NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Teen Gift Questionnaire

Unsure what to get your teens for their birthdays and/or Christmas? Have them fill out this gift questionnaire to take the guesswork out of shopping for them!

Teen Gift Questionnaire Printable Link

Disneyland Tips

My top Disneyland Tips:

(Please keep in mind my tips are geared towards being prepared in order to reduce stress, and saving $ in order to do more things. If any of those don't apply to you feel free to skip the tip)

More tips can be found in my travel packing tip list (coming soon)

BEFORE:

Have a family meeting prior to entering the park. It helps to know what each family members top "to-do's" are. These items should be top priority in order to prevent upset family members. You will also want to strategize shows near rides, times, parades, meeting characters, etc.

Look at the park's daily itinerary for the days you're going to be there (this helps plan what to see & when) You can find this on their website https://disneyland.disney.go.com/calendars/day/

Make any specialty dining reservations to restaurants of your choice (can be done up to 6 months prior)

Find out where the fast pass distribution areas are ahead of time so you can get them. Remember, you can only get one fast pass at a time, so plan accordingly.

A popular thing to do is to have color coordinated or matching family outfits. If this is something you want to do, allow time to design and have them made. Or, you can purchase already made items. *Bright clothing is an excellent way to find family members that may have drifted away, recommended for little ones.

Princess dresses are popular to wear at the park, bring them with you as dresses in parks are a bit pricer.

If you have a princess in your family, you may want to consider advance reservations for "Bippity Bopity Boutique" where they will inherent a fairy godmother for a day who will give your princess a makeover. Included is VIP entrance to meet the princesses.

Look around house for small light up toys that you could bring with you when it gets dark (saves money from having to buy the ones they sell there)

If you want to save money on souvenirs consider buying them ahead of time. You can find mouse ears, etc on eBay. One thing you can do is have them waiting for your child when they wake up. Hopefully they'll be surprised and not have the desire for more things in the park ;)

Be sure your items are labeled with phone numbers in case someone else should find them.

Download the Disneyland Park app to track show times, ride wait times, and more

BRING INTO PARK:
Portable Phone Charger- your phone battery charger will drain quickly in the park.

Snacks & Beverages (I pack my hydroflask, bottles of water, and ziplocks of ice from hotel), I also pack packets of hot chocolate and tang.

Stroller- the ones Disneyland rent out do not recline. Strollers are useful for holding everyones stuff as well as tired kids lol. One tip is to cover your stroller with a bright towel or pareo so you can easily find your stroller amongst the sea of others.

Light toys

Extra clothes (if you plan to get wet)

Warm Clothes (if its Fall/Winter, days could turn cold once the sun sets)

Sun Protection: Sun Screen, hat, sunglasses

Ziplock Bags- These are useful for food left overs, keeping phones dry, portioning snacks for kids each other, etc.

Sharpie- Useful to label items newly bought items, label drinks with each other's names, etc.

Lavender Oil- Helps to calm everyone down. (Another one of my favorite items is Rescue Remedy by Bach)

AT THE PARK:
Fast passes-  You will want to get a fast pass for the ride of your choice (you've figured out in planning) first thing you get to a park. Usually they are an hour or two (sometimes longer) after you request them.

Play games while waiting in line: Charades is a good one, or download the "Heads Up" phone app game. Very fun to play while waiting in line.

Also know that you can hold spots for family waiting in line. Example: If the kids want to take pictures with a character, another person could be waiting in line for a ride to hold the spot for everyone.


OTHER TIPS:
Coming from Hawaii there is a time difference, California is ahead of time. So you will usually find yourself waking up later than normal. This is why we could never take advantage of any "magic hour" (where hotel guests can enjoy the park an hour before the public)

Downtown Disney is the free part of Disneyland that has shops, restaurants, and sometimes entertainment. One cool feature is the Starbucks there allows the kids to draw on an interactive screen that allows you to see people at the Orlando Starbucks.

The area in between Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park is a great place to watch the fireworks. We usually watch them the night we land in LA, then try to rest up for the next day.

If you want my referral link to receive $200 towards Disneyland/store by signing up for their credit card, go here https://www.referyourchasecard.com/200/OWJAFJ2JOJ

My Ultimate Favorite Traveling Item

Amongst my favorite traveling items my microfiber towel!

The top reasons for traveling with one:
1) Lightweight and folds up small
2) Dries Quick
3) Also serves as my airplane blanket

If you want to order one, please do so through my affiliate link. I'm new to this whole affiliate thing. Mahalo nui loa, Kristy

Why I Stayed at an Airbnb

This past Summer, I had my 1st Airbnb experience, since then friends have asked me "How was it? Was it safe? Why would you do that? Etc" So, I thought I'd just make a little blog post to explain.

My daughter and I spent 6 weeks traveling the mainland this Summer staying with family and friends. We kinda just "winged" it. Toward the end of our trip, we decided to visit my Grandmother in San Diego. Unfortunately, her living situation didn't allow for us to stay with her, so we had to find a hotel.

Having access to amazing discounts to hotels I thought this would be no problem. To my surprise, hotel rates were extreme due to how busy the city was that week. (Didn't realize Comic Con brings a million people to San Diego, now I know better). Even the Super 8 motels were over $100.

Being the "frugal" person I have become (in my quest to travel the world and actively check bucket list items off), I had to come up with another idea...I remembered hearing about Airbnb. I download the app and started looking at places. At first I was skeptical because staying in another person's house, a stranger, seemed....weird, scary, I mean wth am I thinking...and I've got a daughter with me! But as I read reviews, I started to gain some confidence.

I contacted the host to explain my situation and ask if they allowed kids. They were so nice, and very accepting of children. I built the confidence to book. My cousin whom I was staying with at the time of booking, told me she had stayed at an airbnb before and it was fine. She also told me she had a discount code she could share with me since it was my first time booking. So I used a new email address to create a new profile (since I had already downloaded the app)...and voila it worked, I saved $30! (And I can give you a discount code if you want).

Staying at an airbnb is kinda like a hotel where there's a check in and check out time. Every experience is different, it could be the whole place to yourself, just a room to yourself, a shared room, or maybe just a couch.

Our experience was our own room in their home, and our own bathroom. When we got there they explained everything to us, and showed us what part of the kitchen we could use, and the refrigerator. Being able to cook there saves money on travel :) Our room had a basket of snacks to enjoy, books for my daughter to read, and a book of area recommendations. The bathroom also had toiletries we could use, and even kids minion soap. Such a sweet thought to make it comfortable for my daughter. One night we came home and they had a pot of spaghetti on the stove and offered us some. Daily, they had a coffee and tea station. I paid $60/night.

This was an amazing experience. It took my anxiety away from airbnb and I look forward to staying at more of them. On the day of our departure, we decided to stay in touch. I now have new friends in San Diego. And if I ever need a place to stay there again, I'm definitely going to stay with them.

Tips to your 1st Airbnb stay:
1) Download the app with my code to save off your first stay (www.airbnb.com/kristyk404)
2) Select your city and dates, browse options
3) Read the reviews
4) Contact the host and see if you like their vibe
5) Book, and have a great time

*Here's a pic of me relaxing in our room. Snack basket on the left, book of city recommendations in the middle, and guest book to sign on the right.


Thank you for reading my story. I look forward to sharing more travel tips in the future. Just need to decide if I'm going to blog under my company www.livelaughaloha.com or my new idea www.livelearnupgrade.com stay tuned in touch on FB & Instagram

Live Laugh Aloha

"Live Laugh Aloha" was created as a simple reminder to: "LIVE life to the fullest, LAUGH as much as possible, and share ALOHA in all we do," because ultimately, we're not here for a LONG time, so let's be here for a GOOD time! The message is spread through hats, shirts, tank-tops, sticker, reminder bracelets, chapstick, and wall decor...more to come. Shop at our online store www.livelaughaloha.com or catch us at different island events, updated events can be found on our website. Keep in touch: FB Account: www.facebook.com/livelaughaloha FB Fan Page: www.facebook.com/livelaughalohaofficial Instagram: @livelaughalohaofficial Or join our mailing list, send your contact info to livelaughaloha@gmail.com Live Laugh Aloha Established 11.11.11 Kaua'i, Hawai'i

25 Ways to Save Money in Hawaii

1) First things first — have a goal. A goal makes it easier to save money. Whether you are saving for a down payment on your first home, your children’s college fund, your retirement, or that dream vacation, having a goal will keep you focused on why you are saving money in the first place.

2) Think twice before buying anything. Ask yourself if you truly need the product or service before shelling out any of your hard-earned cash.

3) Consider buying secondhand. There are a variety of thrift shops available throughout the Islands with various goods for sale. You can also shop at garage sales or check out the popular Web site craigslist.org for a myriad of products and services.

4) Barter. Also popular on craigslist.org

5) Use coupons and discount books. Don’t be ashamed or lazy, cut out those coupons and use them. Every penny saved adds up! You can also search for local coupons online.

6) Shop during store sales and only (very important) buy products that are on sale.

7) Cut out coffee and bottled drinks. You can make your own coffee and bring your own drinks.

8) Cook instead of eating out. This includes packing a home lunch for work.

9) If you do eat out and enjoy an alcoholic beverage, dine at places that allow you to “bring your own bottle,” commonly referred to as BYOB. Many of our local eateries allow patrons to do so, including The Fat Greek, Champa Thai, and India cafe, to name a few.

10) Drop bad habits. Smoking, drinking and gambling are all expensive.

11) Avoid TV. Cable TV, especially in Hawaii, is becoming increasingly expensive due to a lack of viable competition. Instead, watch DVDs, read more, or watch TV shows online. You’ll also avoid commercials, which generally persuade you to buy things.

12) Be aware of strategic marketing techniques. Don’t get caught up in the hype of your shopping environment/experience. Ask yourself if you really need the product or service. And, don’t allow yourself to be oversold.

13) Use the local library. Why buy books and DVDs when you can borrow them at your local library?

14) Live simpler. Cut back on your spending, own fewer things and find creative ways to enjoy life. A great book to read is, “Living the Simple Life,” by Elaine St. James.

15) Protect your belongings by clearly labeling them with your name and phone number. If they are ever lost, your contact information will be visible.

16) Save on gift-wrapping by being more creative. Use the comics or cool magazines to wrap gifts.

17) Eat before food shopping. Never shop on an empty stomach. There’s no surer way to spend more money.

18) For everyday items save money by buying in bulk.

19) Save on parking fees when in town. Have a game plan before you head out. Find out where the cheapest parking places are or park in free parking and walk to your destination.

20) Double-check your shopping receipts for discrepancies, especially when it comes to sale items. Retailers sometimes mark items for sale that ring up full price at the register.

21) Save on your energy bill. Whenever possible, open a window to take advantage of our cool Hawaiian breeze. Use energy-efficient light bulbs, hang dry your laundry, and unplug electrical appliances when not in use.

22) Save on gas and car maintenance fees by using public transportation. Catch the bus, carpool, ride a bicycle, or try walking to your destination.

23) “Do-it-yourself” or DIY. There are many things you can do yourself instead of hiring others.

24) Open a savings account without an ATM card. Use this account for deposits only! Watch your money slowly grow, then pick up the pace in the future.

25) It’s often said the best things in life are free, but nowhere more so than in beautiful Hawaii. Take advantage of the great weather and events around town. Sunrises, sunsets, movies on the beach, performances at the mall, concerts, churches/temples, conversations at the beach/park, hiking and enjoying time with family and friends.