Galaxy's Edge: Grand Opening in Orlando and Quick Tips

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I bounced at of bed the moment the alarm went off at 1:45 this morning.  Why? It's Star Wars Day!  Well, it's the official grand opening of Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios, which basically means: Star Wars Day!

We managed to hit our goal leaving time perfectly, something that so rarely seems to happen.  I was glad that we had packed our cooler and bags the night before.  (You can find some of my theme park must haves here.)

We got to the Hollywood Studios entrance . . . and the cast members forced everyone to make a u-turn to exit back onto the highway.  That was unexpected and a little annoying.  We drove down a ways, made another u-turn and headed back to the entrance.  This time they let us all just wait in line until the parking toll booths opened around 3:30.  

The park wasn't scheduled to open until 6 AM, but they allowed the massive crowd to enter the main gates around 4 and then gradually funneled everyone back to Galaxy's edge.  The atmosphere was upbeat and cheerful despite the intense Florida humidity. There were frequent cheers and lots of lightsabers lighting the predawn darkness.  

All we really wanted to do today was Smugglers Run, so we immediately just hopped in line. The line for the ride began on the right as soon as you entered Galaxy's Edge and wove all around the land.  It was not a short line!  According to the app, the wait time hit 300 minutes! We were all off the ride shortly after 9 AM (and we had rider swap, so it took a little longer for us).  The experience of the line itself was fairly pleasant.  It was nice that the sun wasn't up yet.  There were many fans spaced throughout the queue.  There were also several water cooler stations.  In the heat of the day I do think it would be a bit more uncomfortable, despite the many umbrellas.

A note about the rider swap: the cast members in blue vests standing to the side of the entrance on the ramp will set up the swap.  You will need the band of any repeat riders and your own band, of course, and they will be scanned and you will be given a return time.  Unfortunately, a kind, but misguided, cast member was at the ride's entrance giving incorrect information about rider swap.  (It actually wasn't the first time today that we encountered cast members giving wrong info, so be aware.  It's new to them too!)  We were able to sort everything out without issue, but if we had followed her directions I don't think I would have been able to ride.  (And this would have been after waiting in line for several hours.)

My Super Brief Ride Review: I very much enjoyed Smugglers Run.  It's a good ride.  However, I do have to say, it didn't blow me away.  It is Star Tours 2.0.  It did not feel like a brand new experience.  All that said, I am looking forward to riding again.

We didn't really spend too much time exploring the rest of Galaxy's Edge today.  The lines to enter any of the other building were over an hour.  We were happy to ride Smugglers Run and get a basic overview of the area.  It was a great day, and it's exciting that there is still more for us to discover!

A couple of quick tips for your visit to Galaxy's Edge:

1. Make sure you have the Disney Experience App downloaded if you have a smart phone.  Once Galaxy's Edge hit capacity today (at 6AM!) they used a virtual queue via the app.  When signing up make sure you include everyone in your party: including infants & toddlers that don't have bands/tickets! Just like they need to be included on restaurant reservations they need to be included on the queue.  (I believe it has to do with fire code: it's all about the actual number of people in the area.)
2. If you have little ones that are too short to ride, Rider Swap is available!  Look for the cast members in blue vests off to the side of the entrance.  They will scan your bands/tickets and give you a return time.  You will go through the Fast Pass entrance when it's your turn.
3. If a cast member tells you something that doesn't seem quite right it's best to check with a different cast member.  They are everywhere!  We were given incorrect information regarding rider swap and we witnessed the aftermath of incorrect information regarding those with mobility scooters.  
4. Currently you can only enter Galaxy's Edge near Muppets and exit into Toy Story Land. There is no re-entry from Toy Story Land.  They were quite strict about this.

Were you at Galaxy's Edge with me on opening day?  How was your day?  What did you think of the land?  What did you think of the ride?

Teaching Time for Toddlers Tuesdays--Swimming

Swimming is an important skill that most (if not all) kids should be taught.  Even if you aren't the pool or beach type you never know when a kid will encounter water.  Rivers, lakes, creeks, fish ponds, neighbor's pools, wading pools, fountains, even tubs are everywhere and can be potential hazards.

As a teenager I spent a lot of time at the pool--swimming competitively, teaching swim lessons, coaching, and guarding.  Post graduation I've had a much more limited access to the water, but I still love it and hope that my child(ren) will too!

Here are a couple of tips:

• Bring your little ones to the pool early in their life! Many parent and child classes start as early as six months.  While your child obviously isn't going to learn to swim at these classes they can be a great way to introduce him to the water.  Most pools have swim lessons available, take advantage of them!  (Studies are mixed, but some indicate that children aged one through four have an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning with formal lessons.)
• If they accidentally go under water do not freak out, they will pick up on this and think that it is something to fear.  
• Teach them early to blow bubbles in the water--"blow out the candle".  
• At first most kids hate getting their ears wet, help them get comfortable doing this--"listen to the fish".
• Once they are a little comfortable in the water teach them to float on their backs.  Tell them to float when they get too tired to swim or when they can't touch the bottom.  When I was guarding I remember one little girl who got pushed into deep water.  She could not swim, but before the closest guard got to her she was floating easily on her back with a giant smile on her face.  
• Do not rely on water wings--I can't tell you how often they slip off of kids arms.  As a lifeguard I hated those things!  Parents always seemed to have such confidence in them and would allow their non-swimming children in over their head and sure enough one wing would come off and the poor kid would be drowning.  This goes for all other flotation devices as well.  If you are looking for straight up safety find a Coast Guard approved life jacket. 
• Do not depend on the lifeguards to watch your child.  Every pool is different--the main pool where I guarded we aimed for a 30-1 patron to guard ratio but many other places can be as high (or higher) as 75-1.  Have you ever tried to keep an eye on 75 people at once?  Do everyone a favor--watch your kid(s).
• Be vigilant, a young child can drown in as little as an inch of water and in less than two minutes.  

What are you doing with your toddlers this week?  What did you do last week?  I'd love to see!  

It's Craft Fair Time Again!

My table at my first craft show--after some things sold.

I will be a vendor in my second craft fair in just a week and a half.  I consider my first one a success--I had a great time, met local crafters,  and made enough money to cover fees, materials, plus a little extra.  Even with the first craft show under my belt I am a little nervous about this upcoming show.  This one is quite a bit larger and is two days long.

THE STUFF 
I feel that I have a decent amount of stock--I've been pretty busily crocheting various items lately--of course, there are a few more things that  I'd like to make.  I have slowly been going back through everything to make sure there aren't loose threads anywhere, nothing is bent or smudged, etc.  I want everything to be perfect!

THE SPACE  
I am (hopefully) borrowing a table(s) from my in-laws.  I still am having trouble coming up with a (super cheap and good looking) way to utilize vertical space.  Luckily, I do have an indoor space reserved, so I don't need to worry about tents, tarps, and such.

THE EXTRAS 
I've put together a plan for business cards.  I am also making price tags and signage this week.  So far I do not have a big sign with my name on it--a common blunder according to Chris--so I should work on that.  (Maybe another project for the Sizzix?)  I did add my info to the back of many of my note cards this time, something I didn't do last time.  I was looking at bags on ebay--I thought a cutely decorated bag could be a nice touch--but wow, ones that can be decorated are expensive!  I don't think that I am ready to make that kind of financial commitment.

EVERYTHING THAT I AM MISSING
I've been scouring the internet for applicable tips and helpful information.  I am sure that there are things that I am overlooking and these are potential pitfalls.  Keeping that in mind, here are some questions for you:

Have you participated as a vendor in a craft fair?  How was your experience?  Do you have any tips that you'd like to share with a newbie?  What did you wish you knew ahead of time?  If you had to be there by yourself how did you manage basic human needs (i.e., eating without being rude to potential customers and restroom breaks)?  As a customer, what where things that drew you to a particular booth?  What were things that turned you away?

Check out these awesome places where I link up!

A Couple of Super Easy Ways to Save a Buck or Two

Pretty much everyone is looking for a way to trim their spending these days.  We're no different.  In our apartment there is always a stack of coupons somewhere, the Sunday ads are scoured for sales, pennies are saved, and clearance sales are considered gold mines.

While some money saving habits are very easy others can be more of sacrifice/challenge.  Here are a couple that take little time or effort!

ONE Do you do a lot of online shopping?  Then start at Ebates! If you go to their website and then from there go to the store you are purchasing from you can get some cash back!  It ranges anywhere from a percent or two to twenty (during some specials).  Currently they don't have any promotions for Ebay or Amazon, but they have hundreds of other stores!  I've used them for Jo Ann's, Walmart, Lands' End, Old Navy, and a couple of others.  Since I started using them I've gotten a couple of small checks.  The cash back ins't much, but the great thing is that I was going to purchase all of the items regardless of the cash back and literally takes two seconds to do!

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TWO Do you do a lot of internet searches?  Check out Swagbucks!  This is a search engine that rewards many of your searches with "bucks".  Once you gain enough Swagbucks you can go to the Swagstore and buy things.  They have a lot of options, but my favorite (and the one that I think is the best deal) is the $5 Amazon gift-card.  I've been able to cash in for quite a few of these!  The search engine isn't quite as good as Google, in my humble opinion, but if you don't like the options it gives you it only takes a second to perform a Google search.

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THREE Don't have time to clip coupons?  That's ok.  Find the store that has the lowest price on the majority of your family's basics.  Our go to store is Aldi.  (LOVE that store!)  Even if this store isn't the closest, it could be worth making a part of your routine if you know your staples are going to be significantly less. Living in a metropolitan area we do have a couple of super close grocery stores, the one that is the nearest (and generally the best stocked) is Giant, but our weekly run is at Aldi.  Items that we buy almost every week include: Milk, sandwich bread, bananas, cheese, chips, carrots, and raisins.  Here's a small breakdown of a couple of these items:

	Aldi	Giant
Bread	$0.89	$1.50
Milk (Hormone Free)	$2.69	$3.89
Chips	$0.99	$3.69
Cream Cheese	$0.99	$2.19
Bananas	$0.44 (lb)	$0.65 (lb)
Raisins	$1.49	$2.99

Even with just a few of these staples that we buy we are saving over seven dollars a week--that's almost 400 bucks a year!  And this doesn't even include everything.  Coupons are fantastic and I use them often--but some things just don't have coupons and that's when knowing the local store's prices can save you big bucks.  (We buy at least two gallons of milk a week, generally it is closer to three, just on milk alone Aldi's save our family about $150 a year!)

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FOUR Don't let dollar stores scare you!  Yes, many of them are filled with cheap junk and overpriced candy.  However, you never know what you will find there.  Two weeks ago I found full sized boxes of Ritz Crackers for a buck--even on sale at Giant they are rarely less than $2.50.  I also am lucky that my local Dollar Tree tends to have high quality yarn in its arts and crafts aisle.  The same yarn that I see at stores like Michael's and Jo Anne's for over triple the price.  (I made this blanket, this belt, these broaches, and these scarves with some of this lucky find!)

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FIVE Love to read?  For me this is a no-brainer, but it needs to be said anyways, check out your local library!  Books, movies, music, storytimes, classes, e-books, and more are right at your fingertips at the library.  Take advantage of it!  Hey, your tax dollars are paying for it.



Well, there are five quick tips to help you save some money.  None of them take much time and all are super easy to do.  Do you have any quick tips you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear them!

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