Meet a Families.com Blogger – Lisa Pietsch!

As the former Community Manager, Lisa was the first person I met when I became acquainted with Families.com, and has become a good friend. Lisa, how fun to interview you today! How long have you blogged for Families.com? I’ve been with Families.com since September 26th, 2005. I believe we had about twenty-six members back then. When management announced they would be hiring bloggers, I applied for the topics of Food, Weight Loss and Disney. When they launched the blogs here in early December 2005, they hired me for all three topics as well as the position of Community Manager. Eventually, … Continue reading

The Benefits of Working for “The Mouse”

I thoroughly enjoyed my time working at Walt Disney World in Florida. In fact, I’d have to say it was one of the very best jobs I’d ever had. Disney employees are never referred to as employees. Everyone who receives a paycheck from the Disney Company is a Cast Member. Whether you are working behind the scenes or in front of crowds of Disney enthusiasts, you are a cast member. Every person who works for the mouse is there to make your Disney experience the best it can possibly be and chances are, you will only see about 10% of … Continue reading

Why am I Writing this Disney Blog?

I’m a former employee of Walt Disney World in Florida. After going through the casting process, I found a great job at Walt Disney World’s Central Reservations Office. It wasn’t nearly as glamorous as playing Cinderella in the Magic Kingdom, in fact, it was considered a “backstage” position, but it was a fantastic job nonetheless! Part of my training involved touring all of the resorts/hotels on the Disney property from basic rooms to concierge level suites, exploring the vast and amazing underground and “backstage” areas, and doing considerable “off duty” research on the Walt Disney World Parks. The off duty … Continue reading

The Surprisingly Strict Disney Dress Code

Is Pluto properly groomed? Just about everyone has a dress code at work. Some are more lax than others, but few work places don’t have any requirements for dress or grooming. One of the few establishments I’d think of that wouldn’t have much in the way of a dress code would be an amusement park. I picture teenagers in t-shirts, baseball caps, and torn jeans when I think of amusement park employees. But the Disney Parks, as they are for many things, are an exception. The Disney Parks follow a dress code that originated in the 1950s. Its rules are … Continue reading

Taking Your Home-Based Business On The Road

Being a home-based professional comes with many benefits. One very exciting thing about working from home is that depending upon the nature of your work; you may be able to work from places other than your home. If your work is conducive to it, you can put together a “mobile office” that will give you even greater freedom than you currently enjoy while working from home. For example, freelance writing work can be done anywhere. I could be at home, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, or sitting in a cabana in the Caribbean as I write … Continue reading

Taking Pictures at Target

Did you know that Target has an in-house portrait studio? Apparently, I don’t get out much. Actually, I blame my location. Target portrait studios exist, but only in select stores. I stumbled upon one while visiting a friend who lives just outside of a major metropolitan area, and I was quite impressed with what I saw. For starters, if you forget your coupons at home, Target portrait studio has some available at the front counter. I suppose it helps lure walk-in traffic, but I have been to many in-store portrait studios that wouldn’t dream of offering you discounts on sessions … Continue reading

Kinetic Books: Algebra 1

Format: Online Age: Any student ready for Algebra 1 Teacher Prep: Minimal Homeschool Method: Any Learning style: Works well with any learning style Quick Rating: Excellent Cost: $34.95 for singular user What is Kinetic Books? Kinetic Book is an interactive learning system composed on CD-Rom or through an internet connection. Unlike many internet products, Kinetic Books is comprehensive and complete replacing the textbook entirely. Benefits of Kinetic Books Algebra 1: Interactive format with instant feedback. Keeps track of student progress. Text shows the steps of each equation to ensure the student is working through the process. Correlates to national and … Continue reading

Disney World to Pay Backed Wages

Is it as fun for them as it is for us? At first thought it might seem that for us Disney addicts working at one of the Disney parks would be a dream job. We’d spend our days surrounded by the Disney magic we love. Only I’m not so sure about that. I’d worry that my behind-the-scenes ticket to a Disney park would ruin a lot of the magic for me. Now it seems like on top of that employment at Disney World might not even meet federal standards on working conditions. The Associated Press reported at the end of … Continue reading

Pomegranate: Nature’s Superfruit!

Okay, whenever I hear something touted as being a superfood or a superfruit, I admit I get a mental image of a little cape, and little tights . . . but maybe they’re on to something this time. Pomegranates aren’t your most common fruit. I think I’ve had one, maybe twice, in my life. They’re kind of hard to eat and you can’t just walk down the street munching one (unless you’re more talented than I am). But look at what they can do for you: Considered one of the healthiest fruits in the world, it contains a huge array … Continue reading

The Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment

The most powerful woman in entertainment works for The Mouse. Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television and co-chairman of Disney Media networks has been named the most powerful woman in the entertainment industry in 2007 by the Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter’s 16th annual “Women in Entertainment: Power 100” special issue includes women in the motion picture, television and music industries as well as other entertainment industries. Anne Sweeney was number two on the 2006 list. Previously, Sweeney was named one of Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” in 2006 as well as one of Forbes’ “The World’s 100 … Continue reading