Countdown To California

     We're going on a BIG vacation this year...California!  We're going to go to Anaheim and visit Mickey and his friends and then drop on down to San Diego.  In San Diego, we'll be going to the beach and the zoo.  Of course Ryan has the whole trip planned out- that's kind of his thing.  He always has to know what's going to happen next and enjoys finding exciting things to do while on vacation.
     Since we've got a wide range of kiddos in our house, I wanted to get everyone excited about our trip.  Of course the 2 older ones can look at the calendar and know when we're leaving and how long until that day.  But Lily, she keeps thinking that we're going to see Mickey tomorrow!  There's an awesome blog that I follow- Living, Laughing, & Loving.  Awhile back, she wrote about their Disney World trip and their countdown to vacation.  The minute we planned our California trip, I knew I had to do something similar to Renee.
     Unfortunately, Home Depot quit carrying the Disney paint.  After searching a few places, I found that Walmart now carries the Disney paint, but the paint chips don't come in Mickey shapes anymore :(  The paint chips are regular squares with a small Mickey head on the bottom corner.  Oh well, I just made due with what was available.  My countdown was going to happen no matter what!  I bought a poster board at Dollar Tree, labeled the paint chips and added a cute Disney themed font for the title.

     On the back of each day, I added a fun California fact and an activity.  The activity might be a craft, read a Disney story, watch a Disney book, or something else Disney or California related. I followed some of Renee's ideas and found others on the Disney Family Fun website and magazine that I subscribe to.   

     We even have a Disney gift day.  I went to Walmart and purchased the kids fun Disney themed shirts.  They happened to be on clearance, so I snagged quite a few.  I'm pretty sure that Disneyland can't beat the $1 and $3 shirts!  

Here are  the fun facts....

*The park serves 4 million burgers, 3 million fry orders, and more than 1 million gallons of soda each year.

*More than 400 items are collected by Lost and Found each day.

*Tarzan's Tree house stands 70 feet tall and features 450 branches with more than 6,000 leaves.

*The top floor of the fire station on Main Street USA was Walt Disney's private apartment during the park's construction. It is still furnished but is not open to the public, though a light is left burning in one of its windows each day in tribute to Walt.

*It is estimated that each year there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California.

 *Disneyland opened in 1955.  Its namesake, Walt Disney, was afraid of mice.

*The San Diego has more than 4,000 animals from over 800 species.

*Every plant in Tomorrowland at Disneyland is edible.  Guests are welcome to help themselves to bananas, strawberries, tomatoes, and more.

*Erected in 1923, the famous Hollywood sign originally read “Hollywoodland” advertising a new housing development in the hills above town.

*California is the birthplace of the Frisbee, Barbie dolls, skateboards, and video arcade games.

*Until the 1960’s, men with long hair were not allowed to enter Disneyland.

*Los Angeles law forbids you from licking a toad.

*The Water on the Jungle Cruise is dirty on purpose to hide the relative shallow water (at most 8 feet)

*There is a golden spike in the ground just after walking through Sleeping Beauty Castle that marks the very center of the entire park.

*The appearance of Main Street gives the appearance that it is larger than it actually is. This is because they used "forced perspective". The ground level floors were built at approximately 7/8 size and the upper floors become progressively smaller.

*When you go to the Snow White ride you will come across an open book with a brass apple sitting near it. Touch the apple and you will hear a clap of thunder and the wicked witch!

*If you stand over by the Peter Pan ride and look up to the window at the top of the Snow White ride you will see a curtain. However, keep looking and soon you will see them open and the Wicked Witch will be looking out.

*When Tom Sawyers Island was opened up Walt Disney made an agreement with the state of Missouri to annex it to them. Yes, it's true. When you step onto the Island you are no longer in CA.  Tom Sawyers Island has it's own Missouri Zip Code. This is why they do not sell things on Tom Sawyers Island.

*Did you know if you go on the Mark Twain Steamboat ride and ask the Captain, you may get to help steer the ship? Also, if you are lucky enough to be able to do, you will be given a special souvenir certificate.

*The last little fun fact for today is, if you stop at The City Hall on your birthday, you will be given a badge that says it's your birthday. Wear it and throughout the day the Cast Members will wish you a Happy Birthday, may sing to you, may provide you with a little gift and/or may move you to the front of the line in honor of your special day.

*Disneyland is located at 1313 S. Harbor Street Anaheim CA. Walt Disney picked this address himself when Disneyland was first built.  Why 1313 you ask? Well, M is the 13th letter of the English alphabet so 1313 stands for Mickey Mouse.

*Walt Disney refused to ever allow a death certificate to read the place of death as Disneyland. For those who have died at Disneyland, they were not allowed to be pronounced dead. They were quickly brought under ground to a tunnel that leads out to Harbor Blvd. It is there that the person would be pronounced dead, not before hand.

*Disneyland does not sell gum.

*Another little secret is, if you purchase a balloon and it pops or your child lets it go, you can get a free replacement. Also, if you find a part of a popped balloon, even if you didn't purchase it, and you take it to the balloon man/girl, you will be given a free balloon.

*Sleeping Beauty's Castle has a real working draw bridge. It's only been lowered two times. The first is when Disneyland first opened on July 17, 1955.

Fantasyland underwent a major refurbishment and was closed. In 1983 the bridge was once again lowered when Fantasyland reopened to the public.

*To the right of the Castle, you will find stairs that lead up inside the Castle where you can go through an exhibit that tells the story of Sleeping Beauty.  It's a bit hard to find and is not always open. Therefore, many people do not even know about this attraction.

*Dumbo is hiding on the wall of the 1st cave on Big Thunder. Most people have never even noticed this.

*Once you enter the Haunted Mansion and go into the room that stretches, you are really going down an elevator. The doors open and you walk down the hall towards the buggies for the ride.  When you do this, you are no longer in Disneyland. The ride is actually underground and outside the park.

*While in line waiting to get on the Star Wars ride, you will hear an announcer call out for Mr. Egroeg Sacul.  This is actually George Lucas ,the creator of Star Tours, name spelled backwards.

*Tinkerbell, Goofy, Briar Rabbit, Blackbeard and Pluto are all hidden on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. 

*Throughout the Park you can find Mickey Mouse hidden in different ways.  There is at least one in each Land. You may find them in the wrought iron railings or a hedge that is cut into the shape.

*The smell of vanilla is pumped through vents onto Main Street. During the holidays, the scent is changed to peppermint!

 *Main Street is supposed to be set in the year 1910, and Tomorrowland is supposed to be set in the year 1986. These years were picked because they were Haley's Comet years.

*From groundbreaking to opening day, Disneyland was built in just 365 days.

*Keeping Disneyland Park clean is no small task. Workers use 1,000 brooms, 500 dust pans and 3,000 mops a year to keep the park looking its best, and collect approximately 30 tons of trash during a busy day—about 12 million pounds annually. The streets of Disneyland are washed and steam-cleaned after closing each day.

 *Disneyland spends about $41,000 per night on the fireworks show above Sleeping Beauty Castle.

I found them from various websites and blogs but never saved the locations.  If they're from your site or you know where they're from, please let me know...then I can add the link.  Thanks

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