Sometimes, you just need to make your own fairytale

I will admit, as I sit amongst my laundry piles, I just watched the highlight reel of the Royal Wedding. Ok, I'll also admit that I watched it twice. And while we are admitting things, I have to say that I am a wee bit jealous.

Of course, we cannot compare lives in any shape or form, but I don't know a woman alive who doesn't want to be a Princess for a day. I know I do. My wedding dress has long since been packed away in a rubbermade container, only to be unearthed someday when my daughter wants to play with it or try it on and discard it for a $5000 version of the same dress. And that's OK. I've had my time, and she'll have hers. But I'm still jealous.

Which brings me to the thought that sometimes, you just have to make your own fairytale. Or, if you can't have the fairytale, settle for doing something nice for yourself whenever possible. I'm not sure what constitutes a happy place for you, but for me it could be one of many scenarios of both small and large proportions:

Have a massive, blow out vow renewal
If you like your husband enough to remarry him, what are you waiting for? Life is short. Plan a party. Whether you want it to be in your backyard or at Disneyland (which is, of course, where I would go), get yourself a pretty dress, a tiara, and a bunch of friends. You'll feel like a Princess, even for the day.

Take a nice vacation to a place where magic happens
Once again, I'd go to Disneyland. I'd slap on my Mouseears, eat in their themed restaurants, and run wild for the day. I may even be persuaded to go to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and get my hair done with my daughter, although I don't know if I can pull off the Cinderella look. You might want to go to a beach somewhere, put on a sarong, and drink MaiTai's while you watch the world go by.

You could do the same thing right in your hometown by renting a limo, going to a nice place, and even wearing high heels. Sometimes, you just have to let loose and get to the heart of your happiness.

Do something nice for yourself
What makes you feel good about yourself? Is it having a bath, uninterrupted by small children who are trying to hop in and share with you? Is it reading a book or going out for a coffee that doesn't taste watered down? For me, if I have to stick close to home, I like walking through book stores. I love walking aisle after aisle of books, and just getting lost in them. It doesn't necessarily make me feel like a Princess, but I feel....content. Do something that makes you feel content.

Yes, it is much easier to give such advice than take it. Even now, as I write this, having a day that would even be 1/1000 as magical as the Royal Wedding seems highly unlikely. But I'll keep dreaming, as I always do, and I hope you will as well.

And in the mean time, I'll watch that highlight reel one more time before I succumb to one more episode of Handy Manny. (Actually, Handy Manny has some serious adult themes. The sexual tension between Manny and Kelly is palpable.)

Vancouver's Disney Store is now open

Just a quick post to broadcast the news of Vancouver's new Disney Store at Metrotown.

Located on the lower level by the Bay, the store is one of the new concept stores. They have the Princess section with Magic Mirrors, a Cars section with build it yourself remote control cars, and the required pile of Disney plush. The cars section is very similar to RideMakerz in downtown Disneyland, and if you have a RideMakerz car (our boys have one each), you can switch out the shells and convert them to Lightening McQueen or Mater.

My favorite part of the new store is that they sell Vinyls! I've been collecting them slowly off of the Disney Store website, but to have full access to Toy Story, Villians, and the Park series of vinyls? Its almost too much excitement for someone who barely ever gets out of the house. 

The mural on the wall outside of the Vancouver Disney store

As you can see in the picture, there are trees in the store, but these aren't just any ordinary tree. They light up with movies and fireworks at random times throughout the day.

The cast members at the store really try hard to recreate Disney magic. One CM called my daughter "Princess' the entire time she was in the Rapunzel section, and they singled out a small visitor for a special honor complete with fireworks. I do believe that they also have the magical opening in the morning, where the first visitor gets to turn the key in the lock and keep a replica (I haven't seen it for myself, but I know other stores do this).



The Grand Opening is on April 16th at 10 am. Mickey and Minnie will be there in the central court as a meet and greet.  This is one store that you will want to spend an hour in, especially on a rainy day in Vancouver.

I'm a Disney fantatic. For other Disney related articles that I've written, visit Mousewait. Mousewait is the #1 Disney social app that provides you with accurate wait times while visiting the resort.