“I Need Me Some Disney”: 5 Fixes When You Can’t Be There

Snow is piling higher and higher on the picnic table outside my window. I sit in my comfy chair, a cup of chamomile tea in hand (Twinings, of course…and why? Because it reminds me of my favorite restaurant—Trail’s End!). Anyway, my colleagues are sending giddy text messages back and forth. Snow Days are rarely called at my university but we have one today. A whole day to catch up and maybe even do something fun.

But although I am as thankful as any teacher for a good old-fashioned snow day, all of this cold and gray makes me miss the Florida sun and warmth even more. It’s one of those, “I Need Me Some Disney” days. You know the signs…

• You go to the Disney reservations site and go through all the steps of booking a trip—except clicking “Check Out.” (And then you leave the page open because you can’t bear to close it.)
• You shop the Disney Parks app, even though there’s not another relative you could possibly bestow yet another Disney gift upon.
• You rent Cars 3 (even though you saw it twice at the theater.)
• You swear there’s a hidden Mickey in the clouds today. (In addition to the one in your Cheerios, as well as in the design on your shirt.)
• A look at your computer reveals that you have more Disney browser tabs open than work-related tabs.

Here are 5 of my favorite fixes for the worst “I Need Me Some Disney Days”:

1. Enjoy a Disney-inspired recipe. Think about your favorite Disney snacks or meals. What makes it special? The flavors? The colors? The way it is served? I fell in love with bread pudding after discovering it at the O’Hana. We tried making it the way Disney does, but just about singed our eyebrows off in the process. (Another post for another day.) But I discovered that it doesn’t need to be an authentic Disney recipe to transport me back to the O’Hana. I found a slow cooker bread pudding recipe that I fussed with until it was Disney-ified. AMAZING! EASY! And DELICIOUS! (Yup, I promise to share that one soon.) And check Elysabethe’s previous posts if you need more ideas for yummy Disney-inspired recipes.
2. Disney-Bound your outfit. Think of your favorite character. What are their colors? You can do Minnie with red, white, and a little splash of yellow. (And don’t forget some polka dots!) Put together some purple, pink, and white for a Daisy-look. If you look better in fall colors, try out Pluto’s maize with accents of black and green. And then there are the princesses…a little Cinderella blue, Belle yellow, or Sleeping Beauty pink, perhaps?
3. Listen to Disney-inspired music. I don’t just mean park or movie music (though that works too), but think about your favorite locations in Disney. What kind of music plays in the background? Maybe it’s the Beatles at Pop Century or the bluegrass at Fort Wilderness. Personally, I like the ragtime at Casey’s. If it is out of your normal listening routine, try it out on a free app like Spotify or Pandora and let yourself visit your favorite Disney place for a while!
4. Join a Disney-Facebook group. If you search for “Disney,” there’s no end to the FB groups you will find! You can find groups for Disney foodies, crafters, cruisers, runners, and fans of every type!
5. Read Disney books and blogs. Getting lost in a good story is one of my favorite pastimes; getting lost in a really good Disney story is, in my opinion, the next best thing to strolling up Main Street. There’s no shortage of Disney books, from biographies of Walt to behind-the-scenes looks at the creation of Disney magic. A fellow Mousewife and I are currently lost in Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keepers series—one I highly recommend. Of course, blogs abound, as you no doubt noticed when you came upon this one. You can find blogs on Imagineering, attractions, Disney history, corporate Disney, Disney News, and of course, Disney food and travel.
6. I was only going to do 5, but I have to throw this one in…Sign up for a runDisney event and start training! Every morning when I get on the treadmill, I’m reminded that I have an event to look forward to, which brings me to the best fix of all…Book another trip and start planning!

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