tips – Debbie Gillum Wakefield

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Disney World Tips

March 17, 2015April 15, 2018 Debbie

I recently went to Disney World with my mom and best friend, Emily, and I wanted to share some of my tips for having an amazing Disney vacation.

Tip #0: This post is a thinly disguised way of me to show off my vacation photos and tell you how much I enjoyed/ am missing Disney World. These tips are pretty non-earth-shattering.

Tip #1: Be a kid. I thought lollipops were only for little kids but no, they can be for anyone and they are always wonderful. I recommend splurging on a Disney lollipop and enjoying the Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride. It slowly takes you around Tomorrowland and allows you to enjoy you lolly.

Tip #2: Meet the characters. You’re never too old to take the time and meet the Disney characters. And I found myself talking more about my interactions with the characters than the rides, when people asked me how my trip was. In the Magic Kingdom, they now have a talking Mickey. Yup, the Mickey that we met “talked” to us and it was a pretty neat use of some fancy technology.

Also, when we met Anna and Elsa from Frozen, they were incredibly friendly and Anna would call little boys “little snowmen.” How adorable!

Tip #3: Go swimming. We took advantage of the nice weather and the fact that we weren’t in snowy Ohio by going to our hotel’s pool. Most Disney resort hotel pools are so incredible and even if you’re only at the pool for an hour or so, it’s a great thing to include in your vacation.

Tip #4: Make unique photos. Be more creative than everyone else by thinking of neat photo ideas. So like we spelled Ohio with the Epcot ball as our last O. And we also mimicked Anna and Elsa when they were displayed as flowers in Epcot. Have fun in your photos.

Tip #5: Make weird faces in your ride photos. Emily and I are experts at this. Whether it’s on Buzz Lightyear or Spaceship Earth, know where the camera is and make the strangest face you can think of. Emily and I laughed so hard when we saw the face that the other one had made.

Tip #6: Treat yo self. I’ve been trying very hard to spend less money recently but I did treat myself to things like a t-shirt, a photo frame and a mocha from the Epcot Starbucks. I was very excited to experience Starbucks at Disney World. Pretty much the only difference is the cup.

Tip #7: Enjoy the gift shops. They sell some incredible stuff at Disney. I’m not saying you need to buy any of it, but you should at least look at it. I mean, how amazing are those wine glasses and that beer stein?

Tip #8: Stay on Disney property. It’s not cheap but the perks make it worth it. You get free transportation by bus, free parking at the theme parks, extra magic hour perks, and really nice accommodations. We stayed at a DVC room at Old Key West and it was a gigantic hotel room with a lovely porch that overlooked “Turtle Pond.” It also had a full kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms and a washer/ dryer which we used.

blog, july, longaberger, organization, tips

How to Organize your Home

July 17, 2014 Debbie

This is a blog post I wrote for Longaberger‘s new blog. I wanted to share with home consultants how they can use Longaberger products to easily organize their lives.

Organizational Life Hacks

“Where did I put my [blank]?” Staying organized is important not only because it makes your home look nice, but also because it can reduce stress – so don’t waste another minute searching for anything. Try cleaning up your home with baskets – they make great organizers and are über portable. Treat yourself to an organized and clutter-free life with these easy tips.

Kitchen

Keep utensil drawers tidy by using different size basket protectors.
Clean out your refrigerator and freezer by taking everything out. Take inventory of what you have. Wipe off the shelves inside. Move food back in, taking care to group similar foods together.
Stack smaller ceramic bowls inside larger bowls or containers.
Only give appliances you use daily a prized spot on your kitchen counter. Other appliances can be kept behind cabinet doors.
Organize your pantry like this:

Top Shelf: lightweight packages of cereal, pastas, rice, crackers and chips
Middle shelf: oils in small baskets, vinegars, flours, sugars, and other dry goods.
Lower shelf: canned goods, food in jars, and bottles. Sort them in ceramic pans or bowls.
Floor: heavy items such as canned or bottled beverages and baskets of vegetables like potatoes.

Office

Use a sticky note to remind yourself when papers can be tossed or shredded, so you don’t end up keeping them indefinitely. Otherwise old papers will swallow your desk.
Sort your papers in baskets by level of importance, timeliness or date. This is your opportunity to go crazy with the label maker.
Go vertical. Baskets stack easily and can hold a lot of papers and files. You can also use shelves, wall-mounts, or hooks to maximize your office space.
Use binder clips to keep the power cords around your desk untangled and out of the way. Attach the clips to the side of the desk and insert the end of each cord in the silver looping structure. Then sit back and watch your coworkers marvel at your genius.

Travel

When traveling, pack your earrings in a pill case to keep them from getting lost. You can also pin them on an old tie or corkboard. No longer will you return home with just one earring!
Before packing, lay clothes out on your bed to visualize your outfits for each day. This ensures you bring only the clothes you’ll actually wear.
Thread delicate necklace chains through straws to keep them tangle free. Too many times I’ve returned home with a ball of tightly tangled necklaces. Skip the headache.
For a road trip, keep snacks, games, maps, CDs, books and drinks in a big handy basket. Bored children = unhappy children.

Laundry Room

Assign each member of the family their own basket so they have a place to put everything needed to get out the door in the morning, such as textbooks, hats, scarves, purses, sunglasses, etc. It’ll help them get out the door faster.
Laminate a “how to fight stains” chart and hang it on the wall in the laundry room, where you can refer to it when needed. Keep a basket full of stain-fighting tools like a bleach pin, scrubbing brush, etc., above the washer. Not that you ever get stains on your clothes or anything…

Bathroom

Place small items like eyeliner pencils or makeup brushes in a ceramic mug.
Corral extra bathroom supplies into baskets. You can store them under the sink if you want it out of sight, or you can stack them in the corner.
Hang a basket on the wall and put extra towels or toilet paper inside. This trend is all over Pinterest and the blogosphere.

Closet

Hats, scarves, mittens, belts and purses can go in a hanging basket so they’ll be visible and within reach.
Organize clothes either by color or category. For example, put all button-down shirts with each other or all red shirts together. Your closet will look better and picking out an outfit won’t be as much of a nightmare.
Assign different color hangers to different seasons of clothes. Move seasonal clothes out of the way into baskets at the top of your closet.

So there you go. Now you can get more room out of your house, stay super organized and make it look pretty. Whether you’ve got five minutes or a whole weekend, there’s no better time to get your life (finally) in order!

disney, disneyworld, tips, travel

Hidden Mickeys: Oh look, there’s one!

January 21, 2014April 15, 2018 Debbie

If you’ve gone to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, you’ve perhaps noticed the Hidden Mickey phenomenon. A Hidden Mickey is a Mickey Mouse shaped three-circle design that is somewhere disguised in an attraction or around the park. Some are more obvious than others. Entire books have been written about finding these Hidden Mickeys. Once you find one, you continue to see it every time you return. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite Hidden Mickeys and funny signs that I always notice at Walt Disney World.

In Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger spin, look at the planet that seems like Earth. Notice the Mickey?

In Mickey’s Phillarmagic (in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom) look at the right side of the stage to notice this Hidden Mickey in the French Horn.

If you stay at a Disney Resort, look around your room for Hidden Mickeys like in this lamp.

At the Boardwalk resort, Mickey is in the carpet riding a roller coaster.

Note the pink Mickey heads in the left and right side.

Okay this isn’t a Hidden Mickey, but in Monsters Inc. Laughfloor in Tomorrowland of Magic Kingdom, read the notes in the pre-show room.

A funny note from the Laughfloor waiting area

A funny sign from Rock n Roller Coaster

Another funny sign from Jungle Cruise

The Jungle Cruise is hilarious. Look for this sign before you get on the boat.

2014, debbie, debbiegillum, deborahgillum, disney, disneyworld, gillum, packing, tips, travel

Pack with me

January 10, 2014April 15, 2018 Debbie

Make little clothes people on your bed to plan outfits

Tomorrow I’m leaving for Disney World! We go there every year so I’m an experienced Disney traveler. For tips about Disney World see this post. For tips about how I pack for my adventure, read on. (Note that some of these packing tips are specific to females.)
How to pack:

Do laundry. This way you can see all of the clothes you have to work with and so you don’t come home to smelly clothes. You’ll be shocked at how many clothes you actually own. If not, immediately go on a wild shopping spree with your dad’s credit card.
Try on the clothes you’re thinking of taking. I find that a top that sometimes looks great on the hanger, doesn’t look as good on me. (Meaning, I probably shouldn’t have bough it in the first place. Oh well.) Or I’ll find that my weight has changed and pants fit differently. (If only cookies were healthy for you…) Put on the clothes you’re thinking of bringing and look in the mirror.
Lay them out on your bed. Make piles for each day you’ll be away. This helps you visually check you’re packing shirts, pants, underwear, socks, shoes, bras, camisoles, etc for each day. Plus then it will look like you have six stylish friends laying on your bed.
Be sure you pack pajamas or comfy clothes you can also sleep in. Do not forget your pajamas. Not that I’ve ever done that or anything. Puh-lease. What kind of idiot would forget jammy jams? Psh.
Put socks and underwear inside shoes to help the shoes keep their shape and to save room. Ain’t nobody want their shoes to get crushed in their luggage. That sucks. This also makes it easy to find your socks and underwear when you arrive. No more pawing through your luggage for clean undies.
Figure out what you’re wearing the day you leave, on the plane. Wear your heaviest clothes and layer to save room in your luggage. If it turns out to be hot in the airport, be sure to make a spectacle of slowly and sexily stripping off your excess layers.
Roll up pants tightly and fold shirts. Use rubber bands to keep them rolled up. Pack pants first in the bottom of your suitcase. Carefully place clothes in suitcase. Don’t just throw them in there. How would you like to be thrown into a suitcase?

Cram your socks and undies in shoes
What jewelry wil you wear? Place earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets in baggies. Then pray to God that they don’t become a tangled mess when you arrive at your destination.
Pack toiletries. If you’re flying and checking a bag, put all your liquids in that bag. If you’re not checking a bag, put liquids into a baggie and keep them under 3 oz. My dermatologist and dentist give out tiny samples that are perfectly travel size. Be sure to reminisce on the days before Sept. 11 when you could carry on any liquids you wanted.
Pack stuff to do. Airports are treacherous boring hellholes. So, I packed two books, my ipad and my journal to keep my occupied. I used to bring my Gameboy with me, but I’m “too old” for that now 😉 I’d encourage you to bring whatever Gameboy, Pokemon, Walkman, Tamigotchi, Furby or other 90s toy you have. Don’t bother bringing headphones, your neighbors will immensely enjoy hearing whatever you’re doing.

Play liquid Tetris inside a Ziploc baggie. New high score!

Make sure there aren’t any liquids in your purse or backpack. I’ll never forget when TSA confiscated a bottle of apple juice I forgot was in my backpack. I cried for weeks. Be sure to take out your hand sanitizer, dump out your water bottle and move liquids into your little liquid baggie. Heck, even empty the liquid in your bladder, unless it’s less than 3oz.

Tightly roll pants and shirts while humming “Roll up”

Be sure each day you have what you need to wear. Or else.

What I usually Pack aka Packing list for female Dummies:

TOILETRIES

Facial Cleanser
Moisturizer
Foundation
Loofa in a ziploc bag
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Razor
Lotion
Deodorant
Hairbrush
Comb
Trial sizes of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel

CLOTHES

Walking Shoes
Flip Flops
T-shirts
Tank tops
Jacket or Cardigan
Swimsuit
Underwear
Bras
Socks
Shorts
Jeans
Pajamas

EXTRAS

Purse/ bag
Books
iPad
Sunscreen
Camera (plus charger)
Sunglasses
Journal
iPod (charger)

All photos taken by me. Admire my awesome point and shoot photography skills.

2014, debbie, deborahgillum, hacks, informative, life, lifehacks, tips, travel

My Life Hacks

January 4, 2014April 15, 2018 Debbie

Life Hacks that I’ve learned and used over the years. These will help you stay organized and pack more efficiently.

To best keep old headphones organized, take bits of cardboard and cut them into small pieces. Make a cut on the top and bottom then wrap the headphones around the cardboard. You can also keep them in small plastic containers.

When packing earrings for a trip, pin them onto an old tie. I did this when I went to Denmark for four months. I borrowed my dad’s old tie, chose my earrings, folded it up carefully in my luggage and when I arrived, all I had to do was tie it up somewhere so I could see the earrings. Easy!

With your earrings on a tie, you can easily pack them, see all of your earrings and you can fit a lot.

To display bracelets, use old toiler paper roll holders. I wrapped them in blue wrapping paper so they looked nicer.

Buy one of these cheap toothbrush holders. I found this at Wal-Mart for $2. It sticks to your mirror with suction cups and you can use it to hold toothpaste, toothbrushes, teaser combs and other combs. I have one at home and school.

Clip your hair clippies onto your hairbrush holder. This way, you can easily see them and access them for styling your hair.

For a cute way to diaplay stuffed animals like Beanie Babies, build them a a beanie ark. My uncle built this for me when I was little. You can fit tons of Beanie Babies on this. However, make sure to include two of every animal!

When travelling, save room in your suitcase by stuffing your shoes with socks, underwear, t-shirts, tank tops, etc. This is a big help. Let’s hope you have pretty big shoes to fill. haha

In this box, I squished a pair of pants, two long sleeve shirts and a sweatshirt. This is what packing looks like when you don’t fold or roll up your clothes. Don’t do this.

Much better! To save room when packing, tightly roll up your clothes. You can even use rubber bands to make sure they stay tightly rolled. You’ll be amazed how much space this saves.

The cheapest and best lip moisturizer around is petroleum jelly. My dermatologist recommended this to me in middle school and I’ve been using it ever since. Put some on before you go to bed and wake up with softer lips. It’s better than any chap stick or lip gloss.

A fun way to display rings is on a mannequin hand. I got this off eBay a few years ago. Bonus: You can practice manicures on this hand. It also comes in handy around Halloween or for pranks.

To remember which cord goes with what device, use a matching sticker. I put a blue sticker on the device and the cord. I also put a sticky note on it. You can also use a bread tab thing to mark the cord.

More Life Hacks:

http://dedalvs.tumblr.com/post/48998678919/99-life-hacks-to-make-your-life-easier

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/01/50-life-hacks-to-simplify-your-world/

Photos taken by Debbie.

debbie, disney, disneyworld, tips

My Disney World Fun Facts and Tips

January 2, 2014April 15, 2018 Debbie

Planning on a trip to Walt Disney World soon? Impress your friends and family by reciting some of these fun facts and save time with these helpful tips. I’ve been going to Disney all of my life and enjoy reading books, magazines, and blogs about Disney World.

Fun Disney World Facts

Green font = Credit goes to this Mousejunkies book

The voice of the ghost host on the Haunted Mansion is none other than Paul Frees, the voice of Boris from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show.
The voice of the daughter of Carousel of Progress is Debi Derryberry, the voice of Jimmy Neutron and the grumpy cousin Orville is Mel Blanc, voice of Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh rides makes a subtle nod at the Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride which used to stand in its place when you go through the first set of doors inside the ride to your back left you can see a painting of Mr. Toad delivering the deed to Owl.

My mom and I did a Segway Tour
in Epcot because we’re that cool, yes.

It’s a Small World is sung in English, Spanish, Japanese, Swedish and Italian.
In Haunted Mansion, the farthest left singing bust in the graveyard is voiced by the guy who did Tony the Tiger.
Pirates of the Caribbean has 125 audio animatronic figures.
Look for the Hidden Mickey on Soarin’ in the PGA West coast golf scene. Mickey is on the golf ball.
There are 325 animals in the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom. It took artists 18 months to build.
The song they play on the radio on Kilimanjaro Safari is called “Hapa Duniani” by African Dawn
In the pre-show video for Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom, the woman is Phylicia Rashad from The Cosby Show and the guy is Wallace Langham from CSI. Who knew?
The most expensive restaurant at Disney World is at the Grand Floridian’s Victoria and Albert’s.
People used to toss loved one’s ashes on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.
A horror film called Escape From Tomorrow was secretly made in Walt Disney World. You can buy the film on iTunes. Knock on wood but Disney hasn’t sued them yet. It’s a psychological thriller that adult Disney fans can enjoy.
The Tower of Terror is the most popular ride for employees to work at because they don’t have to smile when they work there.
Employees used to joke that EPCOT stood for “Every Person Comes Out Tired.” It actually stands for Experimental Protocol City of Tomorrow.
You can get married in front of Cinderella Castle…if you’re willing to say “I Do” at 8am before the park opens.

Surprisingly, no one in Denmark
wore hats like this.

Walt Disney World Tips

To boost your score on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin aim for targets that move, small or far away. If you hit the back of the first room robot’s left wrist or Planet Z Zurg’s space scooter you’ll score 100,000 points.
Try on the funny hats in the gift shops and take a picture. It’s cheaper than buying the $20 hat and makes for a cute memory.
In general, choose the line to the left. Most people go right.
To avoid crowds, start in the back of the park and work forward.
Send one person ahead to get all of your Fastpasses.
We like to go early in the morning, nap in the afternoon and go back to the park at night
Start your day early in the park which will have Extra Evening Magic Hours. So, basically do the opposite of what you would normally do.

Tip: On Spaceship Earth, make a goofy
face when they take your picture.

Don’t be afraid to make an ugly or goofy face. Rides like Splash Mountain, Spaceship Earth, Buzz Lightyear and more take your picture in obvious spots so pose for the camera. Then, sneakily take a picture of that picture.

We bring a small backpack and share it between the two of us. It contains essentials like gum, candy, fruit snacks, granola bars, a small water bottle, phones, cameras, and wallets.
To save money on food, go to a nearby grocery store and stock up on snacks. Bring said snacks into the park with you and sneakily eat them on boring rides such as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority or the Hall of Presidents.
For a unique souvenir, ask the characters to sign a baseball cap, t-shirt or something like that. This way, you can show off the signatures and they won’t just sit in an old autograph book. Note: they won’t sign the t-shirt if you’re wearing it.
Talk to the characters. Don’t just shove the autograph book in their face, smile at the camera and walk away. Ask Belle what book she’s reading, call Aladdin a street rat (see what he does…), bring a frog stuffed animal to Tiana, compliment Pocahontas’ necklace, or compare muscles with Gaston. Characters are always ready to play with guests. (Belle asked me what book I was reading and then I asked her what she was reading. She and the Beast were reading Romeo and Juliet.)
If you wear a name tag, cast members will call you by name. We bought name tags that resemble cast member name tags and we often get called out for it by friendly employees. You can go to Guest Services and tell them it’s your birthday to get a neat personalized birthday button. Everybody will refer to you by name.
All counter service restaurants will give you a free cup of water or a free cup of hot water.
Attractions don’t close when the parks close. This means you can get in a 90-minute line at 10:59 p.m. when the parks close at 11 p.m. and be in the park well past closing.
If you see a tree heading down the sidewalks of Animal Kingdom, stop and watch. It’s actually DiVine, an incredibly talented and camouflaged performer. Also, if you see a trash can roaming around Tomorrowland, stop and chat with it. His name is Push. See if you can spot the cast member talking into his backpack nearby.
My final tip is to stop and smell the roses. Take your time in the park by looking up, down and all around you at all of the details that the Imagineers have put in. Notice the Hidden Mickeys, listen to the music, and talk to the cast members. It’s the little quirky details that are the things you remember most.