On the eve of notifications. A #DisneyMP letter.

Image is not her own.

It is feeling a lot like Christmas Eve around the Disney Parks Mom Panel community this morning.  After weeks of waiting and decoding encrypted messages from Gary, it has come down to this. The final 24 hours (more or less) before those pixie-dusted magical emails arrive.

Or not so.

Having been on both sides of those emails, I can assure you I know what everyone is going through at this moment.  I know the emotional roller coaster it plays on you. Right now you are feeling excited, nervous. Perhaps a little scared even. That is perfectly okay. Believe me, I get it. The process is amazing. There are so many great people and so many of us have made some great connections through it. Yes, you want to go through, but you want them to go through to Round 2 just as much.

Are your nerves getting to you yet? Hang in there.

One would think given the fact I have a Moms Panel Fastpass+ I would be a lot calmer. After all I know what is coming; I know I made it on to Round 2. But here is the thing. I am just as excited and anxious to see who will be joining those of us who have the MPFP+ as you are.  I will not lie when I say; it has been a long month and a half wait.

But the wait will all be over tomorrow. For some, the news will be thrilling. For others the news won’t be.  For those joining me through to Round 2, enjoy it. Take it one step at a time. It is a thrilling ride that only gets more exciting with each step. Cherish and relish the fact you have made it this far. Celebrate it.  When I found out last year I was moving on, I sat there in the car shaking for minutes. I had to reread the email to make sure it was correct. I asked my husband to pinch me. It’s a thrilling moment to know you are one step closer. I cannot describe it really any other way except pure excitement.

For those who do not make it, the only thing I can say is to hold on. I know it sounds ridiculously hard to do, but don’t give up. Use this year as a tool for next year’s application. Yes, it may be a whole year away (or really 11 months at this point) but believe me the year will fly. Don’t be disappointed in yourself. I will tell you what I told myself last year (and even blogged about it) you did an amazing thing. You did this for YOU! You began to chase your dream and are working towards going after them. Maybe that didn’t happen right away, or when you thought. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t working. Dreams are funny things, they don’t happen overnight. Be proud of this. Repeat.

So tonight, put on your Disney jammies (because I know you own at least one pair). While you are at, throw them inside out just for extra pixie dust. Grab some hot chocolate in that Cinderella mug. Fill it with extra sprinkles. Dance to “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Dream and wish. Tomorrow will come.

But for tonight, we are all still hopefuls.

Faith, trust and pixie dust to one and all!

My message to all my fellow #DisneyMP hopefuls.

Image is not my own.

A week from today the search for the 2015 Disney Parks Moms Panelists begins. Yes a week from now so many of us will be anxiously pacing the floor until the window opens.

  

If you ask me, it is by far truly the most magical time of year. 

Will I be joining once more? Absolutely I will be. How could I not be joining the lovely waiting room with my fellow hopefuls? After all it has gotten to be something I enjoy and look forward to every year regardless how far I have or have not made it. The waiting room during the few months while the selection process is being made has become more than just a hashtag on Twitter, more than just random strangers, but rather more of a community – a support group to laugh and cry with. And friends have been made; yes each and every one of the hopefuls has become friends.

I was asked the other day if I had any advice on the process. If there was any special formula to consider while applying? There isn’t. The best I could say are things I too have learned from my previous experiences during the process. 

Be you. Be true to yourself. Believe in yourself, your abilities and your knowledge. On the same lines do not feel intimidated that someone knows five thousand little facts about certain areas. But rather relish in and embrace the things that YOU know. Do not focus on what others may or may not know. It will only lead to worry and doubt in your own self. 

Do this for yourself, not for someone else. I realize this may sound silly but it is the simple truth. I believe we put so much pressure to try and live up to something we think others want us to be. On the same sort of line as that, do not try and measure up or be someone you think they want you to be. Realize your own potential. Trust that as well.

Don’t question yourself. The moment you hit submit you will wonder did I do enough? Will they like it? Secretly you will be wondering will they like me? But let it go, let it come naturally. It will. Have a little faith. 

Don’t over think it. Not sure about you but it has been on my mind a lot lately. I have endless amounts of discussions regarding it during dinner conversations, on the commute in to work. During back to school shopping. It is the same way every year. It is so hard not thinking about it, or as some in the community call it, obsess about it. It has become a part of a lot of our lives. With that being said, there is a life out there beyond the application process. Try to live it. Continue life. Even if it is helping those around you have the most magical time on their own Disney Vacations. Consider it great practice for when you do get on that panel

Enjoy it, the process the road and the journey. And yes, it is a long journey. The three months from round one, to round 3–should we get lucky enough to make it that far–is a long one. Yes you will go through every emotion while doing so. But the most important one is to enjoy it. 

Reread, re-edit and redo if necessary. Yes these are just as important. Make sure you double check for spelling errors. What about your key terms? Are they right? You may think it isn’t a big deal but it is. How is that ultra-popular restaurant at the Polynesian spelled? O’Hanas? Ohana’? Or is it ‘Ohana?  

Of course all of this is no guarantee. Many of us will receive the not so magical emails come October. It will be heartbreaking and you will have to wait a whole other year–which will be the longest year of your life–you will no doubt question a lot of things. Some of us will be lucky enough to make it on to the rounds that follow, and some of us will ultimately on to the panel. 

But do not think about any of this for now. As of right now, we are all hopefuls.

Let faith do its thing. Believe in the possibility. Hang on to the magic for as long as your journey lets you.

May the pixie dust be with you.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom: a no cost adventure.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards

Every year when we make our way down to what is now our annual Walt Disney World vacation, we make it a point to do something we have yet to do.  This could be a new restaurant, a new ride or a new experience. Sometimes they cost a little extra, often they don’t. One may think these would be coming harder to find given the fact we are quickly racking up the number of times we have visited. And yet the joy of a Disney Vacation is the fact that is continuously changes. They are forever working on, improving something or adding new things. Believe me it is part of the appeal to us.

But this summer’s trip would be different. There wasn’t just the three of us to find something new to do. We had to think about something for seven. And despite our money saving efforts, our tricks and trades of it all, a trip to Disney still can be rather expensive which meant finding something new to do that didn’t cost us a dime, while still keeping the magic.

Does this even exist?

Sure it does. Yes, Disney does in fact have things that you can do for little to no cost; you just have to know where to look.  And perhaps a couple of Disney World fans who go on a yearly basis as family members.

Actually my nephew was the first to bring up the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. He had heard about it from a friend who had just returned from there herself.

And here we thought we would be listening to him list off all the big thrill rides he wanted to do.

When he first brought up interest in the game Anderson and I admitted it was something we had never actually done ourselves. Did we know about it? Yes. On previous trips we had watched guests run around Magic Kingdom holding up cards to virtual portals, but Logan had never taken much interest in it. He was three or four after all and didn’t know how to read anything beyond his name.  But when my nephew asked if we would do it, we agreed, figuring why not give it a go this trip. Besides, we like to find new things to do on each and every Disney vacation taken. Even more fabulous Logan finally seemed interested in it as well.

I have to say this game was a lot of fun. What I loved about it was this; it was quick-each mission lasted maybe fifteen minutes. Just long enough to keep the boys interested and short enough that we were still able to enjoy our FastPass+ experiences. It was simple, which is pretty great considering when I am on vacation thinking is not something I truly want to do. It was also something that all seven of us partaking in the adventure, really enjoyed, including both my mom and my dad. As we had split into two groups, returning back to the hotel at the end of the night to hear about each others mission turned out to be some of the most entertaining and fun conversations we had during the trip.

Although you need park admission to get in, the game itself is free. Completely free. BONUS!  The cards made for a great take home souvenir!

I mean who doesn’t enjoy free souvenirs. Truthfully I think the boys enjoyed finding out what cards they got as much as they did trying to defeat their missions.  Not to mention the endless hours of trading back in the room afterwards. And unlike half of the other toys that were carried-or rather stuffed-home, the cards have not lost their appeal thanks in part to a take home game for them we picked up. Yes that is right, the boys are still happily messing with them, trading away and trying to figure out who has the rarest of the cards, and what will it take to get the other to trade it.

Yes, Disney can at times get expensive. But sometimes, all you really need to do is send them to pick up a pack of cards at the Firehouse on Main Street U.S.A, to have a magical time.