Cheer Weekend Recap + Covid Disney Tips

It's Wednesday and I think I've finally recovered from my UCA cheer comp girls weekend to Orlando. I had both the girls with me, and with the Covid times still upon us, I decided to drive instead of fly from Atlanta. At several points, on the way down, I regretted this decision. Eight plus hours together in a car, with endless arguments and screeching that even the best of my noise canceling headphones couldn't drown out, will do that to a mom. 

But all hearing loss aside, it was a super fun weekend. I went into this competition season as a cheer mom newbie, and now I can do a winged eyeliner with the best of them (thanks youtube make-up artists), and will forever shed glitter where ever I travel (it's an upgrade from just the dog hair I normally shed). 

| Sometimes God does answer prayers.|

My daughter has loved every. single. second. And seeing her big smile and a passion for a sport she loves (and trust me - it is a sport) has made every extra practice, long drive, and drama over the (direct quote) "worst hair pulling and hair brushing" she experienced each comp weekend - totally worth it. 

I'll take this brief time to shout out to the good people of various Hilton properties for never calling DFACS on the mom with loud screams coming from her child in her hotel room. That bun was always high, tight and right all season. 

UCA weekend was FUN. There's just something about having a comp in the "Happiest Place on Earth". 

We spent our first few days solely focused on the competition and hanging out at the hotel swimming during our free time. 

Our hotel was right across from Disney Springs and hop, skip, and Florida humidity filled jump across a bridge we sweated our way towards Planet Hollywood one day for lunch. The kids loved it. 

And they love their over the top drinkable dessert creations even more. 

The hotel had an amazing set of pools, complete with an oversized hot tub, lazy river, and game area. On the weekends it features a live DJ. Needless to say for a bunch of 5-12 year olds it was heaven. 

There is also a large bar. Needless to say for cheer moms, it was heaven. 

But don't let all the fun and games fool you. These kids work HARD. From top to bottom this season they have overcome every Covid hurdle thrown at them this last year and it shows. Not to brag on them (but I totally will) - they WON! 

But I think what struck me more was the fact they loved doing it with each other. They cried coming off the stage, and not because they were excited to win or upset about something with their performance. They were crying tears because they love each other so much and this was the end of their season. They end of what they accomplished together, and they know they did it with the sweetest group of friends. My seven year old recognized the importance of that. As a parent, what could I not love about that?!

As day two wrapped up, I made a last minute decision to take the girls to the Magic Kingdom. I had tickets to Epcot because that was the only reservation at the time available, but when I saw Disney had Magic Kingdom availability I switched our tickets and hopped quickly on the Monorail before something could happen. 

I'm a planner, but the spontaneity of this moment worked in our favor. Capacity at the park for a Sunday was low. We walked right in. 

| Minnie Mouse Tees |

A mini-parade (because in Covid times parades, character visits, and shows are things of the past) was occurring and the Minniest Magnolia made all her dreams come true - Minnie Mouse waved right at her. 

We rode rides. We didn't wait in any lines! We ate all the yummy food. And we just had a blast together. 

Disney is waaaaay different. Wearing a mask all afternoon in the hot sun wasn't the most pleasant experience, but we did so happily. (And if you happen to forget or pull it down for a second a cast member will pop out of the nearest perfectly landscaped Mickey shaped bush and remind you.)

I was nervous when I saw Fast Passes were no longer a thing, and feared we would be waiting in long lines. My fear was unfounded though because we rode several rides back to back to back due to no one being in line. The girls thought it was the greatest day of their lives. 

And then my winning cheerleader (totally still bragging) decided to ensure it was the most memorable day of her life and lost a tooth. Thank you to the kind strangers who helped locate it on the cobblestone roads in the dark of the evening with the golden lighted power of our cell phones and our Ariel musical bubble makers. 

Tinker Bell. Trophies. And Tooth Fairies. 

I'm not sure about you, but the murderous hair brushing can totally be over looked. 

SOME QUICK DISNEY FACTS & TIPS

I thought I would write these down for you on a quick sheet in case needed. Most info you can find on their website. But I didn't know I would need to use the app as much. Lots of things are hands off, and I wasn't expecting to have to mobile order food. Overall it's an easier Disney experience with some of the traditional fun missing. It didn't slow my kids down one bit, or make them feel like they were missing out on anything. Several of our teammates also felt the same way - it was enjoyable. So if you have an upcoming trip...

Come spend the day with us on:

| Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter |

Destination Disney: Magic Kingdom

Chatting all things Disney this week! In case you've missed it, here are the first few days:

Disney

Animal Kingdom

Epcot 

On our fourth day immersed in the magical world of all things Disney, we slept in (as late as you can sleep in with three young children), ate a leisurely breakfast, and made our way to the Little Mermaid Pool.

We arrived early enough that we had the whole pool to ourselves! The kids were so excited!

It was just what we needed to recoup a little bit from the previous few days.

The water in the pool was heated, but I think it was warm enough outside regardless to swim at any time. Gotta love that amazing Florida weather.

The heat ramped up by mid-morning and I was glad that I thought to bring along a little frozen treat with us. My kids love when I freeze these Slammer's pouches during the summer to bring to the pool. I threw some in our snack bags last minute and I am so glad. It was an easy treat to hold them over until lunch time.

Between the heat of the day and the fun in the pool, we almost abandoned all plans and made the decision to stay poolside. But around lunchtime the kids decided that the Magic Kingdom beat the pool.

We arrived at the park by 1:30p.m. and it was just as crowded as we expected it to be. The Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend was well underway as well as Disney Social Media Moms, and a few other conferences we learned, so the park was full.

It didn't affect us though. We realized part of why we like the afternoon at the Magic Kingdom more than getting there first thing in the morning is that there are so many things to do aside from the rides as well. Between our few fast passes, and the shows, we are busy straight until the night time fireworks.

First up we continued L.C.'s week of touring princesses. The boys headed off to the Haunted Mansion, and the girls made our way to Princess Ariel.

Once we got our fill of the mermaid life we headed back towards the boys. We were shocked they still hadn't finished their ride. Apparently several of the more popular rides in the park were down, and causing super long lines. One of the advantages of having small children and being at the park in the afternoon is that a large majority of parents and kids have gone back to their accommodations for a break. So typically the tamer rides are wide open. Even with the park being down, it didn't seem to affect us any. We hit up a few of the kids favorites that we didn't ride on Monday's visit, and then we settled in for the parade. My kids love the parade.

We were able to manage a front row seat with our friends and the kids had so much fun!

They loved that the characters came right up to them. They cheered as loud as the could and when one would come over to give high fives or hugs they would scream in delight. 

After the parade ended the boys headed off to race cars and the girls cheered them on.

Mr. Cute was still riding high on that Disney life.

And B.C. was still riding high on that Frozen life.

It was well above 90 degrees out, but she rocked that velvet and polyester costume like she was Princess Anna herself.

The teacup line was non-existant so we made our way over to spin up that Mickey pretzel I just downed.

I was so excited when we got off the ride, but not because the world finally stopped spinning, but because I ran into this lovely lady...

Jenna from Savvy Sassy Moms! We've worked together for a few years now and have never met in person. She and her sweet family were down for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference and we just happened to be on the same ride at the same time. We spent about an hour chatting while our families played together. It was so nice to meet and catch up! 

After all the swimming, rides, and princess-ing, B.C. tapped out. We let her sleep for 30 minutes and I took L.C. over for her next leg of the princess tour. 

She loves Elena of Avalor on the Disney Channel and was so excited to meet princess Elena in person!

Then she majorly fan-girled again when she met Cinderella. Poor Cinderella couldn't get a word out of her. And the Disney photographer got about a million photos just like this one.

Once we wrapped up the princesses, we found Mr. Cute and Cute having a little fun of their own. Cute asked me about the Sword in the Stone and I can't believe I haven't shown him this movie yet!

The boys had never ridden It's A Small World before and were curious. We woke Baby Cute and stood in line. People were getting ready for the Happily Ever After fireworks show so things were clearing out. It only took about 10 minutes to wait. 

I'm not sure it lived up to their hype, but Baby Cute was riveted. I think if we hadn't wanted to see the fireworks ourselves this night she would have ridden a second time happily.

We tried to meet up with our friends for the show, but it was so crowded we didn't make it beyond the Tomorrowland bridge. Which in the end gave us a really great view, and we were less crowded. 

Every one of us loved the show! I love the changes from the old show and the little surprise at the end with Tinkerbell was a huge hit! Definitely not a show to miss if you are at the park this late.

The minute the show ended and L.C. belted out the last line of music we looked down and saw her passed out in the stroller. Girl was Disney d.o.n.e.

Everyone else in our ten person crew was still going strong so we decided to take advantage of the low lines and did a few more rides. The kids had so much fun, and loved getting to ride everything when it was lit up. I am so glad we decided to plan our day this way!

It was a late night for sure, but everyone had a blast and was still in good spirits, and that's what mattered most. We got back to the hotel late, and still had one more park day planned, but we knew from here on out it was a much tamer trip.

Last day recap tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Come spend the day with us on:

| Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter |