Luxetips Travel! Disneyland Resort and Theme Parks Day 2

Hello Divas!

We all make serious mistakes that we regret. However, we can't beat ourselves up and become depressed. We have to learn from our mistakes, shake it off, and start over.

Day 2 of our Disneyland experience was better than Day 1.  The day was filled with fun at the parks, water play for the kids, and media/blogger events.

The luxe kids and I rose early to get to the parks.  The luxe kids were too excited to eat, but I was hungry.  We had to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the parks.  I stopped at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen for some hot and fresh beignets and coffee.  The beignets were so good. They melted in my mouth! I am partially from New Orleans so I know a good beignet.

We then stopped at the Lego store and the most important store of all, Ridemakerz. Yes, this is the famous shop where kids and adults can build their own car and have it programmed to operate remotely. My kids spent 45 minutes in this store. Look at luxe baby doing her thing:

Since I am a new single mom and traveled alone, my best friend in the whole wide world lives in L.A. She came to Disneyland to help out with the kids.  She also has two kids the same age as my kids.  So she purchased park tickets for the day and off we went!

Walking through Disneyland Street!

First up we made sure our boys rode the Star Tours ride in Tommorow Land in Disneyland Park.  We used our Disney Fast Passes and the wait was only 5 minutes!  Without the Disney fast pass the wait is 70 minutes! When you go to Disney, the Fast Pass is the only way to go! Luxe son came out of the ride and all he could talk about was the Storm Troopers coming at him.  He said it was so real!

We then walked over to Frontierland to check out Big Thunder Railroad Mountain.

Of course we had to get to Fantasyland so our little girls could get on a ride.  Our first stop was the Dumbo the Flying Elphant ride.  Luxe baby loved it!  She got a kick out of that ride.  I loved seeing the happiness on her face!

Disneyland Resorts were gracious enough to set up a spa treatment for me, so I had to leave my best friend with the kids so I could experience the Mandara Spa at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.  Did I tell you I had the best friend in the whole wide world?  My experience at the Mandara Spa deserves its own post, so check back for details.

After my spa treatment, I met my best friend at the pool and water play area in front of our hotel. She had all four kids in their swimsuits and they were having a ball!  Luxe son was enjoying the water slides, her son was swimming and the girls were frolicking in the water fountain.  This water play area is the bomb! While adults watch the kids play, they can order tropical drinks and food from Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Room. 

I left the pool area and the kids with my best friend to attend a bloggers only media event.  We had a cocktail reception at the Disneyland Hotel and we were greeted with real Hawaiian leis and tropical fruit drinks.  We also were entertained by a Hula band and had a lesson in Hula dancing! What fun!!

Afterwards we enjoyed a presentation by Disney Public Relations on their newest attractions.

Disney Cruise Lines will now have ports in Seattle, Gavelston, TX, and New York.  The new ports will allow Disney Cruise fans easy access to Disney Cruises on the west coast, midwest, and east coast.  There is no need to fly all the way to Florida anymore! In addition, Disney is opening up Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii on August 29, 2011.  This resort is out of this world.  A family can experience all the magic of Disney in a beautiful and exotic location.  Check it out!

Afterwards we walked over to the Grand Californian Resort and Spa for a private dinner at the award winning Napa Rose Restaurant.  Napa Rose is a very elegant restaurant that brings Napa Valley to you.  Each course is paired with Napa Valley wines and it was superb!

Yummy!

We then ventured to a reserved viewing of the World of Color show for us and our families at California Adventure Park.  World of Color is a nightly viewing of scenes from Disney animated movies displayed through an elaborate water display featuring color and fire.  It is spectacular.  I filmed the entire show on my Flip Video Camera. Check out my Luxetips Youtube channel for a full viewing of the show.

I topped the night off with a quick ride on The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure.  This is one of Disneyland's newest rides and let me tell you it is simply simply beautiful.  It is so stunning and relaxing.  What I love about this ride is that is really bring The Little Mermaid to life.  In addition, all ages can enjoy the ride together and it is not overly long.

Me and the luxe kids got back to the room and my best friend went home.  She is such a wonderful and sweet person to babysit my kids so I could do the media/blogger only events.  As we settled in for the night and luxe son got in his overly comfy and plush Disneyland Hotel bed and we flipped on the Disney channel, he said:  "Mommy this is the Life! Hilarity!  He is right...it was the life!

Disclaimer:  Disneyland Resorts provided accommodations, ground transportation, theme park tickets, and partial meals during this trip.  However, my opinion and experience is 100% mine and honest.

Luxetips Travel: Disneyland Resort and Parks in Anaheim California

Hello Divas!

When life gives you lemons, always make lemonade!

I have been absent on this blog for the past week because I have been away in California for a week.  I hoped to squeeze in some blogging, but I traveled across country with two luxe kids solo.

We had a car seat, stroller, a huge suitcase and two carry-ons!  It was exhausting and the kids were wearing me out.  Between entertaining them and working, blogging could not be accomplished.  However, I am back and I have lots to share!

I decided to attend the BlogHer conference in San Diego at the very last minute.  When I did make the decision to go, I was presented with an amazing opportunity from Disneyland Resort and Theme Parks in Anaheim, CA.  I was invited on a pre-BlogHer trip for me and my family!  I was simply floored when the opportunity was presented.  It was the perfect situation because luxe son has always wanted to visit California and what kid would not want to experience the magic of Disneyland?

We flew into LAX two days before the BlogHer conference.  A Disneyland Express Bus picked us up and we drove a short 45 minute ride to Anaheim, CA.  When the kids saw the bus pull up, I could see the excitement on their faces.

The Disneyland Express dropped us off in front of the Disneyland Hotel.  The Disneyland Hotel is a staple of Disneyland.  It is one the oldest property but it has and is still going through a major renovation.  Our room was located in the Frontier tower right in front of the elaborate pool and water play area.  We were also a step away from the Tiki Bar and Tangaroa Restaurant.

Our room was very plush and of course it was decorated to delight children with all things Disney.  The bedding was plush.

Disney lamp!

The carpeting was new and plush.  The most fascinating thing about the room was the headboard lit up and also played music!  My kids got so much pleasure from this feature.  It was pretty amazing.

The bathroom did not disappoint.  The sink had a granite top and a cherry wood finish.

All of the bathroom fixtures have the famous "mouse ears"  The bathtub was very low and luxe baby was able to climb in and out of the tub with no problem.  We have never visited a hotel where the bathtub was low enough for little ones to use with ease.  Of course Disney would think of everything when it comes to ensuring children have all of the comforts and accomodations they need for an enjoyable experience.

After checking in we had dinner at the Tangaroa Terrace restaurant.  The food is island inspired and healthy.  The luxe kids had cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets with a side of rice and grapes.  I had a chicken sandwich with tropical flavored sauce and sweet potato fries.  This is the cutest little casual dining restaurant.  We sat outside and listened to a live bland play Hawaiian inspired music and the kids enjoyed the lit torches when the weather got cooler.  Another thing I loved about Tangaroa Terrace was the prices were very reasonable.  All of our meals were under $10 and that included drinks.

We then met up with Disneyland Parks public relations to walk over to the California Adventure Park for a private viewing of Magic, Memories and You and Magical - A Fireworks Spectacular at Disneyland Park.  We had to walk through downtown Disney to get to the park and boy was it a sight to see.  There are so many restaurants, retail stores, and bars.  Also there is FREE outdoor entertainment every night.  We saw a blues band playing on the main stage and smaller bands playing on the street.  Of course luxe son zeroed in on the Lego store and Ride Makerz (kids can build their own remote controlled car!).   Me being a beauty and fashion junkie, zeroed in on Sephora and Blink by Wet Seal.  There is also a House of Blues, Jazz Cafe, and ESPN Zone.  As we were walking through Downtown Disney at night, luxe son exclaimed: "Mom Downtown Disney is wicked awesome!!!" I agreed.

We arrived at our private viewing spot for Magic, Memories, and You and unfortunately I missed the majority of it because luxe baby had an emergency bathroom episode.  LOL!  However Magic, Memories, and You features a video presentation of family remembrances and moments at Disneyland Resort.  The animated presentation is displayed on the Disney castle and features Disney themed music and characters.

But we did not miss a moment of Magical - A Fireworks Spectacular!  It was beyond any fireworks show I had ever seen. I am still trying to figure out how they did it, but Tinkerbell and Dumbo flew through the fireworks presentation.  It was mesmerizing.  The fireworks show takes place at 9:30pm at night, so if you have little ones, they may not make it through the show.  The Luxe baby was fast asleep within 5 minutes of the show.  However, luxe son was down for the cause! He loved it!  Check it out:

We made our way back to the room soon thereafter.  When we got back to the room, we had a special surprise from Disney!

The best gift in this gift bag was the official Disneyland backpack.  Luxe son was so excited and claimed it immediately.  He told me: "Mom this is my new backpack for 2nd grade." Priceless.

Check back tomorrow for Day 2 of our Disneyland Anaheim adventures.

Toodles!

Disclaimer:  Disneyland Resorts provided accommodations, ground transportation, theme park tickets, and partial meals during this trip.  However, my opinion and experience is 100% mine and honest.

California Baby Calendula Everyday Lotion

Hello Divas!

I hope all is well in your world!

Sometimes I discuss fashion or beauty products for luxe baby. Yes, luxe baby is a little Diva and she has to have the best of the best! LOL! I am currently in LOVE with California Baby's Calendula Everyday Lotion. This lotion is the bomb! First, the lotion is 100% organic! I just simply can not use anything full of chemicals on her beautiful delicate skin! It contains the active botanical, Calendula. Calenduala has wonderful healing properties that are proven to relieve irritation and itching due to eczema, poison ivy/oak/sumac, chickenpox, sunburn and insect bites. It is also non-comedogenic so it will not clog pores. Also it is super moisturizing but non-greasy. When I put it on luxe baby, it immediately absorbs into her skin. Plus it smells just lovely! It is infused with French Lavender. Luxe baby loves it! When I apply the lotion on her after bathe time, she holds out her little hand and rubs it on her body. Like mommy like daughter! Love it! And of course the lavender instantly puts her to sleep. What is there not to love about this lotion???!!!

Also, the website claims this lotion is a great facial moisturizer. Yep, especially if you have normal to oily skin or acne prone skin. The Calendula is good for the acne! Go figure. I love a two for one deal! You can purchase California Baby Calendula Everyday Lotion online here or at any Whole Foods. It retails for $11.49.