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     You may be thinking that the 5 day trip to Disneyland that Maddy and I took was just for fun and frivolity.  Well, maybe it was, but we also did research! We found ways to save money, ways to get the most out of the Disney experience and to get to go on the most attractions without killing yourself doing it! You may have read all kinds of Disney tips out there, but here we are going to present some ideas you may not have heard before.  
     This was not our first Disneyland trip by any means.  I was born and raised in California and thanks to my big sisters, I was able to go to Disneyland quite often as a kid.  I remember the "E" ticket days and the no California Adventure days.  That big building next to Autopia that houses Star Wars Characters and activities, used to be The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow attraction.  I also remember when The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and A Small World were brand new.  I have loved going to Disneyland over the years and it was important to me to get to share it with my kids, even though for many years we couldn't afford to go very often.  Now, I am looking forward to going with my grandchildren.  We are planning a family reunion to Disneyland in 2 years from now, when my youngest son returns home from his mission. The tips that Maddy and I are giving you today are definitely ones that we will be incorporating into our plans for that event! 
      

Before You Go:

• Download the Disneyland app to your phone! This thing is a treasure! It gives you line wait times, ride closures, nearby dining and restrooms in the park, it keeps track of reservations you have made, and it tells you where characters are doing meet and greets.  We used this app so much and it saved us so much leg work and waiting.  
• Try to book your time at Disneyland during an off season.  Madalynn chose the end of April because it is supposed to be one of the less crowded times.  It makes sense because Spring Breaks are over and people are usually thinking that they will wait until school is out for the Summer to bring their kids.  But, we did notice that there were quite a few school groups there for band activities and such that still added to the crowd. The first week of January through the middle of February is also supposed to be less crowded.  But, honestly, there are always going to be crowds of people there. 
• Buy or make souvenirs outside the park before you go.  This will save you a ton of money.  There are no clearance racks in Disneyland.    If you want to wear cute Disney shirts in the park, here is a tutorial we did for making some.  Or, look in stores like Ross or even the Disney Store which does have clearance.  I found a shirt with Belle on it that was on clearance for $5.99, plus 40% off! That was a smoking deal!  

     You can find Disney merchandise everywhere.  When kids ask you for the souvenirs that they see others with in the park, just pull out something from your stash for them.  One of the smart things that we saw parents do was to have little items to give kids while they were waiting in line.  For example, Dollar Tree has little plastic figures of Disney characters.  You could give them the ones that match the ride you are going on to get them excited instead of bored with waiting! If you look on the Dollar Tree website, there are 7 pages of Disney themed products to choose from! If you are going on a family reunion like we are with at least 10 grandchildren, buying in bulk is the way to go!  Trust me, none of the little toys and items like these in the park cost only $1.00!  If you really want a souvenir from within the park, make it something that you can't really find outside of the park.  A very inexpensive idea for everyone is to start a collection of the pressed coins you can get from machines all over the park.  You can even purchase a reasonable album to keep them in! Here is an example of the one you can find in the park on Amazon, but in this case, it is actually more reasonable to purchase it in the park! 

• While you are purchasing things outside the park, don't forget refillable water bottles for everyone. (Here are some Disney ones for kids from Dollar Tree!) Purchasing soda and other special drinks in the park is pricey, almost $4.00 and then upward.  But, there are filtered water stations throughout the park where you can refill your bottles and you can also get complimentary water in the restaurants.  Also, it is nice to pack and bring those little water flavoring packets for a change of pace, especially for kids who may want a special drink.  (Dollar Tree also has some special Disney cups you can serve their drinks in to make them more special without paying the price that is charged for souvenir cups). 
• Also, Disneyland is great about letting you bring in your own food and snacks! We like to eat at some of the restaurants and there are ways to do that more reasonably than you may think.  But you can spend a ton of money on snacks if you aren't careful.  Bring snacks in your backpack to munch on while you are in line or in a show when it is allowed.  It will save you time and money.  Later we will cover the treat splurges that are worth paying for.

When you are there:

• Get to the park early, when it opens.  The lines to get in the park may seem long, but when you get in, it will seem empty for the first couple of hours! Also, if you do not have the extra magic morning hour, go to the park, either Disney or California Adventures that does not offer it that day because it will be less crowded in the morning as well. On our first day, Monday, we got into the park when the gates were opened and waited at the Adventure land entrance until we were allowed all of the way in.  We walked onto Splash Mountain (where we were drenched!), then the Haunted Mansion and then had a super short wait on Thunder Mountain Railroad!  After that we went into Fantasy Land and had short waits on about 3 of those rides.  In about an hour and a half we had gone on 6 rides.  We tried to stay within one area and get on what we could there without running from place to place and getting worn out.  Since we were going to be there for 5 days, we knew we could be a little more leisurely and strategic about what we did.  But, even if we were only going to be there for a day, it would have been very successful.  On Monday, we rode 16 rides, met 5 characters and saw 2 shows, (The Tiki Room and The Golden Horseshoe Review).
• As the day goes on, the park will get more and more crowded.  Use the Disney App and use your Fast Passes wisely.  It doesn't make sense to go and get a Fast Pass for Space Mountain and then run back to Splash Mountain if your time is just an hour away. You will wear yourselves out. When we were in Adventure Land, we saw that the line for Indiana Jones was 40 minutes long and the Fast Pass time was about an hour from then. The Jungle Boat Cruise, right next door was only a 25 minute wait. So, we went on the Jungle Boat Cruise and then it was almost time to go on Indiana Jones.  It was the perfect time to eat a snack and then use our Fast Pass. We found that if the wait time was 30 minutes or less, we would get in line rather than get a Fast Pass because sometimes even a Fast Pass was nearly that long of a wait in some instances. 
• When you want to eat in a restaurant, time your meals to eat earlier or later than normal meal times when the crowds at the registers and in the seating will be greater.  One restaurant that we loved to dine in was the Red Rose Tavern.  They had delicious Bison Burgers, a Cauliflower Burger for Madalynn and a Beef Poutine which was so good that I am working on a copycat version to share with you now.  They also have a very nice breakfast menu.  Their Breakfast Platter was only $8.99 and had eggs, a generous portion of bacon, delicious crispy fried potatoes and a buttery  little croissant.  I could have easily shared it because the portions were generous. That is a trick my husband and I learned a long time ago at Disneyland.  Go to the restaurants where there are really good meals served and share! The portions sizes are usually large enough to do this. You can use the Disney app to check out the menus at the restaurants in advance and strategically plan where and what you will eat. 
• As the crowds get larger and the lines longer and your legs and feet are getting more and more tired, it is a great time to check out the shows.  That was one of the advantages of going for multiple days.  We were able to see the wonderful shows at the park. Usually we were in such a hurry to hit as many rides as possible and skipped the shows.  Now we see the folly of our old ways.  The quality of the shows is so good!  And, what a nice way to relax and take the load off of your feet! We were able to see the hour long stage version of Frozen in California Adventures.  It was so good!  Not only that, while we waited in our seats for the show to begin, we were able to doze off for the about 10 minute wait!  Ha Ha, I don't think I snored, but both Maddy and I decided that we felt so refreshed after that little power nap! We stayed for the parade that night without feeling exhausted! So, even if you are only going to the park for one day or two, eek out some time for a show break! They aren't all an hour long but they do give you a break.  We suggest the Royal Theater, by the outside of the castle on the way to Frontier Land, Mickey's Magical Map in the theater on the way to Toon Town, and of course I always love the Tiki Room.
• As we mentioned before, while you are waiting in line is a great time to eat.  If you bring your own snacks, break them out to keep everyone happy and energized.  When we have our reunion, I am already planning on making some special treats to take the place of some of the enticing and pricey ones in the park and I am on the lookout for those Disney themed snacks as well.  There are a few Disney treats that you may want to splurge on though.  Here are a couple that we loved:

• One last tip is that you will want to keep your cell phones charged all day.  Keep your eyes open for outlets in restaurants and the places you sit to rest.  Some are even in the planters! Make sure you have your charger in your backpack and plug in whenever you are sitting and resting or while you are eating! 

     We hope that these tips will help you on your next Disney vacation! Next week, Maddy will be giving that ear making tutorial and she also plans to give you a rundown on what we learned about plant based dining in the Disney parks.  I am going to share my copycat poutine recipe with you soon! You won't want to miss a thing! Some of you have been following our Instagram posts while we were away and said that you really wanted that Ear Tutorial, so it is high on our list! Thanks for the feedback! 

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

     On my side of the family, Scrabble is the family game.  I was raised on it, as were the rest of my siblings.  My mom, who recently turned 95, is always up for a game. I would venture to say that playing Scrabble all of these years has contributed to keeping her mind as sharp as it is at her age.  She is kind of a Scrabble snob, I am sorry to say.  She gets disgusted if you only use 3 letter words or if you don't get loads of points from two directions with your "S". She doesn't like it when someone always refers to a dictionary to find their words. But, even so, we have a blast when we play together!  When we play without her, the defining rule is that if my mom has used the word, it is legal in Scrabble. 
     Often, when we travel to California to visit my side of the family, the Boltons, we will gather at my brother's house and have a Scrabble Tournament, with 2 or 3 games going at once and winners playing each other in a round robin type competition.  It is always so much fun. One year, Alicia and I made everyone t-shirts that had Scrabble tile holders on them with letters like this one:

    I have noticed that Scrabble Tiles are popular things to make crafts and decorator items with.  That leads me to believe that there are many of you out there who love to play Scrabble as much as my family does.  Since today is officially Scrabble Day, our Friday Fave question is this: 

     What is a favorite item you have seen or made with Scrabble Tiles?
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     I have seen some adorable Christmas ideas using Scrabble Tiles! Look at these Christmas trees! 

     By the way, in order to make any of these crafts, there are a couple of ways to get the tiles without raiding your Scrabble game.  

• Go to a thrift store and find old, used games that have, for some crazy reason, been donated.  
• Purchase the tiles at a craft store. (Can be pricey!)
• Order a set of 100 online from Amazon! 

    Now, when you order these, no fair slipping an extra "O" or an "E" up your sleeve for the times that you have a set of letters like the one in the game above!

     We also found some really adorable Scrabble themed items on Etsy! 
​     Look at these sweet pillows for only 4.99 a piece! 

     Who knew that these simple little tiles could enrich our homes so much! I know that Scrabble has helped me to be a better speller and problem solver! Now it helps me decorate my home as well, LOL! I love it! 
     So, maybe you can craft a thing or two with some Scrabble tiles, or if nothing else, be sure to enjoy a game of Scrabble to celebrate the day! Let us know if you have any great ideas using these letters. 

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support

So today, in our French ancestors honor we made Gratin Dauphinois (French scalloped potatoes) and roasted chicken.

Usually when I think of scalloped potatoes I think of cheese and potatoes. But to make true Gratin Dauphinois, you DON'T USE CHEESE! I know! I was skeptical at first, but really this turned out so delicious! You still get a crispy brown top from the starch in the potatoes. 

Some tips for make Gratin Dauphinois

• The nutmeg in this recipe was divine. I really loved it. It complimented the subtle flavors of the cream and potatoes so well. I did not miss the cheese at all. So don't skimp on the nutmeg. I added it to the top of my potatoes in the saucepan and gave it a good dusting. I then mixed it in. 
• Some recipes that I saw used leeks or chives. I decided chives were good enough for me.
• I used myfood processor to slice my potatoes. It made it so fast and easy. A mandoline slicer would be useful here as well.

Just look at that beauty. Gratin Dauphinois was so wonderful! And the leftovers are great too. And it was really easy to make. If you con't have cream on hand, I saw some recipes where it could be made with just milk. So if you're craving scalloped potatoes, try Gratin Dauphinois, you won't regret it.

Gratin Dauphinois

To go with the Gratin Dauphinois, I thought a roasted chicken would be delicious. I was just going to buy a rotisserie chicken from the store but then thought it would be fun to try my hand at roasting a chicken. It was so good too!

I did look up how the French roast chickens but I didn't have time nor ingredients for Julia Child's recipe. So I'll just say the flavors are French inspired though not classically French at all.

I don't have a recipe for you, but I rubbed my chicken with butter, and sprinkled it with thyme, salt, and pepper. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some extra pats of butter finished up the outside of the bird. I rubbed up under the breast skin with butter and stuck some cloves of garlic up there. Inside I stuffed it with lemon, garlic, and bay leaves. I meant to grab some rosemary from the plant outside but I forgot. I tied the legs together with some baker's twine. Then roasted it at 400F for 20 minutes. After that I reduced the temperature to 375F for another 90 minutes. I had a 5 pound bird that came out with nice crispy skin and beautifully moist meat. It was so delicious.

With the leftovers we made chicken tacos the next night.That's the great thing about this chicken the flavors are subtle enough that the leftovers can easily be transformed.

So I hope you give those Gratin Dauphinois a try. They're so delicious! Best scalloped potatoes I've ever had. If you do let us know in the comments how you liked it!