Mickey's Halloween Party

We recently went on a trip to Disneyland and while we were there we attended Mickey's Halloween Party. 

This is a separate ticketed event and tickets cost about $69 per person and that includes parking. The party goes from either 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm or 7:00 pm to 12:00 am depending on the night of the party. With your ticket, you can get into the park 3 hours before the party starts. Everyone comes dressed up in their costumes. They close the park early to those without a ticket so it's a lot less crowded than normal because they only sell a certain amount of tickets. Those tickets sell out so you have to make sure to buy them early. 

Here are some highlight from the Halloween Party:

Trick or Treating

How many people can actually say they went trick or treating at Disneyland? So much fun! To be honest, I wasn't super excited about trick or treating. Who needs more candy, right? But this was actually my favorite part! Even the adults got to go trick or treating! They had trick or treating stations all over the park. In each station there were about 5 candy stations. They passed out handfuls of candy or you could choose a healthy snack like carrot sticks, apple slices, crackers, popcorn, and pretzels. We left with so much candy! We also stocked up on snacks and we took them to Disneyland the rest of the week while we were there. 

Parades and Fireworks

They have certain parades and shows that are specific to the Halloween Party. This year was a little different because of the Diamond Celebration. The parade was the Diamond Celebration electrical parade but the fireworks were Halloween themed and really cool. They also have a dance party but we didn't participate because my kids just wanted to ride rides.

Shorter Lines for Rides

Because there's so many different things going on, the lines for the rides are a lot shorter than normal. We were able to ride a lot of different rides during the Halloween Party and that's what my kids like best!

The Villains

During the Halloween Party, you can meet some of the villains that you never see at Disneyland. Unfortunately, the line to meet them was about an hour and a half and we just didn't want to wait. But that was at the end of the night. The line might be a little shorter at the beginning of the night.

The Characters Dress Up For Halloween

This is the only time that you get to meet Mickey and Minnie and other characters in their Halloween costumes. If this is a priority for you, definitely do it! Keep in mind that the lines will be a little longer than if you just met them in their normal attire.

Halloween time at Disneyland

This is such a fun time of year at Disneyland when the park is all decorated for Halloween. You can still see the park decorated if you go at Halloween time and you don't go to the Halloween Party. But they bring out a few more decorations for the Halloween Party and they also play Halloween music. We were at Disneyland all week and there was definitely more of a Halloween feel at the Halloween Party than just a regular day at Disneyland.

You also get to experience Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and The Haunted Mansion Holiday. They converted both of these rides for the season and they really did a great job! If you don't go to the Halloween Party you can still experience these rides.

We had a really great time at Mickey's Halloween Party! If you're a Disney fan, this is definitely something that you should experience at least once in your lifetime!

If you're interested in booking a Disney vacation, contact me at thetravelingcircus39@gmail.com.

Halloween Time at Disneyland

It's Halloween time at Disneyland and it's such a wonderful time of year to go. The whole park is decorated like Halloween. There are Halloween themed rides such as Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday. There are lots of Halloween treats and the characters are dressed up in their Halloween costumes! And don't forget Mickey's Halloween Party (separate ticket required). What a fun time to go to Disneyland!

If you're interested in planning a trip to Disneyland, contact me at the number or email listed above. I can book vacation packages with hotels, park tickets, and I can help you plan a magical vacation! 

Witches Brooms

This is an easy and fun Halloween idea that my kids loved! It would be great for a Halloween party or just something that the kids can make.

Witches Brooms

1 package of miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Pretzel sticks

Unwrap the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Stick a pretzel stick in the center of each peanut butter cup to make a broom.

Monster Meatballs

I love making fun Halloween meals for my kids. Especially when they're simple like this. I made spaghetti and meatballs but we called the meatballs "monsters" and we served them over "worms". My kids had so much fun decorating their own "monster." Some of my kids put lots of eyeballs all over their monsters. They had so much fun!

Printable Recipe

Monster Meatballs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 lbs lean ground beef, or a combination of ground beef, pork, and/or turkey

2 tsps dried parsley

1 egg

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Marinara sauce:

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup grated onion

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and buttermilk. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and all other ingredients. Mix well.

Shape into large golf-ball sized meatballs and place about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels before transferring them to a plate. 

To make marinara sauce, melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add onion, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. 

Serve meatballs over spaghetti noodles and top with marinara sauce. Place two olives on each meatball for the eyeballs.

Makes about 24-30 meatballs

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Nutter Butter Ghosts

My kids love these Nutter Butter Ghosts. Aren't they so cute? The best part was how simple they were to make. Just dip them in chocolate and stick on the eyes. That's it! I'm all about simplifying things. I don't see the point of spending hours making something when the kids are going to be just as happy with something simple.

Printable Recipe

Nutter Butter Ghosts

1 lb pkg Nutter Butter cookies

1 1/2 lb white chocolate chips or vanilla candy coating

64 mini chocolate chips (about 4 tsp)

Place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted. Using tongs, dip each Nutter Butter into the white chocolate, letting the excess drip off. Place on wax paper. Place two chocolate chips on each cookie to form the eyes. Let stand for 10 minutes until set. 

Recipe adapted from Tablespoon

Easy Halloween Party

There are a lot of moms who really go all out for parties. If that's how you are and you like to do that, that's great!

I have found that when I spend a lot of time planning a party and I really go all out, my kids don't really care. I always have high expectations about how it will turn out and my kids just don't appreciate what I do. And then I'm frustrated! So I have learned to keep things simple and only focus on the details that matter. My kids always have so much fun at our simple parties and I don't spend a lot of time or money so we all win!

This weekend we had a Halloween party with my kids and their cousins. It was simple, low-key, and inexpensive. The kids had a blast!

This is what we did:

Monster Pizzas

(Click here for the recipe)

The kids had so much fun making their own "monsters."

 Spooky Halloween Drink

You can do this with any drink. I just used soda because it was easier but any drink will work. All you do is fill a plastic glove with water, tie it off, and stick it in the freezer. When you're ready, carefully cut off the glove and place the ice hand in the punch bowl. Sometimes the fingers fall off, like in the picture above, but that only adds dramatic effect. The kids love this drink!

Games:

We played two games at the party and they were both very simple and inexpensive. I only spent about $2.00 on ping pong balls that we used for both games. The kids had so much fun playing these games! Either one of these games would be great for class parties.

Eyeball Toss

 

Items needed:

5 or 6 ping pong balls with an eyeball drawn on each one

2 different size bowls

Each kid will take turns bouncing the "eyeball" into one of the bowls. The smaller bowl is worth 10 points and the larger ball is worth 5 points. The person to score the most points wins!

Eyeball and Spoon Race

Items needed:

2 ping pong balls with an eyeball drawn on each one

2 spoons

This game is played just like the egg and spoon race game. The kids will form 2 lines. The kids will place the "eyeball" on their spoon and race to a designated spot and back without dropping the "eyeball." Then they will pass the spoon and "eyeball" to the next person in line. The team that finishes first wins!

Monster Pizzas

This is my kids' favorite thing to make for Halloween. They can make their own "monster" however they want. It's so much fun!

Printable Recipe

Monster Pizzas
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
pizza sauce
cheese
pepperoni
olives
mushrooms
bell pepper
any other desired pizza toppings

Cut dough into 6 equal sections. Roll out each section until flat. Top with pizza sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Makes 6 individual pizzas