Lawrence Hall of Science

It's still spring break in many school districts around the US, so I thought I'd spend Travel Tuesday reminiscing about one of the cool places we visited over Spring Break.  The Lawrence Hall of Science is a hands-on science museum on the UC Berkeley campus that draws kids from all over the Bay Area.

New job, new direction

Today I started a new chapter in my life and started work as Student Activities Director for 3PO and Jammy's elementary school.  That's a fancy way of saying I come in at lunchtime to plan, organize, and lead student enrichment activities.  Okay, that was probably just as fancy a description!  How about:  I do Chalk Art Mondays, Tournament Tuesdays, Game Cart Wednesdays, Walking Club Thursdays, Dance Party Fridays, and just about anything else I think the kids might enjoy.

Getting my kicks on Route 66: running through the Disneyland Resort

photo credit: Josh Hallett @hyku

Of all the magical events in store for the attendees of Disney's Social Media Moms Conference, the one I was most looking forward to was the 2 mile fun run.  I've always wanted to do a runDisney race, and although this wasn't an official race, it's the next best thing.  I can't think of any fun run more fun than this one (shades of Dr. Seuss there): what could be grander than running through the Disneyland Resort?

A prize that money can't buy: meeting LeVar Burton

photo credit: Josh Hallett

One of the many perks of being invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is the chance to win some fabulous prizes.  Up for grabs were goodies like Disney gift baskets, runDisney gift baskets, Coppertone gift baskets, a year's supply of GoGoSqueez, Dooney & Burke bags, runDisney New Balance shoes, HP printers, and a Nikon camera.  Each time a raffle ticket was drawn, I crossed my fingers and prayed that my name would be drawn.

Lo and behold, my name was drawn.  I was one of five bloggers selected for an exclusive meet and greet experience after Saturday's Disney Junior character breakfast.

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

We've done the Jelly Belly Factory tour in Fairfield many times, but knowing practically every twist and turn of the tour doesn't stop us from visiting once a year or two.  It's fun, it's free, and it's less than a 90 minute drive from where we live.  Plus, they give out free jelly beans!  What's not to love?

Inexpensive ways to store Disney trading pins

We are buzzing with excitement over our upcoming Disneyland trip!  We don't leave for several days yet, but I'm already thinking about all the things we have to pack: the basics like clothes and toiletries, plus all the special Disney items like Mickey ears, lanyards, and trading pins!

How to make a Mickey or Minnie ears baseball cap

One of the most useful items clothing to wear at a Disney park is a cap or hat to keep your face protected from the sun.  Anaheim and Orlando are probably two of the sunniest cities in the mainland US, and you'll be spending a LOT of time outdoors, so caps and hats are a Must-Pack item whenever we go to Disneyland.

Unfortunately, Mickey ears or Minnie headbands are also a Must-Pack item for a Disney vacation.  It's so much fun to wear Mickey ears when you're at a Disney park -- but those ears don't exactly shade your face.  I've searched long and hard for sun hats or baseball caps with Mickey ears -- in the parks, in the stores, online at DisneyStore.com, on fan sites, and on eBay.  I've seen these for babies, but nothing for kids or adults.  The closest I've found is a Mickey ears top hat, a Mickey ears safari hat, and a Mickey ears gardener hat.   None are readily available... so after years of waiting and hoping that Disney would begin selling one, I finally decided to make my own.  Here's how I did it:

Coloma Outdoor Discovery School, Day 3

We had some surprise visitors on the morning of Day 3!  Click to read about what happened on Day 1 and Day 2.

I couldn't believe it when Joanna and I woke up on Day 3 of our Coloma adventure:  it was almost 7:00 a.m.!  The girls were so tired that they had actually slept in! We spent the early morning packing up our sleeping bags and things, and cleaning up our dorm. The girls were determined to win the Golden Dustpan Award (a glittery gold bead for their pouch), so they made sure all their trash was thrown away, and swept the floors till they gleamed.  Once everyone was packed up and ready to leave, we had breakfast (bacon, eggs, and biscuits -- The Pea was right when she told me three years ago that I should definitely volunteer to chaperone the boys to Coloma because the food was so good!).

What's in my runDisney playlist

Finishing a runDisney 5k, 10k, or half-marathon is a big Must-Do item on my bucket list.  Who wouldn't want to put on a running tutu (note to SELF magazine, tutus aren't lame -- you are) or Disney-inspired outfit and race through a Disney park?  However, at this point in time I just can't justify the cost, so I'm really excited about doing the next-best thing: a special runDisney 2-mile fun run at the Disney Social Media Moms conference.

Naturally, since it's a Disney event, I've made a Disney song playlist to run to!  I've been running to these songs for years (other than Let It Go, which I added in November), but they were always part of other playlists, not in a Disney playlist of their own.  Here are the songs on my Disney playlist:

• Let It Go (Frozen, 3:43)
• Touch The Sky (Brave, 2:31)
• Strangers Like Me (Tarzan, 3:00)
• Son of Man (Tarzan, 2:44)
• I'll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan, 3:21)
• I Just Can't Wait to Be King (Lion King, 2:50)
• Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (Lilo & Stitch, 3:27)
• Burning Love (Lilo & Stitch, 2:51)
• Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Song (Pirates of the Caribbean, 2:09)

(Note, this playlist only has 9 songs and totals 26.6 minutes, so I'm still looking for 1 last song to bring it to 30 minutes.  Many people like Go The Distance from Hercules (which, at 3:14, brings the playlist to just under 30 minutes), but I'm not a big fan, mainly because the tempo is so slow.  For now, to bring the playlist to just over 30 minutes, I've added the Let It Go Karaoke version).

I love running to these songs because they're all uptempo, heavy on the beat, and high on the energy.  While I'm running, I can pretend I'm running through the African serengeti, the Scottish highlands, the beaches of Hawaii, the Great Wall of China, and all the other amazing locations these movies are set in.  When my energy levels falter, I think of Mulan racing towards the Imperial City, trying to outrun the Huns; I think of Elsa, realizing that she's not just running away from her past, she's running toward her freedom; I think of Merida, running because she's so happy to be free from duty and tradition. If those gals can run, so can I! And just like that, my spirits begin to lift, and I truly feel like I can "Chase the wind and Touch The Sky".

Do you have a Disney running playlist?  What Disney songs do you like to run to?

Coloma Outdoor Discovery School, Day 2

Day 2 was Hiking Day for the students of the Coloma Discovery School (see what we did on Day 1 here!).  We woke up bright and early at 7:00 a.m.  (actually, the girls in our dorm woke up at 6:00 am because they were so excited, much to the dismay of my dorm parent partner Joanna and I) and fueled up with a delicious breakfast of eggs, sausage, and french toast.  We filled our backpacks with water, sunscreen, snacks, and lunch, met up with the members of our town, and set off to explore the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park and the Monroe Ridge.  The whole camp spent the day outdoors, with each town starting at a different landmark so we wouldn't all crowd into the same location.