Disney World the Week After Thanksgiving Review (November 2018)

I love reading blogs with tips/reviews so here goes mine!

 We typically go to Disney in late January, end of April or first of May. However for our 2018 vacation we went November 24-December 1. We were told this was a slow week which we know Disney is always busy.

Saturday:
We arrived and checked in at AKL. I faxed in a room request the Monday before asking for a “partial savanna view or bunk beds if possible for the kids.” Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived early which was fine. So we took the bus to Disney Springs to walk around & eat at the Polite Pig which was amazing! We shared the double plate with us and the 3 kids that has several meats & sides on it & it used 2 quick service meals! It was great! We rode the bus back & our room was ready. To our surprise we had a full savanna view & bunk beds (pixie dust!). The kids swam that night at AKL’s pool!

We also learned with 3 kids (the girls are 5 & 4 and our son is 15months) we would not be riding the bus anymore which we always had done! Our son screamed and hated the bus. He didn’t understand why he could not get down & we had a double Joovy stroller & a single! So that was a lot to carry with the kids & strollers. We drove every day after that & they scanned our magic bands at the park entrances and we got there early (prior to park opening) & parked close enough we didn’t even have to ride the trams & fold up the strollers. Not having to wait on the buses at night was nice too!!

Sunday:
We went to Hollywood Studios & rope dropped Slinky Dog Dash! My husband & middle daughter & son waited where the rider swap waits & my oldest daughter & I hopped in line! We waited maybe 35min before riding and then my husband & middle child were able to go through the fastpass line with rider swap which was great! We then walked onto Toy Story Mania with very little wait. My oldest I took on Tower of Terror which was a bad decision because she hated it and didn’t want to ride anything else the rest of the trip even though she “thought” she wanted to ride it. My husband & I did rider swap on Rockin Roller Coaster which was amazing! We never have rode it before. We then took the boat to the Boardwalk for the Bon Voyage (very late 11:20) brunch. We LOVED the character interaction here, service was wonderful, & the food was great! While we waited for our table we let the kids run in the grass area there & they text us when our table was ready. The drinks (covered with the dining plan) was amazing as well. We LOVE the dining plan because the sit down meals gives us a “rest” time during the day which our kids enjoy! We then took the boat back to HS, met characters (Vampirina, Sophia, Doc McStuffins, Jessie & Woody, Daisy & Donald) and then watched Indiana Jones & Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We then stayed for Jingle Bell Jingle Bam! We thought it was not impressive, however the kids loved the snow falling during it & the showe on the Tower of Terror is cute! However, we should have opted for Fantasmic!

Monday:
We went to Epcot! We love Epcot & try not to rush through it. We rope dropped Soarin’ then ate breakfast in that food court area. Then went and rider swapped at Test Track (single rider line) & rode Mission:Space (rider swap as well). Then went to Frozen, Nemo & had lunch at Akershus which is strictly for the princesses the girls love. The food is not our favorite at all. I prefer Garden Grill’s food. It rained later that day so we saw Anna & Elsa & walked around the world showcase some & saw characters (Christmas Belle, Peri?? Noel, etc...) then took the monorail to the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread House & get snacks & ate at the hotel that night d/t the rain.

Tuesday:
We stayed around the hotel, at Sanaa at Kidani Village for lunch, let the kids nap, then headed to the Christmas Party! We LOVED the Christmas Party. We arrive at 3:30. Got in at 5min til 4. Rode the Teacups & Dumbo then got in line to meet the 7 Dwarfs. They came out at 6:15. We then went towards Pecos Bills and grabbed cookies/drinks along the way. We ordered on the mobile app 2 burger meals from Pecos Bills & parked the stroller for the parade right outside & ate while we waited. There is a snack stand outside there with candied bacon on a stick which is amazing 😍. Then we had great seats at the front of the parade which the Christmas parade was AMAZING. Then we headed to meet the Genie & Jasmine, ride some rides which we could walk right on, and watched the fireworks at 10 & got a good standing area for that. We also met moana around 11 which there was a less than 5 minute wait at that point! We did more in 5-7 hours at the party than a full day at the park. It was amazing.

Wednesday:
We had breakfast at 1900 Park Fare which was ok. We prefer dinner here. Then, we went back to MK which was crazy busy! We should have realized this would be a busy day. The hours were like 9am-10pm with EMH til midnight so it was a full park day whereas a lot that week it closed at 6pm so of course, people wanted to go this day. We were only able to ride the rides we had fastpasses for and met the evil stepsisters of Cinderella. Jingle Cruise was so cute!! The girls also loved watching Elsa light up the castle!  We had dinner at Ohana at 8:30 which we thought was great food & the kids LOVED having a window seat & seeing the water parade & fireworks from our table. Then we went on back to the room after!

Thursday:
We went to Animal Kingdom & had breakfast at Tusker House which was good food & the characters were great! We had fastpasses for Flight of Passage which we rider swapped & took our 5 year old on. We LOVED this ride. It’s great & we have never watched Avatar related stuff. We ate at the quick service restaurant in the World of Avatar/Pandora and had the beef bowl with sweet potato hash & white sauce & it was good!! It was again, a very busy day at Disney. We rode the Safari & had a fastpass for the Lion King Show but you have to arrive early & we didn’t get there early enough for the pass so we went ahead & did other stuff before leaving. We drove to HS to try to catch Fantasmic! Since we didn’t get to see it the night at HS but it was cancelled due to technical difficulties after waiting 1.5 hours. So we went to the room. W changed resorts this night since we added on 2 nights to our stay. We changed to All Star Sports that night since we added on 2 additional nights at the end of our stay. It was nice & not a moderate or deluxe resort of course but just to sleep in for the price it’s fine! The kids loved playing in the Donald Duck tennis court grass area!

Friday:
We went back to MK & stayed til 3. We were able to ride a ton during EMH from 8-9 and even until lunch. Then it got kind of busy but not bad. The park closed around 6 so we hopped over to Epcot around 4 and had dinner at Spice Road Table on the patio at a table by the water. This was the best meal of our trip! The food was amazing, service was great, & if it would have been during Illuminations this seat would have been an amazing view! It really is a “hidden” gem of a restaurant!

Saturday:
Departure day 😭

We had cold & hot days. Packing in layers is a definite must this time of year! Christmas is beautiful! I really want to stay at Beach Club one summer & maybe the Wilderness Lodge one Christmas soon!

I would love to hear your Disney likes/dislikes and tips!! It helps so much having honest reviews!!

Late Disney Recap from May 2017

I wanted to post this Disney review even though it’s old just to save. 

This was wrote on 5/21/2017 from our trip. I need to post one from our November 2018 trip soon!!

Just finished up our family vacation at WDW! 

Stayed at Caribbean Beach & loved it (even with construction!) we requested a ground floor near transportation & got both! We were not in the rooms enough to notice the construction & ate at the parks so we didn't try the buffet's that CBR & food trucks they are using right now. However, they say the buffet is good!! It is huge and spread out! We were at Trinadad North! There is a bus that runs just around CBR. 

We started our trip at the AK & we didn't do park hoppers for the first time ever & really took our time at each park which turned out good! At the AK our girls loved meeting characters that aren't found at other parks (Rafiki, Pocahontas, etc...). We also took the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch which we never paid attention to before & the girls loved that! We did leave the park to go to Boma & eat dinner which was amazing! 😍 we are usually not fans of buffet's at all but this food is great! We ate at the Quick service yak & yeti for lunch. The Kobe hotdog & burger was okay but the kids loved the snack fried rice and it pretty much is a meal! 

We went to the Magic Kingdom on day 2 & did dinner at CRT which was good food. We used the Disney Dining Plan (2 credits for this). The girls LOVED the princess interaction! My youngest LOVES princesses! I cant wait to post pics for you to see! We had a great time here however since our reservation was at 7:10 when we got done they had everything roped off for the new night show & we couldn't see the castle hardly at all. Everyone was packed like sardines inside the white lines everywhere & cast members were directing people through stores towards the exit. We ended up just going and doing the picture near Rapunzel's towel with the lanterns because the line was short & the girls couldn't see anything. We were sad to miss Happily Ever After and then they did another show later that night but the girls were asleep by then. We also did both girls a haircut (including the baby's 1st haircut) at Harmony Barber shop & got "Pixie Dust" for both girls (which is free) and they enjoyed that a lot! We highly recommend this as well. The Magic Kingdom is a lot to do in one day (impossible really with toddlers 😉). But we got a lot done! We did not have cash & at the barber shop you cannot tip on the magic band receipt 😫. Also at CRT  the waiter wouldn't let us tip. The receipt didn't print an option so he made out like since it was 2 TS's credit's he didnt take tips (which I found out is true, they include tip in the price). He was great!!  He also gave my youngest (2 years old) a whole meal without charging us for it! 

At Epcot we bought the passports for our girls to get stamped in the 11 countries which they loved!! We also did pick a pearl in Japan which is super cute! We ordered charms online on an Etsy shop another mom recommended while we were in line because the selection was slim there. We ate at Teppan Edo for supper which was fun! We also had several snacks during the Flower & Garden festival. The Pineapple Promenade has a spicy hotdog that has dried pineapple & a violet frozen dessert lemonade that is to die for! Both are snack credit's. The Fish & Chips in the UK was great last year but this year it almost tasted as though the grease was old they were cooked in. We also ate snacks at the French bakery which was delicious. 

Finally, we went to Hollywood Studios yesterday which was super packed (weekends always are more busy!) and our oldest signed up for Jedi training and at 4 years old she was terrified & didn't finish it. But also, she is not really Familiar with Star Wars so that doesn't help matters but it's free & with memory maker there are tons of pictures they take for you of this. We had ABC Commissary for lunch which was packed but this super sweet cast member named Hope that was working there helped this mama tote our trays to the table (which my husband was holding for us while we waited in line). She then proceeded to bring us 2 Mickey straws back to the table for the girls despite the business of the crowd there. We watched some shows and rode Toy Story Mania. But by this day the girls were exhausted and it was the hottest day. Fantasmic is our favorite night show but we opted to let them nap in the stroller while we walked around and then we headed to Disney Springs vs fighting the night time park crowd that we would face leaving after Fantasmic! Hollywood Studio's is not our favorite park & I was hoping it would be better this year since My oldest (4 years old) acted scared of rides and all this year but with the crowds & heat we didn't do much other than Aerial, Beauty & the Beast, Disney Jr Live, Meet & Greet with Doc McStuffins, toy story mania, and My husband rode the Star Wars ride which My oldest was signed up for but she was asleep and would have been scared he said. 

At Disney Springs we went to T-Rex build-a-bear & let the girls build a dinosaur which they loved. Then went to the big Disney store & Goofy's candy shop and used some snack credits on cupcakes & mickey shaped rice krispies. I also had been told to try the Sriracha Kettle Corn which isnt a snack credit but I should have bought more! It's addicting! So good!! We then ate af Chef Art's Homecoming which was okay. Everyone in reviews loves it but the fried chicken was not my favorite. Which being in middle Georgia we have lots of good fried chicken so Im not sure why I ordered that 😬. My husband had the shrimp & grits which he enjoyed & the mashed potatoes with gravy was good. We also had the Jasper Tray appetizer which was okay! The Pimento Cheese and homemade crackers was good! I definitely wish we would have tried the Polite Pig (also highly recommended and quick service) instead. 

Overall, we had a great trip! I highly recommend Kingdom Strollers for stroller rentals if you need one as well!

Jacksonville Zoo

Generally in March we venture to SSI for the day for good food & a beach day with the kids. This year, my birthday weekend was filled with much needed rain and Peaches to Beaches yard sale traffic, so we waited until this past weekend. However, after calling multiple resorts & hotels it seemed too crowded to go. We believe it's because Saint Patrick's Day was Saturday and the coast of Georgia was busy with various activities going on. So we went with plan B. We drove to the Jacksonville Zoo for the afternoon, followed by dinner at Millhouse & a trip to Trader Joes!

The zoo was having a Dinosaur event going on so we purchased the tickets that included this activity along with others that coat extra to do! However, Joyanna was not a dino fan!

100% Accurate

Saw another mom post this and I felt the urge to share!

So much truth in this....Mommy confessions......I don't care if my children are "the best dressed", if they wear a $5 Wal-Mart item, off brand shoes, or character shirts. I want both girls to realize that life is about more than material things and outward appearances. I want my girls to know the beauty of someones heart. I want to raise them to understand that people are different and that just because someone may not have items with the same monetary value as another --- that doesn't mean they are not blessed or worthy. I want them to be thankful for what they have and I want them to have a giving spirit that reaps so much more happiness than receiving ever could. I want my girls to make a difference in this world and I want to be the kind of mommy that leads them down that path. 

"It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from inside you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God." ~1 Peter 3:3-4

Truth

"Once our eyes are opened, we can not pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act." 

Proverbs 24:12 

It is up to us NOT TO QUIT … To show the child love and be a shining light for a child that is lonely and hurting and stuck in the dark !!!

Watch this video entitled: Removed

https://vimeo.com/73172036

It is not uncommon to hear people to say:

“Aren’t we all sinners? What gives you the right to make moral judgments about someone else? Isn’t that God’s job?” “Do not judge, or you to will be judged.” 

Some who make these claims know where this verse is found, and others do not, but the common theme is that it is used out of context. In case you did not know, the verse is found in Matthew 7:1. 

Why is this verse commonly used, or might I say, misused?

Because people desire to shield their sin. They want to keep others at bay. 

That is a secular way of thinking. It is not a biblical way of thinking. Jesus is not giving this command so others can hide behind it. He is not giving this command as a license to sin. The Bible is clear about that. 

The Bible gives us commands we are to live by:

• The Bible tells us we are to hold others accountable. 
• Jesus provides us with the steps to church discipline. 
• Jesus provides us with a church so that we can stir one another up and encourage one another in the faith. 
• Jesus provides us with people in our life to point out our sin so that we will grow to be more like Him. 

So then, Jesus’ command is not to be used to shield ourselves from moral scrutiny. To think and act in that way is to think and act in a secular way. It is to allow the world to influence us, and our interpretation of the Bible. 

What Does This Verse Really Mean?

Even though people use this verse to dissuade others from judging their behavior, the verse actually does not mean we cannot ever judge another person. Let’s look at this verse in context, and you will see what I mean. 

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” 

After reading this verse in context, it should be apparent that Jesus is addressing judgmentalism and hypocrisy. He was after those who were critical of others and those who operated under a double standard. As well as He was after those who judged others without first dealing with their own sin. 

Essentially, Jesus is giving two commandments: 

1) Stop judging others in a hypocritical fashion. 

2) Get the sin out of your own life. 

So then, Jesus is not telling us we cannot speak about the sin in others lives. Rather, He is telling us that we are not to be hypocritical. We are not to operate under a double standard. We are not to be critical of others. 

Can We Judge?

The answer is yes. In fact, it is our duty to judge others, so that they will grow in the Christian life. We are to spur one another on to growth and godliness, and we are to keep each other accountability. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

In order to stir one another up and hold them accountable, we have to look into people’s lives and make judgments about how they are living. 

However, if we are not humbly submitting our own lives to the Word of God for review, and if we are not willing to allow others to help us in that task, then we are not to judge others. If we are examining our own lives, and we are dealing with our own sins, living a life of genuine repentance, then we can judge others. 

It is important that we are dealing with our own sin because those who are working on their own sin will approach others in a vastly different way than those who are not. 

Those who don’t think they have any sin to work on will approach others in a judgmental way. Those who do work on their sin first will approach others with love, mercy, grace, and patience. 

The reason for that is because they realize that God has had mercy on them; He has come to them in love; He has patience with them; He has shown them grace. Those who have experienced these things, will be in a better place to point out others sins than those who haven’t. 

So then we can judge others, but not before we deal with the sin in our own lives. 

The Proper Way to Judge

When we judge others, we must do it in a loving way. We are not judging them in order to make ourselves look better. We don’t come at them from a morally superior position. No, we approach them in love, humbly recognizing we are all sinners, we have all fallen short of God’s glory, and we all need Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we approach people from that position, then we have a right, neigh a duty, to speak into their lives, so that we may wage war on the flesh together.

(re-blogged & read more from: Judge Not What Does It Really Mean)

Ultimately accountability can be a means in which God draws us, through the friendship and fellowship of others, to himself. Self-sufficiency says we don’t need anyone, but humility shouts for help from those God has placed in our lives. This habit of sharing and praying with others will inevitably teach us how to cast our cares on the only One who can fully bear their weight and who loves us with an unfailing love (1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.)

God graciously reminds us that apart from him we can do nothing. And one great means of that reminder are the brothers and sisters he puts in our lives. 

(read more on this: Why Accountability matters)

My 2nd Stitch Fix!

It is like Christmas morning when I know my box has been delivered and I cannot wait to get home and open it. 

I requested my same stylist since my first box was a hit and I kept all 5 items. I got a different stylist and the fix wasn't terrible but the fit of the clothes was far from perfect. I requested flowy tops and the one print I loved was too big. So the whole be VERY specific in your notes when ordering a stitch is crucial!

I requested a dress for a beach trip and this was the stylist's idea of a beach trip dress. While I liked this dress, it was more of something I would wear to work with flats or maybe a funeral. It has no pleats or anything it is just a shift dress which I like except for it literally is knee length on my 5'1 frame. 

Returned the dress

These are grey distressed skinny jeans. I absolutely loved my first pair of dark wash skinny jeans. This pair, not so much. Its a different brand and "distressed" in one knee. This was definitely not "skinny" on the lower legs so they just looked strange on me. The cost $98. 

Returned the jeans and added in my feedback, no distressed, no cargo, and no palazzo pants. 

Loved this top but unfortunately I needed a smaller size and did not realize you could exchange sizes via customer service until if was too late and I had checked out. This was what I requested when I said I wanted colorful, summer, sleeveless tops that are flowy. The medium definitely runs big in my opinion. $38 for this top. 

Returned the cute top!

This was the only thing I was not wanting to try on when I saw it. This is a top I would NEVER even try on in a store. But Stitch Fix always recommends trying on all items so I did. And surprisingly I liked the fit and design. The material was super soft and very high quality. I would have kept this but even though it did surprise me, it's not my style. 

Returned the top. 

Lastly, this was my one keeper from my fix. I love this top!! The fit is flowy but will be cute wifh white shorts or skinny jeans. Plus, I didn't want to lose my $20 styling fee. I have seen this top a lot in a white/cream color but I love this coral color. 

I cannot wait for my next fix. I gave a lot of feedback and I am still really pleased with this service. 

Try Stitch Fix today and have your own personal stylist shop for you! This is so nice since it is difficult to pick clothes out and try them on when you have two little ones with you. My referral link is: https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3697400

My first Stitch Fix experience...

 I am not good at clothes shopping. I love to shop! But I pick out plain Jane stuff. I find a v-neck I like and buy all of the solid colors of the same shirt. I can buy casual dresses but I need help in the casual dress and dressy dress arena. Plus, time is an issue (with 2 girls under 3 shopping for myself gets placed on the backburner)!! Also, finding jeans that fit my height is an issue. I read a lot of blogs of women who received Stitch Fix boxes and I work with a nurse practitioner and a nurse that use it once every 2-3 months. So I decided to try it. You pay $20 for a styling fee. You make a pinterest board and answer questions and write memos and look at pictures and basically tell the stylist your style.

I made a memo that said something along the lines of: please don't send scarves or handbags. I wont use them. No chevron. I need a good pair of skinny jeans that do not require alteration because its extremely difficult to find them because even some petities are too long. I wrote that I would like help with date night outfits but want something I could wear on a casual restaurant or with dress pants. 

My stylist was Carrie and she sent me the PERFECT items. I told her I didn't want to spend a whole lot.

 If you keep all 5 items you get a 25% discount. The $20 styling fee is the only thing you are charged upfront. It goes towards the cost of whatever you choose to keep. If you don't like something you have a prepaid envelope to return it within 3 days of receiving the box. The only money you could lose would be the $20 if you dislike all 5 items.

 They sent me a dress, a cardigan, a pair of skinny jeans, a necklace, and a dressy/casual top. I loved everything except the color of the shirt but I will keep it because it is dressy and a nice top. I can deal with the color! 

You leave feedback on your fix after receiving the box. I will let Carrie know that I prefer brighter colors or pastels. It was all a great price even after taxes. So for 5 items all picked out for me and shipped to my door I didn't think that the price was terrible at all. The items are much better quality items that what I normally purchase for myself but my clothes usually do not hold up because I buy cheaper items. 

Stitch Fix also sends you a card with ways to style each piece in 2-3 ways. Also, a breakdown of the cost of each item and a note from the stylist. :) 

I wasn't expecting for her to get my first box right but she nailed it! Definitely reordering sometime soon. 

Use my referral link here: 

https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3697400

Let a stylist shop for you!