I am a DisneyLife Brand Ambassador and this post was created in partnership with DisneyLife who have provided me with a free 12 month DisneyLifesubscription.
As much as I like a good episode of University Challenge, I’m a sucker for The Disney Channel. I pretend that I watch it just for Belle, but it’s hypnotic – everything so smiley and colourful and sassy. I can’t help myself. Sometimes I just walk past on my way to the kitchen while Belle is watching an episode of Liv and Maddie and ten minutes later I find I’m still stood there, still carrying a pile of dirty washing.
I like the classics that Bee watched as a teenager, like That’s So Raven and Wizards of Waverley Place, but I like some of the modern shows too. I’m partial to an episode of So Random, (you’ve got to admire that girl’s pluck), and I secretly quite like K.C. undercover. K.C. Cooper has got the moves.
So far with our DisneyLife subscription we’ve been able to enjoy a whole load of films, music, books and TV shows, but now DisneyLife has a brand new feature – LIVE TV! Yep that’s right, even more Disney characters and family fun.
DisneyLife is perfect for school holidays and Christmas holidays in particular. In the summer you can kick the kids out to play in the street in the evenings but in the middle of winter? Not so much. Christmas can be a bit overwhelming for children (and grown-ups) and so by the time Boxing Day comes around it’s brilliant to be able to pack them off into a quiet corner for a bit of downtime.
(Who am I kidding? I’m totally going to hide away with the Christmas tree and watch Sweet Home Alabama at some point over Christmas.)
You can set up up to ten devices with one DisneyLife subscription and you can watch The Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD live, so children of different ages can enjoy different activities at the same time. Live TV streaming is available on compatible devices – check yours here. View Post
I am a DisneyLife Brand Ambassador and this post was created in partnership with DisneyLife, who have provided me with a free 12 month DisneyLife subscription. Read on for my five favourite Disney Christmas songs.
It’s time for a quick Christmas quiz for you about me!
When it comes to Christmas songs, do I:
a) Prefer to wait until Christmas Eve to pop on a Bublé classics album at a moderate volume
b) Think it’s all a bit silly and prefer to sit quietly watching the Queen’s speech
c) Hum Jingle Bells to myself throughout the whole year and then insist on playing a Christmas playlist in the office from about mid-November.
If you didn’t answer ‘C’ then get out – you don’t know me at all. What are you even doing here? Have you not seen my hat? View Post
Belle, now 14, has always been massively in to Halloween. I think it’s something to do with the creativity of it. She really likes dressing up (remember last year she won that competition by dressing as a cereal killer?) and she loves doing make-up. I mean she really loves it. She has a massive make-up collection and she is the appointed make-up artist for this year’s school scary tours. (It’s a bit like a school show, but you walk around the school in small guided groups and spooky stuff happens to you. Kind of like a ghost train but you don’t get to sit down.)
She’s ace at it too.
She did my Halloween make-up last year, and every time I look at the photo I forget that I have my eyes shut. Seriously, I just typed that, so I should know, but I still looked and saw big open eyes:
One of her other very favourite things is watching TV, and so, today, I bring you…
Six spooky Halloween things to watch on the DisneyLife app!
See how smoothly I did that?
In case you’ve forgotten, we’re DisneyLife ambassadors, and we’re excellent ones at that. We all genuinely love Disney and apps. So it’s a no-brainer. Duh! The DisneyLife app has absolutely masses of content – it’s the best of Disney all in one place, and it’s only £9.99 a month. Even better, you can try it for free, so if you want to give it a go over half-term, then just sign up now.
Where was I? Oh yes, spooky shows on DisneyLife. Presumably you’ve just gone and signed up for the free trial (such is my power and influence). Excellent. Now you’re all set to check out our top six Halloween picks. I picked out the films and Bee, who is now 21 but still a massive Disney fan, picked out a couple of Halloween-themed episodes from her favourite Disney TV shows. (The app is multi-generational you guys!)
Wizards of Waverly Place – Season 3 episode 2
“The Wizards of Waverly Place Halloween episode is great because they have to design a haunted house,” says Bee, “so it gets you in the Halloween mood. It’s really funny, as well as there being a couple of jumpy parts to try and scare you. If you like ghosts and trick-or-treating, then definitely watch this episode for tips on how to get enough sweets to last you a whole year!”
Hocus Pocus
A classic Disney Halloween film if ever there was one. Belle has never seen this so it will definitely be on our half-term playlist. It stars the likes of Bette Midler and Sarah-Jessica Parker. It has to be said, the make-up and wardrobe is slightly less subtle than in Sex and the City.
Toy Story of Terror
Toy Story has to be one of my favourite ever film series. I went to see Toy Story 3 three times at the cinema and I cried every single time. The characters feel like they are an actual part of my life. Honestly. I don’t know what it is about Toy Story, but there is a real connection there.
Toy Story of Terror is a short film, exclusive to DisneyLife. I’d tell you what happens, but you already signed up remember? So you can watch it and see for yourself.
Frankenweenie
Nobody does creepy quite like Tim Burton. Expect some classic Tim Burton animation in this spooky tale about a boy who brings his dog back to life. Hilarity ensues, as I’m sure you can imagine.
Also on the DisneyLife app you’ll find a short behind the scenes film about the making of Frankenweenie.
JONAS – Season 1 episode 17
“In the Jonas Halloween episode,” says Bee, “as well as loads of cheesy Halloween jokes and funny moments, the handheld camera shots make it really spooky and the plot twist at the end is totally worth watching the whole episode for. This episode is one of the best in the series and even though it’s quite light-hearted, there are a few jumpy moments, so it’s perfect to watch on Halloween night.”
And finally…
Mom’s Got A Date With A Vampire
I’ve been on my fair share of bad dates. Like that guy who twiddled the hair on his mole – remember him? He would make a pretty good Halloween short film. As far as I know, though, I’ve never been on a date with an actual vampire. Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire is a film about two kids, desperate to get their mum out of the house, but it turns out they’re not the only one dying to get her on a date…
(See what I did there?)
Definitely worth a half-term watch.
What are your family’s favourite Halloween TV shows or films?
Skeleton image –Burhan Bunardi Xie/shutterstock. I am a DisneyLife Brand Ambassador and this post was created in partnership with DisneyLife who have provided me with a free 12 month DisneyLife membership.
This is going to be a post about two of my favourite things – travel and Disney. In particular, the DisneyLife app. (A new branch of the ‘favourite things’ tree.)
If you’ve read even a handful of my blog posts before, you’ll know that Belle and I are pretty much permanently on mini-breaks, holed up in some caravan somewhere, and in case you were in any doubt at all about the Disney element, here’s what hangs, pride of place, on the wall at home. I’m not sure whether Bee was more excited in Disneyland Paris, meeting Stitch, or at Camp Bestival, where she met Seth Lakeman. It’s a tough call.
The DisneyLife app
We are all very excited though about being part of the team of bloggers working with Disney to help people discover the DisneyLife app. And honestly, when I say I am excited, I really mean it. Not like when I say ‘I’m excited to be working with this new brand of high fibre cracker!’ (Although you know, it’s always nice to have work). This is proper ‘I might get to work with Disney! I can’t wait to hear from Disney!’ type excitement. Ask my fiancé, he’ll tell you how annoying I’ve been in the run up to this project going live. View Post
Belle has always been a little high-maintenance in the sleep department. It’s not her fault of course (just in case you are reading Belle), it’s just that some children seem to find it difficult to sleep. They get scared easily, they find it hard to relax in their own beds, and it can quickly become a vicious circle of associating their bed and bedroom with feeling anxious or lonely.
Although Belle spent quite a lot of time in my bed as a young child (and would now if I let her), I have always tried to keep her bedroom as comfortable and relaxing as possible, and to not make it a place that she connects with anger or stress. We do this by making sure she has her favourite things around her, choosing colours for the walls and furniture that she likes, putting up pictures and photographs and generally trying to make it as welcoming as possible. View Post
Have you seen Wreck it Ralph yet? You should. Wreck it Ralph is the new Disney film, released in the UK last Friday, and is everything you’d expect from Disney – fantastic animation, believable characters and a great plot to boot.
Wreck it Ralph is set in an arcade, and the imagination that has gone into creating each unique ‘world’ within each of the arcade machines in incredible. Here’s a little taster: View Post
I know right? Five hundred posts. That’s got to be at least 150,000 words, quite a lot of them a little on the dull side and many of them saying things like ‘I know right?’ and ‘So anyway…’
So anyway…
I thought it might be apt to make this birthday type post the post I use to tell you about our trip to Disneyland Paris, where they are currently celebrating their 20th birthday. We visited as guests of Disney, along with four other lovely bloggers – Pippa, Sian, Rosie and Sophie – and were treated to an advance screening of the fantastic new Disney film, Wreck it Ralph, out in the UK in February.
We also got to stay in the Disney hotel, the one right by the park gates where Mickey casually strolls around the corridors. It was certainly different from when we went last year and stayed in the Santa Fe barracks.
Last weekend also happened to be the weekend that Disney were officially launching Christmas, so there was the odd bauble here and there, and I think I may have heard one or two Christmas songs quietly playing from time to time.* Fortunately I LOVE Christmas, so I was quite happy to have ‘Dashing Through The Snow’ stuck in my head for days.
We had such a wonderful time that I thought I’d sum it up in photos. A picture is worth a thousand words after all…
Our favourite Disneyland Paris sign – ‘No doing the night fever dance on this ride’
About to take a ride on the service elevator of DOOOOMMMMM!!!!
Belle is confirmed as officially loud.
Happy Birthday Disneyland Paris!
Edible lolly table centrepieces
The Wreck it Ralph car made of sweeties
Belle watching the after hours laser show
Bye bye!
*Massive understatement
Find out more by following Disney on Facebook or You Tube.
I’ve decided it’s time to stop Belle watching so much television, effective immediately, with an additional complete ban on the Disney Channel. It’s a tough decision, given that the TV represents a significant chunk of my childcare, but I fear I have to do it, for two reasons.
Partly it’s because she seems to have become possessed with the spirit of Hannah Montana, and just cannot do as she is told without either hideous amounts of heavy sarcasm and talk-to-the-hand style arms gestures, or furious door slamming and feet stamping. Also, I’m becoming seriously concerned about the amount of advertising she is being exposed to. View Post
