I’m so excited today to bring you a new interview with Candi Carter, creator of It’s Hip Hop Baby.  I was lucky enough to receive a copy of their DVD and CD about two months ago.  I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to the music and videos I let Dessa enjoy so I was skeptical.  But It’s Hip Hop Baby did not disappoint!  The beats are great and I even find myself bopping along to them.  Dessa has serious jam sessions whenever we put this on.  

Candi, inspired by her little boy, has created a fun and educational product which any household with little kids should have.  I don’t say that lightly but I’ve never seen Dessa get so excited about watching a video or listening to music.

Read on to learn more about this innovative mom.  Thank you, Candi, for taking time out of your busy schedule with your two little ones for sharing your thoughts.

Hip Hop is one of the most popular genres of music today.  Why do you think no one ever thought to engage kids with the music everyone’s already listening to?
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE USED FOLK, ROCK AND OTHER POPULAR GENRE’S IN THE PAST, BUT WHEN I THOUGHT OF CREATING HIP HOP BABY A FEW YEARS BACK. NO ONE WAS USING HIP HOP TO TEACH AND ENTERTAIN TODDLERS.  I SAW IT ON TELEVISION COMMERCIALS ALL THE TIME BUT NEVER IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING.  NOW HIP HOP MUSIC HAS BECOME SO POPULAR IT’S BEING USED EVERYWHERE.

Your son Emerson inspired you to launch your business.  He was born with a speech disorder which makes it hard for him to learn new words.  Like many a passionate mom, you got creative and found a unique way to help him communicate using music.  Have you gotten any feedback from hospitals or children’s centers focused on working with children like your son who are seeing success with your program?
I ACTUALLY RECEIVED A FEW COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE WHO SAW THE DVD BEING USED AT HOSPITALS AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WHO SAID THEIR CHILDREN SING, DANCE AND LEARN NEWS WORDS WATCHING THE DVD.  ITS VERY GRATIFYING TO HEAR THAT FEEDBACK.

As a mompreneur, you’ve really embraced social media as a marketing tool.  You’re active on Twitter, have your own YouTube channel that even offers interactive classes, run a blog and have even embraced the mommy blogger community.  What has been the most surprising part about using social media for your business? Any tips for other mompreneurs looking to use social media in their business?
WE ARE AMAZED AT HOW QUICKLY MOMS ONLINE ARE LEARNING ABOUT IT’S HIP HOP, BABY!  WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF MOMS FOLLOWING HIP HOP BABY ON TWITTER AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE JOINING THE MOVEMENT ON FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE AND OUR BLOG.  IT’S A BLAST AND VERY EXCITING.

Your DVDs are high energy and full of movement to get families moving together.  When it’s time to wind down, though, what are some of your favorite songs to relax to?
THERE ARE TWO SONGS ON THE CD THAT I ADORE.  I LOVE THE ABC LULLABY…IT’S NICE AND SLOW AND RELAXING.  I ALSO LOVE THE SCHOOL BUS SONG…IT HAS A COOL JAZZY HIP HOP BEAT.

It’s a big leap from being just mom singing about brushing your teeth and going potty to creating a video for kids across the country.  How long did it take to develop the videos from idea to market?  Where did you draw inspiration from?
IT’S TAKEN ME 2 1/2 YEARS TO GET THIS SERIES OFF THE GROUND.  I GAIN MY INSPIRATION FROM EMERSON.  JUST YESTERDAY I MADE UP A SONG ABOUT PEEING ON THE POTTY AND A PEANUT BUTTER SONG TO TEACH HIM THE WORD PEANUT BUTTER.

As a Latina mom raising a bilingual child, I have to ask – do you have any plans to do a bilingual version of your videos?
OUR NEXT PRODUCT LINE WILL BE GEARED TOWARD THE LATINO COMMUNITY.  WE’RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT!

Sesame Street or Mister Rogers?
SEASAME STREET

Hop on over to The Mami Diaries  for your chance to win It’s Hip Hop Baby for your own kids!

I am now officially in the home stretch.  I don’t know how everyone else defines the home stretch but for me it starts when I have to start going to my midwife every two weeks.  All of a sudden there’s no way I can lose sight of how close my “due” date is and it’s consuming just about every thought.  I had an appointment on Tuesday and next week I will be scheduling our hospital visit along with our natural childbirth class at our local maternity store.  After thinking about, avoiding and then obsessing over my birth plan, I’ve written it down, signed it and have it ready to go.

My preferences don’t differ that much from last time.  The main difference is that I am not as laid back about the possibility of using pain medication.  With my first birth plan, I stated that I wanted to try and have a natural birth but would not rule out the use of an epidural.  I also did not make certain that the important players (aside from my husband and doctor) had read it.  So the language is more definite and DH will be making sure before we interact with anyone that they’re clear on our plan.  With Dessa, I read this book which was very, very helpful – almost a birth education class and a guide to creating a birth plan all in one.  This time around I read Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s book and it was an appropriate refresher – not as detailed as the first book but just enough.

As I was writing this birth plan, I realized I wasn’t as into it as I was the first time around.  I think what’s happened is that I’m not empowering my birth plan like I did last time.  I’m empowering myself.  With my first pregnancy, I believed my birth plan was my cheerleader, my bodyguard, my advocate.  I truly believed everyone read it.  I trusted it too much.  I somehow convinced myself it had some kind of power.  This time around I realize it’s just a piece of paper.  My husband and my midwife and I are on the same page.  We will work as a team to make my labor what I want it to be.  My heart isn’t in the birth plan like it was the last time.  My head is writing it.

So without further ado (insert drumroll):

The following items are my preferences for my labor.  Should any complications arise which threaten the health of me or my baby, then at that time I am open to discussing the options available to me to make an informed decision.

Goal: Labor naturally and birth my baby vaginally without medical interventions.

Pain Management: I plan to use a combination of self-hypnosis (Hypnobabies), deep breathing, accupressure and a variety of laboring positions.  I do not wish to have an epidural.  Please do not offer one to me. If I make the decision to opt for anesthetic pain management, I will request it.

Labor Support: I would like my husband to stay with me at all times.  No interns/apprentices, or others in training, should enter the birth room without explicit permission.  We reserve the right to ask anyone out of the room at any time.

Labor Room: If available I’d like a room with access to a shower and/or whirlpool to assist in managing labor discomfort.  I would like the lights dimmed and request anyone who needs to speak to me to use a soft voice.  If I am in the middle of a birthing wave, please be patient while I manage my discomfort.  When the birthing wave is over, then I will be able to address your questions.

IVs: I understand because I am working towards a vaginal birth after a c-section an IV line must be inserted.  I’d like to request a Hep-Lock.  I’d like to only use an IV if a medical emergency requires it (dehydration or administration of medicine).  I will bring my own fluids and nourishment.

EFM: I am aware of the hospital policy for VBAC patients which requires EFM.  I wish to move about as much as possible despite the need for an EFM.

Today’s Interview to Inspire is with Linde Balderas who owns and operates a great children’s company, Tailored Tadpole.  Now you’re saying to yourself, how does Linde fall into the category of social media?  Well, it’s how we found one another that involves social media.  Both Linde and myself signed up for The Mogul Mom Helping Out Directory.  We each used social media to meet the needs of our business. 

Linde is passionate about the work she does and strives with every collection to keep improving her brand and stay true to her commitment to “use comfortable, luxurious materials that are modern and fun, colorful and unique”.   A look at her most recent work is a great display of clothes kids can feel comfortable playing in for hours and still look fashionable.  Her collection also includes an amazing selection of elegant accessories every parent can proudly tote around.

Read on to learn more about Linde and what it takes to run  your own business.

With your Spring 2009 line, you are releasing ECO which introduces earth friendly fibers to your collection.  How else is Tailored Tadpole earth friendly?
Yes, I am so proud of this line. It features GOTS certified Organic cottons, bamboo, soy, and hemp materials. We also try to use natural dyes whenever possible and the bodysuits have nickel-free snaps. I think it is important to keep harmful chemicals and pesticides out of the ground and the environment whenever possible. Using these kinds of fabrics contributes to this effort. Tailored Tadpole uses recycled shipping containers when we ship our wholesale orders, and we use minimal packaging. We print a very limited number of catalogs, offering it online, to avoid paper consumption. I am also a huge recycling fanatic, so this is something I continue to practice with the business as well as in my home. We have several favorite charities and make several donations per year. I really enjoy giving back.

Your entire line is produced in the United States.  Was it a hard business decision to manufacture in the US when prices overseas tend to be so much cheaper?
Yes and no. The cost of production overseas is staggeringly more economical. So in this regard, it was difficult. Keeping costs down and offering my line at reasonable prices is definitely a challenge. However, as a designer, I like having the hands-on access that producing here allows me. It has always been a dream of mine, since my college days, to start a women’s co-op in a developing country and be able to help people by providing funds for education, healthcare, potable water, etc. through employment and fair trade. I suppose, in a way, that is what I have done here at home. Paying a living wage to talented women who need to supplement the family’s income by working part-time, and in some cases, are the only source of income for the family. So on this level, I am very proud of our domestic production even if it means paying more for manufacturing.

Your work is inspired by your own two children; do they have any favorite pieces from Mommy’s collection?
My son, Soren, is 15 months old and still likes to sleep swaddled. He has a closet full of Ultimate Baby Blankets and lies very still to be wrapped in one when it is time for “night night.” I can’t wait until it warms up to put the Zoom Romper on him! Marina, almost four, loves the Maddie Twirl Skirt and organic tank. She took gymnastic classes last semester and wore a lounge set to every class. She looked adorable and was comfortable too.

Many small business owners in the children’s market are concerned about the CPSIA law. What are your thoughts on the law? 
Ahh, yes. Like many in the industry, we were thrown for a loop by this new legislation because of the very short-notice nature of it and the high costs of the testing required. I am very much in favor of keeping lead out of the hands and mouths of our children, but the law needed some serious revision to avoid putting a lot of designers and home crafters out of business. Many of us use materials, most textiles for example, that do not contain any traces of lead. Exemptions have now been issued for some of these materials, although every product manufactured and intended for a child must comply with the lead and phthalate allowable limits. We have been working very hard to make sure that all of our components comply, and they do. So sourcing may become a bit more difficult and there is definitely an added expense now, when testing must be done, but Tailored Tadpole lives to see another day.

What does a typical day look like for a children’s wear designer?
I can’t speak for most, but for me it is a walk on the balance beam of mom/business woman. Some days it seems I just grab seconds here and there to work. Other days I can devote the time I need to the endless work at hand. It is not unusual for me to turn around and have baskets of ribbon, threads, labels, or fabric swatches spread all over my studio by the curious hands of my little ones. When I feel grouchy with them for making more work for me, I remind myself that they are my reason for having this business. Marina will frequently ask if I have a job she can do. She likes to help me, but still wants to be a “chef, like Papi.”

Now that you’ve gone through the experience of developing and creating your own children’s clothing line, what advice would you give to someone thinking about doing the same?
I believe in pursuing what you are passionate about. Life is too short to spend every day doing something you dislike. So if you love this business, make it happen. It has been a great learning experience for me, and I continue to learn every day. You’ll need a good, strong business plan, more money than you think you will, the advice of someone who’s been there, a good accountant, and a good support system. And, if you are really lucky, you’ll have some background in business, marketing, design, retail, and fashion. I had none of these. Well, I had a support system to beat them all, but the rest I learned by asking questions, making mistakes, and good old fashion research. Good customer service is essential and quality is of utmost importance in sustaining a brand.

If you were allowed to wear only one color for the rest of your life, what color would it be?
I know it sounds cliche, but I guess it would be black. It looks good on my skin tone and the accessory options are endless against black. I love a chunky necklace and a great pair of colored heels.

How does Tailored Tadpole today, compare to the Tailored Tadpole of 2005 when you first started?  What can we expect in the future?
They are not recognizable as the same company. I made my first baby blanket myself, with newborn Marina wrapped on my chest in a Moby Wrap. It sold on ebay for $5! Now I have personal relationships with many repeat clients, boutiques, moms, gift-givers who love our products and I treasure this. We are now featured in boutiques in Australia, Canada, and across the United States. I hope to continue to learn, grow, and expand. I look forward to steering us more toward simple, modern design, and want to incorporate more eco friendly fabrics in future lines. I am thinking about tween designs as well. We never know what the future holds!

What’s the best way to get stains out of our children’s favorite outfits?
I have a friend who is a chemical genius. He told me about SUN. It comes in a tub like oxy clean, but works wonders on stains. I soak the garment in SUN, then wash it and lay it out to dry in the sunlight. I was amazed to see that sunshine actually removes stains too. (Does wonders on breast milk poopies.) Voila!

Be sure to follow Linde on Twitter for exciting updates on her collection and visit her site for the latest in modern tot fashion!

Thank you, Linde!

I first discovered Sarah J. Bray via Startup Princess where Sarah was interviewed about the company she and her husband founded, S. Joy Studios.  Together, Sarah and her husband, John, offer web, graphic and print design services, as well as, marketing options.  They offer clean, modern designs for businesses.

As if being a mom of two and a business owner aren’t enough, Sarah started off 2009 by launching MaTweeps where she interviews the “tweeps who make Twitter awesome”.  Just over two months old, MaTweeps has already featured some of the top names in social media – Guy Kawasaki, Gwen Bell and Kelly Anderson.  But MaTweeps isn’t just about social media heroes; Sarah is talking to folks in all fields who are pursuing their dreams and who truly inspire.

For updates on her design and marketing work and new interviews for MaTweeps, follow @sarahjbray on Twitter.  Now read on to find out more about MaTweeps and why Sarah would love to cruise around in an Audi with George Clooney.

In addition to your design and marketing company, you recently launched MaTweeps where you interview folks that make Twitter worthwhile.  How do you balance your different projects?

I won’t pretend it’s easy! I am sometimes on the computer for more hours a day than I would like to admit. But on the practical side, I use a lot of lists. I am a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done system, and I try to focus on the question “What is the most important thing for me to be doing right now?” Nothing else matters in that moment.

I also make sure that I only do things that are a priority for me. S.Joy Studios is a priority because it pays the bills. MaTweeps is a priority because I see so much potential there, and it is a manageable outlet for my writing. And of course, my family is my biggest priority.

You’ve connected with some pretty famous Tweeps.  What advice do you have for folks who are looking to connect with some of the bigger names in social media?  How do you maintain that relationship?

Just be real and be nice. Don’t ask for anything without giving something of yourself. People know when you’re genuine, and they know when you are trying to use them. Famous or not, people hate being used.

As far as maintaining relationships, it comes naturally when you honestly like a person. It happens spontaneously. For that reason, I don’t build relationships with people that I don’t actually like, in business or in my personal life.

I’ve read your interviews and they’re always fun and engaging.  Do you have any interview tips for bloggers?

A good interview requires an intimate knowledge of your subject. That means you need to have a history with that person, or you need to do a lot of research. Or both. Ask questions that only that person could answer well. Be curious and be human. Find the story behind the person and start from there.

Some people have the idea that interviews are easy — the interviewee does most of the work, right? Let me just blast that idea out of the water. Each interview on MaTweeps takes me between 3 and 5 hours from start to finish. For me, it takes almost as much creativity as a web design project. That’s why (for now) I only post twice a week.

What advice would you give to a new mom starting out in social media?  What resources would you say are essential?

Start with one outlet (twitter, for instance), and completely rock it out. Don’t move on to anything else until you feel like you’ve established yourself in that community. Community is not synonymous with huge numbers. Are people responding when you ask questions? Do people find what you are saying valuable (do they retweet you regularly)? Are you collaborating/sharing on a regular basis? When you can answer yes to all three of those questions, then you can confidently move forward to something else (facebook, for instance).

And no one says that you HAVE to be on every platform. Some will work better for you than others. And social media is always evolving, so be on the lookout for where everyone else is headed and join the party.

In your design business, you help translate a person’s brand or idea into an actual website.  What do you think bloggers need to think about when designing their site?  What are your top 3 no-nos for blog design?

Just be unique. Everyone has a blog these days, and if you can’t be different, then there really is no point for your blog. Define what makes you different and make that the focal point of your design.

As far as things I’d like to see banned from blog design, they would be:

      1. Too much on the screen. If a visitor has to wonder where in the world they should click, then you’re not doing them any favors. Make it clear.
      2. Bad navigation. At the very least, have links to the previous and next entries at the bottom of each entry. If it’s too difficult to find older articles, they might as well not even exist.
      3. Incorrectly aligned images. Such a simple thing can make the difference between professional and unprofessional. Learn how to float your pictures to the left or right of your text. If you can’t figure it out, put each image in its own paragraph.

Where do you find inspiration for your design work?

Everything. Except other websites. There is so much sameness going on online, and I really want our work to be different. I find inspiration from the way products are aligned on a grocery store shelf. The way my toddlers mix their finger paints. It doesn’t matter. Everything contributes to the way I see the world.

When you started your business, did you have a concept of what you were getting yourself in for?  What has surprised you most about your journey?

I definitely knew what I was doing, which is why I was so hesitant to go into business in the first place. Design is so personal, and you want to do your best work. But you also have to work within specified budgets, so it’s actually rare that you get an opportunity to design something that you can say is your absolute best. I’ve learned this year that “best” means fulfilling my client’s needs…not necessarily my own.

You work with your husband in your design firm.  What is your best advice for husbands and wives considering working together?

Do different things. My husband is big into animation and art. I am big into design and coding (which is actually a pretty strange combination.) I give perspective based on my background, and he gives perspective based on his. Combined, our work is much more dimensional than if we were going at it alone.

Brad or George?

Hmmm…probably George because he seems more real to me. I can’t even imagine what Brad is like in real life.

What’s your dream car?

Those Audi’s that they were driving in Mission Impossible 2. I’ve never quite gotten over them.

Thanks, Sarah, for sharing!

Have you ever met a person that was everywhere?  You go to a business lunch and they are wooing everyone.  You go to a fun cocktail party and they’re hosting.  You discover a fun new cafe and they’re the owner.  Well that person for me lately has been Amy Lupold Bair, or as she’s known in social media circles, Resourceful Mommy.

Mom of 2, Amy is a former teacher turned SAHM turned social media darling.  Blogging for less than a year, this mom keeps just a little bit busy blogging at Resourceful Mommy, Blissfully Domestic and Family Eden, being an editor for Type-A Mom, maintaing the Twitter Party directory and growing her own business.  Did I mention she’s speaking at Blissdom ’09 and was named one of the 50 Most Powerful and Influencial Women in Social Media?  Give me a minute while I catch my breath!

Amy somehow found time in her insanely busy schedule to do an interview for MamaHeartsBaby.  Enjoy!

You’ve been blogging less than a year, since August 2008.  What prompted you to start blogging?

I’ve always loved writing and majored in literature in college. I am a former English teacher and made the choice when I had my first child to become a full time stay at home mom. We do not have any family living near us, and my husband is out of the home for work eleven hours of the day, so it was not a tough decision to give up one income in exchange for stability for our child. I began considering blogging as a way to get back into the world of writing (and back into the world in general!) when I wrote frequent e-mails while on bed rest with my second child, which my friends urged me to turn into a blog. It took meeting Jessica Smith from JessicaKnows.com, however, to finally convince me to enter the online world. And I’ve been living in it ever since!

Can you tell us a bit about how you connected with Jessica and how that drove you to enter the online world?

I knew almost immediately upon staying home with my daughter that I would never want to return to teaching.  For awhile I tried to keep up with the necessary courses to maintain my certification, and I even worked from home grading the essay portion of the SAT.  But the truth is that I would have only been returning to work for the sake of the needed income.  The plan was always that I would return when my daughter went to kindergarten, forcing me to put my son in daycare.  As that day began to become more real, I thought constantly about what I could do to work from home – but I had no answers.

Then one day last May I was at a MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) meeting and I met a mom from a MOMS group that we had merged with.  It was Jessica Smith!  We talked about our sons who were headed to the same pre-school in the fall, but she also mentioned that she had a website: Moms Club Manual.

I didn’t think much about it until that summer when I checked out her sites.  And then I decided to e-mail and ask if anyone ever made a little money writing or editing sites.  I had no intention of starting my own blog, but I have always wanted to write, but never knew where to start.  She called and after talking for about a half hour, I ran to the computer and Resourceful Mommy was born on Twitter and Blogger!

Before becoming a mom, I never would have dreamed of ditching my degrees, my career, and following my passion: both to write and to stay home full time with my children.  But somehow everything came together at once – my desperation and meeting Jessica – and here I am!

Did you have a vision for what you wanted to accomplish when you first started out?  If so, has it changed since then?

I did have a vision! I knew I wanted to be the Resourceful Mommy, but I honestly envisioned writing much more about health issues. I had many difficulties during my pregnancies, and I also gave birth to two sick children who spent time in the NICU. It has turned out, however, that I write much more about general resourceful tips.

Another vision that has changed is where blogging would take me. I hoped to turn blogging into a freelance writing career, but never expected to develop a social media marketing business as well. But I’m certainly not complaining!

In the short amount of time you’ve been at it, you’ve gained amazing popularity and respect from your peers, including being named one of the 50 Most Powerful & Influential Women In Social Media.  What would you tell a new mom starting out in social media to focus on to be successful?

I never set out to focus on being successful, and maybe that is the key. I only hoped to use social media as a way to connect with my “co-workers” in the blogosphere, find some help as I set out on my journey, and find ways to help others along the way. No matter what I have worked on, I’ve always remained true to who I am and my values and goals. For example, I have turned down affiliate opportunities and marketing jobs that would not appeal to or help my readers in any way and that I would not normally support in my life as a mother.

Regardless of the fact that social media takes place primarily online, people are very quick to discover when something is false or deceitful. Stay true to yourself and you’ll find success.

You recently launched Site Warming Parties.  You first did it as a “housewarming” for your own site and then branched out to help other moms generate buzz for their businesses.  Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?  Did you have hopes of turning it into a business when you had your first one?

I knew that other sites had events to build buzz for their sites, but I had no resources to be able to do that for my own site, Resourceful Mommy. I also enjoyed reading about product giveaways on various sites and thought that combining an event with a giveaway – a party with a Goody Bag – would be lots of fun! I decided to host the event on Twitter because it was a free venue where people were already gathering online to chat. I also used Twitter to find the prizes for the event and was shocked at how quickly I was able to build up a base of vendors. As for calling it a SiteWarming – I liked that much better than calling it a launch because my site had been online for a couple of months. It seemed more true to its purpose to model it after a housewarming.

As for turning it into a business, I never dreamed for a second that that would happen. At the end of the first party, several tweeps suggested that I launch a SiteWarming Party business next, and although I laughed it off at the time, I immediately heard from sites and businesses interested in hiring me to do for them what I had done for my own site. I now hear from several companies a month and try to choose only two parties due to time and resource constraints.Sometimes I end up doing more parties, though, because it’s always difficult to say no to a party.

Being a mom is a full time job that sometimes requires more than 40 hours a week.  How do you find a balance between your family and your various commitments?  How do you find the time to write and coordinate great events?

Finding the time is often a struggle, but I try my best to find quiet moments when the kids are sleeping in the morning or evening, when they’re spending quality time with my husband, or when they’re enjoying time on their own. My daughter is nearly five and often likes what she calls “alone time,” but my son is two and a half and needs my full attention nearly all of the time. The days that my daughter is at pre-school and my son is at home, I often don’t even turn my computer on until the afternoon when he takes a nap. I also try to find ways to work with my daughter next to me while my son naps. For example, my daughter works on workbooks and enjoys crafting, so she is able to do that next to me at the kitchen table while I work on my laptop. The bottom line is that my kids come first, and I make sure that that is clear to everyone. However, my home-loving children also know that it is a privilege to be able to spend their days in their own house with their toys, games, and each other. Sometimes they have to wait just a moment while Mommy finishes an e-mail, but that, in their eyes and mine, is worth it if it keeps me at home with them.

What’s your best piece of parenting advice?

You are not responsible for your kids – you are responsible to your kids. Don’t apologize if they slip up and do something inappropriate. They did it, not you. However, be responsible and guide them to become the best adults they can be, and if you’ve done that, you’ve done all that you can.

You are a huge Disney fan and recently took a trip there with your family.  What are top 3 must see stops if a family is going to visit Disney?

Every child is so different, and I think that the Disney experience changes as children grow and mature. However, for any parent of small children, you absolutely must enjoy a character meal (or two or three). Our favorites were the Winnie-the-Pooh meal at the Crystal Palace and the Princess Storybook Breakfast at Akershus in Epcot. I also recommend riding “It’s a Small World” over and over again despite the fact that the music can begin to wear on an adults ears. There is so much to take in on that ride and my children were absolutely mesmerized, seeing something new with each trip around the small world – and we made four or five. And my third recommendation isn’t so much a stop, but a time of year to try to visit the World. We went just after Thanksgiving and if you love the holidays, you’ve got to see Disney’s interpretation of the Christmas season. It was the most incredible way to kick off the holidays for our family.

What’s your favorite movie?

I love so many movies that it’s honestly hard to choose! I love to watch Cinderella – the original – with my children.From my younger days I would have to say that Say Anything was my number one. Recently my husband and I enjoyed Tropic Thunder – sometimes you just want to laugh.