My essentials for Disneyland with a toddler

We went on a wonderful trip to Disneyland in October! This was our first trip with the kiddo and what fun it was to experience Disneyland with a child. I'm a lover of the mouse already, but to have the focus be on shows and parades and characters was so different than the ways I have enjoyed the parks before.

1. Stroller. My son hasn't used a stroller in close to a year, but we would not have survived without a stroller on this trip. I bought an inexpensive umbrella stroller with a basket for the trip. I expected to need it at the airport or I would have just rented one. If you rent one from Disneyland you can't take it out of the parks. But, you can rent one from a local company and they will drop it off at your hotel for you. If you fly, look into the rental option.

2. Buy souvenirs in advance. I became BFFs with my local Dollar Store leading up to this trip. I found so many great options here. Each morning I gave my kiddo one new item. He loved it and it seemed to take the edge of wanting stuff. We managed to only spend $17 on souvenirs at the park.

3. Get the Disney Visa card before your trip. Not only are there some great perks for signing up (I scored a 200 gift card that paid for a hunk of our park tickets), you earn rewards you can spend at the park (only about $90 worth for us) and you also enjoy some perks at the park. They have a character meet and greet at California Adventure in the middle of the day that is just for card holders. You have to have your card with you. It was such a great benefit. My son got one on one time with Daisy one day and Minnie the next. There was NO rush and it was just us and the cast members in the area with them. Such a great experience. Plus we got a free 5x7 each time we went.

4. Laundry hamper. The collapsible but stand up laundry hamper was awesome. Each day all of our laundry went into the hamper and kept our room much cleaner and organized. I will take this on all future family hotel trips. Note that this was a bit hard to find at the Dollar Store and took me a couple trips. But is a new essential for road trips with the family.

5. Glow Sticks. These were another Dollar Store purchase. Some were better quality and lasted longer than others. But they were a great way to entertain my kiddo while we waited for parades and shows. The bracelets were my favorite because he could connect and disconnect them as entertainment. In DCA, bubbles are sold during the parades. I forgot to bring some but they would have been a great activity while waiting.

6. Photo Pass Plus. Read my full post for more info but I loved this service.

7. Snacks! I brought lots of snacks - too many actually - with us. Each day I carried in a small soft cooler with juice, milk, applesauce in the squeeze form, fruit, crackers and fun size candy as a treat. I handed the kiddo bags of crackers and applesauce to munch on any time we waited in line. It gave him something to do and kept him in a better mood. Plus, he never once asked for a food item he saw. This kept him happier and saved us money. I had protein bars for myself. The first day in the park I didn't even buy us any food at all.

8. Refillable water bottle. I had a great bottle that hung off the side of the stroller. It became his bottle and he would reach for it randomly as we strolled the park. He hardly drank the juice I brought and instead preferred the water. I had my own bottle too. I also saved the $3 per bottle of water while keeping us hydrated and happy.

9. Autograph book. Another Dollar Store find along with a fun pen, this became a big part of our trip. He had each character sign his book before he took pictures with them. I think this gave him something to do while he got comfortable being around them. Note that some characters - like Buzz Lightyear - can't do signatures.

10. Character photos. Ask the character's "handlers" about where to find other characters. They will often clue you in to what characters rotate and where as well as where to find them. They were such a great resource and helped us find everyone my son was looking for. Note that the Frozen lines are INSANE - like get a ticket today and come back tomorrow to wait in line. So no Frozen for us. But we saw everyone he wanted. AND - the handlers will take photos for you with your phone or camera. They are super nice.

11. Buy shirts in advance. Shirts at the park were no less than $20 each for kids - adults were more like $30. I ordered some online from Disney that were on clearance and also got some from Target and Walmart. Most of the shirts for my son were $8. It got him excited to start each day with a themed shirt. Plus I knew it was stain free when we started the day.

12. Lanyards with holder. Totally touristy but a complete necessity. I brought ours in advance at - you guessed it - the Dollar Store (They are $8+ in the park). They held my ID, our tickets, photo pass, hotel key and Visa. All of our essentials were on my person and I could leave the backpack and stroller together when we went on rides.

13. Backpack. Despite having a stroller, I still needed a backpack. I had a beach towel that served as blanket, seat cushion, and drying tool. I also held snacks, my phone, light jackets, the glow sticks and a change of clothes for my kiddo. If you have a big stroller with more storage, you can probably do without a backpack.

14. Trading pins. I purchased these in advance online in a bulk package (at park pins are $8 each, old pins online are $1 each). We only did one trade but they had potential. For a slightly older child these would be a great way to occupy them while you wait in line or give them another activity. We traded with a custodial worker who saw my son getting upset and she saw a way to distract him. It was so sweet and totally worked. Any cast member with pins can trade and you will also see some displayed in stores that are for trade. Usually they were set up by the cashier on a black backing.

15. Wipes. Yet another Dollar Store find. I used both hand sanitizer with Cars theme and actual wipes. It helped clean up his face before photos and let me feel a bit better about all the handrails and rides he was touching right as flu season was starting. Of course we still brought home germs but that is a story for another post.

16. Apps. I used the ride app a few times to see if it was worth making the hike across the park. Usually it wasn't or it would let me know what rides were down.

17. YouTube. More than a few times my son woke up from his stroller nap in a not so fantastic mood. Perhaps it was because he was crammed in the small stroller or just the excitement. But to help him transition back to a good mood, I would find a character themed you tube for him to watch while we waited in line. It made him and his parents much happier.

I am a huge Disneyland fan and can't wait to go again. I hope you can try out these tips and help make your trip even better!

Holiday Giving!

I love the holiday season! I love the food, the smells, the songs and the giving. My husband and I decided years ago to stop getting each other holiday gifts. We instead enjoy a celebratory meal for birthdays and gifts if there is really something awesome like a birthday milestone. Instead of buying each other stuff, we spend that money on giving.

Today I took our toddler to drop off a Toy for Tots. This was a big event because convincing a 3 and a half year old that they don't actually need the toy is tough. But, I was so proud of him when he handed it to the lady and told her it was "for the kids."

So in the spirit of my toddler who had a giving - and probably fleeting - moment today, here are some of my ideas for holiday giving.

1. Adopt a Family or Senior. I love this because it is local. It is also fun and can give you an excuse to shop. This is my excuse every year to enjoy Black Friday. I love finding deals that allow me to give more to our adopted family. When we adopt a family we do it with our extended family to divide the cost. We have typically spent about $600 for a family of 2 or 3 including their gift cards. This year we had the option to Adopt a Senior so we chose chose to try that option. We will have spent about $200 on it but it has been tougher to find the requested gifts. Kids stuff is easy to find, but large print books and 3 way lamps are much tougher.
You do need to decide to do an adoption in early November and plan to be delivering gifts to the drop off location in early December.

2. Toys for Tots. This is easy and inexpensive. Pick out a toy and bring it to a drop off location. I thought you could only take them unwrapped but you may be able to do both. You can of course do multiple toys. We have two more to bring, but I'm going to do them one at a time for the toddler to experience more giving.

3. Local Food Bank or Pantry. You can collect items but it is also really helpful (and easy) to send them a check. By sending the bank money they can purchase needed items and fill the item voids from canned food drives. But with children, bringing canned food would probably add more reality to the action.

4. Donate used items. Cleaning out your closets is a way to help those less fortunate (in the form of jobs and the value of the item sale) while also clearing out some clutter. Clothes are the most common but you can also donate household items like towels, blankets and kitchen supplies. Blankets and towels in rougher shape can often find a home at a local animal shelter. I've heard mixed reviews of using the box drop things, so I take them to a local place.

5. Salvation Army buckets. I love giving change to these buckets. It is so easy to do, the bell ringers are every where and it doesn't cost much.

Overall, donate to the causes you support. As much as possible keep this local. Typically more of the money donated locally will be used locally. Sometimes you will find that national organizations devote a large chunk of their budgets to advertising or causes you don't support. We used to support Heifer International - until they ran a story promoting going meatless to save the planet. After that we switched to local giving.

What are your favorite forms of holiday giving? Any suggestions for giving with a toddler?

9 Tips for Farmers Market shopping

As a farmers market vendor for years, I have years of experience as a buyer and a seller at farmers markets. Here are my 9 suggestions to make the most of your shopping trip

1. Arrive early. You will enjoy the best parking, freshest selection and lightest crowds. The first hour of market is the best. Many vendors will run out of product by the last hour of market.

2. Come with a list and some flexibility. If you have some specifics in mind, make a list. But be flexible enough to allow for some substitutions. If the boysenberries you hoped for aren't an option, try whatever fruit is available and in season. Some vendors - especially meat and cheese - only attend market every few weeks so keep that in mind as well.

3. Bring your own bags. This is a big push at markets now. Most vendors will have some, but you are encouraged to bring your own reusable bags. Think grocery bag and produce bag sized. They can even be plastic bags that you simply use again.

4. Think about a cart, wagon or backpack. Remember that your food is heavy and unlike a grocery store there aren't carts to borrow (but what a good idea). Wagons are the hardest to navigate around crowds. Strollers are a great option too.

5. Bring insulated bags. Much of your food will keep better if you keep it cool. Especially meat and cheese. Add at least one insulated bag to your reusable bag inventory.

6. Bring plenty of cash, ideally small bills. Breaking a $100 at 7:40 am may not even be an option. Bring plenty of 5s 10s and 20s. Some market vendors do take credit cards but know that the farmers are then paying very high fees for that service. Close to 10% of what you pay on smaller transactions can end up going right to the credit card processor. This cuts into the already tight margins of the farmer. But, in a pinch (or a big sale) many vendors will accept it.

7. Talk to the farmers. When things are busy be mindful of the other customers but don't be afraid to ask the farmer about the products or how to cook them. If you are there early, there is even more time for chatting.

8. Bring an open mind and be willing to try new things. Many farmers will have suggestions on how to cook or prepare a food. Try it out and enjoy a new food! Ugly food can be very tasty.

www.cafarmersmarkets.com

9. Go certified. In California we have certified markets who actually verify that the farmers grow what they sell. This helps make sure that the food is actually local and wasn't stolen. No all markets are certified, but the vendors will often still showcase their certificates. Think of it as a certificate of authenticity.

What do you think? What tips am I missing to make the most of your farmers market shopping trip?

Circus trip and tips!

Barnum and Bailey Circus came to Sacramento this weekend. I have great memories of attending as a child - we used to get to watch them unload from the rail cars. I was very excited to take my little man and Grandma. 

I had to be in the area for another activity so I decided to purchase tickets a few months back. For some reason the opening night was half the price when I purchased. I used ticketmaster so there were a bunch of fees. My tickets were $11 each but with fees they were just under $20 per person. Parking was $12 per car. 

Thanks to buying early, these turned out to be fantastic seats. We were Row K in the lower level which was the 10th row from the floor. I was VERY pleased. We had some of the best seats in that price bracket. 

I went online the afternoon of the event to see how early we should get there. I'm go glad I looked because there was a not well advertised animal viewing that started 90 minutes before the show. My main purpose for seeing the Circus was to see the elephants. My son loves them but has never seen one in person. This animal viewing time got him about 15 feet from them. They were eating some dinner, throwing dirt and relaxing. If it was cooler, he would have just stayed to stare at them. He couldn't believe how big they were. 

And they enjoyed getting snacks off the parking lot trees. :) 

In addition to the elephants we also got VERY close to the tigers and lions. 

You could also see the goats, ponies and more. But those were less exciting for our family. We did enjoy the educational displays including this one where he could hold an elephant tooth. 

When we got inside there more more kids activities while we waited for the real show to begin. 

They even had freebies like a temporary tattoo!

We LOVED this show. It was a great value considering there were 2 hours of show plus about an hour and a half of unadvertised pre show extras. There was so much to see. Great performers, fun clowns, decor and of course the animals. 

The theatrics were very impressive. The costumes, lighting, music and props were all really well done. It all looked fresh, clean and really nice. 

I also loved that they started with the national anthem. Props for some patriotism at the Circus. 

Here are my tips to help you have a great trip!

1. Come early for the extras!

- We came over an hour early to enjoy the animal viewing time. This is not an option for all markets but it was for us. And it was awesome as I mentioned earlier. 

- When we came inside we were surprised to see a bunch of photo opportunities and a kids event right on the circus floor. This was free and I believe the photo opps here were free too. The lines were long but kids could even sit on the stunt motorcycle for pics. There was interactive activities, dress up and an elephant even came out to paint. My kiddo mostly watched for afar but did enjoy a temporary tattoo. 

2. Bring drinks and light snacks, especially if you come early. It was warm outside and my little needed some refreshment right away. We also had a baggie of cereal for munchies. This also helped keep him still while waiting.

3. Bring some glow sticks from a discount retailer. My kiddo badly wanted a glow sword but I was not about to pay $20 for one. A cheapie glow stick would have provided great distraction during intermission. 

4. When you arrive early, make time to get a booster seat. These apparently will run out early so get them while you can. My kiddo sat in it for a bit, but mostly wanted my lap. It was a good break for my lap at least and allowed him a better view.

5. Buy a snow cone. I can remember eating a one at the show as a child so we did buy one in a souveneir cup. When do you get to enjoy that otherwise? 

We had so much fun and will return to see Barnum and Bailey again! Look the. Up when they come to town and take advantage of any discount tickets! 

Disneyland prep - at the Dollar Store!

We have a trip to Disneyland coming up soon. I am Disney lover and am so excited to take the little man for the first time. So, I have been researching kids and disneyland. Thank goodness for all the great bloggers out there who have shared their experiences and given me some great tips. 

One of the great tips was to get glow sticks from the Dollar Store. It seemed like an inexpensive treat for my kiddo and many people suggested they are a great activity to keep kids busy while waiting for the parades and night shows. 

So off I headed to my local Dollar Store and found these.

There were tons of styles and colors to choose from. But then I noticed these:

Yes, Disney themed glow sticks! They are much less of a value at one stick for a dollar versus 4, but not surprising when Mickey shows up. These got me thinking. What else Disney might be hidden in the Dollar Store isles? Here is what I found:

Sanitizing wipes. I'm guessing these will come in handy. There are 15 wipes. * I've since also purchased a 3 pack of Disney themed sanitizing wipes with 30 wipes total. 

Autograph book. I was expecting to find a plain one that I could decorate with stickers, but amazingly I found this Disney blank journal. I think the ones in the park are almost $10. 

Flashlight! This was in the Halloween section and seems like it will be great fun for my little man in the evenings. Hopefully we can keep him from shining it in our eyes. 

Lanyard! There were several styles to choose from and the cashier said these were new. I got the Princess  option but they had Mickey, Planes, and Monsters. The ones I found from the park were about $10 and on ebay I found them for about $6, but $1 is awesome. Too bad I found these AFTER I had already ordered a pair. So now the boys each have one and I get a girly one. Perfect for pin trading!

And these figurines! They also had some princesses, but I opted for just the basics. They are not exceptionally high quality but, they work. 

Poncho. These used to come in two packs. These will come in handy if the weather turns while we are there or if we decide to ride any wet rides. I have heard ponchos may be cheaper at Wally World so keep a look out. 

There are a few other items that I have not purchased but may be of interest:

Food storage - my store had tons of Cars themed food storage. We have plenty storage containers already so I skipped those.

Popup laundry basket - I saw a few people mention how handy this would be for organizing the dirty clothes in your hotel room. I'll be grabbing one, but didn't see them in my store.

Night light - My kiddo doesn't usually use one, but I may grab one. They had princesses and planes themed lights. 

Totes - we aren't going to the Halloween party, but the disney bags would be perfect if we were. 

Drink ware - many people mentioned decorating reusable water bottles for their families. We have our own already or this would have been a fun crafting project. 

Irrigation

This was my view at dawn this morning. This is what irrigating looks like for us. 

I've been meaning to do a post about irrigation for some time now. Irrigation is a pretty complex topic and really needs a very long post and a ton of pictures. So I'm going to give you the quickest version I can, because if I try to do a long one it was stay as a draft for way too long.

We irrigate all of our crops using surface water. This means that the water we use for irrigation is collected above ground. In our case it is rainfall and some snowmelt (none this year) collected during the winter months. The water is collected in man made resviours. The resivours also have the benefit of  being lakes and providing recreational opportunities. 

This is different that using well water. We do not have any ag pumps or ag wells. Our water is coming from above ground rather than below. 

Our water is delivered using a system of canals or open ditches. As seen in this picture. The open ditches are not as efficient but this system is an oldie but goodie and would be very expensive to replace. We are currently working on a project to convert an open ditch to a pipeline on 20 acres. Just for the 20 acres that project will cost about $60,000. So upgrades happen slowly.

Our water project delivers water to most of our neighbors and thousands of acres of farmland in our area. The water is running most of the time and we essentially take turns using it. It is more complicated than that, but the gist of it. 

So, this means that you only can irrigate when the water is in your area. So last night the water arrived at 6 pm. If we had decided we would prefer to sleep then we would not have the opportunity to irrigate for about 2 weeks. Crops need water to grow so that meant I had a very long night of changing irrigation water. I made changes at 11pm, 2:30 and 4:30 am and then gave it to a neighbor at 6:00 am. 

We often have people confused about why we change water at night. But we don't have much of an option. It is just the way our system works. It frequently limits our sleep, social lives and general plans. But, that's farming.

I'll try and post again with more about irrigation. It is a very complex subject. 

Family Date Nights

Going around Facebook this summer is the idea that you only get 18 summers with your kids before they head off to their own lives as adults. The thought is to cherish this time and be present during this time with them.

This has me thinking about focused family time. We have busy, busy lives and it can be hard to get away for extended vacation time in the summer. My husband and I have been making time for lunch dates with just us so we decided it is time to implement family date night too. My logic is that evenings are easier to make happen, not too expensive and we can make them happen more often. So I'm gathering ideas. They need to be fairly local and friendly for a 3 year old. 

Here is my list so far:

Movie night - at the theatre 

Mini Golf

Bowling

Backyard camp out

Fishing

Water Park

Museum/Science place

Zoo

Fairy tale town

County or State Fair

What do you think? What should I add to our list?