What to Eat
My friend Marla (a wonderful artist who also teaches the sip-and-paint classes offered at the Disney World hotels--follow her on Instagram @marla_e_artist) told me that Disney is sharing certain park favorite recipes on their app, My Disney Experience! So far they've shared a Dole Whip recipe (blend 4oz pineapple juice with 2 cups of frozen pineapple, and add one big scoop of vanilla ice cream, to make 4 servings), and the Disney Parks Blog has a Mickey Mouse Beignets recipe, and churro recipe! There are a lot of copycat recipes floating around on the great interwebs! I've also seen Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches at my local grocery store (I currently have the sandwiches in my freezer). I recommend using InstaCart or Shipt for any grocery errands (and please tip your shoppers)! You can also make Mickey-shaped ANYTHING if you have cookie cutters, circular food (Oreos, Nilla wafers, banana slices), and/or imagination! Just the other day I made a Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie sundae, thanks to my oversized Mickey cookie cutter!
What to Watch
What to Craft
What to Wear
These days you might feel like it doesn't matter WHAT you wear--you don't have to go anywhere, and no one will judge you but your cat. But our appearances affect how we FEEL! Don't forget what Jerry told George when he showed up in sweatpants! I have a long history (starting in 2012 when I first stumbled upon the tumblr account) of putting together Disneybounds (if you don't know, please drop everything and click here), in which you put together an outfit based on a Disney character (it's not a costume). Canadian Leslie Kay and her friend dreamed this up years ago when they were getting excited for a trip to the parks--they were Disney-bound, and playing it up to get excited about their trip! A woman after my own heart! This trend has really blown up over the last few years and she even released a book this month! If you have Instagram, you can follow the trend at @thedisneybound where she shares flatlays of outfits and pictures of people just like you and me in their Disneybound finest! Another fun Disney fashion account to follow is @ashtinelikekutcher, who also posts flatlays (all the elements of an outfit arranged together and laid out flat, like an outfit display without the mannequin) of Disney-inspired outfits, and where to find everything!
What to Listen To
I've been listening to a Disney mix on Pandora (I ask Alexa, "Play Disney on Pandora," and she says, "Disney--CHILDREN'S--radio, on Elyse's Pandora Account" and I feel like she's making fun of me every time) on those rare occasions when I'm not on the couch watching TV. I'm not a podcast-listener yet, so I don't have any Disney ones to recommend, but I'm sure they exist! You can also look up soundtracks on Spotify and YouTube. On Instagram, @michaeldoesdisney was posting daily COVID-19 related Disney spoofs that are very entertaining to watch, and he also recommended an account, @disneyworldsounds, which uploads exactly what you'd think--minute-long sounds of Disney World, including ride music and announcements, parade music, voiceovers, and environment sounds (i.e. Main Street USA background music)! You can also tune into one of my live couch concerts where I play originals and covers (including Disney songs and a special ukulele Disney medley I put together) on my instagram account, @elysebuckley!