5 Must-See Attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom

If you are visiting Disney World, each park has some must-see attractions that should not be missed. My kids love the Animal Kingdom at Disney World and I have listed our top 5 rides/shows that you will not want to miss. Some people do not have an entire day to devote to each park, and if you only have a small amount of time or are there on a extremely crowded day, hitting a few of the highlights will make your time seem very well-spent.

1) Kilimanjaroo Safari Expeditions-
Ride jeeps into the African savanna for some real-life encounters with animals such as lions, giraffes, rhinos, zebras and the list goes on. It is a wonderful attraction with such attention to every detail and probably the closest that most of us will ever be to a real African safari.
There are fast passes for this ride and I recommend getting on as the lines can get fairly long.

2) Festival of the Lion King-
A 30-minute Broadway-style musical show based on the music and characters from The Lion King. Even though it is 30 minutes in length, the action and colors will definitely keep the attention of younger children. My kids really enjoyed this show and asked to go back and see it again. 

3) Expedition Everest-
Cleverly themed Mt. Everest-inspired high-speed roller coaster with a fun twist: an encounter with a very realistic Yeti. This ride is not for young children or those who do not enjoy high-intensity rides; however, for thrill seekers, this is a must.
Fast passes are available and I highly encourage getting one or visit early in the day. 

4) Finding Nemo-The Musical-
This musical experience is definitely one of my favorites at any of the parks. The show is 30 minutes in length and fashioned on the Pixar film, Finding Nemo. I loved the positive energy and colorful artistry of the show and my kids enjoyed seeing their favorite characters come to life. 

5) Tree of Life-It's Tough To Be A Bug-
The Tree of Life is the centerpiece to the whole park and is so unique with the numerous animals carved into it. There are trails encircling the tree so that you can walk at your own pace to look at the carvings and take pictures. The show, It's Tough To Be A Bug is a 3-D movie based on the film, A Bug's Life. I really like the special effects involved with the movie, although I will say that my toddler was a bit afraid as were a few others in our showing.There are also fast passes available for the 3-D movie.

Trying to catch all of these attractions in one day does not have to be difficult as long as you take advantage of the fast passes and keep an eye on show times. I will have a list of slower-paced and less crowded attractions around the park in a later post.
If you are planning a trip to Disney, don't overlook this awesome park. It is a great one for younger kids and they will love the myriad of animals that can be viewed up close and personal.

Easy Chore Organization For Kids

Organizing chores for your kids can seem like a daunting task for many reasons. For starters, it may seem faster to just do it yourself and many times the kids are less than excited to participate. Plus, finding a good system is also an obstacle.
After many starts and stops, I decided on a chore card system for the kids and it seems to be working smoothly. I use index cards and an index card case with dividers. I make 4 sections: one for each child's chores, a section for tasks they can work on together and a division with a card for each child with the daily tasks they must complete.
My daughter is 8 and I will write out ten cards with various chores on each card. Each day, she picks out the first two cards and completes the tasks on those cards. Afterwards, they are filed in the back of her section. Her 10 tasks include: swiffer kitchen, vacuum great room, empty her trash, put away folded clothes, dustbuster stairs, dust coffee table, wipe down breakfast table, swiffer bathrooms, dustbuster couches, wipe down bathroom mirrors. I ask her to do 2 each day.

My son is 5 and he has less chores. Each day, he picks one card from his section and files it to the back. His 5 chores consist of: dustbuster great room, wipe down bathroom sink, refill napkin holder, dustbuster kitchen, empty trash can.

The tasks that my daughter must complete every day include: make her bed and pick up clothes and put them in her hamper. My son must put his clothes in the hamper each day. The tasks that they work on together are: putting toys away in their basement play area and cleaning up their rooms together.

I let them put a sticker on the back of the card when they complete the chore and after the accumulation of so many stickers, they can pick a prize. I have liked this system so far because the card case is compact and it isn't taking up much space or wall space to hang a chore chart. In addition, the kids have several age-appropriate chores to complete and it is simple for them to pick the next 1 or 2 cards in their section. I also like them to have jobs that they must learn to work on together. Implementing a chore system can be difficult to get rolling, but I feel once you get in the habit it can be a beneficial aspect of family life for everyone.

Crafty Apple Trees

As hard as I try, I am not particularly gifted when it comes to crafting. That is why this section is named, "For the Craft Impaired". My goal is to include easy, quick crafts that you can do with your kids that will not cost much, are simple to plan and don't require a ton of supplies.

My first craft experiment was to make apple trees with the kids arms/hands and then fingerprints for the apples.
1) They each traced their arms from the elbows to the hands and cut them out.
2)  After pasting them into place on another sheet of construction paper, we cut out green leaves for the tree and pasted them behind the fingers.
3) Using an inkpad, the kids put thumb and finger prints all over the "green" of their trees with little black stems. They wanted golden delicious apples hence the yellowish green apples!
4) They could always decorate them a little more, but otherwise, we are all done!

For many moms, this craft is super simple, but the kids enjoyed doing it and I have a keepsake of their hands and finger/thumbprints. Plus, it is a nice little fall decoration.

M&M Cookies

I love these cookies and have been making them forever. When I was little, my mom always made them and let me help and now I enjoy making these cookies for my own kids. It is so easy to coordinate them to whatever holiday is around the corner with the various holiday-colored M&Ms.

M&M Cookies
Makes about 5-6 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups M&Ms
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

Directions:
1. Blend shortening and sugars in a large bowl.
2. Beat in the vanilla and eggs.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients.
4. Add to the sugar mixture, blending well.
5. Stir in 2 cups of candies.
6. Drop by teaspoon on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Decorate the tops with the remaining candy.
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown. 

FREE Thanksgiving Activity Ebook

Thanksgiving is such a terrific time of counting blessings, but it is also a fairly overlooked holiday in the shadows of Halloween fun and Christmas hoopla. I created this ebook to offer some fun activities leading up to Thanksgiving to celebrate this important holiday. It is refreshing to see the kids get excited about a holiday that does not involve obscene amounts of candy or presents and Christmas music overload.

The ebook is FREE and can be found on Smashwords in various formats or on Barnes and Noble or Apple iTunes store.

Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Apple

Check out my ebook store with other titles:http://theeveryday-mom.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

Italian Potatoes

Great-tasting side dish that is quick and easy to prepare. My kids love this dish so it is a surefire way to get them to eat some veggies.

Ingredients:
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup creamy Italian salad dressing
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Toss potatoes with dressing, salt and pepper.
2. Place in a greased 13X9X2 inch baking pan.
3. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
4. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.
5. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

20 Family Movie Night Films

Watching movies together as a family can create lasting memories of childhood. A family movie night is a great opportunity to introduce your child to some classic, wholesome entertainment. Some of the movies on this list are newer, but most have withstood the test of time and continue to entertain generations of children. I did not include any of the newer Disney cartoon movies, but some of the older classic Disney films are on the list.

1) Mary Poppins- The Disney version creates a much more chipper Mary Poppins than the one portrayed in the original book.
2) Benji- I loved this movie as a kid and always wanted a dog just like Benji.
3) The Parent Trap- The original Hayley Mills version is really fun even if as an adult you are wondering how this situation ever happened.
4) Dolphin Tale- A feel-good movie for everyone
5) The Muppet Movie- I watched the original so many times as a kid and I still loving hearing Rainbow Connection.
6) Jumanji- This is just a fun movie to watch!
7) Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory- The original with Gene Wilder is one of my favorite movies. Who wouldn't want to run rampant in a crazy candy factory?
8) Annie- I was 7 when this movie came out and I think I saw it about 10 times at the theater.
9) Pollyanna- An oldie, but goodie!
10) Goonies- One of my favorites in middle school- every family should enjoy this buddy movie together.
11) Swiss Family Robinson- Shipwrecked, pirates, having a treehouse to live in- what kid would not like this movie??
12) Night at the Museum- I just love this one!
13) National Velvet- A treasure of a movie and one that all ages can enjoy. Most kids won't know who Elizabeth Taylor was, but it is interesting to watch her in the movie as a pre-teen.
14) Charlotte's Web- Read the book together and then enjoy the movie.
15) E.T.- Enough said- I still cry every time.
16) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- Classic car tale
17) The Sandlot- Fun baseball movie
18) Home Alone- Great movie of the 90s
19) The Adventures of Milo and Otis- Touching tale of friendship
20) The Wizard of Oz- While the witch and flying monkeys have been known to scare some little ones, this timeless classic is one to definitely watch with your children.

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