Planning our Florida Vacation - Part 2 - Park Tickets

On to part 2 of our Florida vacation planning.  In my previous post (which can be read here ),  we booked our holiday vacation house.  In this post I'll talk about our park tickets.  I'll have another blog post to discuss flights and rental car and another about itinerary planning.

Park Tickets

Depending on what sort of itinerary you have in mind for your own trip, this will be, minimally, a significant cost in  your trip.  In our case, it's one of the highest costs in our trip.  It's very difficult to find low priced tickets for the major theme parks (Disney, Universal, Sea World, etc), although temptation is all over Orlando.  Several little stores and kiosques boasting $25 tickets.  I would caution it is definitely a "buyer beware" situation with these locations.  These vendors are often selling partially used tickets.  Keep in mind that many ticket vendors link your name to your ticket, and are sold as "non-transferable" or, in the case of Universal, fingerprints are linked to your ticket.   In writing that, there's always an exception to the rule and I've heard people say they've had success with those vendors, but for every "success" story, there's often many unhappy people.  I recommend seeking out authorized vendors only. 

Let's start with Disney tickets.  We usually only buy 1 or 2 day tickets to Disney.  These tickets are usually cheapest at the gate, however, there's a risk of running in to a big line, and the savings is fairly minimal.  We've purchased our Disney tickets in 3 different spots and had a good experience at each.  We've purchased at WalMart, Kissimee Guest Services (http://www.kgstickets.com/) and this year we bought through Undercover Tourist (https://www.undercovertourist.com/).  Our purchase at WalMart was the result of a last minute decision to visit the Magic Kingdom when our flight was delayed 3 days due to a winter storm (tough times, I know).  As for KGS and Undercover Tourist, they were easy ordering processes.  Simply head to their website, select the tickets and pay.  Each site has support available should you have any questions.  In both cases, I had quick replies to any questions I had.  Both have local pickup available.  Undercover Tourist offers free shipping, and KGS charges a flat shipping fee of $25 (local pickup is free).  The nice thing about the Undercover Tourist site is that the prices on their site include taxes, so the price you see is the price you pay.  The more days you purchase on your ticket, the higher your discount.  

We also purchased tickets to Universal and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens.  A note that at Universal, to ride the "Hogwarts Express" that takes you between parks, you need a "park to park" ticket.  Also, if you plan to go to SeaWorld and/or Busch Gardens more than 1 day, there is a fantastic 14 day ticket for not much more than a 2 day ticket.  You can also add water park options for a minimal price.  

Both KGS and Undercover Tourist have special tickets available that include Universal, Sea World and water park tickets.  It's important to decide what are your "must dos" on your vacation before heading to buy your tickets, because there are so many different options, it's easy to get overwhelmed.

Also, take advantage of the tips each of those pages offers when planning your trip.  Undercover Tourist includes touring plans, videos, and crowd calendars, which I will discuss further in Part 3 of this series.

Any tips you'd like to share about purchasing park tickets?  Share in the comments below.

Back From My "Technology Break"

Ok, first, I will readily admit that the title of this post is a little misleading.  I didn't take a total break from technology, but I did cut back significantly on my social media presence over the last two and a half weeks.  It was a sort of little experiment for me.  I had been pretty active on social media since the summer.... Twitter Parties, Facebook, Blog Posts, contest shares, etc.  I thought it was time for a little "me time".  I found myself getting stressed about my next post and what I would write.  Then, it hit me, I started this blog as something fun, if it wasn't going to be enjoyable, why would I continue.  So that was it, a little break.

Don't get me wrong, I was still logging in to Facebook and Twitter, and I was still checking in on some posts on my blog, but I posted very little... and in fact... nothing on my blog.  So I appreciate everyone's patience in my lack of content, but I needed that little bit of "me time" to refresh.  Now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Home-made Christmas Presents

I'm a believer in gifts from the heart.  That doesn't mean I don't buy gifts sometimes that are not meaningful, but I do think that gifts given with lots of thought put in them are particularly special.  It was with this thought in mind that my daughter and I worked on a special gift project for some people in our family.  I will apologize now for the lack of photos, but given that these gifts are for Christmas, I didn't want to give too much away.  Some of the readers of this post may be receiving these gifts.

We decided to make a personalized mug.  I've seen this craft shared a number of times on social media, but I was a little skeptical as to how well it would work, but we decided to give it a try.  I bought a couple mugs at the local dollar store, and we went home to get started.

Supplies needed:

- Mug

- permanent markers

- Oven

When it comes to the markers, I hear that the oil based ones are best.  I just bought standard "permanent" sharpies.

Step 1: I really wanted my daughter to be the creator of the art work, so I put down a plastic place-mat in case the marker didn't stay on the mug.

Step 2: Wash the mug really well.  Any residue on the mug may affect how well the marker stays on the mug.  Make sure the mug is completely dry before moving on to the next step.

Step 3: Create!  We had lots of different coloured markers, and my daughter particularly liked the silver and gold markers.  She decided what the picture would be and did the drawing all herself.

Step 4: Put in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Step 5: Allow to completely cool before use (or wrapping).

The mug will NOT be dishwasher safe and need to be washed by hand with care.  I did test the mug when it cooled and even when I rubbed with great force, the image didn't come off, but I've heard others say that there's did.  I suggest testing the durability of your image before gifting it.

I may post a follow up picture AFTER Christmas once these gifts have been opened, but I won't do it now at a risk of ruining the surprise.  

Have you done this craft before?  What was your experience?  Share in the comments below. 

Letters to Santa

It's that time of year, children are writing (or have already written) their letters to Santa.  As we all know, this time of year is meant to be about more than just presents, but this can be a challenging lesson for children to learn.  Even with my daughter's young age, I have sometimes struggled with how to balance her "wants" with her "needs" when it comes to Christmas gift buying.  

Don't worry, I'm not going to go on a huge rant on the commercialization of Christmas.  But, my daughter is still young, and I try to stay away from an overwhelming amount of toys.  When she does a list for Santa, we tell her she can pick 3 things to ask for, and one of them is usually an "experience", usually a family trip.

I've also started bringing my daughter to volunteer events to help emphasize the importance of giving back.  I organize a blood donor clinic a few times a year in memory of my dad, who passed away in 2013.  Although the concept of "blood donation" is difficult for a 5 year old to understand, my daughter gets the basic premise that people are there to help people who are sick or hurt.  She helps me organize the snack counter, and she often chats with donors as they come get a snack after their donation.  She enjoys it, and is exposed to a valuable learning experience.

How do you make the focus of Christmas about more than "just gifts" in your family?

Holiday Savings & Coupons Giveaway

It's the most wonderful time of the year, a time where we can all go shopping without guilt in the name of "holiday spirit" lol. The number one thing about the holidays in most people's mind is their family EVEN those family members that drive you crazy you enjoy them that much more . If you're anything like me you wait until there are AWESOME coupons, discounts and deals... so many holiday savings. We know that there are many last minute shoppers SO hurry over and check out all the savings AND get all those gifts for the family that you love! No need to wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, just check out the coupons and deals on Your Life After 25's coupons & discounts page. 

NOT only are we spreading the word about all of those amazing deals we are also giving you the chance to Win: Your Life After 25 Holiday Savings and Coupon Giveaway!

Whether you're shopping for a new mom or babies, looking for the right present for the kids or trying to find something for co-worker or in-laws, you're sure to find coupons and deals to help! And the savings isn't just for the holidays, we've all watched or seen those extreme couponers who save TONS of cash on groceries or every day items... you can do the same just start clipping coupons now :)

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I love bargain shopping, I check flyers, websites, and social media to find the best sales, and use coupon codes when possible!

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Cash for Christmas Giveaway!

Tammy from My Life Abundant and Tammy from Creative K Kids have gotten together with a few of our bloggie friends to have a giveaway!

 

We are so excited to be giving away $250 in cash prizes for you to use starting Thanksgiving weekend.  Here are the prizes:

1 - $100 Amazon Gift Card
1 - $50 Target Gift Card
2 - $25 Walmart Gift Card
1 - $20 Kohls Gift Card

Amazing. Right? Well, whats a gift card and getting up early, early to shop if you can't focus on your shopping.   So how about we add a $5.00 Starbucks gift card to each one of the prizes above!!

But wait. There is one more prize.

1 - $5 Starbucks Gift Card

Now its time to meet our wonderful co-hosts who have made this giveaway possible.

Starting at the top row we have:

Kim of KidPep | Jody of Mom 'N Daughter Savings | Penny of Penny's Passion | Jeanne of Home Garden Joy | Leticia of Desafio In The City | Barb of A Life in Balance | Tricia of The Good Mamma | Mary of Your Designer Dog Blog | Alecia  of Detours in Life, Family Vacay, Family Time Travelers | Katie of The Ramblings of an Overtired Mama | Michelle of On A Wing and A Prayer | Lauren of Heart of Deborah | Christine of Your Strong Tower | Lindze  of Interior Fun | Michelle of The Happiness Blogger | Stacey of A Moment in our World | Nikki of MBA SAHM | Paula of Beauty Through Imperfection | Sarah of Mommy of Two | Scarlett of Scarlett's Excellent Adventures

Please stop by and say hi to these wonderful ladies and their blogs.

The giveaway will end midnight on Wednesday, November 26th, the night before Thanksgiving.  You will have 48 hours to respond to the email claiming the prize.  If you respond right away, we will get you the gift card promptly so that you can shop with it on Black Friday!  If we don't hear in 48 hours, we will choose another winner. 

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Planning our Florida Vacation - Part 1

There are lots of things I love to talk about, but one of my favourite things is to talk about Florida vacation planning!  I know, some people hate planning, but, for me, it helps build the excitement of the trip.  We are currently planning a trip to Florida in 2015, so I thought I would do a blog post series about the planning, as I often get lots of questions about what things I look at when planning our trip.

This year, we're travelling with my husband, my daughter, brother in-law, mother in-law and father in-law.  We all have different interests, but we always seem to come to agreement with most activities in Florida.

To begin the planning, we survey the group as to when we would like to go.  Typically, we have traveled in February in years past.  This year, my daughter is in school, so we are trying to plan around Spring Break.   We're tagging a couple extra days on the trip, but she'll only be out of school a couple days.

We've stayed in the same property the last couple of times we've traveled to Orlando, and it's fantastic!  It's called the "Disney Magic Villa" and the owners, Julie and Steve, are so easy to communicate with, and when we're there, they have a fabulous property management company that takes care of any issues you may be having at the house.    Check out the Disney Magic Villa for some pics and information: http://www.disneymagic-villa.com/.  I will share more about this fantastic property in my upcoming posts.

Once we had determined our travel dates, I checked the Disney Magic Villa site to see if the property was available, and it was!  Lucky us!  We were quick to get in touch and book our dates.

Our next step is narrowing down our activities during the vacation, but I will save that for my next post.

Planning a vacation to Florida?  Have questions?  Feel free to ask in the comments below and I'm happy to share the tips I have.