DD ~ EPCOT ~ Innoventions East & West

This week's topic is
Innoventions East & West
(EPCOT)

I love EPCOT - I can never decide if it's my favorite, or if the Magic Kingdom is.  It's a toss-up - I like them both for various reasons.  My love of EPCOT, though, stems from my love of education - EPCOT is an extremely educational park.  Focusing just on Innoventions ... there is just so much to do there, that I believe you could spend several hours just in these two buildings, doing various things.  However, on this last trip (with the little ones), we didn't take much time to hang out in Innoventions; so we really didn't see what all is offered here.

One thing we did enjoy that we had never done  before was Club Cool.  It was so much fun sampling the various "cokes" from around the world. Try Italy's at your own risk!  Ugh! 

Ashley bought some fun cola-flavored chapsticks here, and Gracie enjoyed the "Build a Cup" section (the cup is filled with a slush - yum!)

There is a great new character spot here as well, where you can enjoy meeting some of your favorite Disney characters.  We chose not to stand in the long lines, as we had already had opportunity to meet these same characters in other parks.  But, the backgrounds are fun and make  for some great photos!  (I'm sure some of you will share!)

We enjoyed a meal at the Electric Umbrella one evening (when we needed to take a load off and just relax!)  The Electric Umbrella is located in Innoventions West and has your basic burger meals.

So please share with us what YOU like about Innoventions...

The Christmas Scarecrow ~ Story Book & Activity Kit

I know that Christmas is over, but I just recently discovered this little gem of a story and wanted to share it with you.....

The Christmas Scarecrow is a sweet story, set to rhyme.  I LOVE rhyming stories - they are always fun to read (if well-written) and there's just something warm and cozy about them.  Right now, we're experiencing a typical PA winter (actually, even colder than typical), so stories like this are most welcome and fun to read in front of the blazing fire! Though there is slight reference to Christmas, this is a tale that can be shared long after Christmas is over - just for fun!

We homeschooling moms are always looking for ways to enhance the reading of a book.  The Christmas Scarecrow was written by Douglas Norrgard and illustrated by Tamara Ann Burgh.  They have created an accompanying activity kit that is above and beyond most that I have seen.  With this kit and your printer, you and your children can create some fantastic, fun projects to make The Christmas Scarecrow even more fun and meaningful.  Along with the 16-page coloring book (which also doubles as a creative writing exercise!), your children will enjoy making the full-color mini-book of The Christmas Scarecrow (which includes full text), the Fandangler bookmark (have you seen these?  they're quite fun!), an oragami crow, full-color Christmas Scarecrow postcards to share with family and friends, a Christmas Scarecrow iron-on transfer (to be used on a shirt of choice, totebag, or whatever else might strike your fancy), and an oatmeal box theater.  Also included are 12 Days of Christmas cards in Spanish (with English translations), along with ideas of fun things to do with them.

I'm looking forward to using this Story Book & Activity Kit with my own children.  I'm sure you and your kids will have fun with it as well.  You can find it (along with more information) at Play Paper Press.

Need transcript help?

Have you heard of The HomeScholar?

I was just introduced to The HomeScholar earlier this week, when I received the e-book - The Easy Truth about Homeschool Transcripts - to preview for the Schoolhouse Store.  I quickly accepted this e-book for sale in our store because, let's face it, there simply is not enough information available for those of us who are planning to homeschool through the high school years.  My Ashley is in 9th grade this year; though I've already started her transcript, I very much appreciate the wealth of information that is presented in this e-book, and will be reading it more in depth as soon as I get some spare time.

If you would like to learn more about The HomeScholar, or find out how to purchase this e-book for yourself, please click on the graphic above.  I'm pretty sure you'll come  back and thank me! 

DD ~ Magic Kingdom ~ Main Street, USA

NOTE: This week's Destination Disney post is coming to you LIVE FROM WALT DISNEY WORLD!  Yeah!  Though this post has been pre-written, the pictures are FRESH & NEW & STRAIGHT FROM MAIN STREET USA in the Magic Kingdom! 



This week's Destination Disney topic is
MAIN STREET USA (Magic Kingdom)

I love Main Street!  It's the first thing you see when you enter the Magic Kingdom.  Looking down Main Street, you see the icon of the Magic Kingdom - Cinderella's Castle.  I love that it is patterned after "Small Town USA" around the turn of the 20th century - it's just all very nostalic.  The storefronts look so quaint and inviting.  It's so fun just to take your time, stroll down the street, and just soak it all in.

I enjoy browsing in the shops.  The Crystal Palace, at the end of Main Street, is a lovely place to eat (you can enjoy a scrumptious meal with the company of Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. Another thing I love about Main Street is the Exposition Hall - I think this is a place a lot of people miss, but it's definitely worth meandering through for some relaxation and fun photo-taking opportunities.

Just thinking about Main Street reminds me of the words of this song (on one of our favorite Disney sing-along videos (which has since worn out):

I'm Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
It's the heart of America, the heartbeat of a holiday
The place was made with a magical plan
And just around the corner is a fantasyland
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.

I hear the music playing from the old time ragtime band
I feel the whole place swaying with the people from across the land
You see the greatest smiling faces up and down the street
Remarkable how friendly all the people can be
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.

Tell your mother she's not to worry
'Cause no one's rushing, there's no big hurry
You're never alone or left out in the cold
There's always someone there to pick you up!

I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
I know it's no illusion, it's a dream that's here to stay
For the time of your life you oughta find yourself here
You're welcome anytime you have the mind to appear
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.

I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.
I know it's no illusion, it's a dream that's here to stay
For the time of your life you oughta find yourself here
You're welcome anytime you have the mind to appear
I'm walking right down the middle
Right down the middle
I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.!

Here are some pictures of our time on Main Street this week:

You can see Main Street in the background

City Hall

one of my favorite sites - the balloon bouquet!

So, what do you think of when you hear the words "Main Street USA"?  What are your favorite things about this first section of the Magic Kingdom?  Do you have any fun trivia bits to share?  Any favorite shops, etc.? 

The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Centurion's Wife
Bethany House Publishers (January 1, 2009)
by
Davis Bunn and Janette Oke

Davis Bunn is an internationally acclaimed author who has sold more than six million books in fifteen languages. His audiences span reading genres from high drama and action thrillers to heartwarming relationship stories, in both contemporary and historical settings.

Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include My Soul To Keep, and Full Circle. A sought-after lecturer in the art of writing, Bunn was named Novelist in Residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University.

He and his wife, Isabella, make their home in Florida for some of each year, and spend the rest near Oxford, England, where they each teach and write.


Her first novel, a prairie love story titled Love Comes Softly, was published by Bethany House in 1979. This book was followed by more than 75 others.

After Love Comes Softly was published, Oke found her readers asking for more. That book led to a series of eight others in her Love Comes Softly series. She has written multiple fiction series, including The Canadian West, Seasons of the Heart and Women of the West. Her most recent releases include a beautiful children's picture book, I Wonder...Did Jesus Have a Pet Lamb and The Song of Acadia series, co-written with T. Davis Bunn.

Janette Oke's warm writing style has won the hearts of millions of readers. She has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medallion Award, The Christy Award of Excellence, the 1992 President's Award for her significant contribution to the category of Christian fiction from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and in 1999 the Life Impact Award from the Christian Booksellers Association International. Beloved worldwide, her books have been translated into fourteen languages.

She and her husband live nearby in Alberta, Canada.


Janette Oke has dreamed for years of retelling a story in a biblical time frame from a female protagonist's perspective, and Davis Bunn is elated to be working with her again on this sweeping saga of the dramatic events surrounding the birth of Christianity...and the very personal story of Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage trapped in a vortex of competing political agendas and private trauma.

Caught up in the maelstrom following the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of first-century Palestine, Leah finds herself also engulfed in her own turmoil--facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions.

Head of the garrison near Galilee, he has been assigned by Palestine's governor to ferret out the truth behind rumors of a political execution gone awry. Leah's mistress, the governor's wife, secretly commissions Leah also to discover what really has become of this man whose death--and missing body--is causing such furor.

This epic drama is threaded with the tale of an unlikely romance and framed with dangers and betrayals from unexpected sources. At its core, the story unfolds the testing of loyalties--between two young people whose inner searchings they cannot express, between their irreconcilable heritages, and ultimately between their humanity and the Divine they yearn to encounter.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Centurion's Wife, go HERE.

Heidi Says: This book was not at all what I expected.  I started reading Mrs. Oke's books when I was in 7th grade, and have read them all.  Her books are much simpler reads.  I'd say a lot of the depth of this book must be a result of the collaborative effort between Oke and Bunn.  I felt that the book was a bit hard to get into; but once I had read several chapters and became more familiar with the characters, I really enjoyed this book.  I enjoy a good book based on a Biblical account, and this one was certainly one that was interesting to read - the characters had a lot of depth, passion, and inner turmoil.  It was interesting to follow their different paths and find them together in the end. 
I admit that I didn't expect to like this one at first.  But, 'til I got to the end, I decided that not only did I like it, but that I was anxious to read the 2nd book in the series (which I'll be watching for when it comes out!)  I'd recommend any Janette Oke books and have always enjoyed the books that she's written with Mr. Bunn also.

Stand In Groom by Kay Dacus

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Stand-In Groom
Barbour Publishing, Inc (January 2009)
by
Kaye Dacus

Kaye Dacus is an author and editor who has been writing fiction for more than twenty years. A former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kaye enjoys being an active ACFW member and the fellowship and community of hundreds of other writers from across the country and around the world that she finds there.

She currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, which she co-founded in 2003 with three other writers. Each month, she teaches a two-hour workshop on an aspect of the craft of writing at the MTCW monthly meeting. But her greatest joy comes from mentoring new writers through her website and seeing them experience those “aha” moments when a tricky concept becomes clear.


When wedding planner Anne Hawthorne meets George Laurence, she thinks she's found the man of her dreams. But when he turns out to be a client, her "dream" quickly turns into a nightmare. Will Anne risk her heart and career on this engaging Englishman?

George came to Louisiana to plan his employer's wedding and pose as the groom. But how can he feign affection for a supposed fiancee when he's so achingly attracted to the wedding planner? And what will happen when Anne discovers his role has been Stand-In Groom only? Will she ever trust George again? Can God help these two believers find a happy ending?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Stand-In Groom, go HERE

What they're saying about it:

“Dacus pulls off a delightful story that places readers in the heart of the South with the debut of the Brides of Bonneterre series. Readers will enjoy this look at how lives are transformed through devastating events and how forgiveness is the key to a promising future. Nothing is as it seems in this heartwarming story.”
–Romantic Times, 4-Star Review

“Absolutely delightful! I enjoyed Stand-In Groom from cover to cover! Ms. Dacus’s clever story and wonderful prose will draw you away to a place deep in the heart of Louisiana, surrounding you with the scents, sounds, and sights of the deep south. A story filled with romance and intrigue, betrayal and forgiveness, I found myself laughing, crying and rejoicing right along with the characters.”
–M.L. Tyndall, author of The Falcon and the Sparrow and the award-winning Legacy of the King’s Pirates series

“Stand-In Groom is as sweet, beautiful, and chaotic as a perfectly planned wedding. Anne is a bright and wounded heroine you’re going to care about for a long time. George is a hero to capture your heart. Kaye Dacus will take you along for a fun, poignent ride in Stand-In Groom.”
–Mary Connealy, author of the Lassoed in Texas series and Of Mice...and Murder

Heidi Says: I took this book along with me on vacation and read it while we were on the road.  I LOVED it!  The characters were well thought-out and easy to relate to.  I found myself cheering for Anne and her budding romance with George.  Though the turmoil seemed to drag out a bit, I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend this book.  I'll be looking for more books by Kay - I definitely enjoy her writing style.
(Sorry i'm a bit late in posting this review - i was in Florida, visiting Mickey!)

DD ~ Favorite Disney Souvenir(s)

Share your
FAVORITE DISNEY SOUVENIR
with us this week.

We should  be arriving in (hopefully sunny) Florida today, finding our house and settling in.  We'll be starting at the Disney parks tomorrow!    Yeah!  So, this week, I want to know about your favorite Disney souvenir, when you bought it, and why it is special to you.

Some favorite Disney souvenirs are monogrammed mouse ears and autograph books (I know my girls have each of these).  I did a search to find out what others like to buy, and came up with Disney pins, Christmas ornaments, and photos with favorite characters.

Ashley did pin-trading on our last trip and plans to trade for some more pins this time.  Gracie got a lanyard for Christmas and would like to try some pin-trading as well.  Ashley say a picture of the mug (pictured below) and would like to look for one for herself.  Gracie is planning to spend some of her Disney money on some Legos and Ian would like to build a purple dino at the T-Rex Cafe in Downtown Disney.

Do you have any fun souvenir ideas for us?

Kiss by Ted Dekker & Erin Healy

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
KISS
Thomas Nelson (January 6, 2009)
by
Ted Dekker
and
Erin Healy

Let me tell you all I know for sure. My name. Shauna.
I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend-how could I have forgotten him?-my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true-can it?

I believe the medicine is doing strange things to my memory. I'm unsure who I can trust and who I should run from. And I'm starting to remember things I've never known. Things not about me. I think I'm going crazy.

And even worse, I think they want to kill me.

But who? And for what? Is dying for the truth really better than living with a lie?

Sometimes dying with the truth is better than living with a lie.

After a car accident puts Shauna McAllister in a coma and wipes out six months of her memory, she returns to her childhood home to recover, but her arrival is fraught with confusion.

Her estranged father, a senator bidding on the White House, and her abusive stepmother blame Shauna for the tragedy, which has left her beloved brother severely brain damaged. Leaning on Wayne Spade, a forgotten but hopeful lover who stays by her side, Shauna tries to sort out what happened that night by jarring her memory to life. Instead, she acquires a mysterious mental ability that will either lead her to truth or get her killed by the people trying to hide it.

In this blind game of cat and mouse that stares even the darkest memories in the face, Shauna is sure of only one thing: if she remembers, she dies.

If you would like to read the first chapter of KISS, go HERE






Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.

After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.

Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. Dekker's body of work encompassing seven mysteries, three thrillers and ten fantasies includes Heaven's Wager, When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, Blessed Child, A Man Called Blessed, Blink, Thr3e, The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White), Obsessed, Renegade, and Chaos.


*******************
Erin Healy is an award-winning fiction editor who has worked with talented novelists such as James Scott Bell, Melody Carlson, Colleen Coble, Brandilyn Collins, L. B. Graham, Rene Gutteridge, Michelle McKinney Hammond, Robin Lee Hatcher, Denise Hildreth, Denise Hunter, Randy Ingermanson, Jane Kirkpatrick, Gilbert Morris, Frank Peretti, Lisa Samson, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and many others.

She began working with Ted Dekker in 2002 and edited twelve of his heart-pounding storiesbefore their collaboration on Kiss, the first novel to seat her on "the other side of the desk."

Erin is the owner of WordWright Editorial Services, a Colorado-based consulting firm specializing in fiction book development. She and her husband, Tim, are the proud parents of two children

Heidi Says: I'm surprised to say that I LIKED THIS BOOK!  Why am I surprised? you ask...  Well, I'll be perfectly honest and say that Ted Dekker has always kinda freaked me out!  There, I said it.  I've had friends who have read (and enjoyed) his books, and I always just wondered "why?" and "how?"  But, there was something about the description of Kiss that made me think this was one I could actually handle reading.  I'm glad I did.  This book had just the right combination of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and romance - I liked it so much I could barely put it down and read it in a few short days.
Now, having never read a strictly Dekker-written book, maybe I just enjoyed the Dekker-Healy writing duo.  I'm not sure.  But, I'll be more apt to pick up other books  by Ted Dekker in the  future.  And, I'm not so freaked out anymore!  To Mr. Dekker I say - "I'm sorry, I misjudged you."

And, it seems I'm not the only one recommending this book....

“The human brain could actually be the real final frontier—we know so little about it and yet it drives the world as we know it. So when authors like Erin and Ted bravely explore these mysterious regions, going into complex places like memory and soul and relationships, I become hooked. The creativity of this suspenseful story is sure to hook other readers as well. Very memorable!”
~Melody Carlson, author of Finding Alice and The Other Side of Darkness

“Dekker and Healy prove a winning team in this intriguing, imaginative thriller.”
~James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Try Darkness

“Kiss by Erin Healy and Ted Dekker is a superb thriller that hooked me from the first sentence. The original plot kept me guessing, and I may never look at a kiss the same way again. I’ll be watching for the next book!”
~Colleen Coble, author of Cry in the Night

“The writing team of Erin Healy and Ted Dekker has taken me through a page-turner with Kiss. It’s one of those books that you think about when you’re not reading it. I highly recommend it, especially if you don’t mind staying up late because you can’t put the book down!”
~Rene Gutteridge, author of Skid and My Life As a Doormat

Hidden Mickeys - they're everywhere!

I know, I know, I've got Disney on the brain (we ARE leaving in 3 days, after all).  But, Ian and I were really excited the other day when we discovered this hidden Mickey in the kitchen:

That's my microwave splash cover with a pull-tab from a milk carton laying on it.  It's not a set-up!
Fun, huh?

DD ~ Favorite Disney Photo Opp.

This week's theme is to share your
FAVORITE DISNEY PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

With our Disney trip looming on the horizon
(less than a week until we leave),
I'm anxious to hear about your favorite place to take pictures.

Of course, everyone wants pictures of the Disney icons - Cinderella's Castle, the EPCOT ball (Spaceship Earth), Mickey's Sorcerer Hat & the Tower of Terror (at Hollywood Studios) and the Tree of Life (at AK).  But, surely there are other less famous places that you love to take pictures.  I want to hear about them (and see some of your favorite pictures too!)

Me, personally, I've always been intrigued by the Disney gardening, so I enjoy taking pictures of the character-shaped topiaries that are all over the Disney grounds.   I also want to have our family picture taken in every county in World Showcase on this next trip (we did it last time too, but 1/2 our pictures are in those horrible bright yellow rain ponchos!  LOL) 

I like to make a list of all the pictures I want to remember to take -as a matter of fact, I've already got a checklist started.  Wanna see it?  Here it is:

Photo Spots

*Remember to take pics of favorite rides/signs outside rides

*Take pics of fun food! J

Magic Kingdom

        Entrance (Mickey head in bushes)

        Castle from Crystal Palace

        Castle from TTA

        The Liberty Tree

        Cinderella Castle Wishing Well

        Balloon Bouquet

EPCOT

        Family Pics in every country of World Showcase

        From Japan Pavilion – looking back over lagoon to Spaceship Earth

        Spaceship Earth (from back, with fountain)

        Bridge between UK & France (Eiffel Tower)

        Monorail as it passes Spaceship Earth

        Gardens in Canada

        Italy (from Norway)

Hollywood Studios

        Close-up of Sorcerer Hat

Animal Kingdom

        Expedition Everest

        Tree of Life

Downtown Disney

        Lego stuff

        T-Rex Cafe

Other

        Disney’s Boardwalk

        Chip & Dale Campfire (Fort Wilderness)

So, please share your favorite photo opportunities (as well as any photo-taking tips) so that I can add them to my list.  Thanks!

Wanted by Shelley Shepard Gray

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing WantedAvon Inspire (January 6, 2009)byShelley Shepard Gray

Twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has always quietly fancied Jonathan Lundy. So when the brokenhearted widower asks her to help him take care of his two young girls, Katie knows it will be a trying time-yet she cannot pass up a golden opportunity to get to know this man better.

Just as she's settling into her new life, a message arrives from Katie's past, threatening to expose her darkest secrets. During her Rumspringa, her running-around years, she experimented with activities forbidden in the Amish way of life. Frightened by how far she'd strayed from her values, Katie ran back home, vowing to cut all ties with the outside world. Now her transgressions are coming back to haunt her, just as Jonathan seems willing to welcome her into his heart.

Will the past destroy Katie's chances for love? Or will Katie finally allow herself to accept God's love, forgive her past...and receive everything she's ever wanted?

If you would like to read an excerpt of Chapter 1 of Wanted, go HERE.


Hidden is Shelley’s first foray into inspirational fiction. Previously, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelors and masters degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio where she writes full time. Shelley is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and is part of the Telecare ministry, which calls homebound members on a regular basis. Shelley looks forward to the opportunity to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

This is the second book in the Sisters Of Heart series. The first was Hidden.

I know what you're thinking....."oh no, another Amish book! Heidi is way too hard on them!"  Living among the Amish, I really don't understand the obsession with them - it's frustrating when you go into a Christian bookstore and there are so many Amish books, by so many authors.  That being said, though, this book was just fine.  I'm not going to pick the storyline apart at all. 
I had previously read the first book in this series - Hidden.  When I heard that the 2nd book had been released, I was looking foward to reading it as well.  I didn't have big issues with the way the Amish were portrayed in either of these books.  I enjoyed reading Katie's story and watching her budding romance unfold in a subtle way.  I will definitely pick up book 3 - Forgiven - when it is available.  I like Shelley's writing style - her books are simple to read and don't add a lot of extra "fluff" just to make the story longer.  Her descriptions of things are good and allow for some imagination to be used (I appreciate that).
My issues with this book lie with Harper Collins and their Christian division - Avon Inspire....  the editor missed several mistakes that were fairly obvious.  I know there were at least 5 grammatical/spelling errors that I picked right up on.  I try not to be too picky, but that type of thing just bothers me and I'm finding it in more and more books that I read lately.  Secondly, the cover on this book really bugs me - I have NEVER seen an Amish girl wearing make-up, yet Katie (as she is portrayed on the cover) is wearing a great deal of eyeliner and (colored) lip gloss.  Though the cover model is pretty and fits the description of Katie in the book, I think they would have been smart to leave the make-up off, or at least went for a more natural look.  My daughter picked up the book and immediately asked if this girl was being shunned!  I just really think it's important for a publisher to pay more attention to details.
I'll close by saying that if you are one who really enjoys books about the Amish, this is a series I'd actually recommend (and that's saying something!)

DD ~ Planning Strategy

Our first topic of 2009
is to share your
DISNEY PLANNING STRATEGY
with us!

How do you plan for your Disney vacations?
Do you just wing it, or do you make detailed plans?
Do you read books? Research website?
Use a travel agent?

Do tell! We want to know!

As for me, I'm a major planner! So, when it comes to planning our Disney vacations (or any vacations, for that matter), I tend to go a little overboard at times. But, to me, half the fun is in the planning. So, here's what we do:

Ever since our very first trip to Walt Disney World, I've depended on the Birnbaum's Guide. Though I have found that this book doesn't really change much from year to year, we still enjoy reading the tips and looking at the pictures. Ian especially took a liking to mine this year; so, in order to keep it looking somewhat neat, I found him his own copy (2006 version) on Bookmooch and he's a very happy camper! I would highly recommend Birnbaum's Disney Guide for Kids - they are really fun books!

On our first trip, I went through the Birnbaum's Guide, park by park, land by land, and made up 3x5 cards with all the things we wanted to do and the best times to do them. I was my family's personal tour guide. We quickly learned that it pays to spend some time planning for a Disney trip. I cannot imagine going to Disney World without a plan.

These days, I also have a whole folder full of bookmarked favorites on my computer - sites I frequent for information and planning tips. Some of them are: Allears.net, Intercot, Mousesavers, Touring Plans, the DIS boards, WDWMagic, and the official Disney site. There are others, but these are the ones I frequent most. The DIS boards is an amazing source of information in and of itself.

I start taking notes, making lists, etc. a long time before each trip. Then, I shave them down, change them around, and rewrite them. We're leaving for Disney in less than 2 weeks now, and I need to get my lists all typed up and put together in a binder to take with us.

I make lists of what parks we want to go to each day and what we most want to see in each park. I've also been known to make lists of what pictures I want to remember to take!

I can't wait to hear about how YOU plan!