5 Ways to Maximize your time at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

It's "Boo to You" season, and our family is excited about heading back to Walt Disney World Resort for some Fall Fun with Mickey and friends!

Split stay! So two sets of MagicBands. Those rose gold ears though! 

We're looking forward to some new experiences on the trip, like seeing the all new Pandora area at Disney's Animal Kingdom and trying the new character breakfast at Trattoria al Forno that features Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn! We'll also be staying at Art of Animation, that will be a first for our family, and I'm excited to see what the girls think about the The Little Mermaid rooms there, as it will be their first time seeing those!

We will be doing some returning favorites on this trip too though, and one of those is going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

We attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on Halloween Night, in both 2014 and 2015! Last year, we returned to Walt Disney World Resort during the Christmas season so we could try out Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! (Which is also a great time - check out why we loved that party as well HERE!) Our family LOVES dressing up in costumes, trick or treating in the park, and all things Halloween - so to say we are excited about returning during Halloween time at Disney would be an understatement!

Check out some of our previous Halloween trips on YouTube!

2014 -

2015 -

Ariel was obviously a very important character for us in 2015!

Maximizing our time at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

This year, we have a plan in place to maximize our time at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! We are attending the party one night - and here is our plan for having a SPOOKtacular time at the party!

1. We are taking it easy during the day on Party Day!

This one can vary depending on size of your party, ages of the people in your group, how many days you'll be at Walt Disney World Resort, and so on... but we've found for our family in particular, dedicating our party date to the party is what works best for us! We like to take some time to explore our resort, do some shopping at Disney Springs, and have a bite to eat at a character meal. We will not be going into a theme park during the day and instead opting to waiting until party time, so that we can make it as far into the evening as possible!

Historically, guests have been able to enter the parks at 4pm with party tickets, and it sounds like that should be the case this year as well. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party officially kicks off at 7pm and ends at midnight. And most years, we have been able to make it until the very end of the party - even when the girls were ages 2 & 4 and used to much earlier bedtimes!

Natalie "Letting it Go" before the party in 2014!

This year the girls will be ages 5 and 7 on party night, and we will have a plan in place to meet their current preferences of activities, which leads me to my next point...

2. Have a plan, but be flexible!

We will plan ahead of time by looking up the Mickey's Boo-to-You Parade times (this year will be at 9:15pm and 11:15pm, a bit later than it usually has been), Hallowishes Fireworks (10:15pm), and Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (8:15pm, 10:45pm, & 12:00am) - to chose the times that I think will be the best for us to try to attend for each event.

Our family likes to go do "an event", something like meeting a character, riding a ride, or seeing one of the party special events, and then going to do some trick or treating. The girls don't eat a ton of candy (and trust me, you can walk away with a TON) - but there is something very special about trick or treating in the middle of Magic Kingdom, so we try to make the most of our experience and fill our bags up throughout the night!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2014!

3. Meeting Characters

Character meet and greets were a VERY important part of our Disney experience when the girls were extremely small, you could say that our trips basically revolved around meeting the characters when they were preschoolers! Now seeing their favorite characters is still important, but we've found that riding particular rides have started making the list of "must dos" when we visit the theme parks as well! The holiday parties offer the opportunity to meet specific characters that are not available in the parks at other times of year or during regular theme park hours - so if one of these characters is on your "must see" list, then I would make sure to keep that in mind when doing your party planning.

We try to meet 1-2 of the party characters during the party time, to keep our evening balanced doing a variety of activities. This year, I see Moana being very close to the top of the list on our "must see" characters. In previous years, we knew that Tarzan, previously in Adventureland during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, would be a must see - because my older daughter went through quite a Tarzan phase! If you are able, lining up early before party time is often recommended for "must see" characters and occasionally characters may even start greeting before the official party start time.

Mulan, meet Tarzan. 

I always struggle with where to place waiting for the special characters into our schedule, but I will say that order of importance will differ by family. I know for our family, probably our top event at the party will be Mickey's Boo-to-You Parade, so I will time our character greets to either have us well done with the meet and greet prior to parade start time, or lining up afterwards. Hallowishes Fireworks are also AH-mazing, and the perimeter fireworks that go off during these fireworks are one of my all-time favorite Disney experiences, it is sure to not be missed by us either... which leaves lining up early party time, trying to squeeze meeting a character in between the parade and fireworks (which would not be optimal for us), or waiting until the end. This decision I will likely make on the fly, whether we chose beginning or end of the party based on crowd levels and dispositions of our party that day... however what I tend to do is ask the kids what their one or two MUST SEE characters are for the evening and plan around those!

4. Get our costume on to get our party on!

Our family LOVES to dress up in costumes? Did I mention that?? I know some families do not dress up at all or go with Halloween t-shirts, you will see the full range of clothing on Halloween party nights... for our family, being able to dress up and fully immerse ourselves in the experience is a bit part of the fun! I mean, when else am I going to be able to run around Walt Disney World in a green wig?

Wearing a green wig inside Cinderella's Royal Table, ya'll!

In 2014, it was our first Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween experience, and my husband & I dressed as Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. I couldn't quite talk the kids into doing the full matching thing... so we had an Elsa and Mulan that year trick-or-treating with us!

Then in 2015, we return on Halloween night to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween as Anger and Disgust from Inside Out, which had recently been released! Again, I couldn't quite get the kids to buy in on family costumes - though I got OH-SO-CLOSE.... they went trick-or-treating as Anna and Elsa. (Oh Frozen, you did have a stronghold on our house for quite some time...)

As Disgust and Anger in 2015!

THIS year... 2017. I've done it! We will be in a full family themed costumes! Inspired by Star Wars, which my girls have taken a liking to (yes, we are DEFINITELY counting down the days until the new Galaxy's Edge area opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios!!) we will be attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party as Han Solo, Princess Leia, Rey, and BB-8! (Insert squealing... lots and lots of squealing!) Stay tuned for pictures, because I think they will be classics!

BB-Natalie!

5. Take time out to have a treat

What's a Halloween party without a treat?! And Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will have plenty of treats this year! I'm looking forward to trying the Pumpkin Cheesecake Dome from Main Street Bakery or Gaston's Tavern...

Photo Courtesy: Disney Parks

... these delightfully spooky Haunted Mansion desserts at one of four locations throughout Magic Kingdom, I'm aiming for the Oreo filled one from Aloha Isle or raspberry filled one from Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies...

Photo Courtesy: Disney Parks

... and some Candy Corn ice cream that can also be found at Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies! YUM!

Photo Courtesy: Disney Parks

Boo to you, and you, and you... Happy Halloween!

So that is our family's plan to maximize our time at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and have a SPOOKtacular time at the most magical place on Earth! I'm looking forward to sharing our experience on YouTube after we return, and Disney vlogs will run in sequence until the end of the trip!

After all of the vlogs have been uploaded, check back here for a playlist to view them all at one time!

** We received complimentary tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. All opinions are my own.

Back to School... Fashion for Moms!

It's back to school time again, and moms everywhere are running around getting last minute school supplies, planning new school year schedules and freshening up the kids' wardrobes! It isn't just the kids that should add in some new style for back school though, I know I've always loved adding in some new pieces for Fall during back to school season and even now as a Mom have continued this tradition! I wanted to share some of my favorite pieces that I've been loving for the early Fall and back to school transition time period!

These pieces can take you from late summer and through Fall, I love pairing them with wedges or boots as the days get chillier. And they are versatile enough to work with leggings, skinny jeans, or capris!

1. Bobeau Split Neck Woven Blouse at NordstromRack.com, $24.97
 - Bobeau is one of my favorite brands to find at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. You can even find it at Marshall's or TJ Maxx sometimes as well. I have this tunic blouse is a different print and I love the long length and light weight material, it makes it perfect to transition from warmer months to cooler months. The tassels give it a bit of great detail as well!

2. Felicity Striped Dress at CharmingCharlie.com, $19
 - I have this dress in navy and have gotten tons of compliments on it, both in person and in videos! It is available on the Charming Charlie website in the red color. It is easy to pair with accessories and also would look great with a cardigan put over it in the cooler months!

3. Bobeau Embroidered Tank at NordstromRack.com, $24.97
  - I love the neck detail on this one and I've found over the summer that these long tanks with a bit of detail are so easy to wear! You just toss them on and instantly feel put together!

4. Tom's Stella Wedges at Zappos.com, $55.99
  - These are great basic wedges that I've been eyeing for quite some time - and they are now on sale at Zappos.com! The color would transition nicely into the fall and is a great natural tone that goes with everything!

5. Bryn Camera Bag, RebeccaMinkoff.com, $275
  - I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to a Beaches Resort in the Turks and Caicos islands, and as I mentioned on my YouTube channels - one of the main speakers at the conference will be Rebecca Minkoff! I've collected her items for years and love her classic styling with a bit of its own edge, because I feel like it has great personality but is very wearable for years to come. I've been looking at her recent releases for possibilities for my upcoming trips, and I really love this Bryn camera bag! Lots of room to store all of my... well, camera supplies! And stylish enough to transition between different types of events I will have to go to at blogger events. 

6. Cole Haan Elsie Cross Wedge at Zappos.com, $79.95
  - This are an easy to pair wedge in the Acorn color, that would go with a variety of outfits and occasions!

7. Long necklaces at Dillards.com, various prices
  - I shared in a recent blog that I've been loving a number of long necklaces that I found at Dillard's! They have had some great sales recently, and I found some beautiful long necklaces to wear with dresses and tunics. If you don't have a Dillard's near you, they also have a great selection online!

8. Rebecca Minkoff Adventure Awaits Passport Holder at Nordstrom.com, $45
  - Love this shimmery passport holder by Rebecca Minkoff and I think it would be great for my upcoming Caribbean trip! The phrase "Adventure Awaits" holds so much extra meaning for me, with all of our recent life changes! I'm ready to get out there and see what is waiting for me!


I hope this has given you some great ideas of pieces to add in your own Back to School wardrobe! These are some of the things I've been loving recently and shared in recent vlogs!

** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

5 Tips for Starting a YouTube Channel!

Today I'm sharing some of my top tips for starting a YouTube Channel! A few years ago, I did a "Stay at Home Mom September" series where I talked about this same subject, and since this this topic seems to come up in the comments every few months with viewers asking for suggestions on how they can use YouTube for memory keeping and start a channel of their own - I thought I would tackle it on the blog! So whether you are interested in starting YouTube as a business (which I'll talk a little bit more about in #4 below!) or whether it will strictly be intended for memory keeping for your family, here are some tips below on how to get started!

Screenshot from a recent video!

Here are 5 Tips to get started on YouTube!

1. Just Press Record!

This is my number one and really main thing that I always tell people when they ask how to start a channel on YouTube, "Just press record and start doing it!". That's how I and basically every other YouTube channel started out, we just decided to press record one day and so it began. Once you have the momentum to get started, I've found it gets more natural, video idea come to you, and you become more and more inclined to just pick up the camera and press record!

What camera do I vlog with? This is a popular sub-question asked a part of number one - and I vlog with a Canon g9x camera that was purchased on Amazon. We filmed our Spring 2016 Disney vacation, August 2016 Disney Cruise, and February 2017 Disney Land and Sea Adventure all with this camera!

2. Pick a channel name or brand that represents you...

... and will for some time. If you currently have one child and are thinking of having more, it make not make sense to select a name that projects you being a parent of only one child, and other scenarios similar to that I've seen come up a lot in YouTube groups. Also make sure that this name or brand is available across all of the social media platforms you're intending to use. For YouTube, one of the most important things about your "brand" may be that it is memorable, and people can remember how to get back to your channel through search or find you on other social media outlets.

A lot of people recently have gone to using their name and this is a growing trend within social media as well as on YouTube itself. I don't see anything wrong with using your name as your brand - it certainly makes the branding easier! However, I would say in the early days if you have a name that has a number of common spellings it may be a bit harder for people to find your channel or social media outlets.

I've chosen to stick with a "Channel name" myself, because it is my current preference and I've tied in my other social media, as well as this blog that you're reading, to go along with it - however if you've known my channel for a while, you probably also know that I am involved in a number of "side channel" venues as well, so maybe it would make sense to eventually some day go to my name as an umbrella over all of them. However my advice on this topic is simple, make it memorable, make it easy to say since you'll be saying it in vlogs over and over, and make sure it is easily searchable.

3. You don't need the "latest and greatest" equipment

Speaking to the last part of #1, you really do not NEED the latest and greatest equipment. Just press record... with whatever you have available to you!

When I started YouTube, I used a little $100 point and shoot camera that I already owned and eventually took over my husband's Nikon DSLR for sit down videos that he had purchased to take pictures of the girls when they were babies. I used what I had available to me. Nowadays, phones are such great quality that vlogging from your phone is a very real and possible solution.

Over the years, I've upgraded my equipment as my channel(s) have grown. I went from a Windows laptop to a MacBook for editing, and I purchased a slew of point of shoot cameras, mainly Canon - before I've finally been using the Canon g9x, which I love! I plan to add another Canon g9x and a waterproof likely Go Pro camera into our mix soon... but the point of this point is you don't need anything fancy to start out. Use what you have and just press record!

My current filming area in my office to film YouTube videos.

Light kit wise, I just use an inexpensive umbrella lighting kit from Amazon that I purchased a number of years ago. I have thought about getting a ring light for my camera as well, but since we film a number of "on the go" vlogs - I've opted to keep upgrading camera equipment over the basic lighting equipment that I have. Depending on the types of videos you do, other equipment may be more important to enhance your videos - however I think for most genres starting out just a regular camera or phone and regular lighting is good enough to get started!

4. Do it because you LOVE it

Okay, so regardless of your initial reasoning for starting a YouTube channel, you NEED to be doing it because you LOVE it. After being on YouTube for over 5 years, you definitely learn that there are constant ups and down within the industry. Preparing for them is the best thing you can do, but there are no guarantees in the YouTube world. You can be the hottest growing channel one minute and the next month the YouTube algorithm changes and your numbers tank. So my point is, do it because you love it... because there is no guarantee that you will make big bucks doing it. Sure, there are lots of YouTubers making a full time income from their channels, but persistence over time and consistency are worth a lot and generally are what make channels successful.

When you love doing something, that will come through in your videos and audiences are more receptive when they feel like you're being real with them. For a lot of people it doesn't happen overnight, in the beginning the growth is generally slower and then it snowballs into something more - so if you love it, stick with it and watch it blossom.

Filming on a cruise ship has definitely been a YouTube highlight for me, I poured love into every minute of that project!

5. Don't get consumed with the numbers

Ah, numbers. I have a love/hate relationship with numbers. Sure, the numbers are useful because they give you information from your audience about what videos they prefer to watch, when they like to watch them, and what they like to watch them on, however I want to make sure to impress one thing before I go any further...

"Your numbers on social media DO NOT define you as a person." Do not get bogged down in the thought that numbers some how reflect how likable or good of a person you are - because they don't. The truth is, numbers of social media can be affected by a number of variances, both within our control and out of our control. All you can do is put forth your best effort every day and give your genuine self to the audience, try to stay on top of trends and changes with the YouTube algorithm - but a down turn in numbers does not mean that you're suddenly bad in some way.

Use the numbers to gain insight into what your audience likes, where they are located, what time of day they prefer to be online on YouTube, and where they are finding your videos from. All of this information can help you figure out what types of videos you should be focusing on and when you should set them to upload. Social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc - are great ways to connect with your audience and build report, but may not necessarily have a one to one increase in your viewership on YouTube, so you should use those social media outlets as an audience outreach tool and "reminder" that you're around, so to speak.

The Wrap Up

I hope that these tips above have been helpful to help you just "press record" and get started doing YouTube! It is a great hobby that can turn into the best profession, but above all is a wonderful industry that you can meet lots of great people while doing it. I've enjoyed my time on YouTube immensely and connecting with my audience 5 days a week in videos is something I look forward to doing every week!

Check out those old videos from Stay at Home Mom September on the "Getting Started on YouTube" playlist below, because a lot of those tips are still great ones as well!

Let me know if you have any questions... and I'll see you on YouTube!

** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Disney Social Media Moms 2017

We are headed to Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2017!!

Thanks to Gayle, from DisneyGals for the awesome badge! Check out her post on Tips from the Disney Social Media Moms!

This is my first time attending the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and I'm excited to find out what's in store for our family! The first part of the conference is on land at Walt Disney World, where we will take part in special dinners, behind the scenes events, and get to meet with different companies to talk about our respective blogs/vlogs. Then, we head out to sea on the Disney Wonder with Disney Cruise Line for a full conference day and three full days of fun!!

I'm looking forward to sharing our adventure in vlogs on Being Mommy with Style when we return! In the mean time, make sure you're following me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook - where I will be posting real time pictures and live video from the conference!

** I was invited to attend the 2017 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. We will be receiving complimentary items and experiences that are included as a part of the conference experience. All opinions are my own.

Top 10 Viewed YouTube Videos of 2016!!

2016, what a year! Lots of ups, lots of downs... and lots of YouTube videos documenting it all along the way! One thing for certain is that 2016 will be memorable, I'm just hoping at this point that 2017 is a bit more on the positive side. There were lots of great moments in 2016 though, and we shared a number of them on YouTube!

Through it all, I'm just going to toot my own horn for a minute and say I'm proud of myself for sticking to it and resolving to "keep going" even with all of the extraordinary negative things we had happen this year. I didn't take any major breaks from vlogging (although I totally respect those that do when needed!!) and resolved that no matter what the year threw at me (and boy were some of them DOOZIES...) - I would find a way to keep going with YouTube. Our story may have changed from what I originally thought the year would look like, but I would keep telling it.

And so I did. And I'm proud of that. So while I personally would have chosen a number of different outcomes for some of the more negative scenarios of the year, I feel like we have come out the other side and we are ready to take on 2017. More on that in my upcoming year review...

For now, let's look back at the top ten viewed videos of the year! These were my highest viewed videos of the year, some very much a surprise that they took off as much as they did - these were what viewers wanted to see more of on Being Mommy with Style this year!


10. Christmas Morning 2015

Viewers LOVE seeing our Christmas activities, with Christmas morning being no exception! It's exciting for us to watch the girls open their gifts, and it's fun to share it with you as well! Christmas videos and Vlogmas in general are some of my favorite videos to look back on!

9. Disney Dream Cruise - Day 2, Nassau

The cruise was definitely one of the highest highs of the year, what a wonderful surprise by Disney! Our family had never cruised before, so this was an all new type of video for us, and viewers loved seeing a different type of vlog from us! I also found that there were fewer Disney Cruise Line vlogs on YouTube than Walt Disney World videos, so those interested in cruises really appreciated being able to see the experience! I'm excited to be sharing our upcoming cruise in 2017 and see an all new ship!

8. Natalie's First Dance Class 

The littlest dancers are so cute! This one was a surprise hit for me, even though I used to be a dancer and know how adorable that age bracket can be!

7. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Experience at the Castle

This experience at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World was AMAZING... it was Natalie's first time getting a makeover, and the first time the girls were able to do it together! They were seated next to each other and what unfolded was just... magical!

6. American Girl Shopping Surprise!

We love shopping, that is no secret - and American Girl has become one of our new favorite hobbies to do together! We were fortunate enough to get a "pop up" American Girl Store in Michigan for the holidays, so this video was checking it out for the first time!

5. Natalie's 5th Birthday

Watching people open gifts is just such a heart warming process, seeing that smile on their face when they see what is inside - it's just sure to brighten up your day! Viewers loved watching Natalie turn 5, and her birthday festivities that day!

4. Disney Dream Cruise, Embarkation Day

WOW!! I had no idea this video would be so popular! Viewers loved seeing our first day aboard the Disney Dream and what all the embarkation process entailed. It was a bit of a nerve-racking process before the fact, not knowing what to expect. Once we arrived we found it went quickly and smoothly and I feel much more confident going into our next cruise that embarkation will be a piece of cake! 

3. American Girl Dollhouse Finds

This is one of the videos that influenced our decision to start a new channel this year dedicated to toy reviews, including doll videos, and other vlogs that the girls want to film - INtoyreviews. I really enjoy this type of video and it seems that viewers do as well, we decided we wanted to do more of this type of video and with the girls starting to grab the camera on their own to vlog, we knew it was time to set up some more real estate on YouTube to place it on!

2. Kon Mari Organization Method - Clothing

The KonMari Organization Method continued in its popularity this year, with a cameo even in the Gilmore Girls Revival, more people sought out videos on YouTube about what all this tidying method entailed.

And drumroll please..........

1. American Girl Surprise!

With 1,157,000+ views during 2016, this fun video was my #1 viewed video on beingmommywithstyle in 2016!! I had no idea at the time I was filming it how successful it would be, and it become our highest viewed video on YouTube that we actually showed our faces in - and third highest overall lifetime viewed video on my channel! It made its way on to YouTubeKids and then took off from there, we actually came across a few people in our every day lives that came up to us and said, "Hey! We saw you on YouTubeKids!" - it was a surreal achievement to be sure!

And even though it was briefly mentioned above, let's just take time to specifically mention INtoyreviews which we started in 2016 as well! Some of my most popular videos on beingmommywithstyle have been toy related and while I may occasionally still have content related to toys from a mom point of view, as the girls are getting older they are getting more and more interested in YouTube and what it takes to film their own videos. We started INtoyreviews as a project together to place toy reviews I want to do additionally to anything I place on beingmommywithstyle, and any vlogs they want to film over on that channel! Stop on by and don't forget to subscribe!

It has been a whirlwind of a year, but through it all - YouTube has been there. Thank you for your support, kindness, and positivity you continue to give me on my channel! I hope I can bring you some brightness and joy to your day! If I do, then what I've set out to do has been achieved.

I will chat more in upcoming videos and blogs about what is in store for 2017! Until then...

** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.