Fun Fact Friday- Eve (from Wall-E)

Fun Fact-  Did you know that the character Eve from Wall-E was designed in part by the same person who designed the iPod, the iPhone, and iMac!

“I wanted Eve to be high-end technology – no expense spared – and I wanted it to be seamless and for the technology to be sort of hidden and subcutaneous,” Andrew Stanton, Wall-E’s director, told Fortune. “The more I started describing it, the more I realized I was pretty much describing the Apple playbook for design.”

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Andrew Stanton

Andrew Stanton began working on the ideas for the movie in 2005 and asked Steve Jobs (Apple CEO and majority shareholder of Pixar at the time) for consultation work, and Steve sent him Johnathan Ive.

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Jonathan Ive and Steve Jobs

Ive is a quiet man, but consulted and worked with Stanton on the design, offering his suggestions.  So the man who brought us groundbreaking designs like the iPod and iPhones has placed his thumbprint on a small piece of Disney history.

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Musical Monday- Beauty and the Beast Throwback

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Okay, the long awaited Live action version of Beauty and the Beast FINALLY hit the theaters this weekend (and broke some records doing so…largest opening for a PG rated movie ever)!  I haven’t seen it YET, but am definitely going soon.  Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite Disney movies from you childhood (in fact it made #7 on my top ten favorite animated Disney movie list)

So today’s Musical Monday shall honor the original movie.  In the movie, Mrs. Potts (voiced by Dame Angela Lansbury) sings the title track.  So below is the scene from the movie with Mrs. Potts performing the song.

Disney songs being recorded by pop artists is almost a “tale as old as time.”  The song “Beauty and the Beast” was recorded by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson for the radio and the end credits of the movie.  I’m sure that this song was played on the radio and annoyed my parents much like “Let it Go” annoyed me, but it is a classic, and one of my all time favorite Disney songs!

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Episode 3 is now available on YouTube

Mr. Mouskaholic and I had a blast recording Episode 3 for our YouTube Channel this past week!!!  The episode is now available to watch on YouTube!

Topics include-

  1. Disney News – Pandora opening, “Happily Ever After” at Magic Kingdom, and Miss Adventure Falls at Typhoon Lagoon
  2. Mr. Mouskaholic’s Favorite Ride at Magic Kingdom- Pirates of the Caribbean
  3. Viewer Questions- We respond to a viewer’s question about Guardians of the Galaxy taking over Tower of Terror at Disney’s California Adventure!
  4. Travel Tips- Taking an Uber! (you can also check out my past “Tuesday’s Tip on this subject here)

Don’t forget to check out out on all social media, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up date!

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Swagbucks 101- Update

Okay, back in June of 2015 I posted my “Swagbucks 101” on how to earn Swagbucks.  The website however is ever changing and evolving, so with that comes updates.  I’ve updated the original post, but now it’s time for another update.  My last two posts have been about Swagbucks, so I figured I may as well go for a full update!  So here it is… pin this, soak it in, and start earning towards your Disney trip!

Ways to earn Swagbucks 101

  1. nCrave Activities– This is one of the easiest way that I’ve found to earn Swagbucks- on the Swagbucks home page there are categories along the left hand side of the page. Click on the link that says “Watch” and you should see the the world “ncCrave”. You can click on this and it will take you to an entire page of activities. The activities that have a circle and arrow will auto run, so you can just leave it running on your computer for about 10 minutes and earn up to 1-3 Swagbucks. Different offers are worth different amounts.  I run these almost all day and earn between 50-100 Swagbucks per day with this and the other activities.  Occasionally there are nCrave activities worth 5-6 Swagbucks!  I jump on those whenever they’re available!

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  1. Surveys– Under the “answer” tab on Swagbucks down at the bottom are paid surveys. When first getting started using the surveys I would recommend doing the little 2 point surveys on the right hand side. They take a while to get through, but what you’re doing is pre-qualifying yourself for the larger surveys. When you’ve gotten those done your chances of getting surveys that you’re qualified for increase. You may start some surveys and get disqualified after 5 minutes (you’ll still get 1 sb in that case), but I’ve also had plenty of surveys where I’ve gotten 50-150 Swagbucks within 30 minutes, and just last week I got 60 Swagbucks for a 3 minute survey. I mean if you’re bored anyway why not try it.

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  1. SBTV app– If you have a smartphone you can EASILY earn a minumum of 10 swagbucks per day using the SBTV app on your phone. All you have to do is install the app(s) and let the videos play! You can earn up to 10 sb per day using the app, and often you can earn bonus Swagbucks after you’ve reached the initial 10!  In addition to the Swagbucks TV app, there are additional apps that are very similar where you can also earn 10 Swagbucks per day. I have unlimited data on my phone, so that isn’t a concern of mine.  If you don’t have unlimited data, do make sure that you are on wifi, because streaming videos will take its toll on your data plan!  Below are a list of the available apps you can use to earn swagbucks on your phone-
    1. SBTV
    2. EntertaiNow
    3. IndyMusic
    4. Lifestylz
    5. MovieClips
    6. Sportly

  1. Swagbucks TV – Also under the “Watch” link is SBTV.  Video sets are worth 1-3 Swagbucks, and will always tell you how much they’re worth.  I’ve found that some browsers and computers will allow you to watch all the videos in succession without clicking, while others are more finicky and you have to click on each video.  It’s still easy to click through and watch the Swagbucks add up!  I usually do this while I’m watching tv.  They’re easy to click through without paying attention while you’re watching tv or a movie!

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  1. Games– Under the Play tab there are 3 games you can play and earn Swagbucks. When you get a game over keep playing, becaus every 2 games you play you get 2 Swagbucks, up to 10 Swagbucks per day.

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  1. Searching the Web– Okay so Swagbucks in addition to all of its other features is a search engine.  It actually has significantly improved in the past few years.  The search engine now goes through Yahoo and the quality of the searching is better. On my laptop, I have Swagbucks set as my default search engine, so any time that I search it goes through Swagbucks with the chance of me earning some bonus Swagbucks.  Sometimes you’ll get little search wins worth 4 or 5 swagbucks and some times you’ll get larger ones.  Just last week I got my largest search win yet- 100 Swagbucks!  It was AWESOME!
  1. Special offers– Under the earn tab there is a special offers link. Sometimes there are random videos to watch that’ll take between 30 and 90 seconds, and sometimes there will be things where you can earn 15 sb for liking a page on Facebook. There are lots of different tabs across the special offers page. Usually the radium one and peanut labs have the best offers.

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  1. Coupons– If you like saving money (which let’s be honest, who doesn’t) you can print coupons right from the Swagbucks website! Click on the “Shopping tab” and then click “Grocery Coupons” and you’ll find the exact same coupons that you find on coupons.com are available on the Swagbucks website. If you print your coupons through Swagbucks you will earn 10 sb per coupon redeemed! It usually takes 4-6 weeks to get them, but they’ve always come through for me! (sometime I’ll even print some that I know I won’t use, and take them and leave them by the products at the grocery store.  That way others can benefit from saving money, and I get the 10 Swagbucks!  Win-win!)

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  1. Shop and Earn- Do you shop online??? If you are an online shopper try using Shop and Earn through Swagbucks! (It’s also under the shop tab on the left hand side) All you do is click on shop and earn, and click the store that you want to shop (they have tons… I mainly use Kohls, Groupon, and Home Depot). It will redirect you to the store you’ve selected and you just do your shopping like normal! Usually they’ll give you at least 2sb per dollar spent. Sometimes they will run specials where you can get 4 sb per dollar or even 8 or 10 sb per dollar!!! I’ve earned a lot this way! I always buy my Groupons through the shop and earn! They will not post immediately, usually shop and earn points will be award one month after the purchase date.  This is especially great when doing Christmas shopping!  You can shop from the comfort of your home in your PJ’s with a cup of coffee AND earn Swagbucks while doing so!

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  1. Swagbucks Goal– On the Swagbucks homepage you’ll see your daily goal meter at the top of the page. Swagbucks sets a daily earning goal for you based on how many swagbucks you normally earn.  If you hit the daily goal you generally will receive a 10% bonus back.  For example, your goal is 50 Swagbucks, your bonus is 5 Swagbucks.  When you hit the goal your bonus Swagbucks will be awarded by the 5thor 6thof the following month.  If you hit the goal 7, 14, 21, or the entire month in a row there are additional bonuses!  In the past I have hit the daily goal every day for 30 days straight and received a 300 Swagbuck bonus in addition to my daily goal bonuses!

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So there it is!  My updated Swagbucks 101.  If you haven’t signed up, do it!  Click below and you can get started with $5 for free.  Think of all of the sweet sweet $ that you can save for your Disney trip!

Join Swagbucks!
You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What’s Online at Swagbucks.com

Be sure to follow the Mouskaholic to stay up to date on Disney News, Tricks, Tips, and TONS of other information!

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How to redeem your Swagbucks for use at Disney

Okay, so yesterday I once again talked about Swagbucks, and here I am talking about it again!  Start Swagging and Save for Disney.

I mentioned that my go to for redemption of my Swagbucks is Sam’s Club gift cards.  I use the Sam’s Club gift cards to purchase Disney gift cards, and better yet, they’re at a discount!  But what if you don’t have a Sam’s Club membership?  Below are ways you can redeem your Swagbucks (virtual currency) to help pay for your trip, or have spending money for your trip!

  1. Redeem your Swagbucks for Rainforest Cafe gift cards, and treat yourself to a great meal at either Disney Springs or Animal Kingdom!  There are Rainforest Cafe locations on Disney property, and Rainforest Cafe is one restaurant that you can redeem your Swagbucks for!Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 9.58.31 AM
  2. Redeem your Swagbucks for Starbucks gift cards.  There are Starbucks locations in each of the 4 theme parks, as well as 2 locations at Disney Springs.  Treat yourself to a daily cup of coffee, or even breakfast at the parks by redeeming your Swagbucks for Starbucks gift cards!  When we get close to our trip, I often will stop getting the Sam’s Club gift cards (because I know I won’t have enough for a Disney gift card) before our trip and switch to getting Starbucks gift cards!  They always come in handy!  When we do Disney, we are GO GO GO, and Starbucks fuels us!Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.14.17 AM
  3. Redeem your Swagbucks for Southwest or Delta gift cards to help pay for your flights!!  I personally have used my Swagbucks for Southwest gift cards, and that is my airline of choice.  I love flying Southwest because they offer two free checked bags.  (I am sad because they’re leaving my local airport!!!)   ** A word to the wise ** Check how many forms of payment you’re allowed to use before you cash in for your gift cards!  Southwest only allows four forms of payment, so I suggest waiting until you have a considerable amount of swagbucks before redeeming!  Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.12.32 AMScreen Shot 2017-03-14 at 9.57.38 AM
  4. Now I know what you’re thinking… I’m not flying to Disney, I want to drive!  Guess what!!! There are gas gift cards available on Swagbucks!  So you can use the gas gift cards to pay for gas on your way to Disney, OR you can use the gas gift cards throughout the year, and put the money that you’re not spending on gas towards your Disney trip!Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.11.45 AM
  5. Still looking for different ways to save for your Disney trip?  Let’s say new shoes or clothes for the whole family for your trip!  There are Nike gift cards available as well as many department stores!  You can “Just Do It’ with all new shoes, or even some vacation apparel from Walmart, JC Penney, Target, Macy’s, TJ Maxx, KMart, Sears, or Kohls!Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.15.42 AMScreen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.49.19 AM
  6. Need new luggage or other trip necessities?  You can cash in your swagbucks for any of the above listed department stores for your new luggage, OR you can order just about anything on Amazon!  A few years ago I found a great 5 piece luggage set on amazon for about half the price of the department stores, and saved up my Swagbucks for amazon gift cards!  You can get other Disney essentials on Amazon too!  Rain ponchos, Minnie ears, autograph books, shirts, and lanyards are just some of the examples that you can get for your trip for FREE with your Amazon gift cards that you’ve earned on Swagbucks!Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.13.20 AMScreen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.57.58 AM
  7. Don’t wanna mess with any of the stuff that I listed above?  How do you like cash and prepaid visa cards?  Guess what, you can redeem your Swagbucks for those as well!  Swagbucks redemption center is offering Paypal gift cards (which you can put in your Paypal account and move right to your bank account) as well as prepaid Visa cards!  Hello spending money!Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 11.13.51 AMScreen Shot 2017-03-14 at 9.55.39 AM

So what are you waiting for?  Sign up today and get to swagging and start saving for your next Disney trip!   Check back here tomorrow and read my updated “Swagbucks 101” on how to earn swagbucks! Sign up now with the link below and get started with $5 free.

Join Swagbucks!
You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What’s Online at Swagbucks.com

Keep following the Mouskaholic for more money saving tips!

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Ready to start planning your next Disney Vacation?  Contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com and she can get you started with your planning and booking!  Best of all, her services are FREE of charge!

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Tuesday’s Tip- Start Swagging and Save for Disney!

Okay, I’ve been mentioned Swagbucks on here before (in fact I think it’s been Tuesday’s Tip before), and I’ve shared how I personally have saved money for my Disney trip using swagbucks.com but I share again because it’s that good!

Okay stop reading right now, follow this link, and sign up for Swagbucks-

Join Swagbucks!
You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What’s Online at Swagbucks.com

Okay, now continue reading…

So as I sit here this morning I’ve already earned 34 Swagbucks… which is essentially 34 cents.  Is that a lot?  Heck no, BUT it adds up… quickly.  On average this year I’ve been earning between 40 and 120 Swagbucks per day.  With these numbers I’ve been able to cash in for $130 in gift cards so far just this year, with another 625 Swagbucks towards my next redemption.  That is $130 going straight towards spending money at Disney.

How does Swagbucks work?  You complete activities (watching videos, playing games, using coupons, doing surveys, shopping online, etc.) and you earn Swagbucks by doing them.  Swagbucks are essentially a virtual currency that you can redeem for real gift cards.

How do I personally make swagbucks work for me?  I cash my Swagbucks in for Sam’s Club Gift Cards.  With my Sam’s Club membership, this is the most effective way for me to use my Swagbucks.  I can use my swagbucks giftcards to purchase Disney gift cards… and even better, I get them at a DISCOUNT!  $150.00 in gift cards for $142.98!!! (plus $1 in shipping if I don’t want to actually go to the store.)

Screen Shot 2017-03-14 at 9.57.09 AM.pngBetween my husband using swagbucks and myself, we currently have $150 in Sam’s Club gift cards.  We will probably go to the actual store for these for a few reasons… 1) we need other things from Sam’s Club and 2) you can only use 4 forms of payment on the Sam’s Club website check out, and I have more than 4 gift cards making up that total.

So you’re wondering… how does this help me, I don’t have a Sam’s club membership.  Come back tomorrow, and I will share other ways you can use Swagbucks to go towards your Disney vacation, then comeback on Thursday for the updated Swagbucks 101 post!

So what are you waiting for?  Join today and start earning!

If you’re reading this 3/14/17- 3/17/17 be aware that there are bonus opportunities for Swagbucks this week- (normally you earn 2 Swagbucks per cycle on the apps… this week you earn 4!!)

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Musical Monday- “Evolution of Disney” with Todrick Hall

Oooh do I love Todrick Hall!  He’s gained his popularity as a YouTuber, and many of his videos are disney themed… some are more appropriate (family friendly) than others lol!  “Evolution of Disney” is definitely one of his family friendly works.

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In watching his “Evolution of Disney” video, I definitely enjoyed the musical arrangements and quality of the performance.  One slight detail that bothered me is that not all of the music is 100% chronological order of movie/show release date (and it really is in order for the most part…) .  While this bothers me in the “evolution” sense, as a musician, I understand for arrangement purposes why some of the music is out of order.

Enjoy- Todrick Hall’s “Evolution of Disney”

Below is the list and order of the movies/shows that the music is from (pretty proud… I knew all but 2 of the songs!)

Steamboat Willie (1928)

Snow White (1937)

Pinocchio (1940)

Dumbo (1941)

Cinderella (1950)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Peter Pan (1953)

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

101 Dalmatians (1961)

Mary Poppins (1964)

The Jungle Book (1967)

Aristocats (1970)

Oliver and Company (1988)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Aladdin (1992)

The Lion King (1994)

Hocus Pocus (1993)

A Goofy Movie (1995)

Pocahontas (1995)

Toy Story (1995)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Hercules (1997)

Mulan (1998)

Tarzan (1999)

High School Musical (2006)

Zenon Girl of the 21st Century (1999)

Hannah Montana (2009)

Cheetah Girls (2003)

That’s so Raven (2003)

Enchanted (2007)

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Frozen (2013)

Song of the South (1946)

Tangled (2010)

The Wonderful World of Color (1954)

Like Disney content on YouTube?  Confessions of a Mouskaholic – Episode 3 is coming soon to the Mouskaholic YouTube Channel!!!  Be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media to stay up to date!

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Fun Fact Friday- Soarin’ Flight #5505

Soarin’ Over California opened at Disney’s California Adventure park in the Condor Flats area of the park on February 8, 2001.  It was so popular that it was duplicated and added to “The Land” pavilion at Epcot on May 5th, 2005.  In honor of the opening day at Epcot the flight number is 5505.

In 2016 the ride closed for refurbishments on January 4th.  It reopened on June 17th, 2016 as “Soarin’ Around the World.”  This reimagined ride still pays homage to the original opening day at Epcot.

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Next time you’re at Epcot listen for the flight attendants (cast members in the Soarin’ area) to announce that flight number 5505 (Get it, 5505 is the date 5/5/2005) is now departing 🙂

 

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Words of Walt- Education

“I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.”

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As an educator, this is is completely different approach than what we take in American public schools.  Our job is to educate, and then hope that our students are entertained along the way.  Walt valued education, and that is evident through many attractions that focus on sharing history and literary moments (Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, the Hall of Presidents, the Carousel of Progress, Tom Sawyer’s Island, PLUS all of the educational moments at Epcot that Walt didn’t even get to see!).  By bringing these attractions to life, he focused on entertaining, and having education as a secondary product.  Park goers are being entertained and learning, without even realizing it!

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Are you ready to be entertained AND learn something?  Contact ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free quote!  Her planning services are free of charge to you!

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