Top 10 Disney Mothers

One element that has always been a topic of conversation amongst movie buffs and Disney buffs in particular, is Walt Disney's lack of a mother in his films. Of course the common theory is that as a result of Walt's relationship with his mother Flora, and the fact that her death resulted from a furnace leak at the house he had recently purchased for them in the 1940s, was directly to blame for his lack of mother roles or deaths of mothers in his pictures. However I really don't put much faith in this theory, Dumbo has a very endearing relationship with his mother, Wendy and her little brothers have a great mother and the movie features a song purely dedicated to what it means to have a mother. Therefore I really think the point of Disney's lack of mother figures is sort of baloney. There were and always have been several very important and dedicated mother characters in Disney history and this list is dedicated to some of the best ones (in my opinion of course!)

10. Kala (Tarzan 1998)

As I've previously talked about in a blog post, the opening of the underrated Tarzan where both a baby gorilla and a pair of human parents are brutally killed is such a heartbreaking and intense Disney sequence. Kala, the mother Gorilla is a true example of Altruism. She rescues our baby protagonist and raises him to the best of her ability, which it turns out is pretty darn impressive. Her sweet and very motherly disposition make you completely forget that she and Tarzan are a different species, and their scene together where she explains how alike they really are is one of the most tender moments ever on screen.

9. Momma (The Good Dinosaur 2015)

Speaking of underrated Disney films. In 2015 my boyfriend and I went to see Inside Out, and while we thought it was obviously a fantastic animated movie, several months later we went to say The Good Dinosaur and for us it was by far a better, sadder, funnier and more enjoyable experience. This is probably an unpopular opinion but at the end of the day it's all subjective really! When young Dinosaur Arlo goes missing, the love and respect he has for his family and his mother in particular becomes particularly evident when he talks to his new friend Spot about being seperated from them. Frances McDormand is one of my favourite actresses so add to it that she voices the character of Momma, and you've got a truly wonderful Disney mother character.

8. Mrs. Darling (Peter Pan 1953)

If anybody wanted to see what a classic Disney princess would be like as a mother, well here you have it. She may not have the royal title, but Mrs. Darling is animated, has the personality, mannerisms and lovely speaking voice of a classic Disney Princess. I adore the opening scenes of the movie in which she and Mr. Darling are getting ready to attend a party. It's so reminiscent of all of our childhoods, watching our parents get ready to go out while we play around with our toys and siblings. I particularly enjoy the dry humour Mrs. Darling shows while she remains calm as her husband, the "animated" Mr. Darling loses his patience with the children and the adorable Nana. She must be a good Mother to her kids, as they dedicate an entire song to just what a good mother is, I'm guessing they have had a lot of experience with one!

7. Helen Parr (The Incredibles, 2004)

What a super mom! As Elastigirl, Helen Parr has the ability to reach broad distances and stop criminals in their tracks. As a mom she had the ability to reach across the kitchen to catch a glass of orange juice before it hit the floor. A lot of mothers would say how truly heroic both of these abilities are on a hectic day. I love The Incredibles, the premise is so original and fun and as the matriarch of the Parr family, Helen really shines as a woman trying to keep her heroic family safe. She also has some truly funny moments, like the one where she realizes how her figure has changed since having kids, now I don't know many mothers that can't relate to that experience.

6. Eudora (The Princess and the Frog, 2009) 

With the warm voice talent of Oprah Winfrey and the realistic mixed feelings about her daughter's need for success and lack of a social life. Eudora is one of the most loving and real life mothers of all of Disney's movies. She has a very sweet and tender way with her daughter and despite being widowed young, she raised her daughter to have a strong work ethic and to never give up on her dreams. She is a real role model for all single mothers out there.

5. Mrs. Banks (Mary Poppins, 1964)

This is probably a controversial decision, because she is not the most "hands on" mother. But Mrs. Banks is a true example of a mother of her time. She may have required a nanny to look after her children, but to be honest back in those days most mothers probably did. And, there are several times throughout the movie that we see Mrs. Banks really show her affection towards her children and how she will humour them with what they have to say, particularly during the scene in which they tell her and Mr. Banks about their advertisement for a new Nanny. She is also a wonderful example of a working mother as she is so devoted to the good cause of Votes for Women!

4. Bambi's mother (Bambi 1942)

The ultimate heartbreaking moment for many a Disney person, is of course, the death of Bambi's mother by the hands of hunters. I really think this moment hits a nerve with so many people because it involves a little boy scared and alone without his only guardian and that is just a gut wrenching image. However I think it's also so strong because Bambi's mother was portrayed as the ultimate in knowing, loving and protective mothers. Her instant instinct to tell Bambi to run out of the meadow as soon as she sensed the hunters nearby was a real example of altruism and a truly protective Mother.

3. Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast 1991)

What's more comforting that a mother who wants to sing you a soothing song while she offers you a hot cup of tea and a biscuit? Mrs. Potts is one of the best Disney mothers because even though she and her son Chip were turned into inanimate objects, she never let that stop her from taking the best care of him and raising him well while making the most of a tough situation. Which, lets face it is what many moms out there have to do. Plus she's voiced by Angela Lansbury, you can't get more motherly than that!

2. Duchess (The Aristocats 1970)

She's beautiful, she's protective and she teaches good lessons to her kids. The Aristocats is one of my favourite ever animated movies and I absolutely adore the stunning Duchess and her little kittens. When she and the kittens are kidnapped by the conniving Edgar, her first instinct is to gather her kids in the morning and try to get home. Luckily she meets up with the King of the Highway, Thomas O'Malley (the alley cat!) and the two take the kittens home. What I think is so great about Duchess as a single mom is that although she does fall for O'Malley, it's completely clear that she wouldn't bother with him at all unless she thought he would make an excellent Dad for her kittens, which thankfully, he really does. 

1. Sarabi (The Lion King 1994)

Well basically, I can relate to Sarabi, she was the mother of a Simba, I was the mother of a Simba. But seriously, watching The Lion King 2 the other day really made me want to do this list, I love the portrayal of Sarabi and Nala as mothers. I think Sarabi in particular is such a regal character, and her and Mufasa's love and devotion to each other and their son is such a beautiful part of the story. I also love the strength she exhibits when confronting Scar and her reaction to realizing her son is still living is a really emotional and heartwarming moment. Also I think she is animated just beautifully. She is my favourite portrayal of a Disney mother. 

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My Simba

“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.” – Rafiki

What I have been hurt by and have learned from in my past is that loving a pet as much as I loved mine is one of the best experiences a person can have. I will always love my little meow and what having him in my life meant to me.

My Simba came into my life and barreled into my heart in June 2015. He rescued me from a lonely single gal life in my small apartment. The day he arrived he was small, pure white with teeny pink ears that seemed too small for his rather rotund head. He also had a tiny pink button nose that I just adored. For a whole month it was just the two of us, he had a friend in me and even though he would hop on me, scratch at my ankles and always always want to rough house, I knew I had a friend in him. Then my boyfriend came into my life and love found a way to bond the 3 of us together. For the first year of Simba's life, he caused havoc everywhere he went (not that he went any farther than the apartment and in the general vicinity, no elephant graveyards for this guy.) Despite this, I continued to love him, attempt to cuddle and pet him as much as possible and fed him like a little chubby king. Then all of a sudden, one summer's evening, he was gone. Panic set in and after almost a week of social media posts, signs/posters on trees and in shop windows, he was discovered. He was discovered 15 minutes away at the back of the shopping centre, which meant he would have had to cross a river bridge amongst half the town in broad day light to get there. So I guess he did have some of the adventurous instinct of his namesake. After scaling two walls, entertaining the good natured curiosity of an old lady passerby and ripping a pair of trousers, Simba's Dad rescued him. I'd never been so happy to see the little white nightmare, he looked a little less white and a little less pudgy, but he soon fixed the pudgy part at least. 

I always thought Simba would stay with us for years, I thought in 10 years when we have a bunch of pets and maybe a kid or two, he would be laying about, fat as a fool and just wanting a pat on the head and a nap. I think I more than just thought this, I really hoped for it. In spite of all his flaws and madness, I knew every time he lay beside me in the early morning, when his Dad headed off to work and he curiously looked up to see what I was watching, reading, listening to and purred like a tiny tractor....that he needed me, his Mama, and I really needed him. Yesterday evening, we did the same old routine, joked with our little chubby boy about how mad and fat he was, told him we loved him and put him out with a bowl full of grub. Just one hour later my Simba was dead. I miss him so much, I wish I had his bellyhouse to rub with the sweeping brush while cleaning the kitchen, I wish I could laugh about how chubby he is while feeding him leftover cheese, I wish I could watch him sit on his Dad's chest at the most inopportune moments and watch his Dad let him sit there forever just so he wasn't disturbed. Most of all I wish I could walk home from work or the cinema and hear that shrill little "meeooow" and look up and see my little King of the Pride lands looking at me, I love you Simba and I'll always remember who you were. 

Book Review: Poor Unfortunate Soul by Serena Valentino

Disney press is something that every single Disney ebthusiast should look into and seriously consider getting books from. If even out of curiosity, the varions series of books that they have on offer can open up nostalgic and enchanting new takes on our favourite Disney tales. 

With all that being said, The Serena Valentino Villain series is mostly not oneven such take on  these tales. I have previously reads and written about both The Beast Within  (Beauty and the Beast) and Fairest of All (Snow White and Seven Dwarfs) and even though I didn't particularly enjoy either one, I decided I may as well round it off by getting the last of the series. This being the back story behind one of Disneys most dynamic female charavtets/despicable villains, Ursula the Sea Witch. I purchased the book on amazon.co.uk for €7.50 including delivery and although it was second hand it was in great condition. 

The back story behind this book is probably the most muddled up and silly of the whole series and unfortunately (no pun intended ) this story is the worst of the all 3 of them. It centres on the time after The Beast Within ends or thereabouts which I suppose is a good marketing plot as it means you would have to get the other 2 books before reading this one. It's actually quite a tough plot to explain and invalves the 3 worst Disney characters ever created, the 3 witch sisters thar have heavily featured in the whole series, however they are the most prominent in this book. The beginning focuses on them and their relationship with Ursula and how they came to bensure acquaintances with her which is all very dull to read about. The middle of the book then goes on to illustrate how Ursula ended up being so full of the need for revenge on King Triton and why she wanted to become the ruler of all the ocean. While there is a plot point of her childhood that is successful as it makes her the most sympathetic Villain in these stories, it is still very far fetched and not well written for a published author which takes away from it a touch. The book finishes with some convoluted plot that yet again involves those 3 witch sisters way too often and could have been executed so much more imaginatively. 

All in all, this story was not great at all and for a relatively short book it was quite hard to get through as I found myself losing concentration. I would only recommend this and the other 2 books to a true Disney fan or say a young teenager, I feel that I may have enjoyed it slightly more if I was 13 or 14 years old. So, if you are neither of those things I'd give this one a miss and stick to the Twisted Tales series by Liz Braswell. However, I am a real hypocrite here and I will most likely purchase and read the new Maleficent back story that is due to come out at winter time this year. I guess I'll always be wishing upon a star for these stories to be better. 

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My Monthly Disney buys, wouldn't you think my collection's complete

Since joining instagram I have become very fond of following fellow Disney people and their accounts so that I can see all of their cool items and merchandise. It's not only really fun as a Disney enthusiast, it also gives you lots of ideas for gifts, decor, places to buy these things, examples of prices etc... That's why I love sharing on this blog some of my monthly Disney finds, in the hope that some readers will come across some cool stuff they'd like to seek out and own. So with that in mind, here they are, I'm really happy with what I've came across these past few weeks Disney wise, I hope you like them too!

The very first thing I bought this month was a Disney water flask. I happened upon it one day while buying sweets in Mr. Price which is kind of like Target only I'm guessing with a lot less stock. What I like about this flask so much is that it is very subtle and people might not immediately see that it is Disney as it just has the little Mickey Mouse silhouette on it, so it would be an ideal flask for a Disney lover who's not too into the flashy stuff but still wants to show their a fan. It came in different colours but of course me being me I went for the girliest one, it cost €2.95 so it's not going to be as fancy as some of this filtering flasks and whatnot, but if you're just looking to hold some water or juice on the go, it's perfect.

There's a charity shop called Jack and Jill in my town which is in aid of children with brain injuries and it is probably the best charity shop in my town. Nine times out of ten it will always have something Disney to discover. One particular day that I went in to the shop they had a lot of Disney themed toys and luckily a beautiful Winnie the Pooh clock. It's such a unique find and I just had to have it for my nephew's pooh bear bedroom. It only cost €1! and works perfectly fine with a new battery. As I've said before in some of my blogs, charity/thrift stores/markets can be just filled with little Disney gems and definitely not for turning your nose up at.

I love my plushies, and Disney plushies I love even more. They're an extremely popular collector's item for fans and you can get them in almost all toy shops, online and of course at the Disney Stores. I have quite a few Disney store plushies but I came across a small Shere Khan Jungle Book plushie in my "this might interest you" section of Amazon. At only €10 including delivery it was a great little purchase as The Jungle Book is one of my all time favourite movies and Shere Khan is one of the best villains.

My amazing boyfriend is not only okay with my Disney addiction, he can also be a bit of an enabler, and I am more than delighted about that! Recently I had mentioned that I needed a new travel mug for coffee at work, and so he surprised me with this gorgeous Ariel travel mug. It's absolutely perfect for somebody who doesn't mind being flamboyant about their love for all things Disney (aka me!). It was a really sweet and thoughtful gift from him and it is extra cute because its got my favourite Princess on it. I believe he purchased it on Amazon and the price all depends on the sellers, I'm sure they feature the other princesses also.

Anybody from the UK and Ireland will recognize this next item. It was the collectible de jour for all us Disney fans in the past few months and it was like gold dust to come across at one point due to it's popularity. Just yesterday my sister, her partner, me nephew and I all made a trip to Dundrum shopping centre in Dublin which has one of the largest Penney's in the country, which is the retailer of the Chip Purse. Although I was hoping that I would see some Disney stuff there, I didn't expect to come across the one and only Chip Purse the second I walked in! It is just so darn adorable and such a cute little item, it's no wonder so many people wanted it. At only €5 it was a complete bargain and will be a great first Beauty and the Beast item for my collection.

The final thing I got this month Disney wise was also purchased in Penney's yesterday. It is this super cool The Little Mermaid night shirt that is in a man's pajamas style. It has a very 80s retro style logo and print on it and it seems super cosy. I probably won't get much wear out of it until winter but I cannot wait to rock it on a cold wintery night while sipping a hot chocolate and watching a Disney flick.

So there you have it, all in all I must say I am elated with my finds this month. I hope it helped with some suggestions/inspiration for people looking for places that sell Disney themed bits and bobs and if not I at least hope you enjoyed looking at my cute collection treasures.

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My top 10 Disney Cats

Disney is more than well known for it's lovable animal animated characters. There most recent Oscar winning film was solely dedicated to them. As a true honest to goodness lover of both Disney and animals (and a cat owner myself) I decided to make a list of the some of the feline friends that I have appeared in some of our much loved Disney films. I've only included actual domesticated cats and no lions, tigers or tiggers

10. Rufus from The Rescuers (1977)

I recently watched this movie for the first time in years and I have to say, it truly is a little often forgotten gem, Of course with a movie surrounding 2 little mice, you have to have a cat in there somewhere. Rather than doing the obvious and have a villainous cat to chase the protagonists, the makers decided to have a sweet and lovable old moggy with a taste for napping and ginger snaps

9. Dinah from Alice in Wonderland (1951)

This little lady appears relatively briefly in this surrealistic film, and she is often the least remembered cat featured as most people think of the Cheshire Cat when they think of Alice. Having said that I've always loved Dinah, her cute little flabbergasted reactions at Alice's talk of living in a Wonderland are irresistibly adorable, and she rocked the pink bow long before Marie from The Aristocats came along

8. Lucifer from Cinderella (1950)

Lucifer may be a little fat nightmare of an animal, but he is an unforgettable character from one of Disney's true classics, so I would be nuts not to mention him on this list. He also makes for some of the most comedic moments in the film (his moments of manic glee at being evil) and in my opinion one of the most frustrating moments. That being when he traps Gus Gus under a tea cup right before he gets to give Cinderella the bedroom key. That moment is Hitchcock worthy in terms of how suspenseful it can be and this rotund little fuzz ball helps create that.

7. Sergeant Tibbs in 101 Dalmations (1961)

I must admit I have a personal affection for Sergeant Tibbs as we had a cat in my family as a child that we called Tibbs. So I always look forward to seeing this little guy on the screen. I love the fact that the Sergeant of this bunch of animals isn't the big dogs or the majestic horse, it's the scrawny little cat, I just think that's a wonderful idea and that he is a great little representative for the whisker set in this canine tale

6. Mittens in Bolt (2008)

Bolt is a fantastic film I only watched a few months ago for the first time ever and I adored it. Of course the John Travolta voiced Bolt is undeniably the main reason for the movie being so sweet and cute, but the character of Mittens is also to thank in a big way. She brings tears to even the coldest of people's eyes with the story of how she became homeless. i think it particularly touched me as I worked at an animal shelter with animals who had that exact back story. Thankfully it all works out for her in the end. Phew! or should I say Meow!

5. Figaro in Pinocchio (1940) 

This tiny firecracker of a fluff is so well animated and characterized that you just want to pick him up out of the screen and take him home for a cuddle. He has such a funny little personality and his exasperation at not getting his food or sleep when he wants as well as his reactions to meeting Pinocchio remind me so much of all the cats I've had throughout the years. 

4. Duchess from The Aristocats (1970)

What a doll! I may be a tad bias here as my own cat happens to be a fully white one just like Duchess. I really do wish he had her personality to though! One of the most beautiful and ladylike Disney characters ever and she wasn't even human. I also adore the voice of Eva Gabor as Duchess, such a lovely and refined characterization. 

3. The Kittens from The Aristocats (1970)

I know technically this is 3 different characters, but for the purposes of this list I'm going to group them together in a little trio. Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz are the perfect kids and kittens for any parent/owner. Their cute little individual looks along with their continuous bickering and playful fights are a lot of fun to watch in the movie. I also particular love the kids that voiced them. I have a Marie plushie from the Disney Store and I cannot wait to get the other two kittens as part of my collection. 

2. Oliver from Oliver and Company (1988)

Whenever I mention this movie I always have to say just how underrated it is. It's got some wonderful song numbers and some great comedic moments and is a really unique idea for an animated feature. The stroke of genius of making the character of Oliver into a little ginger kitten is a purrrfect (see what I did there) idea. From the moment this little guy appears on screen in a box full of his siblings to the tune of "Once Upon A Time in New York City" we as the viewer fall in love and completely route for him and his canine companions

1. Thomas O'Malley from The Aristocats (1970)

Abraham De lacy.....Giuseppe Casey....Thomas O'Malley.....O'Malley the Alley Cat. This smooth operator. There are so many aspects of this character that are amazing, from his wonderful entrance song to his velvet voice (courtesy of Phil Harris, the voice of Baloo and Little John as well). My mother has a 17 year old cat called Sparky and if he were made into a cartoon, Thomas O'Malley would definitely be it. He is the epitome of a lovable rogue and his romance with Duchess in the picture is one of the best in Disney history

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My Disney buys this Month, things I keep in my Cave of Wonders

I haven't done a blog in quite a few weeks and that's mainly because I was away in Cork for one of those weeks, with my partner, my sister, her partner and my little baby nephew. Another reason is that I've recently enrolled online in an Event Management course which will keep me busy for several months now. Having said that I have spent the past few weeks shopping around for my Disney bits and bobs at every opportunity. On our trip with went to Penneys (Primark in the UK) which I had been anticipating would have some amazing Disney merchandise. This is purely because most of the UK based Disney fan accounts I've followed on instagram have some amazing Disney things such as Ursula's black handbag and The Little Mermaid accessories of all kinds. Unfortunately the selection in the Penneys I was at wasn't great but I did use my trusty Disney senses to sniff out a few cute little items. These included two night shirts, one with Marie from the Aristocats on it and one with Minnie Mouse on it in a retro style that reminds me of ones I wore in the 90s as a kid. I also bought a pack of Disney villain socks which were probably my favourite purchase there, they have all the usual suspects on them, Ursula, The Evil Queen and Maleficent in pink and silver. I got a pack of three pop socks to wear with flats and pomps that have Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian on them and they are really cool! Lastly I picked up a multicoloured Disney princess pen while I was queuing up to pay, impulse purchasing always works when it comes to Disney. I have to say I was incredibly disappointed with the lack of Disney things in Penneys. Afterall they are owned by the same people as Primark in England so I'm really not certain of why we wouldn't have the same huge Disney selection. I'll be going to another Penneys in Dublin over the summer so perhaps I'll find more things there that I can post about. The material used in the nightshirts is the same as any other cheapish night shirt but I imagine it will last a long time as others I've bought there have, they cost €7 each. The socks costs €3.50 for the pack of 3 and the pop socks were €3.50, the pen cost €1.50 so all in all, less than 15 quid for all that stuff is pretty great!

While on the trip we stopped off in a little town called Youghal for dinner the final day. A very old fashioned Irish main street that contained quite a lot of charity/thrift stores so I knew I was bound to find at least one Disney gem in among the rest of the nick nacks and little did I know it would be something I'd been searching for for a long time. The Disney version of Scene It? I had wanted to get either the Disney version of that or trivial pursuit but I could never justify on my budget paying €40 for them! So I was over the moon when I came across this in absolutely perfect condition for just €3, talk about a deal! We played it the second we got home from the trip and it's lots of fun, I would definitely suggest Disney buffs or even movie buffs to invest in it or find it online for a cheaper price, well worth it for the hours of fun.

There's a website called Qwertee.com which I believe is Irish and it does usually one or two specific t-shirts a day for €11.00 with a €2.50 delivery fee. The t-shirts are often very unique designs involving pop culture and that includes of course Disney. The one I got my boyfriend before our trip was a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 design that I absolutely had to get! Anybody that watched the film will no doubt recognize the scene it represents with my favourite line in the film. He was really excited about receiving it and threw it on the moment we found it in the post box. My partner is 6'5 and quite broad shouldered so he got an XL in the t-shirt which I would recommend unless you're quite thin. They also do women's sizes so if you follow them on facebook, instagram etc... you're bound to come across the odd Disney design every once in a while.



The last of my Disney related finds this month are three awesome little bits I came across in some charity shops yesterday while having a stroll up the main street. The first thing I bought I caught sight of out of the corner of my eye, afterall no Disney item can escape and uber fan as we all know. It was a tiny little blue Disney box with a sweet little Daisy Duck keychain on the inside with a tiny frame for a little photograph to fit into. I'm not sure where they keyring was originally from but it looks like perhaps Disneyland itself! and it only cost €1 and is completely unused. I then on the off chance went into a different charity shop and was delighted to find a 101 Dalmations clothes hanger that can be attached to a wall, my sister happens to have two 101 Dalmations photos on my nephew's bedroom wall so I had to pick that up to go along with them. It only cost €2 and was in great conditions, also looked unused completely. Finally I got myself a Cinderella 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. I have seen quite a few of the kind in charity shops before but this one was brand new and really pretty so I thought what the heck. I have to say, it's really tough! Perhaps it's because I  haven't done puzzles in a long time but holy moly, they definitely keep you occupied.

I hope anyone that read this blog post enjoyed it. I really love seeing what my fellow Disney enthusiasts are able to dig up in various places and so I hope you found it somewhat interesting to see my trinkets and the things that go towards making my collection complete.

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My Disney Buys This Month, I've got Whozits and Whatzits galore

Every month, well if I'm being honest every week....okay every single day! I am on the lookout for something Disney that I can add to me growing collection. I just wanted to share with you the things I got this past few weeks. I purchased a few lovely little things that I'm very much excited I now own. So here they are, I hope you enjoy reading about them and maybe it will inspire you to check out different spots like thrift markets, charity shops, online etc...

The first thing I bought this month was a Deep Sleep Sleeping Beauty Set from amazon. The set consists of a small tub of night time body butter, a pillow spray and a sleeping eye mask made of a satiny material. This set cost about €5.00 and I think approximately €2 for delivery. I think amazon is an amazing place to find some great Disney stuff, from Beauty products, to books, to mugs, it has such a fantastic collection and if you find the right seller, the shipping prices aren't too bad either. The pillow spray smells really nice but I haven't used it much yet, I will probably use the body butter once I run out of my moisturizer just to test it out, it seems really thick and creamy which is what I look for in all creams. My main reason for buying this set was of course the sleep mask, it is so pretty and girly. I also sometimes like getting Snow White and Sleeping Beauty items because I feel like products featuring those princesses are less common than products featuring say Belle or Rapunzel. 

I had a very bad back a week ago and a sinus infection to go along with it. My boyfriend, being the absolute doll that he is, brought me home some flowers and an Ariel Doll one day to cheer me up and boy it sure did! I love getting surprise Disney things from people and of course Ariel is my number one Disney princess. The Doll came in a box and I promised myself I was going to keep it in it but honestly, unless it's a super rare one from back years ago, I'm never going to keep it in the box. I took it out and placed it on my night stand alongside my soft Ariel doll and it looks just perfect there. It reminds me so much of the Ariel doll I owned when I was a kid. The only thing I must say I find different about the dolls from when I was little, are that their head shapes seem to be slightly larger, not that that's a bad thing, just an observation. She is wearing a gorgeous turquoise and teal coloured dress with purple and glittery detail. She also has, which for some reason are my favourite part of the doll, a little pair of clear teal coloured heels on which are just really adorable and a nice little touch. I believe you can get these dolls in Tesco and other toy shops for under €15.00

Today my boyfriend, my sister and my nephew and I decided to go to the Inch Market, which is well known for bargains and unique bits and bobs. Unfortunately the weather today was terrible and although it hadn't rained yet by the time we got to the place, it was overcast and there weren't as many stalls and sellers as there usually would be. I did manage to come across something that I was absolutely delighted with, an Ariel Musical Money Box. This was such an amazing find and I was so excited to come across it! The lady had wanted €12.00 for it but I haggled and was able to get it for €8! I recently googled it and it's being sold on ebay for over €30.00! talk about a deal! It's such a charming little item to have in a collection, when you press the front button it lights up and sings a verse from "Part of your world" how lovely is that?

The last two Disney things I got this month were beauty related items. Today we went into a store called Dealz after the market. I guess from what I've seen online, it's kind of like a Dollar Tree Store that Americans would have. It has loads of Disney related things for both adults and kids alike. I always look for beauty and household finds and deals in there. Today I picked up along with some normal beauty products, a Beauty and the Beast shampoo and conditioner. The reason I decided to buy it is mainly because the picture looks so much like how the characters do in the movie and that's not always the case when it comes to some of these bottles and products. I will likely only use it as decoration in my bathroom because it looks so sweet. It cost only €1.50. I also picked up a tinkerbell emery board set too. It's a trio of them with the little pixie adorably displayed all over them. I will likely use these as I've used Minnie Mouse ones I got there before and I found them to be great and then I will use them as decoration after I've gotten my use of them. They cost €1.50 also. I really encourage anybody who will only collect Disney things online to give their local shops, markets etc... a chance because honestly, they are just filled with so many Disney treasures


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