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Hello from Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2012

This year, TechyDad and I were both lucky enough to be invited back to the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World. The memories that we have from the past and the ones we are making right now will last a life time.

Last year at DisneySMMoms, the speakers were amazing, inspiring, and truly taught me a lot that I have used in life and the Social Media World. In 2011, I listened to these magical individuals:

DisneySMMoms 2011

This year the line up is:

While at SheStreams in September, I was able to snap this photo of Rene Syler and Lisa Druxman after they spoke to us there.

Rene and Lisa at SheStreams 2011

So my question to you this week:

Who would you love to hear talk at a conference and why? It does not have to be about social media, it could be about any topic of interest to you.

It's Me

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we were given an incredible deal from Disney. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan, it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event. To see past posts about DisneySMMoms, you can head here.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An<br<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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    Island<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    Life

Aloha #200

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Tuesday Tales – The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

Growing up as a child that went to Walt Disney World a lot, we always had the latest tour books and guides. Of course, back in the day there were not a lot of choices. These days, there are a lot of books, but most Disney people agree that the king of all  books are the line from The Unofficial Guide series. Since 1985, these books have been carted from near and far to Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World Books

Reality check time. The giant Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2012 is not the only published item these days. No, now you have multiple options. Wiley Publishing sent me the three books seen above to help us to prepare for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World. Although I knew the other items existed, I had never owned them before. We bought several of the big books in the past, but now we had these other books.

The Mini Mickey is a great source of information wrapped up into a handy dandy size. As it states, it is the pocket-sized Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Within the book, there are maps, ratings, and even some of the beloved touring plans for the parks.

2012 Unofficial Disney Books

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2012 really breaks items down based on how children may react to rides, shows, restaurants, resorts, and more. I love that they have more helpful hints about noise level and extreme darkness that could scare some children. I still need to get to know this book more since it is not one that I have used before.

The giant Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is still the mega go to book according to most of my other Disney loving friends. What everyone adores are the attention to detail, notes from other guests, and of course their detailed plans to maximize your park time. One item that seemed to be missing from the books was color photos.  Check out the latest book that arrived after I took the photos and started this post:

The Color Companion

It’s great to hear all of the wonderful things about say the Yacht Club Resort, but how about some photos inside the room Have no fear. You will also see pictures of rides, parades, and more. The Unofficial Guide: The Color Companion to Walt Disney World is officially coming out May 1!

Sample Color Pages

Another great item to know – the Unofficial Guides are also online. Yes, the official home of the Unofficial Guide is TouringPlans.com and there is also an app. On their website, if you get their all access option there is even more magic from the magical writers that keep everyone up to date on all things related to Walt Disney World. For die hard fans, they even suggest which park is best to go to on a given day based on past history. This is huge when you are limited on time.

I know that these books will be heading to this years Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and we will use them when on the plane, in the resort, and on the go.

Do you have thoughts on the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Let me know and/or ask questions that you have below.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

It's Me

Disclosure: I received these four books complimentary of Wiley in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. Four Amazon Affiliate links are included in this post for the books mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy any of the books through my links.

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Dole Whip Cravings

When I start to think about Walt Disney World, one refreshing treat comes to my mind. I immediately begin to imagine myself walking through the Magic Kingdom to Adventureland and getting one of these at Aloha Isle:

Time for Dole Whip

Please excuse the hot, sweaty, and frizzy haired me in the background. That photo of me holding my beloved Dole Whip Float was right after I finished the three hour African Trek. I called the boys and they were over at the Magic Kingdom. I immediately knew the place to meet. We introduced the boys to their first Dole Whip Float and they are definitely fans of this refreshing treat.

If you are a Dole Whip newbie, I suggest checking out AJ’s post on The Disney Food Blog all about the beloved Dole Whips. From there, she links up to additional posts about the topic and even where you can find them outside of Disney parks. Zannaland also wrote about The Great Dole Whip Controversy. Yes, people are that serious about their Dole Whip preferences.

So let’s talk frozen delights at Walt Disney World. Have you had a Dole Whip before and what is your favorite location to enjoy this delicious snacks?

It's Me

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Parenting Smile Moment

Dear NHL and JSL,

Some days, things are hectic as we race out the door to school. The other morning, as I was helping to bring in NHL’s band instrument in, the two of you made me smile. As we walked toward the building, one of you grabbed the other’s hand. I think JSL initiated it, but I am not entirely sure. What I watched was both of you hold on tight, chatter, and swing your hands back and forth as you walked.

Brothers hand-in-hand

My heart melted as I watched this moment in front of my eyes. The two of you may fight from time to time, but your love for one another is always there. Thank you for letting me witness brotherly love at its best.

Love,

Mommy

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Snapple Memories Revived

While in college, I developed a few not too wonderful habits. Though I had no interest in drinking alcoholic beverages, I was very addicted to Mountain Dew for breakfast and Snapple Ice Tea for lunch. Several years into school, I kicked most caffeine intake to help with my headaches. That lasted until my little guy was born and suddenly I needed a small amount of caffeine to keep my headaches away.

With the warm weather coming quickly, coffee is not always an option. While my beverage of choice is usually water in my giant Nalgene water bottle, I do like to have a special treat. Rather than crave chocolate, I now like to treat myself to a cold glass of this:

Snapple Love

Yes, this is a giant bottle of Snapple Diet Peach Ice Tea that lasts me quite a while. Of course, it brings me back to my college days. I think I missed this, but will admit that there is no desire to restart my Mountain Dew habit.

Aside from a cold glass of water during the warmer months, what is your beverage of choice?

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An<br<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    Island<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    Life

Aloha #199

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