Every so often I try a new product. I might be strolling the aisles at Costco. I’ll see a sample kiosk. If I have my children with me, we ALWAYS stop. No questions asked. I’ll stand while my children take a sample. If there are enough samples left, I take a sample myself. I’m rarely disappointed. I’ve found samples that were so tasty. Without the sample stand in a discount warehouse or grocery store, I would never have known.

Last summer, the Musings from Me family journeyed to Southern California. While the kids and dad explored San Diego, I walked the Expo Halls at BlogHer. I met people, played in-booth games at the Expo Hall, learned about products I had never heard of, and most importantly, sampled some awesome treats. Walking the Expo Hall is thirsty work.

As I hauled my bags out of the Expo Hall one day, I spotted a white booth with comfy white couches. As I cast my eye to the side and back of the booth I spotted several displays of Trop50. Trop50? I was intrigued as I looked at the familiar shaped bottles with a name I had never heard of. What was this Trop50? Looked like the Tropicana I buy for my family, but what was it exactly?

I sampled the Trop50 Lemonade. Let me tell you how it tasted…it was delicious. Tart, but not too tart. Sweet, but not overly so. Kind of like a lemonade stand lemonade, but with 50% less sugar and 50% less calories. Plus, no artificial sweeteners. I knew my family would love it and that I would be happy to buy it for them. In fact, I brought a few bottles back to my family in our hotel room, which we enjoyed on our drive to Legoland. Delish!

Which brings me to New Year Resolutions and the thorny subject of sticking to ‘em. I think of resolutions each, but do I stick to them? Sometimes. I find that the smaller, more focused, and more doable the resolution, the more likely I am to do it. For instance, resolving to exercise is not nearly as effective as resolving to exercise every other day. I need a resolution spelled out for me. Another resolution is to cook more dinners that are healthy, with mostly fresh ingredients. My resolutions need to be short on vagueness, and long on specifics.

More about Trop50…

• Trop50 by Tropicana offers fruit juice goodness with 50 percent less sugar and calories, and no artificial sweeteners.
• Trop50 juice beverage comes in the following flavors: No Pulp, No Pulp with Calcium + Vitamin D, Some Pulp, Farmstand Apple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Lemonade, Pineapple Mango, and Raspberry Lemonade.
• New! Trop50 introduced the following new flavors: Red Orange, Raspberry with Green Tea, Peach with White Tea, and Pear Lychee with White Tea. Can’t wait to try these!
• Do you like those funny Jane Krakowski spots? Here are a few funny ones.

Connect with Tropicana and Trop50:

• Find a store near you that sells Trop50 juice beverage.
• Like Trop50 – 50% Less Sugar and Calories on Facebook.
• Follow on Twitter by following @TropicanaOJ and searching for hashtag: #Trop50.
• Visit the Trop50 Web site.

I was given samples of Trop50 juice beverage to facilitate my review. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

If you read this blog, you’ll know that I don’t host a giveaway every week. Sometimes it is months between giveaways. But, when I do host a giveaway, I. Go. All. Out!

Last month I held my Musings from Me Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway. And oh it was a lot of fun. I loved sharing the toys, games, and even phones that we love in the Musings from Me family. And now the announcement you have all been waiting for…more winners! Two lucky readers won a Hasbro game!

• Taboo — Congrats, Katrina!
• Rubik’s Cube — Congrats, Christine @justicecw!

Two giveaways just closed or are about to close. Congrats to everyone who entered! I have one more giveaway this week…for #BigMiracleMovie. Enter…now!

Congratulations to all winners! I must give a hug thank you to all the amazing companies that sponsored giveaways on my blog. I LOVE sharing what I love with you…my readers.

Some tips for getting the most out of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

FASTPASS

• FASTPASS is the key to getting the most out of your Disney experience. My husband is somewhat of a pro about the FASTPASS.
• FASTPASS can be used on the following attractions at Disneyland: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Roger Rabbit’s Car Too Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours.
• Use FASTPASS on these California Adventure rides: California Screamin’ (well worth it even though I was terrified!), Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Soarin’ Over California (our family’s favorite ride at both EPCOT and California Adventure), The Twilight Zone of Terror (I couldn’t get anyone to ride this ride with me!), and World of Color.
• When you enter a Disney park, check the bulletin board at the park entrance. The board shows wait time for rides and which rides are FASTPASS. You will also see which rides are closed for the day.
• Look for FASTPASS distribution kiosks near the entrance to each ride.
• Check the FASTPASS return time to know when you can ride the attraction. Don’t use a FASTPASS if you will not be available to ride the ride. Save your FASTPASS for another ride.
• A tip about World of Color at California Adventure… World of Color is a spectacular light, water, color, and movie show. You will want to use your FASTPASS to get a good viewing spot. Go early to the Grizzly River Run to get your FASTPASS for World of Color. You can hold a World of Color FASTPASS and a FASTPASS for a ride, so go get one as soon as you arrive in California Adventure.

Season

• We have visited Walt Disney World twice in the fall. While the parks have shorter hours in the fall than in the peak seasons, we loved walking on rides and waiting for just a few minutes to get on a ride.
• In addition, to short wait times, you’ll also find that flights in off-peak season are cheaper as well as hotels.
• On this trip we visited in August. Because it was the height of a peak season, we planned our days with FASTPASS, wait times, and our stamina in mind. If we were all up for waiting in a long line, we did.

Technology

• Our two-day stay at Disneyland Resort would have been far less fun had my husband not had an app on his phone. He kept us apprised of wait times. With a Kid, a Preteen-now-Teen, and a Teen, we had the flexibility to race from one ride to another. Families with younger kids will want to pace themselves due to weather, crowds, and wait times.
• Here’s an app for Disney World Wait Times.
• Visiting Disneyland? Here’s an app for wait times.
• And of course, charge those batteries. Bring all chargers on your trip. Charge digital, video, and phones at the hotel each night.
• We had a couple of Flip Video Cameras which we let our kids carry.

Safety

• Stay connected with cell phones.
• Our Teen and Preteen-now-Teen did not carry their phones as they were worried about losing them or getting them wet. Because of this we stayed in a group of 5 or we split in to a group of 2 and a group of 3. My husband and I coordinated a meeting spot if we split up to ride different attractions.
• Let each family member carry his Disney ticket in a lanyard. You can bring a lanyard from home or buy a colorful lanyard from any of the Disney stores. Each lanyard comes with a clear plastic case for holding the Disney ticket and money. We found it helpful for each child to carry his own lanyard and ticket so that it was easier to get FASTPASS.
• My older two know their name, address, home and all our cell phones, but I wrote down all our details on a piece of paper for my youngest child to carry with him. If he got separated from us, I wanted him to know how to reach us.

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

As a child, we traveled a great deal. I lived in three countries. Attended three preschools. Three elementary schools. Two middle schools. And one high school. Lived in seven homes, including one hotel. Yikes that’s a lot of moving!

As well as moving, we vacationed all the time. When we first moved to the U.S., my parents weren’t sure how long we would stay. Consequently in a 6- to 7-year period we visited Niagara falls, Williamsburg (VA), Skyline Drive and Luray Caverns (VA), West Point (NY), Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Jersey shore, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

One memorable trip was a quickie visit to Disney World. It was 1974. I was about 8. My parents knew that a return to England was in the near future. We stayed off site at a motel in Kissimmee (FL). March can be chilly even in Florida, so I recall wearing a sweatshirt while we were there. It was back in the day where you bought tickets for each ride. We had a handful of “A,” “B,” and “C.” As near as I can recall, you needed 2 A tickets to ride one ride, but only a C ticket to ride something else. While we didn’t ride every single ride, I have vivid memories of Captain Nemo’s 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Hall of Presidents, the Country Bear Jamboree, Tom Sawyer’s Island, the magic Tea Cups, and the Polynesian Resort.

Disney IS the most magical place on earth. While we had taken the kids twice to Disney World, none of us had visited Disneyland. I was anxious to experience a Southern Californian Disney with my husband and kids. After a stay in San Diego, a visit to LegoLand, and a brush with celebrities in Hollywood, we were ready to do Disneyland.

On Day 6 of our trip to Southern California, we hit Disneyland. Our experience was magical from start to finish. Our day began at the park bright and early after a buffet breakfast at our hotel.

We took a spin on Buzz Lightwear’s Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland. Everyone loves to laugh about Mom’s low score. I guess I have a little hand-eye coordination problem! While we were in Tomorrowland, we also rode Autopia, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Space Mountain, and Star Tours the Adventure Continues.

This is not my score!

Heading to Tom Sawyer’s Island. I was the most excited to explore the island. The kids were meh about it. Disneyland’s version of Mark Twain’s classic story of growing up in America is very different to Walt Disney World. We spent close to 45 minutes running through caves, climbing ladders, hopping on swing bridges, and generally having a boatload of fun (pun intended!). This part of Adventureland is actually called Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island.

Autopia otherwise known as “Who let that 8-year-old get behind the wheel?!” Actually everyone was a better driver than mom. I needed the hefty bumpers!

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

As a high schooler back in Manchester, England. I wore a school uniform M-F. On the weekends I had about 2-3 outfits. It was England so summer clothes were kind of nonexistent. Too chilly for shorts and tees. That said, my mother must have done washing 24-7 to keep up with my distinct lack of clothes. How did she do it? And, she had only a washing machine. No dryer. It was mild enough most of the year to hang clothes on the washing line. On cold days, I have no idea what she did with the wet clothes.

Now that I do laundry for 5 people I worship at the temple of my washer and dryer. Neither are top of the line, but both appliances do the job well. The only time I run in to problems is when I choose not to do laundry.

This week and last and the week before last I was in laundry crisis mode. When I am in this mode, I do what is needed. First up: pants. Kids and adults need pants. Next up: Towels. We have two swimmers and go through a ton of beach towels. Next: Shirts and sweaters. Trailing in last place are the items we have a ton of…underwear and socks. My kids are inundated with socks from one set of grandparents, but I am not so overflowing with socks.

Laundry was at crisis mode as Monday. I delved deep in to my sock drawer and found a scant few pairs of socks. On Monday I wore Christmas fuzzy socks. Tuesday it was “Let’s wear a pair of ski socks.” Today I wore a pair of my daughter’s volleyball socks. Tonight, it was “Do the laundry or tomorrow’s sock choice will be a teeny pair of my 8-year-old’s socks!” Yikes.

I ventured to my subterranean basement. Crossed over the piles of toys and games in the playroom. Vaulted over a lone wooden, now abandoned stable. Stepped carefully over a box or three of books. Managed not to crash my tootsies in to a chair leg. Before stumbling on Mount Laundry. My specific mission was tackling Sock Peak. I grabbed a bottle of Tide Coldwater and set about conquering Sock Peak.

Tide Coldwater was just what I needed to tackle the disparate and multi-hued socks. I found dress socks — brown, black, and blue; athletic socks — ankle, short, knee; little kid socks; wild and crazy volleyball knee socks; and of course the ever-present stack of odd socks. Where do all the other socks? Why am I left with 35 odd socks??

As I looked in to the washing machine, at all the disparate and multi colored and many varieties of socks, I wondered how Tide Coldwater would do. I am happy to report that Tide Coldwater did a number on the socks. Gone were the stinky, grubby, and seen better days socks and instead I had a heaping washer full of fragrant, clean, and ready-to-wear socks.

I was sent Tide Coldwater to facilitate my review. I was given a gift card as compensation from Tide/SheSpeaks. The views expressed in the post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Over the past few months, I have purged, recycled, consigned, and moved a ton of stuff from our family room. I’m about to declutter the dining room office. Early last year I tackled the playroom. The year before last, the master bedroom was on my hit list of rooms to declutter.

Some days I can actually see the top of the family room coffee table. Some days…not so much. Baby steps. Likewise, some days my floor is clear and other days…not so much. What works for me is storage units. No, not the storage unit complexes in industrial parks. No, I mean storage units, shelves, and tubs. Give me a Rubbermaid or other tub and I have the tools to tackle the clutter.

Over Christmas break, I set up a couple of storage shelves and a small table for my son’s Lego. With our new found family space, game playing is back on the table — literally — as a fun activity for our family to do. It’s hard to play a board game amid the clutter of papers, glasses, books, magazines, and who knows what else is stored on top of the coffee table!

The start of the new year also heralds kids going back to preschool, school, or even college. Sam´s Club wants to help you keep yourself and your children organized. You can also find Box Tops for Education products at Sam’s. Collect Box Tops for Education to help your school of choice.

Check out these sweet deals and promotions from Sam´s Club and Box Tops for Education to make your life as easy! While purchasing some of your favorite General Mills brands you can also earn more cash for your local school with the Sam´s Club “6 Box Tops on a Pack” promotion.

• At least 6 Bonus Box Tops will be located on your favorite return-to-school brands such as Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey Crunchy Granola Bars, Yoplait, and Progresso.
• From groceries to computers to notebooks, Sam´s Club makes shopping for all of your return-to-school needs simple.
• This January, be sure to visit your local Sam´s Club to find all your return-to-school necessities. To learn more about the Box Tops for Education Program and how you can help contribute to your school, visit www.BoxTops4Education.com.

I have a Sam’s Club $25 Gift Card for one lucky reader! Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Subscribe to Musings from Me by reader.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away @SamsClub $25 GC! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/AaP6NC #MyBlogSpark #giveaway
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
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Keep your eye on this blog for more giveaways. Coming soon: Another fun toy from Best Pals and a Giveaway! And a week of DVD Giveaways!

I was given a Sam’s Club Gift Card to facilitate my review. The review samples, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity. Giveaway ends January 30, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

I have nightmares that one day I will see myself in a news story about overweight people. Only the story isn’t about me or my weight gain or loss. No. I am just one of the people filmed from the waist down as I walk down a city street as part of the background film for the story on overweight people. Yikes, I’d hate to see myself in this type of news story…wouldn’t you?!

As the new year progresses, I am making goals for myself. I don’t want to blog about my New Year’s resolutions because (1) I’m not ready to commit them to “paper,” and (2) I see resolutions as for my eyes only. But, I will admit to wanting to change a few things about my way of life. As with previous years, a huge goal of mine is weight loss. I’m one of those people still trying to lose baby weight from a decade ago. Yikes! It’s hard reading that sentence, but the reality is that I need to make changes.

One of my downfalls is snacking. I either eat foods that are not that healthy OR I eat a too large portion of healthy and nonhealthy foods. One key factor for me is portion control. If I bag up popcorn or baked chips, I eat less. Recently, I was given a few boxes of fruit snacks.

Now if you are picturing those super-sugary, character-themed snacks your child begs you to buy in the grocery store…think again. Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks are in a different league. The fruit flavored snacks are full of taste. You can taste juice spilling out of the fruit snack.

Now for the details on Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks…

• Great snack for kids and adults. Pop a pack in the lunchbag or stash a pack in your purse. Tasty anytime.
• Available in two delicious varieties, Ocean Spray^® Fruit Flavored Snacks: Assorted Fruit and Berries and Cherries.
• Made with real fruit juice, natural colors (colors from natural sources), and flavors.
• Made with apple, pear, and cranberry juice concentrate, but are not intended to replace fruit in the diet.
• 80 calories, gluten free, and contain 100% of the Daily Value of Vitamin C.
• Like Ocean Spray on Facebook.
• Follow @OceanSprayInc on Twitter.

BONUS for MOMS of SCHOOL-AGED KIDS! Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks are available year round Double Box Tops! Is your school a member of the Box Tops for Education Program? If not, why not? For more information on Box Tops for Education, click here.

The kind folks at Ocean Spray have asked me to host a giveaway. Did you know that 80 years ago Ocean Spray was started as a cooperative with three families? Today, the values of community are integral to Ocean Spray’s 600 grower families? But, back to the giveaway…

Four lucky readers of Musings from Me will each receive 6 boxes (3 of each variety) of Ocean Spray Fruit Flavored Snacks!

Winning is easy. First, leave a mandatory comment. Second, leave one or more of the optional comments. Remember, you must leave the mandatory comment for the other comments to count. Oh and don’t forget to leave your email address in the comment. so I can contact you if you win!

Mandatory Comment — Leave a comment.

Subscribe to Musings from Me via reader.

Optional Comment — Leave a comment.

• Follow @MusingsfromMe on Twitter.
• Like Musings from Me on Facebook.
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet: @MusingsfromMe is giving away @OceanSprayInc Fruit Flavored Snacks! Enter for a chance to win! http://bit.ly/xXrXvO #MyBlogSpark #giveaway
• Like Jill MusingsfromMe on Facebook.
• Stumble one of my posts that is not a giveaway.  Use your Stumble toolbar or use the Share button that is placed to the left of the post.
• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Keep your eye on this blog for more giveaways. Posting reviews and giveaways through the end of January and beyond. Coming soon: Another fun toy from Best Pals and a Giveaway! And a week of DVD Giveaways!

I was given six boxes of Ocean Spray^® Fruit Flavored Snacks to facilitate my review. The review samples, information, and giveaway have been provided by Ocean Spray^® through MyBlogSpark. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity. Giveaway ends January 23, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

I’m in a race, of sorts. But, I’m not sure where I am going. Every feel like every day you are really simply racing from Point A to Point B with a pit stop at Point C before heading back home at some point? A rat race, of sorts.

Mornings start later than usual. You know how it is. After getting three kids on three buses to three schools with three backpacks, three lunchboxes, three permission slips…I am exhausted. Even weekends are busy with swim meets, volleyball tournaments, school projects, and household stuff. So, a busy day followed by a late night of working is a recipe for a sleepy me once the kids are off to school. I’ve been known to catch a quick or not so quick catnap.

But, back to today. No napping for me. Lots to do. I feel mostly rested. We’ll see how I feel at the 3 p.m. slump! Before sleep catches up to me, here are the winners of my Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways. Congrats to all! I’m so pleased that so many of you visited and commented and entered my giveaways. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

• Kerfuffle! Dicecapades! — Congrats, Kristin!
• Lego Duplo My First Fire Station — @rsgrandinetti. Congrats, Renee!
• Lego Pirates of the Caribbean — @dagmarbleasdale. Congrats, Dagmar!
• Tonka XT Ricochet Tricksters — @WiCProject. Congrats to Miriam!
• KRE-O Transformers Sentinel Prime — @italiaangel80. Congrats, Brooke!
• HTC Status Phone — @ddx155. Congrats, Douglas!
• HTC Wildfire S — @chrisdeglen. Congrats, Debbie!
• Sam’s Club Gift Card — Congrats, Deanna!

Many congratulations to all my winners. And a huge thank you to the companies that helped make my Holiday Gift Guide and Giveaway a rip-roaring success!

Stay tuned for my week of DVD giveaways! Now what should I call my week of giveaways? Any ideas?

My friends at Pssst…, General Mills, and Cinnabon asked me to share this with my readers. Who am I to say No? So here it is…

Cinnabon was able to warm the hearts of others this holiday season through its Random ‘Packs’ of Kindness contest. Now it’s your turn to do the same!

Throughout the holiday season, Cinnabon asked consumers to share stories of random acts of kindness online and now it’s time to vote for your favorite good deed! Between now and January 28th, vote for the most heartwarming act of kindness on the Cinnabon Facebook page and help those who did a good service win a cash prize of $2,500 as well as a $2,500 donation to the charity of their choice! Now that’s what I call a good pair of prizes!

Be sure to vote. Encourage friends and family to vote on the Cinnabon Facebook page. Continue to spread the warmth throughout the New Year.

I was not compensated for this post. The views expressed in this post are my own. I was provided this information by Cinnabon and General Mills through Pssst…

My son is a giant. O.K. not quite. But he is very tall for his age. At 3 he was mistaken for a 5-year-old. At 5, people assumed he was 8. Lately, people have asked if my 8-year-old is 10 or 11. What?!

Being mistaken for an older kid can be onerous. Especially if your 3-year-old is acting like…well…a 3-year-old and not say like a 5-year-old. I got used to the looks of concern. There is a one bright spot to having a taller-than-average kid. Your child is tall enough to ride rides at Disney! That’s right my 3-year-old was about 40 inches tall when we visited Walt Disney World. I was surprised to learn that he was able to ride Soarin’ at EPCOT. I was amazed that I was able to take him on this ride. I thought that I would have to do the Rider Swap, which is when one parent rides a ride while the other parent stays back with the young child. He rode that ride like a seasoned veteran of amusement park rides.

Of Interest to Parents… At Disneyland, a child who is 40 inches and above may ride: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours — The Adventure Continues. At Disney’s California Adventure, a child who is 40 inches or move may ride: Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Silly Symphony Swings, Soarin’ Over California, and The Twilight Zone of Terror.

Our Kid, Preteen-now-Teen, and Teen loved California Adventure. So did we! We arrived at California Adventure determined to have the best last day of vacation ever…and we did!

Warning To Those Who Like to Stay Dry: You will get wet on Grizzly River Run! We couldn’t persuade the older two to come along for this adventure, but our youngest was game. Did I mention we got wet? A poncho would have been a good idea. Except that my son probably wouldn’t have worn one.

Musings from Me advice: Go on Grizzly River Run early in the day. We climbed aboard as soon as we arrived at California Adventure. We were able to ride twice. It was August so we all dried off quickly.

Grizzly River Run and Soarin’ Over California are in the Golden State Area of the park. Another attraction in this area is the Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar. You can get a preview of soon-to-be-opened attractions, while also perusing plans and blueprints for existing attractions. If I had any artistic skill at all, I would train to be an architect. The attractions at all Disney parks are designed to give the visitor the best possible experience. Nothing is left to chance. Why even Spaceship Earth is designed with channels and special gutters to allow rain not to fall on visitors. Disney Imagineers think of everything!

Thanks to FASTPASS we rode Soarin’ Over California twice, maybe three times. You feel as though you are literally handgliding over California.

The kids were anxious to do as many rides as possible at California Adventure as it was our last day of vacation in Southern California. I couldn’t blame them for wanting to do as much as possible, but I wanted to see Blue Sky Cellar.

Once we were inside Blue Sky Cellar the kids were intrigued by the designs for new and old rides. Of special interest to us was the soon-to-be-opened Cars Land. Scheduled to open in 2012, Cars Land will feature the sleepy town of Radiator Springs off Route 66. Rides in Cars Land will include:

• Luigi’s Flying Tires
• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
• Radiator Springs Racers

The 6-acre Cars Land will be the largest attraction at Disneyland Resort. You can even dine at the Cozy Cone Motel, Flo;s V8 Cafe, and Fillmore’s Taste-in! I wonder if there will be a statue to Stanley!

While my son had his pic taken with Lightning and mater, I took a peak over the wall surrounding the construction site for Cars Land. It looks very fun!! I can’t wait til it opens!

We ended our day with several visits to California Adventure stores so my Preteen-now-Teen could swap her Vinylmations. She started a collection of these quirky and oh-so cute figurines about a year before our trip. Each one has the body of Mickey Mouse but each is decorated to resemble the characters from Toy story, the Muppets, Disney villains, or other more off-the-wall creations. One of hers is a Mickey decorated to look like a S’more.

She was anxious to trade the Vinylmations she had for different ones. I volunteered to carry her Vinylmations in the PlumDistrict bag I got at BlogHer. After saving the Vinylmations from getting wet, getting crushed, and getting mangled in the crowds, I was ever so happy for my daughter to do her trades. You can trade at over 90 locations in Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and Disneyland Resort Paris.

We ate a very delicious dinner from two walk-up, quick service places: Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill. My son and I are the more adventurous eaters…we loved the Mediterranean dishes from the Paradise Garden Grill. After dinner, it was a final ride on Goofy’s Sky School before heading to World of Color to use the FASTPASS that we picked up at Grizzly River Run at the start of our day.

I was given passes to Disneyland and California Adventure. We paid for our own flights, car rental, and hotel accommodations while in Southern California. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.