Category Archives: Disney at Home

ASICS Studio App Review

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ASICS Studio App Review

Now that the Fairy Tale Challenge is behind us, I’ve been having issues with motivation. I don’t want to get on the treadmill.  Not even a little bit.  I had been lifting weights twice a week, pre-Princess weekend, and I don’t want to do that either.  Not doing anything is not a viable option as Raymond has registered us for a 60-mile cycling event in May and I need to be ready.  Plus, I’m certain I’ll have another runDisney event in my future…just have to decide on one.

Enter the ASICS Studio AppASICS Studio App Review

I’m pretty sure it was an ad in my Facebook feed that sent me to the app store to check out ASICS Studio. I knew ASICS owned the Runkeeper app I’ve been using to track my outdoor runs for years, so I figured I might like this new offering.  What I wasn’t expecting was that I’d like it enough to pay the subscription price for access the entire contents.

What does the app offer?

Audio Workout Coaching.  Choose from Strength Training, Treadmill, Fusion (strength + cardio), Outdoor Running, Indoor Cycling, and Elliptical workouts.  Within the Strength Training and Fusion categories, you can choose what (if any) equipment you’d like to use.

What I loveASICS Studio App Review

The trainers are very motivational.  So far, I’ve completed ten workouts:  Seven running, two strength-training and one indoor cycling workout.  I feel the trainers do an outstanding job of helping me stay focused, use good form, and push harder than I would if left to my own devices.  For example – I rarely run on an incline on my treadmill because my outdoor runs are almost always on hilly terrain.  I completed (barely) a 40-minute treadmill workout called “Hill Yes” with Coach Erin and it was brutal!  It made me realize that I can (and should) get an awesome hill run in on my treadmill from time to time.ASICS Studio App Review

If you need a new challenge or motivation to push harder to improve speed or endurance (or both), these workouts may be just the ticket.  As an added bonus, you can tell the app what you’re trying to accomplish (run faster, lose weight, build muscle, etc.) and it will recommend workouts to you, making the ASICS Studio experience more personalized.

What I’d change

While there are currently 26 classes available for treadmill workouts, there are only 8 classes for indoor cycling.  The longest cycling workout is 24 minutes.  I’d like to see more and longer options for indoor cycling. (I do see new classes added all the time.)

There are (today) 61 classes for strength training of all different lengths.  Some use only body weight and some require simple equipment like dumbbells, bench, yoga mat and/or kettle bells.  While I’ve only tried a couple short strength classes after running, I wish the trainers would allow about 5 seconds to change positions between exercises.  I’m no spring chicken, so for example, getting from laying on the ground to standing up and grabbing weights for the next exercise sometimes uses up a chunk of the time I’m supposed to be doing that next exercise.

Final Thoughts

From what I can tell, subscription prices vary depending on the length of time purchased.  I went for the one-year plan which ends up being about $8/month.  This is way less than a gym membership would be and I can exercise anywhere with this app, including when I travel.  Post-workout, those encouraging emails from ASICS Studios are great and help keep me motivated. So far, the app has exceeded my expectations and is not only getting me back on track with my workouts, I’m quickly improving both my running speed and endurance.  Now, if it’ll just stop raining every weekend, I can get those much-needed cycling miles in!

What’s your favorite workout app?

Disney DIY – Minnie Spring Wreath

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Disney DIY - Minnie Spring WreathAs so often happens, creativity struck when I noticed a 50%-off sale at my favorite hobby store.  This time for artificial flowers.  There was a huge selection and I wanted to be frugal, but have a nice finished project.  I’m positive I invested more time shopping for flowers than I did putting the wreath together.  I seriously spent very little money and hardly any time on the entire endeavor.  You know I’m lazy when it comes to stuff like this.  I strive for maximum results from minimum effort (a challenge I can’t resist).  So, if you decide to take on this project, your results could be much better than mine.  As it is, I’m pretty pleased with the payoff my modest time/money investment produced.Disney DIY - Minnie Spring Wreath

Disney DIY – Minnie Spring Wreath

What You’ll Need

  • Three grapevine wreaths (one large, two small)
  • Wire
  • Flowers (put together a bouquet of colors you love)
  • Greenery

I know there’s an official ears-to-head ratio for Mickey and Minnie (ears are 3/5th the size of the head).  The two smaller wreaths I bought were too small to be officially correct to that ratio and I knew this going in.  Two factors were at play: the wreath selection was limited and the end product needed to actually fit on my front door.  To compensate for this problem, I plumped up the ears with the addition of some greenery and was happy with how it turned out.  Do the best with what you’ve got!

So Easy, Anyone Can Do It!

I started by pre-cutting several lengths of wire.  Then I added greenery to the ears and head.  On the ears, I was careful to keep the greenery to the outside, top edges in order to add volume and make them look larger.  I did this before wiring the ears onto the head, which was super easy.  This part took about 10 minutes.  Next, I started wiring flowers onto Minnie’s head.  I started with the biggest clusters of flowers, added the one giant pink flower, then finally filled in with accent sprays and smaller flowers.  Disney DIY - Minnie Spring WreathThat’s it.  Took maybe 30 minutes, max.  You could easily make this fancier with the addition of some ribbon, flowers in hidden Mickey shapes, or maybe even a small bird’s next with eggs in it.  What do you think?  Is this something you’d try?  I did a Christmas version here and a Halloween wreath here.

Have you completed a spring Disney project?  I’d love to see it!

Disney’s Pocahontas – Percy Bank

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Recently, my friend and Disney Exchange Podcast cohost, Nick, decided to divest himself of some of his amazing Disneyana collection via eBay. He was telling Dave and me about some of his auction items and when he mentioned Percy (the dog from Pocahontas), I actually started listening was all ears!  I love Percy!  Turns out, my Percy fandom may be unusual because Nick’s Percy bank didn’t sell.  A few days later, it arrived on my doorstep!  Nick’s an excellent friend and now I’m the proud owner of this adorable Percy!

Disney’s Pocahontas – Percy Bank

For many parents, there’s a Disney movie or two that gets watched an extraordinarily enormous number of times. For our family, the first of these movies was Pocahontas.  Released in 1995 when Megan was almost five and Joseph a newborn, its importance in our household was both serious and lengthy.  When released to video, Pocahontas became one of the most-watched Disney movies in Green family history.

Megan had the full Pocahontas costume complete with fancy armband and necklace. She wore it almost daily until it unfortunately became too small.  Megan’s hair was long like Pocahontas’ and she became Pocahontas every time we watched the movie.  Dozens of times, probably, which back then certainly felt like hundreds.  We sang every song with gusto and enjoyed Pocahontas-themed snacks.

And this leads me to why the character of Percy is near and dear to my heart.

Photo courtesy of magazinesandbooks.com

It was the Sweet Tarts. Back in the ’90s, you could buy a long tube of Sweet Tart candies shaped like characters from Pocahontas.  Megan was a sweet and caring little girl who loved to share, so when she asked me if I wanted a piece of candy and I said yes, she wanted to know precisely which character I wanted most.  I chose the green Percy Sweet Tart and am certain I effusively praised its deliciousness.  When the candies were gone, Megan turned to me and held out her closed fist.  I held out my hand and into it she dropped a small pile of green Percys, having saved every one of them for me.  The sweet and happy memory of the green Percys has stuck with me over the years.  Every time I see Percy I think about the sweet, funny, and loving little Pocahontas that lived with us back then.

So now I have this Percy.  And I love him.  Megan will absolutely love him too and I know Percy will have a place of honor in the nursery we’re decorating for the July arrival of our family’s newest Disney fan.

Thanks, Nick.  Like your friendship, Percy will always be cherished.

2018 Will Be One for the Books – All the News at Once

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This empty nesting business is not at all what we’d been warned to expect.  We’d heard scary stories about sadness, boredom, loneliness, marital discord even.  I’m pleased to report that none of that stuff has happened.  We’re spending our time on more adventures than ever and while it may only be January, I’m happy to say…

2018 Will Be One for the Books – All the News at Once

First, a little back story.  As it happens for many people like us, our nest didn’t stay empty.  Joseph moved home last summer to save money and knock out another semester of school, but he was keeping a secret.  We soon learned that having him home would be very temporary.  Joe’s been accepted into the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World and will be reporting for duty next week!  We’re incredibly excited and proud for him.  He’s wanted to apply since he first learned about the program several years ago and the timing is perfect right now for him to make this dream a reality.

Whatever will we do to fill the time while he’s away?  I’ll tell you exactly what we’ll be doing…getting ready to be grandparents!  Megan and Grant will be welcoming a baby girl this summer and Raymond and I are over the moon!  Our lives have been full of joyful surprises lately and we feel blessed beyond measure.

Here’s what will be happening next…

Starting with the tomorrow’s blog post, Joseph and I will begin a series of Disney College Program articles.  For the next few months, we’ll share his adventures and any tips and tricks he discovers for anyone else who dreams about an internship at their favorite vacation destination.

Megan will also have lots to share.  She’s run her first 10K, her first half marathon, and is about to run her second of both race distances (Fairy Tale Challenge), all while expecting.  She’s been a trooper training through quite a bit of morning sickness and I bet she’ll tell us what keeps her motivated.   Because Meg will be visiting Disney World three times between now and the baby’s arrival, I’m sure she’ll have plenty of advice about the do’s and don’ts of park touring while expecting.  There will also be nursery prep with plenty of Disney touches, I’m sure.

Since I believe any age is a great time for a Disney vacation, I can’t wait to start planning our granddaughter’s first trip!  I’m about to learn a lot more about things like Baby Care Centers and kiddie pools, I think.  Oh, the cute baby clothes and princess costumes!  I only thought Disney got all of our money.  We’re about to take this to a whole new level.

In our family, there’s never a dull moment, but this year is shaping up to be extraordinarily exciting…can’t wait to share it with you!

Have you got special plans or events in 2018?  I’d love to hear about it!