Before I get to my answers I have a question for you. Do you like the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas? If your answer is no, if you thought it was the worst movie ever made, than skip the Haunted Mansion until January. Because this overlay is a complete remake. Disney changed out everything. From the intro, to the elevator ride, to the hallway, to the scenes viewed from the doom buggies, everything is different.

I am blah about the movie. It’s okay but I would not pick it to watch by myself. It happens to be one of my husband’s favorite movies so I have seen it many times. Therefore, while I wasn’t thrilled before I went on the attraction, I wasn’t repulsed.

Okay, enough stalling. Is it good? I would say yes. They did a wonderful job of bringing the story and the characters to life. It is very different but I actually enjoyed the changes more than I enjoy the movie. I would recommend everyone see it once, unless you absolutely despise the movie, so you can form your own opinion.

I only had one problem with the overlay and if you visit the park this December you won’t have this problem. I rode the attraction in September and even though Jack and his friends live in Halloweentown there is nothing about the overlay that made me think of Halloween. There are pumpkins but they are decorated for Christmas. It felt a little odd being immersed in Christmas in September. I’m sure that the discomfort I felt would disappear if I saw it again in December.

So take a chance. If you are visiting Disneyland go see the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at the Haunted Mansion. It may become your favorite seasonal event or you may look forward to the 999 happy haunts taking back their home in January. Either way you’re sure to have a spooky time. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you want to have unique Christmas photos for your cards then stand in line and have your picture taken with the characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack, Sally, and others can be found outside the Haunted Mansion all season long. Jack is even in his Santa costume. Scary and merry!

Image from www.spoonful.com

It’s cold and snowy in much of the country and when kids can’t go outside they are easily bored. Combat that boredom with an afternoon spent making ornaments. These 10 Disney ornaments from spoonful.com are for all ages and experience levels and perfect for a group of kids. I really like the snow globe ornaments. You can put any scene in them that you want. I have some miniature princess figurines that would be fun to include.

These ornaments are more than just decorations for your tree. You can embellish a package with them or hang them from the banister. They could also decorate a small tree in a child’s room. The Mickey String Ornament would even make a nice gift for someone who loves Disney as much as you do. The ideas are boundless so start printing and get creating. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you are looking for a gift anyone would love, one that doesn’t have to be dusted and goes with every tree, consider getting them a Disney ornament. There are so many to choose from and you can make it special by giving them their favorite character. I would be excited to get a Sleeping Beauty or Winnie the Pooh ornament. Which character would your family like to receive?

Image from Disney Parks Blog

I love to fly but I know most people don’t and I don’t blame them. Between crowded airplanes, delayed flights, mediocre in-flight food, and TSA, flying can be a real drag. But cheer up! Mickey Mouse is bringing the magic back to flying.

WestJet (an airline I had not heard of) has added a magical airplane to their fleet. It is called the “Magic Plane” and features Sorcerer Mickey on the tail. If I saw that as I was waiting to board I would be grinning like a fool. If I knew I was flying on the Magic Plane I would be uncontrollably giddy. The magic is not just on the outside, the inside of the plane is also decorated. It looks so cool!

I am not brand loyal when I fly. I pick an airline based on price and time of departure. But if I could guarantee that I was going to be on that plane I would definitely fly WestJet. I would love it if the food was good, too, but I’m not sure even Sorcerer Mickey is that powerful. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you are flying to Orlando and staying on property at Walt Disney World be sure you use the Magical Express. You will be whisked away to your resort and you won’t have to deal with your luggage. That’s what I call magic.

Jeff Galloway helps me get across the finish line!

Okay, so as you know, I have big plans when it comes to runDisney races. I plan to do the Princess 10K and half marathon at Walt Disney World and the Tinker Bell 10K and half marathon at Disneyland in the same year so I get a ton of medals (really cool medals, too.) These two races have always been in February and January but I didn’t mind. I thought it would be an adventure to run so many races so close together. However, I was planning on doing them in 2015 so I had time to raise money for the trips and train for the races. I should have known better. Disney is always changing and now runDisney has made a major change, too.

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend has moved to Mother’s Day weekend in 2015. WHAT!!! Okay, okay. I am calm. I mean, it is not the end of the world. It will be easier having one race in February and the other in May. It’s just that I was really looking forward to running a race at Disneyland in January. I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend and it was hot! But I can also understand. The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is in January so perhaps they wanted to spread things out. Logical.

While I understand I am also slightly disappointed. I was ready for the challenge and now the challenge has been made easier. I should have known. I always say that change is normal with Disney. If you want to do or see something you had better plan to do it soon. I guess I should have planned my races in 2014. But you know what? I’ll find another running challenge and just enjoy my plethora of Disney races. (Great Wall of China, anyone?) Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: I encourage everyone to run a Disney race at least once. They are so much fun and they are flat so anyone can do it. They also have a lot of 5K and 10K races so you get all the fun of a Disney race without killing yourself. If you need some guidance click on runDisney and check out the training plans by Jeff Galloway. I am using his 5K plan to train for a virtual 5K I’m doing January 25. Maybe I’ll have my husband hold up Disney stuffed animals along the way so it will feel like a Disney run.

Image from www.spoonful.com

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I hope everyone has wonderful plans. I always liked Thanksgiving when I was a child because lots of relatives came to our house and we got to have food that I loved, but only ate once or twice a year. My brother and I were the only kids at the table and we got to sit with the adults. However, if you have a lot of children coming to your house for Thanksgiving it might be more fun for them to have their own area so they don’t have to listen to the boring adults talk all night.

Why not make their table even more special by making it first a craft table and then a dinner table? They’ll love coming to your house when they get to make Thanksgiving decorations for the dinner table and color fun place mats. So click here for great Thanksgiving kids crafts from spoonful.com. You’ll be surrounded by grateful kids and their parents. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Have you ever thought about visiting the Disney Parks for Thanksgiving? Lots of the restaurants in the parks and resorts have special menus and seating times to celebrate the day. You can have all the fun of Disney and Thanksgiving and not have to slave away in the kitchen. Just make sure you tip your wait staff well to show your gratitude. They are working so you can have a great Disney trip.

The current restaurant in the Morocco Pavilion, Restaurant Marrakesh, is a wonderful restaurant filled with great flavors, but it is table service and when you are in the restaurant you can’t see any of the pavilion. The new restaurant, Spice Road Table, will have lots of outdoor seating, perfect for enjoying the flavors of Morocco while you watch IllumiNations. I love that they are providing more seating for this wonderful show. I often skip it because I can’t find a good place to wait for and watch the display. I look forward to enjoying great food and a great evening extravaganza. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: A cool souvenir to buy in the Morocco Pavilion is a necklace that has your name written on the shell in Arabic. However, if you don’t want the necklace you can ask one of the Cast Members in the pavilion, who are all from Morocco, to write your name in Arabic in your autograph book. It is beautiful to see and a great free keepsake. Maybe while you are waiting you could ask them what their favorite Moroccan food is. Then you could try it at the Spice Road Table when it opens.

Image from Oh My Disney

If you are in the northern realms you may be noticing that winter is waiting impatiently to take over from fall. The temperature is dropping and it is harder to stay warm. Gloves, scarves, and hot cocoa can help but if you want to warm your insides take a look at these heartwarming Disney pictures. Some of them make me laugh, some of them make me cry, but all of them make me go “awwww.”

Go a step further this weekend. Don’t just admire the picture, watch the movie. If you want something really emotional I suggest WALL-E or Up. If you prefer more humor than try Hercules or the Incredibles. And if you want to see an adorable snowman you’ll have to wait for Thanksgiving, when Frozen comes to theaters. Whatever you choose these movies will keep you warm inside as the temperature drops outside. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you want more than a movie to keep you warm check out disneystore.com for some fun Disney coats, scarves, hats, and gloves. They have lots of characters to choose from and something for every member of the family.

Image from Disney Insider

I don’t know what to think about the movie Maleficent. She is my favorite Disney villain because she is really evil. In Sleeping Beauty she causes major havoc because of a small slight. This always worked for me. Prince Phillip is good and noble and Maleficent is mean and evil. I like knowing where the lines are drawn.

Now my favorite villain is getting her own movie and we’ll learn how she became evil, mean, wicked, bad, and nasty (thank you, Smothers Brothers for the adjectives.) Angelina Jolie is playing Maleficent and I am sure she will to do an amazing job.

But I am torn. I liked Maleficent being a villain. I don’t need to know how she became one. Plus, unless they are changing the basic story we know she doesn’t live in the end. So either they are changing the end or this is going to be hard to watch. Or maybe we feel her inevitable death is justified. I just don’t know what I think about all this.

There have been other movies where the bad guy takes the lead role. Wicked may be the most popular, but Star Wars Episodes I, II, and III basically tell the story of the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. I haven’t seen or read Wicked but I really hated the first three Star Wars movies.

If you would like to watch the trailer for Maleficent click here. I loved the trailer and thought everyone was playing their roles perfectly. However, I learned nothing about how the story is going to be told so I still don’t know what to think. It is not coming out until May 2014 so I’ll have time to learn more. I wish Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (she was always my favorite) could give me a hint before then.  Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Is Maleficent your favorite Disney villain? Unlike a lot of  Disney villians that only come to the parks occasionally you can see Maleficent most nights at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. She is the live-action villain in Fantasmic! that Mickey Mouse has to battle at the end of the show. My favorite part of Fantasmic! is when she turns from human to dragon. It is really impressive. I am glad the good guys win.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

It’s Friday and the weekend is hiding right around the corner. What are your plans? I want to sit on the couch with a warm cup of cocoa and a good movie. But I’m not going to. I am going to go for a run.

Now I would be the first to admit that I don’t run because I like it. I run because I like to do races and I do races because I love the medals. RunDisney has released the new designs for the 2014 Princess  and Tinker Bell Half Marathons. I already have two Princess medals and I love the new designs. I won’t be running these races until 2015 but just looking at these medals makes me want to run.

So go outside this weekend. Run, walk, or hike, but spend time exercising in the great outdoors. And if a medal isn’t enough to motivate you  think of how delicious that cocoa will taste when you head back inside to the couch. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: You may not be a runner, but I know you can walk, and if you can walk then you can do a race. Jeff Galloway, the official coach for runDisney promotes a run/walk pace for all races. By following his method anyone can finish a race and earn a medal.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

Zebras are one of my favorite animals. I just love their stripes. So I was very excited to learn that a zebra has been born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World. If I ever stay at a Delux Resort I would stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. I would love to see wild animals outside my room window. For those who are staying there they can now check out a month old baby zebra grazing with her mom. No two zebras have the same stripe patterns so this lovely girl is one of a kind.

Did you know there are three types of zebra? This baby zebra is a Hartmann zebra. You can tell the difference between a Hartmann zebra and other zebras by their stripes. Hartmann zebra stripes do not go all the way around their bellies. (Look at the picture to see what I mean.) This birth is extra special because Hartmann zebras are vulnerable and there are not many breeding programs for this type of zebra. It is cool that Disney is having success.

If you would like to see more pictures of this cute zebra the Disney Parks Blog has a great post about her. I think I’ll wear stripes today to celebrate. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tips: If you can’t stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge consider eating a meal there. Both Jiko and Boma are fantastic. I love the flavors of Africa that are in every bite.