Bringing the Magic Home Mondays: Avatar Movie Night

The hottest FastPass currently in Walt Disney World is for Flight of Passage in Pandora the World of Avatar located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and with my “working vacation” just around the corner I thought it would be a good idea to get reacquainted with this world.

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I feel as if I need to put out a disclaimer, “I am not an Avatar fan” and have not watched the movie since it was released back in 2009.  Honestly, I do not even remember much of the movie which is not a good thing since my very first day I plan to explore Pandora and I have many clients asking about Avatar.

Last night, I enlisted “my boys” plus Mr. Grumpy to help me in my pretrip research by doing an Avatar Family Movie Night.  The days of themed crafts, decorations and dinner, have been pushed aside now that the boys are older (and Ab is off to college).  They would much rather me order a pizza (ha, me too).  However, I had to do something a little special and entice them to sit down and watch all 3 ½ hours of the movie…

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Overall, we had a great evening watching the movie and being together (something that is hard to do lately with everyone’s schedule).  Have my thoughts changed about Avatar?  No not really, but I do feel a little more prepared when I explore Pandora in 6 days and who knows maybe actually being in Pandora will make me change my mind.

I will C U Real Soon and remember that life is always better in ears…

Friday Five: 5 Ways to Countdown to Your Disney Vacation

keep-calm-countdown-to-disney-is-onThe waiting for a fun vacation can be nearly unbearable! Make it a Disney trip and it’s even harder to wait. Help the kids (and yourself) tick off the days with a fun ways to pass the time.

1. Have Weekly Family Movie Nights

Set aside a weekend night, pop some popcorn and enjoy a Disney movie night with the family.  This is a great way to introduce or reacquaint everyone to characters and attractions that they may encounter on your Disney vacation. Don’t limit yourself to current animated titles, branch out to the classics. Here is a great link that will help you out!

http://www.listchallenges.com/disney-movies

Make it even more fun by creating a themed dinner that involves everyone in the preparation.  Watch the blog for Making Magic at Home, plus follow my Pinterest Board for ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/disneybytammie/disney-movie-nights/

2. Disney inspired crafts

DIY the days away by making autograph books, customized t-shirts, hair bows, Mickey ears and anything that will put a smile in your heart during the days leading up to your vacation! Check out

https://family.disney.com/crafts/

https://www.pinterest.com/disneybytammie/disney-craft-ideas/

for lots of ideas for all ages!

3. Watch Attraction Videos

There is nothing like experiencing the real thing, but watching ride-through videos on YouTube can help get you and your family get excited for your next Disney Parks vacation. If you can only visit a Disney park every few years, then refreshing your memory and re-familiarizing yourself with as many attractions as you can will be very helpful once you’re on vacation. There is never enough time on a Disney vacation to do everything, so if you can eliminate some attractions from your plans by watching them on YouTube then you might save some time to do the things you know you love. It also is a good way to give less popular attractions a second chance. For example, if your family enjoys watching the Journey Into Imagination ride-through video on YouTube then ignore the naysayers, and go have fun! Watching ride through videos are especially helpful to prepare children who might finally be tall enough to ride some of the bigger thrill attractions. Letting them see the ride on YouTube before they see the real thing might help them feel more confident.

When you book your Disney Vacation through me, I will send you a PDF file with every attraction linked to a video! No need to search it out yourself, just click the link and watch!

4. Create a Countdown

We have all counted down to Christmas with an Advent Calendar, why not countdown your Disney vacation?  Search my Pinterest Board for some fun ideas.

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https://www.pinterest.com/disneybytammie/disney-countdown/

Also, there are lots of countdown apps available, most of them for free!  Just search in the app store for Disney Countdown Apps.  I personally use Countdown for Disney.

5. Listen to Music

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Nothing gets me in the Disney spirit more than listening to music from the movies, Broadway shows, and attractions. Use Spotify or the new Apple Music to create Disney themed playlists. Listen while you cook, while you drive, while you walk the dog. Music really can put you in a better mood and make the non-Disney days a whole lot brighter!

How about a Bonus Idea?

Bonus Idea…Follow Me

Check out my daily posts and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and of course right here on My Life in Ears for pictures, inspirations, and ideas to make your trip as magical as possible. (Link Up Using Social Media Icons found on left side menu).

I can’t guarantee the wait till go any faster, but it certainly will make it more fun an bearable.  Please share your ideas and how your family is counting down till their next trip in the comments.