#VivaNavidad & #DisneyHolidays | My 1st Visit To Disneyland

Three years ago, we visited Walt Disney World and it was an emotional trip for me. Growing up, I always wanted to go to Disney. We just couldn't afford to go. Being able to give something to The Boy that I wanted as a child filled with me pride. And I was happy that we could experience Disney together for the first time.

Last week I was honored to be one of the Babble Latina Mom Bloggers invited to visit Disneyland. (And I was beyond excited since it was my very first visit to California.)

I knew that I would fall in love with Disneyland. But I had no idea how hard I'd fall. The Disneyland Hotel is all about the fine Disney details - from the headboard, to the light fixtures to the rug. My favorite were the throw pillows.

Then there was the walk through Downtown Disney. So happy that I got my holiday shopping done for The Boy! I know he's going to be excited about his gifts.

I was walking around Disneyland with the biggest grin on my face. I got on a few rides including - It's a Small World, the Jungle Cruise and the Haunted Mansion. Disney just makes me happy. It reminds me of all the possibilities that come with a single dream.

My visit to Disney, included a premier viewing of the “World Of Color – Winter Dreams” water show at Disney California Adventure. And it was simply AMAZING - unlike anything I've ever seen in my life.

There were moments when I had to fight back tears. I wished that The Husband and The Boy were with me. Nothing made me miss them more than walking through Disneyland without them. I felt guilty about being there without my family - really, really guilty. But it gave me ideas on how to plan our trip. Because I will return with them. I don't know when but it's going to happen. Disneyland is an experience I want The Boy to have.

There aren't enough words to describe the magic of the Disney Holidays. Check out how I used Disney Story to share my first visit to Disneyland and below get a sneak peek of the Disneyland ¡Viva Navidad! and World of Color fun!

“Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” takes over Paradise Gardens with a daily celebration inspired by the warmth and joyous spirit of Latino culture and holiday traditions. From Nov. 15 through Jan. 6, 2014, “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” offers special activities such as live Latino music, dance lessons, crafts and face painting for children and a “Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party.” The festivities also include traditional holiday foods. The grand finale of “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” will be the special celebration of Three Kings Day (Dia de lost Reyes), Jan. 3-6, 2014. 

 “World of Color - Winter Dreams” is an all-new version of “World of Color” in Disney California Adventure Park that brings the spirit of the holidays to life with music, humor and the joy of the season. Hosted by Olaf the snowman, from the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures animated feature “Frozen,” the show combines new animation with classic winter scenes and a funny Nutcracker scene danced by the toys from “Toy Story.”

Captain America Mask & Shield is Great for Pretend Play #HasbroHoliday

I remember when The Boy was initially going through the evaluation process. The doctor handed The Boy a toy car. Instead of "driving" the car and/or making "vroom vroom" sounds, The Boy, held the toy car close to his eyes and started spinning its wheels. And the doctor said, "I see he has no pretend play skills."

It's pretty hard to imagine a kid with no pretend play skills. It's the kind of thing many parents take for granted. Pretend play needed to be taught to him. And four years later, it is still something we work on.  (Though I am happy to report that The Boy has a collection of cars that he "drives" all over the apartment.)

But lately, The Boy has taken an interest in Super Heroes. And since The Husband is a huge comic book/super hero fan - I love that they have that shared interest. 

We were really excited to receive a this cool Captain America Hero Mask ($8.99 - 5 years & up) & Captain America Triple Blast Shield ($19.99 - 5 years & up) from Hasbro.

The Boy really loved putting on the mask and looking at himself in the mirror. The cool part about the mask is that it adjusts to fit adults - so Mom & Dad can get in on the fun too. He ran around the apartment with his mask and shield pretending to be Captain America. The Husband set up some action figures on a book case and The Boy was able to use the Triple Blast Shield to knock them down. He really got a kick out of that. And it was great to see how far he's come with his pretend play skills. 

For more information be sure to visit www.hasbro.com. They have super cool holiday gifts for kids of all ages. 

I am also really excited to host a great giveaway*. 

One of you could win this Captain America Mask & Triple Blast Shield too. And I'm making this super easy. All you need to is leave a comment below telling me: 

Which Marvel hero toys and action figures are 

YOUR kids requesting this holiday season?

* Giveaway is open to U.S. residents
* Must be 18 years & older to enter
* Giveaway ends Friday, December 14, 2012 11:59pm EST
* Winner will be chosen randomly via random.org & I will email the winner by Sat 12/16 

This is part of a product review campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Hasbro; complimentary products were provided.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

See What Unfolds

The Boy is busy. Always moving, running, jumping. It's pretty hard to keep up and often hard to calm him down. In Sensory Processing Disorder terms - The Boy has an extremely high level of energy. A few years ago an occupational therapist suggested we give The Boy gum to give him the input he needs.* So we send gum to school and we use it during therapy to help keep The Boy focused and on task.

Needless to say, we go through a lot of gum. For Christmas The Boy's Nino (padrino/godfather) often gives us boxes of Trident Layers gum as stocking stuffers. Trident Layers is The Boy's gum of choice - it gives him that burst of fruit flavor he loves and provides the oral sensory input he needs.

Typically, I don't give The Boy gum while we're out and about. This afternoon we did a little shopping and then hit the playground. I had just bought a few packs of Trident (Orchid Peach + Ripe Mango and Wild Strawberry + Tangy Citrus) to send to school and decided to give him a few pieces (I give him 2 or 3 at a time). Since we had the playground to ourselves I was able to sit and relax. (I may have stole a few pieces for myself.) And then something happened...

"Open it and see what unfolds"    

A little boy - I'll call him "Manny" - ran into the playground and asked The Boy if he wanted to play tag. And The Boy said yes. For the next thirty minutes, I watched as The Boy played with Manny. Yes, The Boy needed some prompting and redirection. Even when The Boy didn't seem interested, Manny persisted on playing with The Boy. And it was Manny who first approached me asking for The Boy's name.   

I had never seen The Boy engage like that before. I had never seen a little boy like Manny try to engage The Boy the way he did. It was only a few weeks before at the very same playground, two girls were laughing at The Boy for being different. And here was little Manny, wanting to be The Boy's friend.

When we left the playground, I thanked Manny and his mother. It was also the first time, I had taken the time to talk to another playground mom. She totally seemed to get it, she asked questions and offered words of encouragement. I hope we see them again. And next time we see them, I'll be sure to prompt The Boy to share his gum with Manny.   

Disclaimer: This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and TRIDENT. However, all opinions expressed are my own.




*Before engaging in new therapies or techniques for a child with Sensory Processing Disorder, parents should consult the family pediatrician or occupational therapist.
Read more: How to Calm Children with Sensory Processing Disorder