I Know the Key to Finding Workplace Happiness! Discover your personal brand and personality compatibility with the fun quizzes on the Good&Co career app. #ad #knowyourself | beckysbestbites.com

Not too long ago if you would have asked me if I could tell you the key to finding workplace happiness, I would have had to say that I wasn’t sure. I definitely don’t think I could have written a blog post on the subject. See I had always had good jobs that I liked, paid the bills and I was content with them, but the passion wasn’t there. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with my daughter that I realized that I needed to wake up each morning and do something everyday that fueled my passions…and being a work-at-home mom is it for me

I wish I had learned about the Good&Co career app earlier so I could have discovered by unique strengths and found my passion much sooner. However I certainly don’t regret the career path that I took, and I believe with all of my heart that path is what led me to being a full time mom and blogger today!

There is an app for everything these days, right? You will want to download the Good&Co app, like I did, and take their fun quizzes to discover your own unique strengths, grow personally and professionally and ultimately find get on your journey to professional happiness!

I also learned how I come across to others

My spirit animal is a deer! I think it fits me pretty well, especially now that I am a mama

I found out what kind of coworker I am…although my only coworker right now is my 3 month old daughter. There is no telling her to “bring her own sandwich, buddy!” LOL Her meals come first!!

Solo projects! Yep, that is me!! I guess that works with being a full time blogger

As you progress through the fun quizzes on the Good&Co app you will learn more and more about what makes you unique and special! The key to workplace happiness is finding a culture fit for your personal brand! I found that my persona changed as I completed more of the quizzes and the app learned more about me!

Here are my final results:

I think the Good&Co app, unlocked my personality pretty well If I was in the market for a job and seeking workplace happiness, I would need to find a company and a position where these unique strengths would shine. You can explore various employers on the app as well. I didn’t dive into that since I wasn’t really looking for a job right now, but I can see where it would be very helpful.

You can also find out your FitScore or personality fit with friends. As you connect your social media channels, you can invite friends to take the quizzes too! It is fun to see how good or not so good of a fit you are with them

Download the Good&Co app today, take the first quiz as your first step toward finding workplace happiness!

Once you have completed the quiz, you will unlock your unique strength card! What are your unique strengths? Please share them with me in the comments or let’s find out our FitScore on the app! See you there

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How I Wine Down, While My Family Golfs! Learn how to enjoy a $25 credit on a round of golf at major golf courses nationwide & enter to win a year of FREE GOLF courtesy of Concha y Toro Gran Reserva Wines. #GranReservaGolf #ad

Most of you that have been reading my blog (and thank you so much for your support) know that hubs is an avid golfer. It is his way to wine down after the long hours that he puts in at the restaurant. Now lil man has gotten old enough that he can enjoy going to the golf course with his dad. I fully support this time together so they can have some special father/son bonding time. I used to go with hubs to the golf course on occasion and drive the golf cart (and maybe hit a few) but now with baby girl, I can’t really go between naps, feedings and playtime with an infant. So now I just send the boys on their way and I head next door to my parent’s house to wine down for the afternoon on their back porch Luckily my parents have turned one of their spare bedrooms into a nursery for their grandkids, so baby girl can nap there with ease while Grammy and I are within earshot on the porch.

This particular afternoon just happened to also be Mother’s Day so I picked myself up the perfect present to celebrate my first Mother’s Day, a lovely bottle of Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

Mom is more of a white wine gal, so I picked her up a bottle of Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc It was part of her Mother’s Day present and she was very appreciative Now that I am a full time mom and know just how much hard work goes into each and every day, I wanted to show her just how grateful I am for everything that she has and continues to do for my sisters and I!

My mom and I enjoyed some much needed wine down time on the porch with a glass of Gran Reserva wine! Baby girl took a nice long nap for me in their nursery (HELLO…I think it was her Mother’s Day present to me and it was perfect! I LOVED IT…just what I needed!) We kicked up our feet, watched a little HGTV and Food Network (our favs to zone out to) and Dad grilled up some surf and turf for us It was an absolutely perfect way to wine down!!

We both thoroughly enjoyed our Gran Reserva wines! Since our dinner was surf and turf, both the red and white paired nicely I also wanted to share with y’all that Gran Reserva is giving you two more reasons to enjoy their fine wines right now!!

1. Enjoy a $25 credit on a round of golf at major golf courses nationwide courtesy of Concha y Toro Gran Reserva. Find a specially marked bottle necker where you buy wine.

2. And you can also enter a great sweepstakes to win – one year of free golf. Check it out: http://clvr.li/2nLqvdg 

Be sure to check it out ASAP!! I’ll have my fingers crossed for you that you win  So tell me, what are your favorite ways to wine down?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Learn how to Save Time and Money while Finding Top Real Estate Agents with UpNest! It is a quick, easy and FREE online service where agents compete for your business while you relax on the couch! Earn rebates and discounts up to $5000 and compare commissions quotes to find the best deal for you! #ad #UpNest #AgentsCompete

Since our family is growing (most of you know that I am pregnant with a baby girl that is due in about 2 weeks), I have been thinking more about the possibility that we may need more living space and thus a new home in the very near future. However I get super overwhelmed when I think of the process of buying and selling a home and it all seems very daunting!! Not to mention the expense of it all!! This frugal gal certainly struggles with that one

Obviously we won’t be buying or selling a home right now. We need to wait at the very least, until after baby girl arrives, she and I have had time to recover and we have had time to acclimate to life with a new baby and a new family dynamic I was still eager to learn more about an amazing new real estate agent marketplace called UpNest! UpNest is a free online service for both buyers and sellers where top real estate agents compete. saving you time and money!! It is a hassle free and there is absolutely no obligation so I decided to give it a try to learn more about this fabulous resource!!

You can go <<HERE>> to try out the UpNest experience, whether or not you are currently needing a top real estate agent for buying or selling a home!

I went through the UpNest experience as if I was selling my home first! It was quick, easy and very user friendly to find top real estate agents that could help me sell my home when the time comes!

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Next I went through the UpNest experience as if I was a buyer! Again it was quick and easy to find top real estate agents in my area to help me find my dream home!!

In both cases, using UpNest to find a top real estate agent as a buyer and a seller, it took less than 2 minutes and I only shared basic information with my online request. I received both email and phone follow-up from an UpNest advisor to discuss my needs. They do all the work for you, so it really is that simple!! There was no obligation to hire one of their agents matches, so there really is nothing to lose and everything to gain When I am ready to find my dream home, my forever home, I will be using UpNest!!

Learn more about UpNest and try finding an agent hassle free – compare top real estate agents and save thousands when selling or buying your home GO==> HERE <== NOW!!

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Take the challenge as part of a low-calorie diet and daily exercise program. Weight loss depends on individual needs.

New Year, New Routines! Take the Change A Meal Challenge with Smoothie King as part of new healthy habits to integrate into your 2017 resolutions & personal goals! #ad #changeameal

How is 2017 treating you so far? Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? If so how are they going for you? For me, it was getting back to my healthier habits and routines to prepare for the arrival of my little girl! T minus 45 days and counting until she makes her grand appearance, or less if she decides to make her own time table

What has always worked best for me is to make small, manageable changes each day so when they are multiplied over time they add up and lead me to my big results! This is one reason that I was super excited to learn about and try out the Change A Meal Challenge from Smoothie King

What is the Change A Meal Challenge? It is an easy way to set your healthy lifestyle goals and go for it! Start with replacing one meal a day with one of Smoothie King’s 20 filling Meal Replacement Smoothies! Your options include:

• Greek Yogurt – Pineapple Mango, Strawberry Blueberry, Peach Papaya
• The Shredder™ – Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla
• Lean1™ – Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, Pineapple Mango
• Original High Protein – Banana, Lemon, Pineapple
• Coffee High Protein – Vanilla
• The Activator® – Chocolate, Vanilla
• Gladiator® – Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla
• Vegan – Dark Chocolate Banana, Nutty Super Grain, Mango Kale

Click >> HERE << to find a Smoothie King location near you and join the Change A Meal Challenge!

My favorite meal replacement smoothie on the Change a Meal Challenge is the Greek Yogurt Strawberry Blueberry! I was also able to score a BOGO coupon and discount coupon at my local Smoothie King to help me save money on my smoothie purchases for the challenge!

The other simple steps for the Change a Meal Challenge is to exercise 30 minutes a day and choose other sensible meals! Sounds easy enough to me, right?

Grab your FREE WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER for the Change A Meal Challenge!

Now for further motivation our friends at Smoothie King have super fun giveaway going on now through March 26, 2017! They want to see your Smoothie Selfies! Every time you change a meal, you have a chance to win up to $500 in Smoothie King gift cards, a Fitbit or a brand new bike!!

To enter, post your Change A Meal Challenge photos using #changeameal #contest.

The more you post, the more you could win!  

Enter now through March 26, 2017. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. 

Weight loss is dependent on each individual’s needs and is based on a low-calorie diet combined with an exercise program. Consult your physician before beginning any diet program. 400 calories is based on a 20-ounce cup.

Good luck everyone and let me know how the Change A Meal Challenge is going for you in the comments

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How to Develop a Successful Blog with Food Blogger Pro. Learn to start and grow your blog 300 easy to-understand videos made for beginner to intermediate food bloggers.

I think I was one of the lucky ones. I learned about Food Blogger Pro and joined the community right after I started my blog. I was already a huge fan of Bjork & Lindsay’s insanely successful food blog, Pinch of Yum and I had been reading their income reports for a while and couldn’t believe that you could make $30,000 a month from food blogging!! I needed to know what they did to develop a successful blog!! Luckily they lay it all out for you with their other website Food Blogger Pro. Not only does it have the 300 videos for you, but a very active community in the forums of industry experts and fellow bloggers that can answer any of your questions. They have an awesome podcast that I listen to every week and once a month they hold a live Q&A session where you can dive deep into blogging topics like SEO, sponsored posts, etc. Those are definitely on the must watch list!!

And there is more Y’all know that this frugal gal loves to save money, so I was so happy that FBP members get exclusive discounts on tools and services made specifically for food bloggers. The nutrition label that you see on many of my posts, those come from Food Blogger Pro. The nutrition label generator is super easy to use and does all the work for you. It is FREE if you are a member. I took advantage of the 60 day free trial of Co-Schedule and now I am a monthly subscriber and loving it, using its editorial calendar to plan my blog, content marketing, and social media. It has been such a time saver!! All of this is well worth the investment of $29/month IMHO Or you could do pay yearly and save a little bit like I did, then it is $279/yearly which breaks down to just $23.25/month.

But back to when I first got started with my blog, I really dove deep into the videos that Food Blogger Pro offers because I knew that I wanted to develop a successful blog or why do it in the first place. I started with the Getting Started Course (because where else would you start) and learned all about how to set up my food blog the right way, then moved onto a deep dive in WordPress (it was a whole new world for me) and then learned how to setup Google Apps. I saved so much time and energy by learning through watching these videos verses wading through the TONS of videos on YouTube or just trying to figure it out myself!

I worked through many of the courses on Food Blogger Pro to develop a successful blog!

• Essential Plugins – The best recipe plugin and how to use it.  How to keep my site safe, fast and backup and optimized for SEO to get free traffic!!
• Essential Tools – Setting up and using Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools and Alerts. How to run a giveaway on your site.
• Food Photography – Take amazing photographs in natural or artificial light. How to use the manual setting on my camera. Tips and tricks for props, composition and food styling.
• Photo Editing – I learned how to edit in both Lightroom and Photoshop and a workflow to make editing less of a chore.
• Building Traffic – Submitting my photos to food sharing sites. Learn everything you need to know to maximize your site for SEO so that your site gets the most from the estimate 10 million recipe searches on Google every day!!!
• Social Media – I learned how to tackle that beast and you can too!!
• Generating Income from your blog – I got your attention with that one, huh? Everything you need to learn to monetize your blog!! I don’t know about you, but when I thought about the daunting amount of information that I needed to learn to monetize my blog, I was totally overwhelmed. Thankfully I had Food Blogger Pro to break down and explain everything from understanding ads, setting up Google AdSense to maximizing affiliate marketing with a resource page. I revisit these courses a lot and always learn something new.
• Creating an eBook – I have only started working through the videos on this course, but creating an eBook is on my priority list. They walk you through the process from planning your eBook,  to creating your eBook then selling your eBook.

I revisit these courses a lot and always learn something new. In fact watching a Food Blogger Pro video is on my recurring daily to-do list

Ready to sign up for Food Blogger Pro so you too can develop a successful blog?

Awesome!! We will be so happy to have you in the community! Enrollment is only open for a limited time twice a year, so head on over to >>  Food Blogger Pro << and sign up to be on the waiting list!! You will be first to know when a new enrollment period is happening In no time you too will develop a successful blog with  Food Blogger Pro. I’ll see you in the community forums And let me know in the comments that you joined, I would love to connect

Missed the enrollment dates?

DANG!! If you missed the enrollment dates, you will wait to join the waiting list to the first to be notified when the next enrollment period starts HERE: Join the Food Blogger Pro Waiting List!  You can also download these free eBooks which are great resources for any blogger (just click on the pictures) to help you to work on develop a successful blog in the meantime.

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As mentioned in the beginning of this post, the links here are affiliate links, so I get a percentage of the membership fees if you sign up using a link in this post.

Let me know if you have any questions before you join Food Blogger Pro!!

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How to Start a Food Blog! A quick and easy 3-Step Guide to help get your very own website up and running in 15 minutes or less! Start blogging today!

Have you ever dreamed of starting a food blog, but thought that it was too complicated to get it started? I had those thoughts too and it kept me from getting Becky’s Best Bites started for a long time!! I procrastinated and procrastinated and then procrastinated some more…when I finally realized just how simple it was, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner!! Please don’t make the same mistake that I did!! If you love food and cooking, want to share that passion with others and potentially make some extra money as a side hustle or even one day make a full-time living with a food blog, then stop whatever you are doing right now and give me 15 minutes. I can show you how to start a food blog in just 3 easy steps.

1. Select Hosting Plan and Domain Name

I have been with Bluehost since I started Becky’s Best Bites (a little over 3 years now) and I honestly say that I would recommend them to my readers, friends, even family! I have had very few problems and they have always been minor, but when there has been an issue their customer service has been top notch! I have called the 888 number, but mostly I just use the super convenient live chat and get everything resolved in no time. Just go to bluehost.com and click on the big green button to get started now.

Next you will need to select your plan. I was on the basic plan with Becky’s Best Bites for the first 3 years and I would suggest that for anyone just getting started. It is paid in one lump sum for 36 months instead of monthly, but that saves you quite a bit of money and y’all know how frugal this gal is

Now you choose your domain name, which is actually FREE since you are hosting with bluehost.com  So what do you want the name of your blog to be???? I picked beckysbestbites.com because I liked the alliteration You could use a fun tool like http://www.namemesh.com/ or just try some different options until you find one that is available. Grab it and let’s move on…

Quickly enter your account info…

Next choose your package. This is what I went with when I first started. As you can see you do save quite a bit of money by purchasing the 36 months upfront. The only extra that I added was Domain Privacy Protection. This keeps your personal address and phone number from being displayed for anyone to see that looks up the owner’s information for your domain. It was worth $0.99/month to me.

Enter your billing information and Step 1 is done! Just follow the next few screenshots to choose your password.

2. Install WordPress

The next step in how to start a food blog is to install wordpress. What is wordpress? It is probably the easiest and most powerful blogging and website content management system (or CMS) in existence today. It is how I manage Becky’s Best Bites and I would suggest it to anyone starting a food blog or any blog/website for that matter.

Luckily Bluehost makes it super easy to install wordpress on your blog. Login to Bluehost with the new password that you just created.

On the homepage, scroll down to website and click on “install wordpress.”

Click the “start” button.

Select your new domain and click “check domain.”

Check “show advanced options” and enter your site name, your admin username, password (make it a good one) and email address. Write down all this information or keep it in a safe place. You will need it handy Make sure “automatically create a new database for this installation” is checked and the terms and conditions and click “install now.”

Installing…

When you get this notification, your install is complete! You now have wordpress on your blog

To login to your blog, navigate to your dashboard. In your web browser which is your new url (“http://www….) with “/wp-admin” added to the end. You should see a screen like this one:

Use your wordpress username and password that you just created to log in and you will be brought to your dashboard, which looks something like this:

Congrats! You have now officially logged into your website You now have your very own food blog!!

3. Design Your Blog

This is the last step in how to start a food blog. Now that you are an official website owner, let’s make your site look good and attract visitors to your little piece of the internet. Time to choose a theme. What is a theme? A theme provides the front-end styling for your website (the look and feel); the overall style, fonts, colors, page layouts, style for blog post, etc.

You can choose from the tons of FREE WordPress Themes if you want to start there, but I suggest investing in a premium theme if you can. The advantage of a premium (paid) theme is that you will usually have a more reliable code base and there is support offered if something goes wrong. Becky’s Best Bites is built on the Genesis Framework and I am really impressed with how user friendly it is. If you go with the Genesis Framework you will definitely want to Click here to download The Genesis Guide for Absolute Beginners (PDF – 1.4 MB). 

Another resource that I recommend you check out for more theme options is StudioPress Themes. There you can browse tons of options and then claim your new WordPress theme.

I also recommend checking out Shay Bocks and browsing their options. They offer design options, website development and the #1 Selling Genesis Child Theme, Foodie Pro. Whoa…hold up!! Yep, I just threw another curve ball at you. There is also the option of installing a child theme. What the heck is a child theme? A child theme is a theme that inherits its functionality from another WordPress theme, the parent theme (like the Genesis Framework). It allows you to customize that theme but still be able to update the parent theme, so that your site has some unique characteristics.

I had a custom child theme built for Becky’s Best Bites, but if I hadn’t made that investment, I probably would have gone with either Foodie Pro or Brunch Pro. They are very flexible Genesis child themes, with a minimalist style and plenty of color and typography options.

So now you are all set and have learned how to start a food blog!! Time to publish your first recipe and please put a link in the comments so I can check out all your yummy recipes

Optional Step: Develop a Successful Blog

I have one more recommendation…it is totally optional but I wanted to include it as it has been an INVALUABLE resource to me!! If you want to learn to develop and grow your blog the right way, you will want to become a member of Food Blogger Pro. It offers 300 easy to-understand videos made for beginner to intermediate food bloggers. It also offers a very active community in the forums of industry experts and fellow bloggers that can answer any of your questions. They have an awesome podcast that I listen to every week and once a month they hold a live Q&A session where you can dive deep into blogging topics like SEO, sponsored posts, etc.

I wrote a more in depth post on Food Blogger Pro and if you would like to check it out, you can find it HERE.

Let me know what questions you might have about starting your food blog or becoming a member of Food Blogger Pro. I am always happy to help

*My affiliate links are used in this post. However this does not influence or change my opinion. Thanks for using them and helping support my family and my blog!*

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10 Tips for Surviving Disney with a 6 Year Old – Make it a magical vacation with these easy tips and planning tools for taking your children to theme parks.

As I mentioned in my last post, we were able to take lil man to Disney World this past weekend!! It was a last minute trip (mostly paid for by husband’s company, Darden Restaurants…THANKS SO MUCH DARDEN!!) and so once I found out about it, I was in full planner mode! I did tons of research to get the most out of our 3 days down there. I also wanted to make sure that we had everything that we needed to make it enjoyable too with a 6 year old.

I lived in the Orlando area for many years growing up and then moved back there for a while after college, so I had visited the theme parks a lot. However, it has been over 10 years since I had been to one and obviously NEVER with with a small child so I was pretty nervous about making sure that we made it through the trip without a major fight or problems. I can report that we did come through with flying colors!! We had an amazing time and created memories that will last a lifetime!! We also are exhausted and let’s just say that I owe my parent’s a HUGE THANK YOU for taking us there as children!! And they had not just one child but 3. It can be quite a challenge to take a small child to Disney, so I thought I would share what I have learned (and I am certainly no expert) with my 10 Tips for Surviving Disney with a 6 Year Old.

My Disney Experience Account

As soon as we received confirmation of the reservations and park tickets, I headed over to My Disney Experience and created an account for us. I linked our reservation so that I could view it and our vacation packages. The main account is in Chris’s name (since the reservation was made in his name) and I then I added myself and lil man.  You will want to do this for each member of your family or group that you will be traveling with so that you can plan and view your daily itineraries.  You will be able to make Fastpass+ reservations (we will discuss those further later in the post), Dining Reservation and see Entertainment Times. You will also be able see any Disney PhotoPass pictures that are taken at any of the parks. These are the pictures that Disney photographers take of you or the pictures that are taken on rides and attractions.

My Disney Experience App

Next you will want to download the My Disney Experience App. It is available for download on the App Store (Apple) or you can get it on Google Play (android). This app is so helpful when you are in any of the parks! It has interactive, GPS enabled maps of all of the parks! Never get lost and find your way to anything that you are looking for! You can also get live wait times for attractions and the show times for parades and fireworks. If your little one want to do a character greeting, then all you have to do it pull it up on your app to find the location and time. You can even browse restaurant’s menus and make dining reservations. It is a planner’s dream! It allows you to keep your reservations and activities organized and in one place. You can manage them all within the app.

Stay at a Disney Resort Hotel

I also suggest that you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. They have resorts in categories from value to moderate to deluxe price points, so there is resort for just about any budget. The prices are really comparable to most hotels that you will find in the Orlando area, especially if you factor in that you don’t have to pay the $20 parking fee per park, per day. They even have a campground resort, if your family likes camping, that is really affordable! We used to stay there when I was a child in our pop-up camper and we loved it!! It is also pet-friendly

The travel ease was really what I enjoyed most. They get you where you want to go without having to hassle with driving, parking or traffic. Each resort has transportation to any of the parks via either bus, boat or monorail. You just sit back and relax and they do the driving for you, taking you right to the front of the park!! We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort and really enjoyed it!! Lil man loved their pool, well more specifically the 123 ft. water slide That boy could just live in the pool!!

You can also take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at the parks. These times that they are open for Disney Resort Guests before or after the times that they are open to the general public. This means less crowded parks with much shorter lines!!

Another BIG PERK is if you also have a reservation at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you can start making your FastPass+ selections as early as 60 days―plus the number of days of your stay―prior to your check-in date. If you don’t have a reservation at one of their resorts, then you only can start making selections at 30 days out. Again, we will talk more about FastPass+ later on in the post. Also, you will receive a MagicBand with any Disney Resort Reservation for FREE! We will talk in detail about MagicBands later on but they are critical to surviving Disney with a 6 year old

Park Hopper Passes

It is just my opinion, but I think that the Park Hopper Passes are a must! I think it is well worth the relatively small additional cost to have the convenience of being able to visit multiple parks on one day, especially with small children. We all know that their attention span is limited and it is so convenient to be able to “hop” over to another park to get more out of the day or if one park isn’t working for whatever reason. An example from our trip is that we went to Animal Kingdom early Saturday morning to do the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. I had read that you usually see more animals in the early morning before it gets hot. Lil man was really excited about this experience, but I couldn’t get a FastPass for the ride. Animal Kingdom had “Extra Magic Hours” (times that they are open for Disney Resort Guests before or after the times that they are open to the general public) on Saturday morning from 8-9am. We got there right after they opened and went straight to Kilimanjaro Safari and walked right on It was perfect!! Then we hung out in Animal Kingdom for the rest of the morning and then went to Magic Kingdom in the afternoon.

MagicBands are a Must

MagicBands are wristbands that are actually an all-in-one device that connects you to all the reservations that you have made in the My Disney Experience. So all your park tickets, resort reservations, FastPass+ selections, dining reservations, PhotoPass pictures and other itineraries are there! Once you have linked your MagicBand to your My Disney Experience account you can use it to enter the parks and unlock your Disney Resort room. If you link a credit card to it, you can use it to purchase food, drinks, merchandise and other items in the parks or at the resorts. I liked that I didn’t have to worry about bringing credit cards or money into the parks, just an ID.

To use the MagicBands, just touch “Mickey to Mickey.” There is a mickey symbol on the front of the MagicBand and at the touch points (entrance to parks, hotel room door, checkout locations, FastPass+ queue entrances, etc.). If you are making a purchase, then a PIN number (you set this up at hotel check-in) is required. Oh and BTW…the children’s MagicBands do not allow for purchases, so you don’t have to worry about your little one buying every toy that they see in the gift shops

Lil man thought that the MagicBands were the coolest thing ever!! He loved touching “Mickey to Mickey” and seeing the touch point’s Mickey turn green! He even took his MagicBand to school on Monday after we got home to show to his class It was a souvenir that we didn’t have to pay for!! SCORE!!

Reserve FastPass+ Selections

Ok, we are finally to FastPasses…and they are probably the biggest tips that I can give you!! I had no idea that Disney had implemented these, but they are GENIUS!! FastPasses are like reservations for the rides and attractions at Disney.  You skip the long lines and wait times and breeze right to the front of the line You get three of these per day and they all have to be at the same park. Once you have used your 3 for the day, you can add additional ones, one at a time, until park closing (if they are available). You can make your FastPass selections at My Disney Experience online or with the app. The parks also have kiosks for selecting or modifying FastPasses, but I found that using my phone was the easiest.

You will want to make these selections as quickly as you can because they go fast, especially for the most popular ride and attractions. Remember that if you are staying at one of the Disney Resorts you can book FastPasses as early as 60 days―plus the number of days of your stay―prior to your check-in date. So you will want to go on early and grab the good ones!!

Bring Drinks and Snacks

Believe it or not, Disney allows you to bring food and drinks into the parks. You just cannot bring any alcohol or glass bottles. You could actually bring full meals, if you wanted to, as long as they didn’t require heating. They do have a size limit to the suitcases, coolers or backpacks with or without wheels that you bring in.  They cannot exceed 24″ (61 cm) long x 15″ (38 cm) wide x 18″ (46 cm) high.

We didn’t bring full meals, just drinks and snacks but it still saved us a bundle!! We brought water, juice boxes, crackers, granola bars and chips each day and it was great! I would have bought a refillable water bottle with a filter (like this one: http://amzn.to/1SMULC1) to fill up at water fountains in the parks, but we still have soooo much bottled water left over from the wedding that we need to use, so I brought a bunch of that. The refillable water bottle would have made our backpack much lighter though

Have a Necessities/Emergency Kit

In your bag that you bring into the park (and I suggest a backpack: http://amzn.to/1rxkaDR) beyond the drinks and snacks, you will want to have certain necessites/emergency items.

• IDs – with your MagicBands you don’t need to worry about carrying around resort room keys, credit cards or cash, but IDs are a must. For your children, write their names, resort name and your cell phone number on a tag in their clothing.
• Cell phone (make sure it is charged up)
• Phone chargers and External Battery Power Bank (this is the one that I got for our trip and it was awesome and affordable – only $13.99 and I found a discount coupon (sorry it has expired now) that made it under $10.00: http://amzn.to/233SyS7) You got 4 full charges off of it
• Sunscreen and bug repellant
• Adult and child pain reliever and tummy medicine
• Band Aids and triple antibiotic
• Blister cushions or blister block stick (like this one: http://amzn.to/1VUNTmg)
• Feminine Hygiene items
• Wet wipes
• Tissues
• Hand sanitizer
• Quart-size or snack size zipper storage bags (like Ziplocs) – These come in handy to put a cell phone or other electronic device in when riding a water ride and for organizing things.
• Ponchos: http://amzn.to/26rJZF7
• Towel  – I have to give the hubs credit on this one. He added one (from the hotel…don’t tell and we brought it back) to the backpack and it really came in handy! We used it dry off after a water ride and to sit on the hot concrete.
• Misting fans (I forgot this one but next time I will be getting these: http://amzn.to/1T2wlhL)
• Cooling Towel (I didn’t get these for this trip, but I should have. If you are visiting Disney during the warmer months, it is a must: http://amzn.to/1NPMKVh)
• Hats (okay these won’t be in your bag because they should be on your head keep that scorching Florida Sun off your face, but I am including it because they are necessities. Here is one similar to the one that I bought for the trip and I am in love with this hat!!  http://amzn.to/1MWAI1J
• Sunglasses
• Light sweater or jacket (if it is going to be cooler in the evening and I would only suggest it when you come to the parks later in the day or evening because you don’t want to be carrying ANYTHING more than you absolutely need)

Schedule Breaks

As I mentioned above about park hopper passes, I think it is critical to schedule breaks when taking children to Disney!! We came back to the resort mid-afternoon for a pool break during the hottest part of the day. It was a great way to cool off and relax for a little while before heading back. If you don’t want to leave the parks, then just find a nice shady spot to have a snack or some ice cream and take a load off. Lil man sure needed those breaks! He would get hot, crabby and tired then not want to walk anymore and he is too big to carry…

Be Flexible

I saved the best for last…BE FLEXIBLE If you are like me and a total type A personality and planner, you will want to there to be a perfect itinerary all planned out that you will follow to the T. Let me tell you that you are going to have to let it go…you will be OK (promise). You will have to be flexible and just enjoy making memories that will last for a lifetime. There are so many things to see and do at Disney and these are going to catch their attention and then they will want to go in that direction. Like these storm troopers  put on an impromptu show that we just had to see instead of getting to the FastPass that I had planned (ok that may or may not have been more the hubs getting distracted…but it about the same, right).

Or the pop-up thunderstorms that come out of nowhere in Florida that kept us from making our planned dinner plans and just eating at the little cafe that we took shelter in. (BTW…my ponchos were in my backpack, but it was lightening so stayed inside for safety). These things happen and you will just have go with the flow

There you have it. My 10 Tips for Surviving Disney with a 6 Year Old.

What do you think? Do you have any other tips that you have learned? I would love for you to share them in the comments! Now if you would like to see more of our vacation photos, keep scrolling!! Thanks for stopping by

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