a thick paving stone that fit well under the locker - though we did have to level it some with composite shims (similar ones linked) because our garage floors are slightly uneven. (Just slide the shim under the paver and break off when it's the right height - so easy!) You may also want to consider attaching your locker to the wall in some way if you’re concerned about it tipping.

| 6 Door Metal Locker |

Once we had our locker level and secured I labeled each cubby with what it contained (“Drills & Bits”, “Orbital Sander”, etc). To make the labels I just typed them up on my computer, printed them out on a sheet of cardstock, and cut them out.

This was an awesome and very easy project to do in our garage. We love how organized and accessible the tools are while still keeping them out of sight.