Couch Therapy of the Retail Variety

After an extremely fussy and teething baby about sent me to the looney bin this week, Husband kicked me out of the house last night and sent me shopping. I decided to go to IKEA since our new apartment is still feeling pretty bare. Some throw pillows caught my eye and I went a little bat-crap crazy.


I'm kind of loving all of the different patterns. This is actually the first time EVER I have bought throw pillows, normally I get hand-me-downs. It was pretty fun and a super cheap way to get some retail therapy.

AND turns out I grabbed one too many covers, and you know at IKEA, there is no way you're going all the way back to put it away. So one lucky commenter will receive the swirly pillow cover (second from the left in the image).

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Disneyland Tips - Part 1, Preparation

I absolutely LOVE to travel, especially the planning part. I think it fulfills something like a gambling addiction to try and find the best prices. Our favorite place to go is Disneyland, and we actually bought an annual pass and visited 6 times last year. That probably doesn't sound like a lot, but living 12 hours away created a challenge for us, and I became somewhat of a pro at getting us the best prices for each trip. Many friends and family members ask me for advice on travel, especially to Disneyland, so I finally decided to type it all up in one location. 

This is only part one in a probably 5-6 part post. If you have any recommendations yourself, or any questions, please feel free to leave a comment!

When to visit:
The absolute best thing you can do to make your trip enjoyable is to visit during the off-season. This is difficult for most families, but I promise, it is SO worth it! You want to go when school is in session, and not during any holidays. The absolute best times to visit are late January early February, or late September, early October. Be sure to check multiple calendars thru Disney and Anaheim before booking. Disney hosts events like a marathon and D23 which are usually held during off-season, and attendance will be up significantly during this time. Sometimes there are conventions in Anaheim or non-Disney events in the park (ie Dapper Days, Gay Days, reunions etc.), while these are supported by Disney, they aren't hosted by Disney, so the information will not be included in the official Disneyland events calendar.  Also know when booking off-season that attractions will be closed for maintenance (closures are listed at the bottom of the daily events calendar), and many shows/fireworks will only run over the weekend (find the events calendar here).  Disney also offers a When to Visit calendar that offers info on lines, weather, and other good to know facts. 
We always try to visit during off-season. The biggest reason for this is that we don't feel pressured to hurry when the crowds are lighter. Our time is much more enjoyable when we can take in all of the sites and walk around leisurely, instead of running from ride to ride trying to fit the most in. 

When NOT to visit:
Obviously you can't always choose when you can take a vacation, but if at all possible, I would recommend avoiding the week after Thanksgiving, the week before and after Christmas, and UEA weekend (falls on October 17-20 in 2013). Disneyland could reach capacity, run out of food, and be filled with less than friendly guests. If you are visiting during a busier time, remember to be courteous and polite to the other guests and above all be nice to the cast members! 

Booking a hotel:
When booking a hotel, make sure to compare prices . While deal sites like Priceline, Travelocity, or Kayak can find great deals, I've found some hotels aren't listed with the deal sites. It's also always best to call the specific hotel if you know where you want to stay and see if they can price match the deal site. Since Travelocity, Priceline, etc. make a commission off of your booking, I've found that most hotels will at least price match, if not beat the deal site's price (basically passing the commission off to you). You also tend to get nicer rooms (better views etc.) if you don't use deal sites. 
Everyone will have a different price point depending on the type, quality, and distance for the hotel. As far as hotels go, there are 3 categories: 
1. Complete splurge and stay at a Disney property (not the most economical)
2. Stay at a budget hotel further away, drive or take the shuttle into the park. 
3. Mid-range hotel within walking distance. 
We usually go for option 3. Items that I always consider when looking for a hotel are: Do they offer a free breakfast? Is there a microwave and/or fridge in the room? How long will it take to walk to the Disneyland gates? Is the condition of the hotel acceptable for the price? Depending on the answers to these questions, I may be willing to pay more for a hotel room. If you can get a free breakfast, avoid parking fees, possibly have a midday meal in your room, and have a nice, clean environment where its possible to relax, I am definitely willing to pay a few bucks more per night. We saved a lot of money on food by eating breakfast and lunch at the hotel, we just head back in the afternoon for lunch/nap time, it's nice to leave for a little while during that time too, it seems there is an overlap of morning and evening crowds and they've usually thinned out some by the time we go back. 
Everyone will have different price points when it comes to hotels, my personal goal price is $86/night and there are 3 or so hotels that I aim for at this price. I also have a secondary list of hotels that I am willing to pay $65/night for, but they aren't quite as nice and are a further walk to the entrance.
I highly recommend looking at a map when viewing the location of the hotels. Some hotels boast being only .2 miles from Disneyland, but that is as the crow flies. Make sure to check the hotel's distance to the park entrance. if I am walking to the park, I prefer the entrance on Harbor Blvd instead of entering thru Downtown Disney.

Flights:
I'm no expert on flights, but a few things that I've learned along the way that I've found valuable are:
-Start looking as far in advance as possible, have a reasonable 'goal' price in mind
-Check multiple sites like Travelocity, Kayak, and the individual airline's website (Southwest does not offer their tickets thru any deal sites)
-Sign up for notifications, with Travelocity you can get an email every time a preferred location and date dip below a certain price
-Once a flight reaches your price point, buy it! Don't wait around and hope the price will dip lower.

Park Tickets:
Park tickets are the only thing I never try to find a better price on. I always purchase thru Disneyland or GetAwayToday. There is a military discount available, a total of 6 tickets may be purchased and the eligible service member must be present for purchase and admission into the park.Any being sold on ebay or similar sites are most likely a used hopper pass. Using someone else's pass is against Disneyland Resort's policy, and not to mention just plain dishonest! I absolutely love everything Disneyland has to offer and I want them to keep improving and expanding. I don't mind paying full price for a ticket, or even when their prices go up, because I know what I am getting in return is definitely worth the price. 

GetAwayToday:
The ticket prices with GetAwayToday always match Disneyland's prices. You can even order online and have your tickets printed when you arrive at the park, just make sure to take your ID to the ticket window. GetAwayToday offers bundles, and sometimes these are the best prices available. Sometimes I can look for a few weeks and try every possible combination of hotel/flight/tickets and not even come close to their price. Just like with any deal site, not all hotels are available with GetAwayToday, so make sure you still compare multiple website to make sure you are getting the best hotel match. 

Costco Travel:
If you are a Costco member, there are bundling discounts available for the Disneyland resort. They include park tickets, hotel, and dining options (currently a free character dining experience.). This is something that is worth looking into, the good neighbor hotels included in this deal offer a 3rd or 4th night free. If you were planning on booking at one of the included hotels, and wanted a character dining experience, then this option would definitely be economical. 

AAA:
There are similar discounts available for AAA members. If you bundle park tickets and hotels, you do save rather than booking each alone. If you don't have the time to look into all of the deals yourself this would be a good option, but I don't think it would be the cheapest one.

Pass Upgrade:
If you are having the best time of your life and decide that you would like to upgrade to an annual pass, you only have to pay the difference in price between your hopper pass and the annual pass. A deluxe annual pass offers a 10% discount on food and a 10% discount on merchandise with only 50 blockout days a year. A premium annual pass offers a 15% discount on food, a 20% discount on merchandise, zero blockout days, and free parking. So if you are going to upgrade, it would be best to do so the first day of your trip so you can take advantage of all of the discounts. All annual passes offer discounts on resort hotels and guided tours. Many of the surrounding hotels offer discounts to annual passholders as well (usually 10-30% off), but these prices wont be available/listed thru the deal sites, so you will need to check the hotel's website separately or call.

Arriving at the park:
Arrive at the park EARLY, at least 45 minutes. They will usually start letting people in the gates about 30 minutes before the actual opening time, and then you have to wait behind a rope at the end of Main Street USA until actual park open. There are often characters available for photos during this time. City Hall and The Emporium are also open. Fun fact, they will usually choose a family from the early arrivers to 'open the park'. The family will lead the entire crowd in a countdown for when they open the gates, I think they get a special fastpass and possibly a button to wear.... I'm not 100% sure since I've never been chosen (probably due to the lack of children), but it's a goal of mine.

What to bring:
There are many different options for what to bring with you into the park, it is extremely easy to overpack. Strollers, large bags, and outside food are allowed. Remember, you will need to carry all of that stuff with you, and it gets tiring, especially on crowded days. Strollers are available for rent, and sadly, stroller theft is a problem at the parks. Renting a stroller will guarantee that your expensive stroller wont go missing, and you can always get a free replacement if your rental disappears. Lockers are available at a daily rate, they run $7-$15, depending on the size. Lockers are definitely nice to have if you are willing to pay the price. If we are staying at a hotel too far away to return to during the day, we will rent a locker to put our jackets/sweatshirts in so we don't have to carry them all day. Outside food and drinks are allowed in Disneyland, this can work out really well if you've stayed in a hotel with a fridge. You can prepare lunch and bring it in with you. This can definitely save a lot of money, resort food gets expensive. Bottles of water cost $3 in the park, so I would recommend bringing your own. One of my best kept Disneyland secrets is there is a cold water dispenser in the outside seating area of Rancho del Zocalo. I always bring my own water bottle in, and fill it there (this water is SO much tastier than what is available at the few water fountains throughout the park).
If you are using your phone a lot while in the parks for pictures, wait times, phone calls, etc. I would recommend purchasing something like a New Trent external battery. I've needed mine dozens of times, and there is nothing worse than having a great photo op, and finding out you have a dead camera/phone. There are phone chargers available to use in the Main Street lockers, I believe the price is $2/hour.

That's all the info I have for preparation, if there is any information I've missed, please let me know. Also, if you have any requests for areas of focus for the upcoming Disneyland posts, please leave a comment!

Mary Blair Mural

I became absolutely obsessed with a set of Mary Blair postcards on a recent trip to Disneyland in March, but decided not to buy them since I couldn't think of a practical use for them. After I got home, I realized that I could hang them on the wall in our baby's nursery (until the ultrasound tech told us otherwise, we were convinced Rory was a girl). So I couldn't wait until our next trip in May so I could pick them up. Sadly, they were no longer available and I was devastated. Randomly, on our trip in June, I was looking at all of the window displays in the Hollywood Backlot and saw a set in the back corner of a window display! A few minutes and a very helpful cast member later, I was the proud owner of a set of 14 Mary Blair art postcards. A few weeks later, we found out Rory was a boy, and the postcards went into the back of the closet.

SO, long story short, I just came across the postcards while unpacking, and decided to make a mural to go above our computer desk. I've just scotch-taped them together on the back for now, but I'll do something a little more permanent once I give it a trial run.

I also bought a whole lotta boxes from IKEA this weekend.
I had an adorable helper, who was very chill for his first shopping trip.

Progress, or something like it.

So this whole blogging once a week thing is harder than I thought it would be. But here is an update on how our apartment is coming along so far.

Office Space Before:

Office Space After:

I'm definitely not finished with it, but I'm glad I have everything cleaned up and put away.  I'm thinking some cardboard taxidermy for above. I was so excited to have 9' ceilings, and now I realize its kind of a pain, cause there is that much more space to fill.


On a completely random side note, a friend asked for some Disneyland tips so I started typing up some of my knowledge, 2 hours later and only about halfway finished, I realized I have a lot of info rolling around up in my brain. So I've decided to do a big fat Disneyland post, but it is taking a very long time to compile all of the info, sources, photos, etc. So stay tuned.

Embarrassing 'Before' Photos

Below are photos of the current state of my kitchen/dining/living/office areas. Since Dalan was here for a month by himself, he got everything unpacked, but now we need to find a home for everything.











Please forgive the piles of recycling all over. We are in search of a garbage/recycling combo bin. Any suggestions?

I'm going to tackle to desk area today, wish me luck!

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Why, Hello 2013

I've decided to officially list my New Year's Resolutions. Hopefully sharing this information will make me more accountable, and more likely to keep them.

1. Start a new blog - post at least once a week.
My original blog unfortunately lost all of its images awhile ago when I attempted to merge 2 google accounts. I've been attempting to restore it for over a year now, and I tend to use its unorganized state as an excuse to not write. I've already started this one, hence our new URL TheHiltonHerd.blogspot.com.
2. Enroll in some sort of exercise class.
I need to be sure to get out of the house and exercise. I'm hoping a class environment will be more enjoyable for me than my regular 'go to the gym' approach.
3. Document and share my fertility and pregnancy experiences over the last 2 years.
I've written about it a thousand times in my head, but never been confident enough to actually document this. I think it will help me resolve some emotions that still come up from time to time, and hopefully my words could one day help someone else going through a similar experience.
4. Take walks with my dogs
This should be fairly easy considering all of the mountain trails accessible from our new apartment, and the fact that we are yard-less and need to now take our dogs out on a leash every time they need to relieve themselves.
5. Everyday document something that happened to everyone in the family.
I plan to just record one quick item for each of us on index cards, and keep this going every year. We will add on to the same card in following years and get to re-visit what happened on the same day the year before. I plan on making this part of our dinnertime routine.
6. Create and stick to a menu at least 6 nights a week.
This is probably going to be a hard one for us. I would like to have at least one vegetable every dinner, and shop no more than one week out so we are using fresher produce.
7. Minimize my wardrobe - only purchase future items that I love.
I tend to buy things just because they are on sale. I want to get away from this mentality, and only purchase items I love. This will mean that not everything I buy will be on sale, and I will have to save up for the things I really want. I hope to cut the amount of clothing I own in half. I want more quality and versatile items that also make me excited to get dressed in the morning.
8. Carry my camera with me more often - photograph something new at least once a week.
I want this photo to be taken with an SLR and not my phone. Phone photos are a little too easy, and I want this to be a challenge. I want to focus more on landscape and still-life, I've really only done portraiture in the past.
9. Chill out.
Stop thinking of being with my baby as work and stop trying to manage him as if he were an employee. I've gotten so used to my job over the past 8 years, that I have begun to use it to define who I am. I need to step back now and stop trying to manage everything. I need to let my baby be a normal, messy, and sometimes fussy baby. And I need to let go of some control and just let things happen in their own time.
10. Make friends.
I need to be more friendly and step out of my comfort zone. I need to be ok with casual conversation, and make a bigger effort at small talk. Take interest in people I've just met. Ask leading questions and learn something about those around me. Attend Relief Society, and enjoy the spirit, instead of being defensive.

There are many other things I would love to work on, but I fear that this small list may be difficult to accomplish already. Most of the items listed above, I believe, will better our family, and help us live a healthier happier life. This all comes at an ideal time for change, new baby, new occupation, new apartment, new city, and many more adjustments in our lives. Most of all, I just want our home to be a happy place, and I'm excited to do my part in achieving that.

Morning Routine: Schnauzer Edition

On days when I'm not in a rush, the schnauzers and I have a wake-up routine. First thing is Tobey will crawl up close and snuggle with me


She will stare at me with her big brown eyes as I pet her. She can be pretty darn cute sometimes. This will usually last for 10 minutes.

By this time, Scout (a ridiculously heavy sleeper), is just starting to become coherent. She will roll her massive body over, and slowly army crawl her way up the bed. When she gets to Tobey, she doesn't change course, she just goes right over the top of her. Tobey will get offended by this, sneeze a few times and march down to the foot of the bed to pout. Scout continues her awkward army crawl until she is right in my face (and usually positioned in the absolutely most uncomfortable place for me, like with her pointy schnauzer knees in my pregnant belly). Scout will then 'nudge' my hands/arms so I will pet her. I'm not sure if nudge is the appropriate word though, one time one of these "nudges" was so forceful, I ended up throwing my iPad on the ground.


My poor highly allergic doggy likes to have her ears and head scratched. If one hand disengages for even a second (say to read an email on your phone), Scout will run, jump, and belly flop on face so you can't possibly focus on anything but her.

After 5ish minutes Tobey decides it's her turn again and will back up to my face so I will scratch her 'bum' (it's actually on her back right above her tail). I thought about sharing a picture, but a face full of schnauzer butt is something Tobey does special for me :). Tobey will growl at me while I'm scratching her (no idea why), which makes Scout think its time to play. Then there is an entire UFC fight going on somewhere by my knees while I'm trying to work, or email, or blog from my bed.

And that is my schnauzer filled morning. Not really sure how they will feel about life next week when Dude drastically upsets their schedule.

On a side note, apparently I type 'the schnauzers' often enough that my iPad has decided to remember and store it. It kinda sounds like a band name or something.

On a second side note, there are about 8 million things going on right now that I probably should have blogged about instead, but I think I will just ignore all of our life changes and watch Alias in my pajamas today.