Every year, Disney hosts a huge (highly exclusive and coveted) extravaganza for moms who are social media influencers called Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In the past, it’s been at The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, and it’s been so much fun to watch my “big” blogger friends enjoying the adventure with their families on Facebook. Last year I caught wind of a road show, and had the pleasure of attending the San Francisco (Berkeley) event. Not only was the keynote speaker a-mazing (I still hear her voice at times), I loved getting to meet so many of the local bloggers I’d only interacted with online.
Quite honestly, since I haven’t written for Disney Baby in awhile and have been a bit removed from other bloggers lately, I had no idea it was “that time” of year again. So you can imagine my surprise when — lounging in the Puerto Rican sun a couple months ago — I glanced at my email to find an invitation to the main event, which is being held at Disneyland this year. Flattered doesn’t begin to describe the feeling I had. Knowing how many truly talented moms there are in this space, I still can’t believe I made this selective list. (I won’t ask how, I won’t ask why, I won’t ask how…)
We went back and forth about whether my family would join me on this adventure, but we ultimately agreed this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. And this past weekend, we finally told the kids. Big hasn’t been since our mom/son adventure a couple years ago, and Little and Pink have yet to discover the magic. I wanted to have a bit of fun building excitement, so here’s how we did the big reveal…
Pink is loving Mickey Mouse Clubhouse these days, and the boys (though they’d totally deny it) are kind of digging it again too. So, just like the show, I gave them a problem to solve, along with some mouse-ka-tools.
Step 1: Gather ‘Round
We called all the kids into the living room and told them they had to work together to solve a puzzle. And handed them these:
Step 2: Mouse-ka-tools!
As every Clubhouse watcher knows, there are four mouse-ka-tools per episode, including a mystery one. I chose to make ours sunscreen, tennis shoes, and water bottles. Each had a clue and they had to run and gather the tools from around the house.
Step 3: The Mystery Mouse-ka-Tool!
I made them work a bit more for this one, because when they found it, they’d come across the big reveal.
Step 4: The Big Reveal
First they all agreed that Pink is the biggest Mickey Mouse lover (right now, at least…she has been carrying him around everywhere). Then Big realized it was her suitcase, and ran to her closet. Waiting there, the kids found:
Step 5: Cherish the Moment
Yep, they were excited!
How to Create Surprise Pages with PicMonkey.com
While you could certainly do all of this with construction paper and pens or paints, I did it in a hurry (note the not-so-consistent background colors) late the night before our big moment while avoiding doing my taxes. Here’s the step-by-step guide to creating a page:
1) Go to http://picmonkey.com
2) In the header nav, roll over “Design”, then click on the shape you want. I used “Square”.
3) In the left nav, you’ll see that it automatically sends you to “Canvas Color”. I click around on the color palette until I find a color I like. Then I slide the circle below the palette to get to the shade I want since all of the original colors are very bright. When you’ve found the color you like, click “Apply”.
(NOTE: If you want to be consistent with your colors, you can copy and paste the number/letter sequence next to your color onto a clipboard/doc to use later. OR, plan it out and do all the red pages at once, then all the blues, etc.)
4) Click the butterfly icon on the left nav. Choose “Geometric”, then click the picture of a circle. It will show up on your canvas. You can expand the circle by clicking and dragging the corners. Then click on the circle to “select” it, and drag it around with your mouse, or use the arrow keys to move it. Start with the face, then add two more circles for the ears. Repeat the sizing and placement process as needed.
5) When you’re ready to add text, click the “T” on the left nav. I used the “Schoolbell” font because it felt a bit like the whimsical Disney font. Once you’ve scrolled and selected the font you want to use, click “Add Text”. You can use the text menu box to resize, choose a color, etc.
6) After you’ve created the page you want, click “Save” in the top nav. Be sure to save each page you create with a different name. I saved mine to the desktop in “Sean” quality (which you’ll want to do if you include pictures).
7) I printed mine at 25%, and cut out the surrounding white space.
NOTE: If you want to add a personal photo on any of the pages like I did, you repeat 1-3, then click the butterfly icon. Click “Your Own” at the top of the left nav and upload the picture you want from your computer. I also added the talk bubble found in the butterfly icon section under “Comic Bubble”.
I hope your kids love this adventure (and the one that follows) too! I’d love to hear how this Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed reveal goes for your family if you decide to follow suit!
Brilliant! It’s going to be so special for all of you. Disneyland is full of memories and the history behind all of it is amazing. ***Hint: they only serve wine in California Disney or Club 33. Cheers Amy to you and your family.
Now you’re speaking my language, Katie! Thanks for the much-needed tip!