The Ultimate Orlando Holiday Planner.

I love Florida we've been *counts on fingers ' four times , we were there August just gone and it is truly the sunshine state. Priorities change over time due to the changing age of my child now he's a teen he relished the more high octane rides. Forward planning is key whether you want to stay in a villa or go with a tour operator , our preference is always to stay on a Disney property and use their well oiled transport system.

We always plan our activities by using the Brit guides or Visit Orlando. And through these you will be able to find gems and quiet places that you never thought existed , really yes there are quiet places in Orlando.

Buy your park tickets before you go you will get a better deal and especially if you stop at a Disney hotel , you'll benefit from the extra magic hours.

You might as well get a taxi if you want you visit Universal studios ( if notstopping near there) but as we tried to do it in one day and we found that quite overwhelming.

It depends what you want out of an a Orlando holiday there's not a time I couldn't not think of going to a a Disney property ! I think next time I would love to perhaps split the time between a Universal hotel and Universal  one ( of course with more time at Disney).

As we stay on a Disney property we always make use of the Disney dining just make sure if you do this to factor in a tip , a guide for this is given on your receipt usually.

1. Get your holiday off to a cracking start and book an airport lounge , we did this through Virgin and the V lounge was amazing.

2. Don't just hit the parks straight away pace yourself !! And take a water bottle and make use of the water misters around the parks. Disney have an app which is called the free Disney Magic app – which allows you to plan rides and check show times, but once you’re inside the park it will let you check how long the lines are on different rides.

3. Don't over eat !! Honestly after a day or 2 you will get over whelmed I know that's hard but pace yourself. Eat early is my best tip and then head out and then come back and relax in your hotel . This is especially important if you want to go out to a firework show etc in the evening.

4. When going to the fireworks at a Disney get a good spot !! And you may have towait but I promise you the magic is worth it. You don't have to go to every single firework show I highly recommend the one at Magic Kingdom it's beautiful. Another show worth going to is Fantasmic and again with this I suggest you book one of the restaurants that gives you a priority ticket to Fantasmic this way you are guaranted a seat without the worry.

5. Plan your trips that you intend to take before you go like going to Kennedy Space centre by either going through your travel agent that you booked your holiday through or by looking at Travel Money Supermarket. Always check that who ever you get your excursions with through is obviously ABTA bonded. Going to Kennedy Space is out of this world there is so much to see and you can even have lunch with an astronaut, Our trip to Kennedy Space Centre is one that we will treasure forever.

6. You don't have to hire a car !!  it's perfectly possible to get round Florida without having to hire a car. Disney is always be remodelled it's what Disney does !! constantly inventing itself. The first time we went to Florida we stayed at All Star movies which is a budget hotel. Our next stay was Caribbean Beach which is seen a moderate hotel then we crept into the luxury stays those being Animal Lodge and lastly Saratoga Springs which is right next door to Downtown Disney and best of all you can walk to it.

Luxury doesn't have to mean expense !! I wait till there are offers in then book a travel agent can help though more than likely you will get some cracking offers on line.

7. Think about booking special dining be from a special meet the character breakfast, lunch or dinner to a special family meal to something more intimate. If you book a hotel with Disney dining you will be able to book special experiences up to 180 days in advance , and I highly recommend you do this.

8. There is more to Florida than just the parks I loved the time when we went down to Key Largo and my husband swan with Dolphins there. We also visted an alligator park and went on an air boat ride , this was amazing !! We did this through the tour operator and transport and accommodation was provided it wasn't to expensive and made a change from going to the place at Seaworld.

9. Look up !! It's free and the skies are amazingly beautiful .

10. Believe and the magic will happen !!

And where else on earth but in Orlando can you see Flamingoes and a toucan being taken for a walk but in Seaworld.

And when you are then welcome yourself to the adventure of your life !! There's an Indiana Jones in all of us bursting to get out.

Fighting Spirit

I look forward to this year its a blank canvas but when someone attempts to spoil my canvas I take offence to the situation. How dare someone attempt to break into my home , it shakes you to your core. There are worse situations in life and you have to put all thoughts of what would happened if either myself or my husband had come across the burglars.

SO this year I will be patient.

I will not let situations spoil me , my family or my home.


I'm lucky despite all of this I still have my family.


So

Dear Burglar

"You didn't get into my home and I am glad,

You threaten my families safety I don't like that,

Perhaps you need help ?

I don't know ?

I am sure if you need help someone will listen ,

If you shout loud enough,

Someone will listen,


My mind plays out various scenarios,

You did that Mr Burglar you did that ,

But I rang 999 and the police came ,

I am glad,

Sheds and the such like can be fixed,


But minds well minds take time to quieten ,

Do you have a conscience?

I am not sure but I hope you develop one,

I hope,

But I will stand defiant,

And we will see who prevails

And I know it will be me.

Kick Start To New Year Fitness

Kick start to New Year Fitness , I know it's the old adage but you've got to start somewhere !

And there is no better start than walking and you don't need any special equipment to get you going ,well it until you decide to go over hill and dale .

To get the maximum health benefits from walking you need to do about 10,000 steps a day as your target. Making small changes will have a culminate  effect taking the stairs instead if the lift , my husband does this ( as his work lift is always breaking down!) and where possibke walking to walk.

Set yourself a goal to move every 30 minutes honestly if you out your mind to it ,this can work as it only takes 3 weeks to form a habit. You can keep track of your progress with a pedometer ( this vary in price) or you can download a pedometer app these range from paying for or free .

If you need inspiration about where to walk there are plenty of sites like Geocaching which encompass history and excercise (some are free and some you have to pay for. )

For general walking there are plenty of sites that allow you to plan routes , print out guides and find walking groups. And with skies like this why wouldn't you want to get out of there?

Silent Sunday

Judge Me ,

Do you judge what you see ?

Do you see a situation and make a snap judgement ?

Sometimes it's hard not to.

But spare a thought , what you see may have a reason behind it.

For example there was a less able person at the cinema who could still move , didn't really need help but I thought perhaps could have done with a hand perhaps from their family who had walked on ahead.

But then again , could I be wrong .

Could I be making a snap judgement ?

Perhaps they could be encouraging independence?

Who am I to judge ?

So when as a young parent I had a toddler with SEN issues screaming the supermarket down for cheese , or the fun times we had when he was screaming down the post office just because a package I collected wasn't for him. Or the moments he was obsessed with blue , or the occasions he refused to come into nursery shouting 'no' leaving me all flustered.

I am sure people were judging but I tried to block out any odd stairs and concentrated on what matter to me which was the well being of my son.

Judgemental is something I try not to be.