“What’s a ‘mom blogger’?”

OK, so not everyone at Disneyland last weekend had heard of this up-and-coming media power player that’s taking the internet by storm with its unyielding influence and buying power.

I was trying to catch up with my mom blogger group winding through the park toward Tom Sawyer Island and had lost my way. I asked a “cast member” where I might find those hard-working, iPhone hugging, Tweeting, social-network-savvy friends of mine, but all I received back was a blank stare.

“She’s making that up,” I heard the cast member remark as I moved through the crowd looking for a familiar face.

But believe me, there are not only cast members at Disney but folks at big and small companies (as well as Mrs. Claus, I found out) who do know what a mom blogger is. And they are hip to the fact that we are there to get the word out about parenting trends, products moms love and places they should be (or at least know about).

Hence, the Mom Bloggers Day at Disneyland this past weekend, where we were handed the keys to the Kingdom (and Disney’s California Adventure, too). And what did I learn?

• I love Halloween Time at Disneyland. Even the air feels different as the pumpkins and giant candy corn start to pop up. There’s a new fireworks show called Halloween Screams – A Villainous Surprise in the Skies featuring the “bad guys” such as Oogie Boogie and Ursula the Sea Witch projected big and loud over Sleeping Beauty Castle. Jack Skellington’s ghost dog Zero replaces Tinkerbell, zooming through the skies amid the showers of sparks.
• My sweet little Jack can handle a dark roller coaster. He took to the newly redone Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, where even the giant “fire man” left him wanting to go again. Kate said she preferred the original, but she’s a bit of a roller coaster snob.
• Disney villians need love, too. Kate and Jack met Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and the Old Hag, and kids clamored for autographs at the special area just for them near the It’s a Small World mall.
• Even if you’re local, it’s good to stay a night or two, if you can. You can find good deals at nearby hotels or splurge on either the classic Disneyland Hotel, the functional Paradise Pier Hotel or the grand old Disney’s Grand California. We opted for the Paradise Pier (room packages are around $300 for two-night stay). We were able to check in before the room was ready, and then the front desk sent me a text message while we played at the park when our room was ready.
• There’s a brand-new way to earn a free Disneyland ticket: Do a good deed. Disney just launched its “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program to inspire families to give a day of service in 2010. Starting on Jan. 1, folks can search for volunteer opportunities through the HandsOn Network at DisneyParks.com. Southwest Airlines in joining in, too, by providing transportation for the initiative.

Photos include: Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, Kate with an “ear” for candy, a little ghost hunting inside Sleeping Beauty Castle, Mrs. Claus addresses the mom bloggers, and both kids crashed out after the fireworks (thanks to fellow mom blogger Kathy Sena of Parent Talk Today for capturing that moment!):