I have been running a special education parent advisory committee for the last four years at various schools across the twin cities and I decided to focus on mindfulness and kids this year.

Why is Mindfulness Important? What the research says:

Some of the information was obtained from New York Times Well article “Mindfulness for Children” and Greater Good Magazine, “Seven Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids”.

According to David Gelles, reporter for The New York Times and author of "Mindful Work: How Meditation Is Changing Business From the Inside Out", children are uniquely suited to benefit from mindfulness practice. Habits formed early in life will inform behaviors in adulthood, and with mindfulness, we have the opportunity to give our children the habit of being peaceful, kind and accepting.” 

“For children, mindfulness can offer relief from whatever difficulties they might be encountering in life,” said Annaka Harris, an author who teaches mindfulness to children. “It also gives them the beauty of being in the present moment.”  Harris goes on to explain that mindfulness is important because of the way the brain develops.  Our brain is constantly developing, and connections are being formed, but this occurs at the fastest rate during childhood. “Mindfulness, which promotes skills that are controlled in the prefrontal cortex, like focus and cognitive control, can therefore have a particular impact on the development of skills including self-regulation, judgment and patience during childhood.” This was the selling point for me! When we teach our kids to slow down, notice their surroundings, notice their breath and how they feel; especially the subtleties of what is happening in their body, before reacting, we are building self-control skills. Starting with self-awareness can lead to self-control which can lead to positive coping skills.

David Gelles reports, “To instill these habits in children, practice is key. Don’t make mindfulness something that is turned to only in times of stress. Instead, make mindfulness exercises a regular part of the daily routine, an activity in and of itself, just like reading, playing outside or making art. And rather than making mindfulness seem as if it is only as an antidote to irritating situations, present it as a tool that can help children explore new sensations, including those that are pleasant, neutral and unfamiliar.” This will help with separation anxiety, starting a new school or program, meeting new people, and forming positive relationships which will open many doors for their future.
 
Now let’s talk about gratitude. Gratitude is a form of mindful appreciation.  According to Jeffery Froh and his March 15th 2014 article in Greater Good Magazine, “Seven Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids”, gratitude not only helps people form, maintain, and strengthen supportive relationships, but it also helps people feel connected to a caring community.  Evidence from his research suggests that “grateful young adolescents (ages 11-13), compared to their less grateful counterparts, are happier and more optimistic, have better social support, are more satisfied with their school, family, community, friends, and themselves, and give more emotional support to others.” He goes on to say, “We’ve also found that grateful teens (ages 14-19) are more satisfied with their lives, use their strengths to better their community, are more engaged in their schoolwork and hobbies, have higher grades, and are less envious, depressed, and materialistic.” This is powerful stuff! What you reflect is what you are open to receive.
 
Some key points to take away and put into practice are: meditate in front of your children, have them practice writing down or discussing gratitude daily, and participate in activities that promote mindfulness like reading inspirational passages daily, doing yoga, journaling, and exploring the world around you. Below are some of my mindful practices I’ve found helpful for my students, my own family, and the families I work with.
 
Books
Here are some books that are both inspirational and promote mindfulness.
-Choose the Life you Want By: Tal Ben-Shahar- This book contains uplifting passages for adults to read before you begin your day. There have been many times that I’ve read these passages in the midst of parenting struggles, and it has put things in perspective for me and brought me back to the present moment. It has also helped me be a better collaborator, partner, and family member.
-Mindful Moments at Bedtime- calming exercises to do with your child at bed time
-Yoga Friends- Partner yoga moves for kids and families
-I am Yoga Takes you on a yoga journey using a calming sequence
-Good Night Yoga- restorative calming yoga moves to do before bed time
-Good Morning Yoga- yoga moves to energize you for the day ahead
-What to do When you Worry too Much- a kid’s guide to overcoming anxiety
-Coping Skills for Kids Workbook- Over 75 coping strategies to help kids deal with stress, anxiety, and anger.

Yoga
-Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cosmic+kids+yoga
-Kids Yoga Series at Live True Yoga in St. Michael
-Kids Yoga at Hot Yoga Pressed Juice in Blaine

Mindfulness
-Mindful Moments cards- Centers around five principals: Grounding, Listening, Community, Strength, and Stillness. Kids are asked to engage in guided imagery and reflection (I love these as an ice breaker for social/behavior skills groups)
https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Moments-Contemplation-Remember-Important/dp/0979928915/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=mindful+moments&qid=1555033673&s=gateway&sr=8-3
-Mindful Kids- 50 mindfulness and movement activities for kindness, focus, and calm
https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Kids-Activities-Focus-Peace/dp/1782853278/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=mindfulness+kids&qid=1555033707&s=gateway&sr=8-3
-Gratitude Journal (Michaels)
-Five Minute Journal
-App "Unplugged" (guided meditation for the whole family; I especially love doing these at bedtime)

Exploration
Going on field trips to different places that promote mindful walking and mindful exploration are great ways to work in nature. Some of my favorite places to do this are outdoor sculpture gardens; Franconia Sculpture Garden and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Arts Center. I also like having the kids do scavenger hunts at places like Minnehaha Falls and Mill City Museum (the outdoor ruins are great places to be still, quiet, and look around; that is where we eat lunch when we go). Walking around places like the Rum River in Anoka (they have neat murals under the bridge that were painted by kids in the Anoka-Hennepin district) and taking in the art, as well as the Eastman Nature Center Elm Creek Park Reserve, Lake Rebecca Park, and the Coon Rapids Dam are neat places for kids to explore and use all five senses. I like to keep journals with the kids when we go to places like this or have them journal about their experience afterwards. Whenever we go on vacation, my daughter loves to draw pictures of the sights we are seeing. Journaling promotes reflection and how different places make you feel.

Oils
I like to diffuse the following oils on lava bead bracelets and/or in a diffuser. My favorite place to buy kids and adult size diffuser bracelets are vitalityextracts.com.
-Chill Pill (Target)
-Mental Clarity (Cub, Coborn’s, and veriditas.com)
-Lavender (Vitality Extracts)
-Sweet Dreams (Vitality Extracts) I love using this one in the kids’ diffusers at night, especially if they are feeling scared or anxious. Lavender on cotton balls under the pillow also do the trick.
-Balance (Vitality Extracts)
-Zen (Yoga Studio)
-Happiness (Amazon, Cub)

Resources:
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/mindfulness-for-children
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_ways_to_foster_gratitude_in_kids

Franconia Sculpture Garden

Minnehaha Falls- Hyper focused on the scavenger hunt

My favorite diffuser bracelets from Vitality Extracts. The pink one is rose quartz for love, the white beads are for calmness and stillness, the blue crystal beads promote focus, and the colorful beads represent the 7 chakras (energy centers).  My kids wear their bracelets every day and I rotate the oils I put on them depending on their mood. Often times I am using immunity and breath easy for my sicklings. On test days, I use mental clarity, and on anxious days, I use Zen.

Kids Yoga at Live True Yoga in St. Michael.

Part One of the Wellness post on my blog was about positive psychology. Part Two is all about real products and practices that promote wellness from a novice perspective. The following is a list of my favorites in the pool of wellness. I am always on the lookout for additions to my go-to’s for when I get bored of my day to day routines. Feel free to share yours in the comments.  Some of what is listed came from suggestions from others, such as friends, co-workers, yoga teachers, family, etc. and they’ve been complied in this short list and into my daily/weekly routine. 

There is nothing like waking up on one of your busiest work days and being excited to get in your car, drink some coffee, turn on your car oil diffuser, and listen to the newest episode of your favorite podcast while you get ready to spend the day problem solving.  Here are my go-to podcasts:

-Brooke Castillo’s “The Life Coach School Podcast”- I would consider this a self-help podcast that is also super motivating. She talks about money, well-being, state of mind, work, systems, organization, and living productively.
-Gary Vee’s “Audio Experience” Entrepreneur who addresses topics on growing your business, digital marketing, social media, working with others, education, and motivation. He puts content out multiple times a day and is very entertaining.
-Rachel Hollis's “Rise” -The famous author of Girl Wash Your Face and Girl Stop Apologizing. She is motivating, empowering, and inspiring all at once. This is for the stay at home mom all the way to entrepreneur and everything in between.  
-Malcolm Gladwell’s “Revisionist History”- A journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode examines something from the past and asks whether we got it right the first time. This guy is brilliant. You will notice when you get to my book section of this post.
-“Our Americana”- A rich exploration of the current landscape of American society. Interesting stories from Millennials in small town America.  Yes, I still keep up on millennial life since I work with so many (and I might be considered one; but I’m actually a Xennial).
-“Paychecks and Balances”- Two amusing Xennial men talk about money. I like it when they bring on guests or talk about investing.
-My guilty pleasure; any true crime podcasts such as Crime Junkies, Cold Case Files, Criminal, Up and Vanished, and Unconcluded. These are not motivating or inspiring, but they take my mind off of productivity and efficiency. They also keep me alert and safe😊

​Physical Health
Yoga: I do yoga at a studio one to two times per week. Kacey and I do yoga together at home about three times per week with Adriene on YouTube or through Beachbody on Demand. I could go on and on about the benefits of yoga, but until you try it about five times, or incorporate it into your routine for a month or two (once a week), you won’t understand. Yoga is a different experience for everyone. To me, yoga is a combination of therapy, spirituality, mindfulness, and toning.  I am by no means an expert in yoga, but I practice enough where I can share what I’ve learned with others who are thinking about starting their yoga journey. Here are some of my favorite practices:

• Vinyasa Flow-My favorite!!!! I especially enjoy the 75 minute classes. This practice leads you into a flow where you are moving into specific sequences several times in a row while synchronizing moves with your breath. It builds confidence in your practice while also building heat and toning your muscles.
• Hot Yoga- Tests your mental strength but is amazing. The rooms are set to 105 degrees with lots of humidity and you sweat like crazy. My heart rate never really goes down during the session. My first hot yoga session was 90 minutes long; not quite sure what I was thinking, but in the end, I was hooked.
• Barre- My 2nd Favorite!!!! Barre is a mix of yoga, weights, and infused with ballet moves that focus on small muscle movements in your legs, arms, and abs that create big results. I love Barre class. I love it even more when there is extra time built in for yoga and meditation.
• Ariel yoga!!!! So fun! You use different muscles and energy, and the cocooning at the end is the best.

My not so favorite practices:

• Yin-You hold poses for long periods of time (think 5-7 minutes in pigeon). I don’t feel like yin gives me a workout and the stretch is a little excessive, but it does make me sleepy/calm by the time I come home. I am thinking this practice is great after running and for people who want to test their mental strength and patients.
• Restorative and slow flow- too slow for me and makes me tired and bored. Nuff said. Kacey loves this type of yoga, so I sometimes do it with him.

 
My favorite studios are: Northern Edge (Plymouth), Hot Yoga Pressed Juice (Blaine), and Live True Yoga (St. Michael). I go to CorePower here and there, and I think they are great, but I don’t feel as calm and clear as I do at the other two studios. At Northern Edge, often times it is just me and the instructor or one other student and they run killer fall and summer deals. I have to give a shout out to Elyse Rozina (Northern Edge); she’s taught me almost everything I know about yoga. She is absolutely amazing, patient, and has a calm presence. Her guided focus/meditation is hard to beat. If it weren’t for all of those impromptu 1:1 sessions, I would suck.  I also enjoy Jillian and Nicole at Live True Yoga; Nicole doesn’t mess around with her practice, and Jillian is a ray of sunshine that brightens your day, even when you think you are having an already awesome day. She also runs a killer kids yoga session too. Speaking of kids yoga, Veronica (Live True Yoga) leads a fun older kid/tween yoga. She runs a mother/child Mother’s Day yoga session and yoga sessions for young athletes and teams.  I’ve also enjoyed time at the Fire Within Yoga studio. The owner, Lindsay, will run series on the lake and Ariel yoga sessions. I would go there more, but Buffalo is a little bit out of the way for me. Pressed Hot Yoga and Juice is my favorite hot yoga studio and they have killer smoothie bowls. They also have kids yoga on Sundays. Pictures below: Ariel Yoga at The Fire Within Studio in Buffalo and the bottom picture is Northern Edge in Plymouth. 

Running: I think running is a quick and easy way to get a workout it with big results while listening to good music and gaining clarity. I do some of my best thinking when I am running. It’s motivating to sign up for races and have something to train for. Some of my favorite races are: Autumn Woods Classic (Maple Grove), Get Lucky (St. Paul), and the Monster Dash (St. Paul). I am looking forward to running the Apple Cider Hustle Half Marathon in October and the 10K Brewery 10K (Anoka) in June. Sometimes Kacey will treat me and put on a scenic walking tour of Paris on YouTube that I can watch while I am running on the treadmill. The best running app I have found is Nike Run. It is fun to look back at your pace, total time, the map of your run, and when you were slower, and when you were faster throughout your run.
Beachbody: I love Beachbody On Demand (BOD). I completed 80 Day Obsession last spring (love waking up at 5am to workout with Kacey before the kids would wake-up). The workout incorporates cardio, weights, butt, leg, and ab work.  I am in round 3 of Liift 4- which is a 4 day a week weight lifting and Hiit series; think intense weights and intense cardio all in one. Beachbody even has several yoga series. My other favorite Beachbody workouts are Shaun T. Week, Shift Shop, and 21 Day Fix Extreme.
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Nutrition
Go to breakfast: Green pancakes (from 80 day obsession recipes/Beachbody). Here is what I put in my bullet blender: 1 cup of spinach, 1/3 cup of cottage cheese, 1 full egg and one egg white, and 1/3 cup of rolled oats. You get a large glob of “pancake batter” that makes 4 pancakes (1 serving). Top with 1 Tablespoon of natural peanut butter and enjoy! I like to roll mine up and eat them with my hands.

Go-to snack: HUMMUS!!!! I am addicted. My coach, Amy, recommended mini sweet peppers and now that is my go-to veggie to dip in my hummus. I am picky about my hummus and have tried dozens. My favorite one is from Cub. It’s a Mediterranean style hummus by Culinary Circle. One more go-to snack is hard boiled eggs. I just love those things and could eat like six of them a day.

Go-to Meals: FISH! I especially love the fish packs from Trader Joe’s. They are cheap, quick and yummy. My favorite fish is Sea Bass. On a busy night, I’ll just grill some fish with oil, salt, pepper, tequila lime seasoning from Cabela’s, and fresh lemon. My other go-to meal would be almond lemon crusted chicken from Fixate. You take 6 raw chicken breasts and tenderize them a bit, and then dip them in an egg mixture (1 egg and ¼ cup of water beaten), then roll around in 1 cup of almond flour and 1 whole lemon zested with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then you sear them on a grill pan with olive oil (4 minutes each side) and bake them at 425 degrees for 10 minutes in a shallow baking pan.

Go-to healthy splurge meals: Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup with some Ashley variation. Put the following ingredients in the crockpot: ½ cup of chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves minced, 3 cups of veggie broth, one 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, one 15 oz can of rinsed and drained black beans, one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 2 cups of frozen corn, ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1Tbsp or Cumin, and 3 cooked and shredded chicken breast added in the last three hours of cooking. Keep on low for 8 hours. Top with a spoonful of sour cream, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, and some blue corn tortilla chips. Turkey Chili- put 1lb of cooked ground turkey in the crock pot with the following veggies chopped: yellow onion, any color bell pepper, minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of chili powder, 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 8oz cans of tomato sauce, and one can of chili beans. Top with a few corn tortilla chips crunched up and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Add cheese if you wish, but I typically don’t.

Go to Supplements: Lemon Energize (mom crack), and Shakeology from Beachbody. I drink the energize 30 minutes before my workout and drink Shakeology for breakfast or lunch. I also like Focus powder in my shakes (from Beachbody).
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Go-to Tea: Honey and ginger loose leaf green tea from Dunn Brothers with a squirt of raw honey. It has a little bit of caffeine, but I still drink it before bed and sleep just fine. I also like the seasonal peppermint tea from the Mad Hatter Tea House. It has sort of a buttery Christmas like flavor. 

Well-living
Oils: My favorite oil hands down is Mental Clarity (I buy mine at Cobern’s or through the Pure Vida website). The other one is Chill Pill (Target). I wear both everyday on my diffuser bracelet (from Vitality Extracts) and use it in my diffuser when I am working from home (ps-I love my work from home days; they are sacred and a partial key to wellness). I also like Inner Peace by Vitality Extracts. I swear by RC from Young Living when you have a cough; I add it to my diffuser or rub it on my kids’ chests. Some other obvious good ones are Thieves, Peppermint, and Lavender. My favorite diffuser is from target. It is made out of clay, looks great, and has a timer. I also have a car diffuser that I use daily from Vitality Extracts.
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Journaling: I think I have about four daily journals I use. One is for my thoughts (I am really bad about writing in this one until I was gifted the 5 Minute Journal), one is to track my meals, workouts, physical health, one is to track my three good things that happen in a day, I have a gratitude journal, and the other is more of a work to-do list and accomplishment list. Honestly, The Five Minute Journal can take the place of at least three journals. These journals are all just as important as my daily planner that I review about 10 times a day. It’s important to write things down and track yourself.  If you write it down, it is more likely to happen and you conduct your day with intention. 

Books
Reading is the cheapest form of education. You should always have a book going, whether it is an audio book you listen too in your car or when you are putting laundry away, or a real book that lays by your night stand. My girls always have a book going and have their own personal book lights that they use every night when the lights go out. We have Kindles, but real books are so much better, and it cuts down on the screen time before bed. There is something to be said about having a nice display of books that have highlights or post its marking impactful information. In the summer time and on weekends during the school year, I do book club with the girls where we all read our own books with our favorite drink outside on the deck and then stop every 20 minutes or so to discuss what is going on in our books. I also use story sandwiches the kids fill out while we are reading (I fill it out too in order to model the process). They write what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of their story. The middle of the sandwich is where the key details of events occur. It is my selfish way to squeeze in reading time during the day, and also to get the kids reading more. There are also so many bookstores that run summer reading programs and give books as a free reward. Barns and Noble and Half Price Books are my favorite programs. I LOVE non-fiction books and rarely read fiction. Here are some of my recent favorites:

If you haven’t read Malcolm Gladwell, you are missing out! He is brilliant. Malcolm also has a podcast I am just getting into and several TED talks. He is an author that makes you think about History and the world around you. Any History or Social Studies Teacher NEEDS this author in their life. Here are two of his books that I’ve read and couldn’t put down.
-Outliers -The story of success and opportunity-its not just about talent
-Blink -The power of thinking without thinking-the focus is on the first few seconds or minutes when you make judgmental calls about people, objects, or situations

Other good reads:
-You are a Badass -I read this in January and it was a great pick-me-up in the winter months. Favorite Book of 2017
-The Power of Habit -Talks about habits and routines and how they are vital to success. Favorite Book of 2018
-Choose the Life You Want- Great daily inspirational reads to get you in the right mindset for the day!
-13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do -Good things to put into practice if you are a parent or work with children
-Behind the Beautiful Forevers- Talks about a trash collector in India; eye opening about how people survive
-Grit- Talks about how perseverance and hard work are more important than intelligence. Favorite book of 2019
-Before They Were Yours- Historical fiction about the adoption crisis in Tennessee and the evil Georgia Tann who stole children
-Perfect Daughters- If you are an ACOA, you need to read this. Favorite Book of 2016.

On my list to read:
-Flow
-Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)
-David and Goliath (Malcolm Gladwell)
-Daring Greatly
-Rising Strong
-Brain on Fire
-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

Good Fiction reads (on the rare occasion that I read fiction)
-The Immoralist -I read it because it was on Jimmy Fallon's summer book list. 4 young siblings get the date they are going to die from a fortune teller and each one lives their life according to that news; super interesting read
-Into the Water- Thriller, from the author of Girl on a Train
-The Couple Next Door- Thriller about a missing baby and a couple next door
-Rush, Fever, Burn Trilogy- Naughty read
 
As summer approaches, professional development turns more into personal development and time is gifted to some; take advantage😊

I heard this quote recently by the author, Martin Seligman, “Why are we rolling around the muck to get clean?” In his book, Authentic Happiness, Seligman talks about positive psychology and future focused thinking. Therapy dives into your past, and positive psychology focuses on your future. He also goes on to say that 20% of Americans have diagnosed psychological problems, and the rest of us are the walking wounded. The 20%+ typically need therapy to be well, and the walking wounded need ways to move forward that don’t always involve therapy.  My interpretation of “muck” refers to things like the baggage you carry around, your feelings of self-worth, your daily struggles, and your past experiences. Thinking about your goals, your mental health, your physical health, and what brings you joy, peace, and happiness are ways positive psychology can help propel you forward.  What are your goals? What are you passionate about? What matters to you?
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Over the last month, I’ve been exposed to a few more psychological buzz words that have resonated with me and have inspired this post. “We are intended to develop from cradle to grave” says Dr. Sasha Heinz, a life coach. Your personal and professional development should still be a daily goal. How can I get better at what I do? How can I be more efficient? What systems can I create that allow me and others to get time back and make a positive impact in the lives of others? It doesn’t stop after you earn your degree or complete your training, even if you stay in the same job. You should always strive to improve your practice. This goes for stay at home parents too. We’ve all come up with our own systems at home such as how we pay bills, meal planning, shopping, cleaning, bedtime and wake-up routines for all members of the family, and how we use our free time. In the end, it comes down to time. How can we get more time? Having more time to spend on the things you enjoy is the partial key to wellness.

Grit: a passion and perseverance towards a long-term goal. Angela Duckworth wrote the book, Grit, and she goes on to say that the research shows that grit matters more than intelligence. If you are passionate about something, and you have the strength and endurance to see it through, you have grit which will lead to accomplishing your goals.
Flow: when you are in the zone. This was a popular sports term that has now turned psychological and relates to a mental state where you are so immersed in what you are doing that you almost lose track of time. You are not aware of your feelings, although flow mainly results in positive feelings after the fact. There is no psychological drama. How crazy is that?!  Positive feelings are not the purpose; accomplishment is.  The task has to be slightly above what your normal baseline is; slightly more challenging.  The times I am in flow are the times I am teaching someone something new. The lasting effects of flow = calmness, increased self-worth, accomplishment, and motivation to get to that state again.

One of my favorite quotes from the text book, Family Systems for Educators, a class I teach at Concordia, is that, “Happiness should be a byproduct of living life, not the end goal.” If we strive for happiness, we will ultimately be disappointed. This is one of the reasons why so many young people have so many conditions; nothing is ever good enough. These conditions have also been blamed on straight up Millennialism. Sometimes you just need to be grateful for the little things. Mindfulness and mediations can help you connect with the little things, or at least notice them. For me, the little things include a snowy day, a sunset, a great run, a smile from a stranger, or my daily cup of joe or energize.
Part 2 will focus on my go-to’s for wellness.

The Evans family embarked on another Disney vacation this winter. One of my most favorite things to do when I arrive home is to blog about our adventures. I do this because I post these entries to online Disney groups and on Pinterest. When it comes to Disney Cruises, parents seem to have a lot of questions about the differences between the cruise and visiting Disney World. It is no secret that our family enjoys the Disney Cruises more than Disney World, but the love gap is very small. This is our second time visiting both places during the same trip, and this time was better than the last because everyone was a little bit older, and everyone was healthy throughout the entire trip (which is a miracle)! Everyone came down with bad colds on Monday and we flew out on Saturday. Thanks to Dr. On Demand, antibiotics, and good timing of the medication administration, the kids were covered for the flight and the cruise with meds.

This was our fourth Disney Cruise. Out of the four ships currently sailing, we’ve been on the Wonder (2x), the Fantasy, and the Dream. All that is left is the Magic. The cool thing about going on the Wonder twice is that we did it before its big make-over and after. It was like being on two different ships. Two new ships will make their debut in 2019 and 2020. The names have not been announced yet. Cici is hoping for a ship called “Imagine”. Our goal is to hit up the Magic before the two new ships set sail. The Magic’s itineraries have never match our schedules. Hopefully it will soon so we can accomplish our #travelgoals.

The Disney Wonder (Reimagined)
Oh….my…..gosh. The six week make-over completed in 2016 on this ship made a world of difference. The Mickey slide is higher and longer with more twists and turns, the little kid’s pool area is bigger with an added aqua lab (like a splash pad but more sophisticated), Tiana’s Place Restaurant replaced Parrot Cay which includes a live band and Tiana walking around and dancing with guests every night, and they added the show, Frozen, to the nightly Broadway style show rotation. The kids club and adult district also got a make-over. They added an Irish pub and extra night club for the grown-ups, and the kids club now has Marvel, Toy Story, and Frozen themed rooms with Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post. The only thing missing really is the AquaDuck (water coaster on the top deck). We’ve ridden it several times on the Fantasy and the Dream, so we were okay with not having it this time. The Wonder is one of the smaller ships (so is the Magic), so we could get around easily, and it made getting on and off the ship a breeze at the ports and at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Our room was on deck 8 aft, which was directly below the pool, the main buffet area, and the drink station on deck 9. Tiana’s place pushes Animator’s Palate out of first place on this ship for best restaurant. Animator’s Palate on the Wonder is still amazing in that the décor changes from black and white to color and has LCD screens built into the wall that provide entertainment during dinner, like name that character as it is being drawn. Tiana’s Place is just so spectacular that I was grateful we got to eat their two nights in a row. The kids enjoyed the party that occurs their every night. Animator’s Palate wins for best food though. My favorite is the black truffle pasta. The Cadillac Lounge was our favorite bar on the Wonder. 

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Family Pic on Formal Night

Kids Club-entering Frozen

Andy's room from Toy Story

Kid's Club

Dancing with Tiana at Tiana's Place Restaurant

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Ports of Call
We flew to Puerto Rico and jumped on this “unique cruise” as it was called, because the ship had just returned from the southern Caribbean and was headed back up to Port Canveral. We chose this cruise because we got a great deal, it stopped at St. Thomas (one of our favorite places), and it ended in Port Canaveral so we could hit up Disney World afterwards. Secrets Beach has always been one of our favorite activities ashore in St. Thomas, and we had our same tour guide, Nakream, who was ready with rum and punches, snacks/drinks for the kids, and sand toys. We were driven around the island afterwards with our rum punches and stopped at one of the look-out points for great views and music. This year, we had the best time in St. Thomas because the weather was perfect, and the kids had so much fun swimming and playing in the sand. It was truly relaxing. We learned that Beckham does better on excursions than he does on the ship overall. This year we weren’t able to do the sky ride though which was a little disappointing.
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Castaway Cay in the Bahamas is also a must, obviously, since it’s Disney’s private island. The BBQ they put together is one of the meals I look forward to. This year it was a bit chilly and overcast that day, but getting back on the ship early turned the day around since no one was there and the kids (and Kacey and I) were able to go down the Mickey water slide over and over without a wait. Even though Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and St. Thomas pretty hard, both places were still very enjoyable and beautiful. Damage can still be seen everywhere in Puerto Rico, but it was still a great place to be. The port looks a bit like a large garage, but when you are leaving on a Disney Cruise, who cares? It was small and easy to navigate. 

St. Thomas

Scenic Overlook, St. Thoma

Riding through St. Thomas

Castaway Cay

​Activities New and Old
This year was the first year that we ran the Castaway Cay 5k. This particular race was the largest race in the Disney Wonder’s history. It was a unique course with part of it being on the air strip and the other part being a scenic nature loop by the adult beach. There were three places to run on the ship; deck 4, the top deck (my personal favorite), and the indoor gym that overlooks the water. I got up early the day we docked at St. Thomas and ran on the top deck. It put me in a good place. The sun was rising, the water was quiet, and I had me time. We got to watch the Super Bowl on the big screen on the top deck which will go down in the memory books as best super bowl watching experience ever; unless we actually make it to the real deal. The Frozen play was incredible. I got there super early and got us front row seats. It even snowed on us! Beckham still talks about it. Of course we still enjoy going to the Golden Mickey’s show as well. It is a classic. Endless ice cream cones and Mickey bars; enough said. Yes, I consider eating an activity. We also did the Mixology class again where you learn how to make different cocktails and you get to taste them all too. On the Wonder, this took place at the Cadillac Lounge with a large group of people. On the Fantasy, Mixology took place at the Skyline Lounge with only about 10 people and we actually got to take turns making the drinks. Mixology on the Fantasy was a bit more intimate and fun, than what the Wonder set up, but it was still a good time. Kacey and I snuck away one night and listened to a 90’s cover band piano man play Oasis, Robbie Williams, and The Verve at the Cadillac Lounge; so fun. They had beer, wine, and whisky tasting too on the ship this time; but these tickets sold out fast. 

Castaway Cay 5k

Watching the Super Bowl on Funnel Vision (top deck big screen)

When is snowed on us during Frozen

Needs to Go
If I had to make some changes in the activities on the ship, here is what I would do. Pirates night and the menu that goes with it; I’m over it. Disney needs to come up with a new deck party, like maybe involving princesses or close to what Illuminations at Magic Kingdom is like for their fireworks show. I get that pirates and ships go together, but the show never changes. I would like to see a Frozen or super hero deck party with the fireworks instead. I think the Frozen Deck Party exist, but it hasn’t been on any of the itineraries we’ve sailed on. The food for Pirates night at the restaurants are disappointing. The buffet they offer after fireworks is a little bit better, but not by much. I also despise the plays Believe and Villains. They are on the Fantasy and the Dream. The characters in Believe are annoying and so is the concept. In the play Villains, they reference a lot of older movies that the kids and I didn’t know (Kacey knew them) and the scenes didn’t fit well together. The movies they do reference are nothing special.  We didn’t have to watch them this go around thank goodness. Tangled is the big show on the Magic, Frozen on the Wonder, Aladdin on the Fantasy, and Beauty and the Beast on the Dream (newly added since we’ve been on the Dream). I also think the restaurant, Triton’s, and the menu need to go. I did not like the food and it lacks excitement and entertainment like the other restaurants have. Lastly, when you get a massage at Senses Spa, it would be great if they would just leave it at a massage and not try to upsell you on products.
Disney World Parks
This year, we went to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom after the cruise. Last year we did Epcot and Magic Kingdom. I like doing Disney World after the cruise instead of before because leaving the cruise can be a very sad moment. Having Disney World to look forward to helps relieve the sadness. We really enjoyed the rides this time at Disney World, and did more rides this time than last time. If you ask the kids, their favorite ride this year was Splash Mountain which is just like the Log Chute at Mall of America, but a longer ride. I always enjoy It’s a Small World (Disneyland Paris has the best version though) and Peter Pan’s Flight. Kacey and Cici rode the Everest roller coaster in Animal Kingdom and said it was awesome. Kacey got a little queasy, but Cici was totally fine afterwards and talked all about it. The kids’ favorite ride at Animal Kingdom was Dinosaurs. It was a pleasant surprise and actually kind of scary. The Pandora area at Animal Kingdom is spectacular. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the big floating mountain structure in the middle with the waterfall. Disney really did an awesome job adding this area to the park. The Navi River ride and Flight of Passage are very unique as well. The Magic Kingdom Festival of Fantasy afternoon parade is always magical and a must. Here is a short list of rides that we went on at each park:
Magic Kingdom
It’s a Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, Splash Mountain, Dumbo, Magic Carpet, Barnstormer, Haunted Mansion (B was not pleased with this ride), and Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids (B freaked out during this one), Navi River, Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, and Dinosaur Spin

Magic Kingdom

 Animal Kingdom with the tree of life in the background

Pandora @ Animal Kingdom

Dinoland USA @Animal Kingdom

Kilimanjaro Safari

​Disney World Hotels
This year, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside which was a great hotel. It was quiet, serene, and clean. The pool was great and had a small water slide. It also wasn’t very busy. I LOVED the room. We had a preferred room with a Murphy bed.  Beckham called it his Alligator bed since there was the big alligator character from the movie Tiana as the headboard. Last year we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort which was the largest moderate resort at Disney World. The reviews for the Caribbean Beach Resort were not all good when it came to the size of this resort, but I loved everything about it. When comparing it to Port Orleans, I would choose Caribbean Beach Resort because I liked the walking paths, all the different parks, the pools (toddler pool area and the main pool), and food court better. The room and bus stop at Port Orleans were the only things better than the Caribbean Beach Resort. The rooms seemed cleaner and less like a motel feel, and the bus stop was right outside our door and was never full. It is crazy how big Disney World resorts are in general. There are so many rooms and several bus stops at each hotel. The people that work here also don’t always know where certain buildings are; it is kind of weird. The food courts always seem to be crazy as well. I don’t know if I will ever understand how to navigate the food plan (even though I insist on getting it every time). The snack credits and what you can get always confuse me. I seem to make poor value choices often when it comes to purchasing snacks. Like sometimes milk is included for cereal, but only if you buy that for breakfast. There are also some meals that count as snacks. I will never understand this. That is one of the reasons that I like the cruise better. Food is food, and you can eat it without organizing it. 

​Disney World Meals
This year, I made reservations at some sit-down restaurants at Disney World which required much more planning; like 180 days in advance planning. We chose Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast Castle) at Magic Kingdom so we could see the beast and see it snow in Florida, T-Rex Café in Disney Springs because Beckham is obsessed with dinosaurs, and Tusker House at Animal Kingdom. I loved all of the restaurants! The African food buffet at Tusker House was delicious. Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisey visited our table too. The Salmon and the desserts at Be Our Guest were great. We got to sit in the ballroom by the window where it snows, visit Beast, and tour the castle. The west wing was dark and scary and features the rose and lighting/thunder. I actually don’t know how people ate in there; it was so dark! Everything at the T-Rex Café, including the atmosphere was perfect. When it comes to quick service, Pecos Bill’s is my favorite because I love the taco salad; so I made sure we ate lunch there on our Magic Kingdome day. Gaston’s has the best chocolate croissants, and we found a nice little pizza and beer place at Animal Kingdom to chill at while waiting for our fast pass times.

Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast Castle) @ Magic Kingdom

T-Rex Cafe @ Disney Springs

 Tusker House @ Animal Kingdom

Favorite Disney Cruise Ship
The winner is……………..the Fantasy. The Wonder is a close second though with the Frozen play and Tiana’s place being added. The Fantasy wins because of the Adult District, particularly the Skyline Lounge with the LCD monitors of footage of major cities around the world, the Mickey Pool and Goofy Pool being next to each other so that both areas can see the big screen on the top deck and you can manage multiple children at once, and the fact that the Fantasy is a little more grand than the others. The Dream is almost identical to the Fantasy, but the Skyline Lounge is a bit smaller, and when we went, the shows were not in my top favorites. With Beauty and the Beast being added, that might change things. I still don’t like that the only itineraries for the Dream are short trips to the Bahamas. The Bahamas can be cloudy and cold in the winter. I wouldn’t do a 3 or 4-day cruise either; it’s too short.
​
Favorite Disney Restaurants
Cruise: Tiana’s Place- Live entertainment, spending time with Tiana, parades, and good food, need I say more?
Disney World: Be Our Guest for Table Service, Pecos Bill’s for Quick Service, and Gaston’s for snacks/dessert. At Gaston’s, I get the chocolate croissant.  I especially love the taco salad (it’s called the Nachos on the menu) at Pecos Bill’s; good food and a good value.
Disney Springs: T-Rex Café all the way! Beckham still asks to go here every day. It was the best meal we had at Disney World.

Favorite Disney Shows (in order from amazing to great)
1.Frozen (Wonder)
2.Golden Mickey’s (Wonder and Dream)
3.Dreams (Magic and Wonder)
4.Wishes (Fantasy)
*I am sure Tangled (Magic) and Beauty and the Beast (Dream) would be amazing, but I have not seen these shows in person yet to rate them. My guess is that Tangled would take second place, Beauty and the Beast would take third place, and the rest would move down a slot.

Top Disney Cruise Activities (Based on all three ships we’ve been on and ordered most favorite to great)

1. Broadway Style Shows (all four ships)
2. Hanging out on Disney’s Private Island or any other fun port of call (all four ships)
3. Hanging at the various pools with a cocktail while the kids are entertained, especially the adults only area (all four ships)
4. Kids Club (for various reasons😊)
5. Castaway Cay 5k- a 5k race on Disney’s private island (all four ships)
6. Mixology-you learn how to make various fun cocktails and also taste them (all four ships depending on the number of at sea days)
7. Frozen Meet and Greet-you go to Animator’s Palate and spend time with Anna and Elsa (all four ships)
8. Princess Meet and Greet- you get to meet four princesses and you go from one princess to the next (all four ships)
9. Visiting Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats (on the Dream)

Money Saving Tips

1. Be flexible with travel dates. We typically go in February vs. the busy times during school breaks. March-August are super expensive. Halloween and Christmas itineraries are too. We did receive what I will call a “disappointment letter” from the school saying to plan vacations around the school calendar, but being a teacher, I can cover what is missed, and I also believe that travel is important and also a great skill to pick up when you are young.
2. Even though we are a family of five, we can all squeeze into one room. I am sure it will get a little tight as they grow, but it works for now (and for the rest of our travels if everyone wants to go)
3. If you do go on a cruise, try to pre-book a place holder (to hold your spot on any cruise) for the next one to save 10% and get an onboard credit of $100-$200. The deposit to hold your spot is about $250 and good for two years.
4. Buy Disney give cards at target using your Target Red Card to pay off your trip to save 5%. It is too bad the Disney Savings Account is no longer an option. You would get a $20 Disney gift card for every $1000 you spend on your trip. I would buy Disney gift cards and deposit them into the account and double dip on savings

Disney World or Disney Cruise?
Our family prefers the Disney Cruise. It is more relaxing and requires less planning,  There are rarely any lines to see characters, and if there are, the kids are in air conditioning and can easily be entertained by the cruise ship singers or rooms/activities nearby. You get to visit different islands, including Disney’s private island which is magical, you get to run a race if that’s your thing, you get adult only time while the kids enjoy the kids club with characters and activities, there is nothing to worry about, and the dining and Broadway style show rotation every night will keep you full and entertained without having to think or make choices. Being on the Disney Cruise is like getting advanced dining reservations at Be our Guest, meeting all of the characters you could ever want with hardly a wait, and being able to rotate resorts without packing your bags; all without the constant planning and checking in daily to see if something opened up. On the cruise, you get to relax, dress up, have adult only time, a beautiful view, visit different places, run into characters around every corner, access to unlimited food, and have the magic of a lifetime. It is quite a unique experience.
Future Adventures
We would love to hit up an Alaskan cruise or Christmas cruise for our next Disney cruise adventure (yes, we pre-booked). We would also like to try Disneyland California since we’ve never been. Kacey and I would love to jet back to Epcot for an extended weekend just the two of us to go around the world, and also hit up Hollywood or Universal studios. The options are endless and it sure I fun to look!

A big reason why our trips are such a big success is because we have an awesome travel agent, Jessica Sloan, from Greenwood Cruise and Travel. You can find her on Facebook @ Jessica’s Dreams &Wishes Travel, or email her @ Jessica@greenwoodcruiseandtravel.com. She makes sure we get the dining time we want, get transportation and a hotel when getting off the plane and the ship, get the best travel insurance, and answer any questions I have with prompt responses. I highly recommend her, and she is free!

Frozen Gathering

One of the kid's pool areas that was re-vamped.

Second kid's pool area with funnel vision (big screen)

Breakfast time:)

Early morning run @ St. Thomas

Black Truffle Pasta=amazing!!!!!

Eating the 100th ice cream cone while watching Moana (Cici with our dinner table mate Abby)

We finally put B's in a cup so he would stop screaming every time the cone melted.

There is a character around every corner......

90's cover band music and yummy drinks @ the Cadillac Lounge

Paris Disneyland Hot Tips
During our trip to Paris, Kacey and I took the Metro to Disneyland which is about 45 minutes outside of Paris. You could totally take a day trip out there and back if you didn’t want to change hotels in the process. We chose to stay on-site for two days. There are two main parks; Disneyland Park (think Magic Kingdom) and Studios Park (think Hollywood Studios), and Disney Village which is the equivalent to Disney Springs. It is quite small and way more manageable than Disney World. Also, every store, structure, and ride is also a walk-through attraction; pay close attention to the details. We had the privilege of visiting during their 25th anniversary which meant one of a kind merchandise and an even cooler illuminations show. Fun fact, Disneyland Paris, formerly known as Euro Disneyland, has never turned a profit in their 25 years of being open. On a side note, you can drink at either park as long as you buy food with your drink. 

1. Pay extra for the Park Hopper. You can do Studios Park in half a day and they closed at 7:00 when we were there, so we hopped over to Disneyland Park around 5:00 for the second time (we were there the day before) and went on some more rides.
2. Eat in Disney Village vs. in the parks.  The food is way better, especially Earl of Sandwich (we ate there three times in one day).
3. Many of the rides in imagination land close early for the Illuminations show. The park is open until 11, but many of those rides close between (8pm-10pm), so be mindful of your time as Illuminations gets closer.
4. It isn't worth stopping the fun 1-2 hours early to get a good spot for Illuminations. You may think you get a good spot until late comers come and stand in front of you when you planned on sitting for the show. Everyone ends up standing, and in the end, you can see it from many places in the park.
5. My favorite rides were: Rockin Roller Coaster (Aerosmith theme), Hollywood Tower of Terror, the Fairy Tale boat ride, It’s a Small World, and the Snow White ride (Kacey’s favorite). We both had some motion sickness on the Ratatouille ride, but it has some major hype over there and families LOVE that ride. The Rockin Roller Coaster was actually in a dark garage which made it that much cooler. 
6. Do the hot air balloon ride in Disney Village; you will see views of both parks, Disney Village, and surrounding hotels while you are in the air.
7. The Mickey and Minnie ears are different over there vs. in Orlando. Buy some there and wear them in Orlando. I purchased a gold/black pair that I am still in love with. I regret not getting the Alice in Wonderland ears that I saw there.
8. We didn’t need any fast passes. Their fast pass Kiosks are next to each ride, and you insert your ticket to get a paper fast pass since there are no magic bands. We never waited more than 30 minutes for a ride which is why we didn't even try. Plus, these tend to run out a few hours after opening. Someone suggested that you split up right when you get to the park and each attempt to get as many fast passes as you can. This seemed like a time waster to me and a guarantee that someone would get lost.
9. There are many inexpensive hotels within a 5-10 minutes walk to Disneyland., We stayed at HiPark Design Suites for 65 Euros a night and it was great! If I went back, I would stay there again with the kids. It had an outdoor pool and was steps away from Val d’Europe which is like visiting Mall of America with Sea Life and everything. We went grocery shopping there one night and it was an event. We bought a super nice hard cover suitcase (yes, a suitcase) at this grocery store that is super cute and durable. I also brought home some yummy chocolate for the kiddos. The seven hotels on property are: Disneyland Hotel (outrageously expensive, but awesome and actually located inside the main park), Hotel New York (my pick if I stayed on property), New Port Bay Club, Sequoia Lodge, Hotel Cheyenne, Hotel Santa Fe, and Davy Crockett Ranch. Western seems to be the theme here and I don't understand why. Not every hotel has a pool by the way, so plan carefully. There are no water parks either.
10. We slept in and took our time getting to the parks. That is how we do it in Orlando too. We all end up needing our rest on vacation. Disneyland Paris is so laid back that sleeping in was worth it since you can visit both parks in 1-2 days and we gave ourselves two full days.

Sleeping Beauty Castle. Most people think it is the Beauty and the Beast Castle because the movie Beauty and the Beast was set in France. You can actually walk through the castle and see the scenes of the movie Sleeping Beauty (see pic below).

Hot air balloon ride in Disney Village.

Disney Studio Park

Illuminations.

 This was the view walking out of our hotel. Val d'Europe on one end and Disneyland on the other. There were many fun outdoor places to eat here as well.

Welcome show to the right of the castle. 

My favorite scene from It's a Small World ride.

Fairy Tale ride on a boat.

Hotel Pool at HiPark

Grocery store I was referencing above. It was like a Costco times five. 

Best vending machine I've ever seen:) Earbuds, voltage adapters, fidget spinners, sun block, pregnancy tests, condoms, snacks, ponchos, etc.

The dog and cat we passed every day on the way to the parks. They hung out like this all day every day unless it was feeding time.

 2. Take a bike tour around the city towards the evening. I enjoyed some champagne ahead of time which made the bike ride pretty fun and full of giggles. Fat Tire Tours was what we went with and Jack was our guide. He was a young guy with lots of knowledge and jokes. He could a ride bike with a flat tire faster than anyone in our group without flat tires. At one point during the tour, we stopped for gelato on a bridge where a man was playing the piano. It was very peaceful. 

This is the bike tour guide, Jack:) He was awesome.

3. If you are looking for vibrant night life, stay in the Latin Quarter by Notre Dame. We stayed in St. Germain which is very close to the Latin Quarter, but just a bit quieter. We would then venture to the Latin Quarter for the fun (see picture below of Latin Quarter). Both are great areas.

Kacey peaking out of our window at our hotel:)

4. Visit some of the smaller museums like the Orsay Museum. That is where they house all the impressionist Art. This museum was less crowded (even on a weekend), cheap to get into, and had lots of space to venture about. I am a fan of Van Gogh and Monet and there were plenty of those paintings to take in at the Orsay. The kids and I read some children’s books about Monet and Van Gogh before we left for Paris, so they were super excited that I brought home a large book of the painting in the museum and some kid versions to color.

5. Saint Chapelle has some of the most beautiful stained glass in Europe. It is a small little chapel where King Louis IX kept his Christian relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns when he was crucified. Those thorns have now been moved to Notre Dame. The stained-glass panes depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris.

6. Visit Shakespeare and Company. It is the only English book store in Paris. It was the second version of the original Shakespeare and Company that closed during WWII during the German Occupation. The one still in business was opened in 1941 by George Whitman, a world traveler and literature lover. He would allow writers and artists to stay there (on cots intermingled between the bookshelves) in exchange for a few hours of work in the book shop, reading a book a day, and writing a one-page bio before leaving. George’s daughter, Sylvia Whitman now owns and runs the shop. The original Shakespeare and Company was opened by Sylvia Beach in the Saint Germain district, and was the local hangout for Earnest Hemmingway and Scott Fitzgerald. Sylvia Beach was the only one to take a chance on James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses, by publishing the book which ended up being banned in several countries. If you are a book lover, you will love this place! It also faces Notre Dame and the Seine River. It has multiple levels and rooms that are supposed to represent chapters in a book.

7. Visit Café de Flore and Leaux Dux Maggots, they were famous hangouts for past writers and where movies were filmed. I thought Café De Flore was spectacular. Maggots was pretty busy and had security there like crazy when we went because there was a celebrity couple eating there.

8. Visit the location where they filmed the pick-up spot for the movie Midnight in Paris (I love this movie by the way). It is right across from a British pub on the steps of a beautiful church. We actually hung out on those steps quite a bit before retiring for the night.

9. Visit Jardin de Luxembourg. This garden is so beautiful! You can see the Eiffel tower, gorgeous flowers, glistening water fountains, and awesome statues. It is a fun place to kick back with a few beers and chat.

10. Take a Ferris Wheel ride at the park by the Louvre. The views are amazing and I can truly say it was magical. We got our bearings down by taking in the view on this ride. It was one of our first activities we did in Paris. Obviously, you want to visit the Louvre too. The Mona Lisa was there; but the museum was crazy busy. 

2. Crazy Horse. We saw the Las Vegas version twice and they do it bigger and louder. The original Crazy Horse started in Paris, but there was a lack of excitement to it. I liked the cozy cabaret feel, but the rest was pretty generic.
3. Champs De Elyse. It is a large and historical shopping district. We did find some delicious macaroons over there at a little stand, but it was crazy on a Saturday and a waste of time in my opinion. I much more prefer the cute little boutique shops we found.

Crazy Horse and Champs shopping.

Chilling at a cafe in the Eiffel Tower.

3. There seems to be a lack of pizza cutters and shower curtains in France. It appears that the French often don’t put shower curtains in their hotels or homes. In doing some research, there are a few reasons for this. 1. Shower curtains are hard to keep clean. 2. The French like to take baths and/or are not sloppy while they shower. 3. French are conservative about their water usage due to the history of water being scarce during the war. 4. There are drains in the middle of the bathroom floors and toilet paper guards to keep the toilet paper dry, so if water sprays, it drains.

4.  We were told many places are closed on Sundays; like retail stores. We actually did some pretty good shopping at some cool boutiques on a Sunday. Also, all museums are free the first Sunday of each month. Be ready for crowds if you plan this way.

​5. I knew ahead of time that Europeans like to drink tiny espressos many times throughout the day. Kacey and I enjoy a nice big mug of coffee (most of the time two cups) each morning. I learned to order Café American when ordering coffee if I wasn’t in the mood for an espresso. The espressos were delicious and fulfilling most days, but I found that I liked to spend more time drinking my coffee as I sat in the cafes.

6. There are so many cafes! All of them seem to have cute little bistro tables too. Every corner you turn, there is somewhere to get a drink and a snack.

Our favorite Cafe, Le Rostand. I think we ate omelets and drank Espresso or Cafe Americans there almost every morning. 

7.  The 1664 French beer was the popular choice in many of the bars/cafes. It was fun to come back home and buy some for my weekend nights and reminisce.

​8.  One of the most popular meals in Paris was this inside out type of ham and cheese sandwich called the “croque monsieur” which means Mr. Crunch. It had ham and sometimes cheese toasted in the middle with melted cheese toasted on the top. Kacey and I really liked these sandwiches and even made them when we came home. But I can now say I am sick of them.

9.  The Eiffel tower was originally red.

​10.  I had a love/hate relationship with the shoes people wore there. They seemed to have thick soles and look sort of sporty and out of place with nicer outfits. It didn’t seem to match the more dark and plain attire I saw native Parisians wearing. I would see women in cute outfits and these gaudy shoes. I then became intrigued and bought a pair that were toned down and different than anything I could buy here. After coming home with them, I realized that they will not go with much; see what I mean? Love/hate. Kacey found some really cool shoes there too.

Shoes I didn't like.....

11.  Umbrellas, ponchos, Google maps, and Uber came in handy! It rains a lot in Paris. I thought it would be hotter in the summer, but it really wasn’t. I am glad I brought some sweaters and jeans with even though it was summer. Uber was way more convenient than taxis. We didn’t use one taxi while we were in Paris. I didn’t see many around either. Also, the Uber app keeps a tally of the minutes it takes to get to your location.  You get a fixed price no matter how long it takes. We had reservations for a lot of our activities which means we sometimes had to book it, and walking wouldn’t cut it. I think it is funny that I mastered Uber while in Paris, and not in America. I also wonder how the heck I was able to get around Europe while studying abroad and revisiting during our honeymoon without Uber and Google Maps.

All in all, Paris was amazing! It was so fun to visit this amazing city with Kacey minus the kids. We thought that it would be a little sad visiting Disneyland without kids (see separate Disneyland post after this one); but we had a blast. We got to ride the more scarier rides, wait in line without hearing anyone complain, we could actually talk to each other without interruptions, and we could eat without wiping someone’s butt, breaking up a fight, or listening to complaints about the food.  We paid extra for skip the line entry for most of our activities in Paris. It was so worth it.  The Robbie Williams concert that we saw while over there was an experience we will never forget since it’s been Kacey’s favorite band since 2003. It was surreal and he puts on a great show. Just walking around, taking in the sites, and experiencing something new together is the reason this trip will go down as one of my favorite trips together. We’ve been to Rome, England, and Scotland together in College and for our Honeymoon, and one of the things we joked about was how did we ever get anywhere without Google Maps and Uber! I went on a girls trip to Amsterdam and Venice once too, and I am surprised we made it out alive without this! I remember our Honeymoon in Rome, we would wander around the city until we found a cool bar to hang out at and we hopped rides with new friends, and somehow made it home each night in one piece without really knowing the way. In England, while studying abroad, we had no cell phones with, and film cameras that we would drop off at the corner store and wait to get the pictures developed. I can say we had one old school night this go around after the Robbie Williams concert where we wandered around the Latin Quarter and took everything in without technology and that is my most vivid memory of the whole trip; hanging with my best friend with nowhere to be and all of the time in the world. The other fun night that goes down in the books is after the bike tour. It was midnight and we found an old pub by the train station that was sort of a dive (if you know me, I love dive bars) but offered 1664 and croque monsieurs. We stayed there late and listened to some cool music.

When we got home, we had a Paris themed night with the kids which included watching Ratatouille, eating croque monsieur sandwiches, drinking sparkling lemonade out of Paris mugs, drinking 1664, and giving the kiddos their gifts. Beckham made sure to throw our nice Disneyland glass ornament off the balcony in our bedroom that we worked so hard at keeping in one piece on the train. We most definitely will go back soon! Next time, I want to hit up Monet's garden and home in Giverny, and the Palace of Versailles. Both are outside of Paris, but not far and for sure would have made it on the top ten list had I visited these locations.

The kids' "gift basket".

It was that time of year again; Disney Cruise season! Not only did we go on a Disney Cruise this year, we went to Disney World. This was our family’s first time going to Disney World.  I had been to Disney world back when I was seven and 13; so it had been awhile.  Kacey had never been.  We also brought Beckham this time which was new for us. The last two years, he has stayed home with grandma and grandpa.  We surprised the kids on Christmas Eve (which we had done for the last three years) with a 5 day cruise on the Disney Dream to the Bahamas.  They had no idea we were going to Disney World as well. We kept that a secret until we were on the cruise as our last big reveal. Last year, February 2016, we went on a seven day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean (which I didn’t get a chance to blog about) that included Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, Tortola, and St. Thomas. That was my favorite cruise thus far because it was seven days and I loved the islands we visited. This year, we only got off on Castaway Cay because it is nice to have the ship to yourself when others get off at the various ports. The ship is so quiet and there are no lines for the AquaDuck. Nassau is always so crazy when we dock and sometimes, Disney doesn’t get close at all to the port, so you have to take little boats to get off. Atlantis is always packed and super expensive, so we take advantage of the ship at that port.
Packing
I didn’t get too crazy with packing, like some do.  I didn’t put outfits in baggies or take pictures of outfit options. We were gone for a week and organized the clothing by having me manage my clothes and Cici and Beckham’s and then Kacey was in charge of his clothes and Eva’s. We only kept sock and underwear in a large ziplock bag to keep those items organized and in one place. We only needed to bring a small package of regular diapers and swim diapers, and then eight night time diapers. It didn’t take up too much space. Each of us brought a carry on for books, coloring books, headphones, tablets, spare clothes and undies, etc. We also left room to bring back souvenirs. We only had to check in two large bags, which we get for free with the Delta Credit Card. In the end, we did end up buying another piece of luggage for souvenirs and got creative with getting it on the plane without having to pay. We also used an umbrella stroller for the airport walks.
Planning
We stayed at a nice hotel in Cocoa Beach the night before the cruise.  I like to get down there the night before so that everyone has time to rest and get acclimated before we get on the ship. You also never know when we will get a spring snow storm.  We are all tired after the plane ride, so this is a must. This year, we stayed at the Hampton Inn. Last year we stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites and that was terrible. They ran out of breakfast before we left for the ship and the shuttle was packed getting on to get to the port. This time around, our hotel, the Hampton Inn, was excellent, quiet, and had plenty of breakfast. We used Cocoa Beach Shuttle from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the port. Then we used the Magic Express from the port to get to our Disney World resort, and then back to the airport. All transportation went smoothly!
We rented a Citi Mini Double Stroller from Kingdom strollers which worked out well! We had several spills and fits that occurred in the stroller and would have it rather happen in someone else’s stroller than ours. The kids also took cat naps in the the stroller while at the parks. It was around $80 total for the three days and insurance. It was ready for us at the hotel when we arrived, and then we left it at the front desk when we went to the airport. All three kids used the stroller.

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Disney Cruise vs. Disney World

Planning
Disney Cruise: Not much involved-just show up and enjoy the rotational dining already set up for you, the Broadway style shows planned for the night, and the activities set up for the day. Use the Disney Cruise Line app on your phone or the paper navigator to review the times of the character visits. You have to get tickets for the princess meet and greet gathering and Frozen (both are free), but they are free. For the other characters, you just show up and there are hardly any lines. I personally love seeing the characters on the Castaway Cay beach! It makes for a beautiful backdrop!

Disney World: Lots to plan; and you better be on top of it months before your trip. You need to plan your fast passes for rides, make reservations for meals if you want to go that route, and pick your hotel and room location. I didn’t start planning anything for Disney World until a few weeks before, but was still able to get fast passes to almost everything I wanted (and yes, the fast passes really do save a lot of time!) We saw all of the characters on the ship so that we didn’t have to wait in any lines at Disney World. After dinner time, we went on several rides without fast passes and lines.

Dining
Disney Cruise: You get to rotate to a different restaurant every night with characters. You get your same servers at each restaurant so they get to know you well. Animator’s Palate is the most expensively build restaurant at sea and our favorite restaurant to eat at. The truffle pasta is to die for. The theme of the restaurant changes every 30 minutes and makes you feel like you are underwater for part of it. You also get to talk to Crush! Enchanted Garden is also very pretty. You get so much access to unlimited food options, room services, and late night snacks; all for free. Even the non-alcoholic beverage stations are free on the cruise. There are ice cream machines for free too by the pools. That is the first treat my kiddos get when getting on board the ship.

Disney World: Lots of quick service meal options and sit down restaurants with reservations, but more difficult to navigate than the cruise. You also don’t have as much access to food. We got the quick service dining plan where each person got two meals and two snacks a day and that worked for us! It took a lot more planning though to get the perfect meal and snack for all of us.

Rides
Disney Cruise: The AquaDuck and Mickey Slides on the ship. You can stop off at various water parks at Atlantis and at Castaway Cay.

Disney World: Too many to list! There are more ride options at Disney World than on the cruise.

Character Experience
Disney Cruise: There is a character around every corner, and for the most part, there are no lines, especially on the smaller ships. One night on the Dream, my three kiddos were dancing in a circle to a cruise ship singer and all of a sudden, Snow White came up and began dancing with them and then played hide and seek with them; we will never forget that nightJ

Disney World: You have to wait in long lines or fast pass it through the character experiences. I am so glad we took care of this on the ship and spent our time on the rides at the park.

Relaxing
Disney Cruise: This happens on a cruise!!!!!! There is an adult only pool area and adults only district that is very relaxing and not cheesy at all.

Disney World: Maybe at the resort during nap time:)

Kids Club/Daycare
Disney Cruise: There are several options on the Disney Cruise. Ages 3+ are free in the Oceaneers Club/Lab where there are character parties and different themed areas like Star Wars, Pixie Hollow, Andy’s Room from Toy Story (my favorite), Monster’s Scare Floor, Nemo’s submarine, etc. It’s a Small World Nursery for ages 2 and under is $9 an hour. We used this for three hours during the day for Beckham and 3 hours at night. When the kids are at the kids club, the adults can play in the adult district. I love the Skyline Lounge where they have several floor to ceiling LCD screens of various countries across the world that change every 10 minutes.

Disney World: No kids club or daycare that I know ofL

Actual Travel
Disney Cruise: You can stop off at different islands and countries when you take specific cruises. We have been to Tortola and St. Thomas, as well as the Bahamas and Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island).
Disney World: You can travel to other areas of Orlando, but the cruise has more actual travel options. Epcot's World Showcase?:)

Price
Disney Cruise: Equivalent to Disney World
Disney World: Equivalent to the Disney Cruise

Broadway Shows
Disney Cruise: Just about every night there is a Broadway style show on the ship. Our favorites are: Golden Mickey’s, Aladdin, and Wishes. I didn’t care for Villains. I hear that the Wonder has the Frozen show now and the Magic has Tangled. That is a reason to try new ships.

Disney World: You need to book and pay extra for some of these at Disney World. Fast passes can be used with no additional cost for some of them. I couldn’t find these shows easily at Disney World.

Clothing
Disney Cruise: You definitely get to dress up more on the cruise. I live in maxi skirts and sun dresses. I rarely wear jean shorts and tanks. I feel like I need less clothing on the Disney Cruise because I wear my swimsuit during the day and a cover up, and then a dress at night because it is fun to get fancy for dinner and shows.

Disney World: Mouse gear is a must. I bought a Minnie Mouse tank in the first store we went to at Magic Kingdom because I just didn’t feel right in my non-Disney attire.

Shopping
Disney Cruise: There are about four stores on each ship. The products are very unique and cute, but limited.

Disney World: There is a lot more product at Disney World than the Disney Cruise. I love the Christmas ship at Magic Kingdom of course! I love that they will drop off your items at the hotel for you so you don’t need to carry it around all day at the parks.

Castaway Cay with kids....

Castaway Cay without kids:)

Gotta love the backdrop of character photos on the Disney Cruise. We have too many character pics to post!

​Disney World Accommodations
There are so many choices! Moderate, value, deluxe; I am not an expert, but I can say that I loved the Caribbean Beach Resort! It is one of the largest properties at Disney World, if not the largest, but everything is easy to get to. It was considered a moderate resort. The food was excellent, the pools were a blast, and each island had their own pool. We stayed in Barbados which was right next to Martinique where I had requested because it was by the main pool and dining. We had a resort day and we're so glad we did. The kids swam in the different pools and we watched a movie under the stars before bed. We could also see the Magic Kingdom and Epcot fireworks right after the move under the stars. I had no idea we were able to see the fireworks from our resort! There were various playgrounds to play at too and walking paths. Next time, I want to visit Disney Springs for dinner and shopping, but we ran out of time. We took a walk the last night around the property twice which was beautiful.  If I were going to do a value resort, I would stay at the Art of Animation Resort (I can’t believe that is a value resort); you can’t have five people in one room at the value resorts; you have to do a suite which is more expensive than moving up to a moderate resort by at least $100. For the deluxe resorts, I would choose the Dolphin or Wilderness Lodge.

​Parks and Rides
We went to Magic Kingdom (a must anytime you visit Disney World) and Epcot. Our favorite rides were: Peter Pan’s Flight, Under the Sea with Ariel, It’s a Small World, the Prince Charming Regal Carousel, and the Jungle Cruise. I didn’t care for the Buzz Light Year ride, but Kacey and Beckham liked it. I wish we could have done the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train or Splash Mountain (flume ride), but the lines were long and there were no fast passes left for these. I don’t think my girls would have like the 7 Dwarfs Ride because it is pretty fast. The Haunted Mansion looked cool too. I could have spent two days at Magic Kingdom for sure. That is the first park I will go to every time; it’s so magicalJ
The World Showcase at Epcot could have taken all day if it was just Kacey and I, but the kids wanted to move more quickly through the countries. You can visit 11 countries at this end of the park. We loved Norway, England, and France best. The little bakeries and food shops were delicious, and some countries, like China, put on shows every hour that included acrobats, or musicians playing. We didn’t make it to Soaring (the Fly Across the World Ride similar to Mall of America’s fly across America ride) because I thought Eva would get motion sickness and we had Beckham. We could have used a rider switch I suppose where Kacey and I would take turns watching Beckham while we each rode the ride with the big kids, but we were still pretty green by this time and not so savvy.  We did do Spaceship Earth and the Seas with Nemo and Friends which were great.  The Nemo area has an aquarium with dolphins and various fish that the kids enjoyed seeing. We did the turtle talk with Crush, but the Disney Cruise has better turtle talk at Animator’s Palate. Spaceship Earth is actually in the Epcot ball and was so fun! We did go on the 37-minute Energy with Ellen (1990’s Ellen) that was educational and fun.  Beckham loved the dinosaur scenes on the ride; but overall, the ride was a tad long.
Next year, I want to hit up Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs!

Memory Archive
Our first year on the cruise, we had all the characters sign a story book that had a collection of stories. The second year, we did embroidered pillow cases with the Disney Cruise Line logo and dates that all of the characters signed with permanent markers. This year, our plan was to do another story book so that each kiddo can walk away with their own book for their kids one day, but it was too crazy keeping track of three kids and three books. Next year! At Disney World, the kids and adults each picked out an ornament. Usually the kids get to pick out an ornament every year at the Macy’s 8th floor Display, but since that is closing, we thought we would get ornaments at Disney World and then save them for when we start decorating our eight Christmas trees next year. Eva picked out a “It’s a Small World After All” ornament, Kacey and I picked out a Disney Cruise ornament, Cici picked out a set of Frozen bells, and Beckham picked out a set of Woody and Buzz Light Year bells. The kids have already forgotten we have them, so they will have a nice surprise the day after Thanksgiving when we decorate. We also buy several mugs a year while on the cruise, and now Disney World, so that when we are drinking out of them at work and on the weekends, we have warm memories of being there:)

​The Disney Dream vs. the Disney Fantasy
I loved both ships. We have also stayed on the Wonder which is one of the older smaller ships without the Aqua Duck, but it has recently been reimagined and has the Frozen Show and Tiana’s restaurant. The Dream has Vanellope von Schweetz sweet treat shop. You can buy cupcakes, candy, and other fun treats. Kacey and I wanted to buy some candy for the kids Christmas stockings next year, but thought it would be a pain to haul back and the kids would have noticed. The Fantasy has a better adult district; especially the Skyline Lounge-it’s bigger and had better bartenders. On the longer cruises, they have fun classes like mixology where you learn how to make different drinks; Kacey and I did that last year and it was so much fun! The Dream seems to just do shorter cruise routes than the Fantasy, Magic and Wonder. Next year, we are going on the Magic since it is the last one we have left to hit. We aren’t sure about doing Disney World too, because the Magic leaves out of Miami or Texas. Disney Cruise Line is building two more ships that should be ready by 2021 and 2023. They will be even bigger than the Fantasy and Dream; we can’t wait! Our goal is to take a vacation on every Disney ship.

​Disney Cruise or Disney World?
In conclusion…..we still think we are more Disney Cruise people vs. Disney World people, but you can’t go wrong with either. If you can swing both, do both for sure! There are many shorter and cheaper cruises that just go to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay for 3 or four days, that it makes it easy to hit up the parks afterwards. I always fight back tears on the last day of the cruise at the “See You Again Real Soon Party”. It is usually just Eva and I going to it while Kacey packs and stays with Cici and B while they sleep. That is why I wanted to do Disney World right after the cruise; so we wouldn’t be as sad. It worked. After being at Disney World, we were ready to come home.

Jessica Sloan from Greenwood Cruise and Travel was our agent who helped us plan and book everything. Jessica@greenwoodcruiseandtravel.com. Her Facebook page is "Jessica's Dreams and Wishes Travel". She is great!

Pirates Night is kind of a big deal on the Disney Cruise. It is the only fireworks show at sea. We bring our costumes from home. Eva and I love pirates night:)

This photo of the theater on the ship doesn't do it justice. It is big and beautiful!

Cici LOVES the Mickey pool on the ship:)

Don't forget to decorate your door on the ship with personalized magnets!

Snow White dancing with our kids:)

The Christmas season is upon us here in good old Minnesota!  The snow will start falling, people will start shopping, secret Santa will begin, Elf on a shelf will be up to his/her shenanigans, and I will be in complete euphoria.  I am very sentimental and big on traditions.  Here are my tips for embracing the season!

1.  Begin and integrate new holiday traditions while maintaining the old ones.  What I mean by that, is try to preserve old family traditions from your childhood, start new family traditions with your friends, significant others, and/or children, and mash them altogether.  For example, wood fires in our wood burning fireplace was a holiday tradition.  I enjoy a wood burning fire Friday-Sunday at my house.  I even place the crochet stand alone stockings on each side of the fireplace that I had as a kid.  Add in a story time session or two, and you have now integrated new traditions with the old.  Story time by the fire on a Friday night is much better than the every night story time in bed.  New traditions to be started that seemed to have popped up after my childhood are: Elf on a shelf, Advent Calendars (I know this isn't new), and opening a Christmas book a night for the 25 nights until Christmas.  The 25 books before Christmas is a lot of work, but worth it!
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2.  Take the time to pose for a fun family photo for you holiday card.  I am not talking about a cheesy, everyone dress the same and smile type photo.  Last year, we took our photo at the Christmas tree farm.  I scoured Pinterest for tree farm ideas.  I loved last year's photo.  The key is to have this photo be a surprise.  I typically do not post the photo on Facebook until I have sent out our holiday card.  I want a unique photo that no one has seen yet since we all know what we are all up to minute by minute thanks to Instagram and Facebook:)  I can't disclose what we are doing this year, but it will be a combination of fun, traditional, but with a unique artistic spin.  Thanks, Mary Romportl for doing great work!  ​https://www.facebook.com/puresimplelife-photography-by-Mary-Romportl-152663818243244/?fref=ts

3.  Make the holidays fun and get your kids excited to wake up in the morning to locate the elf!  I just started Elf on a shelf last year and wish we had this around when I was little!  They even have a movie about it that our Elf will be bringing to our home upon his arrival.  I know it gets annoying to move the little guy or gal some nights, but the key is to write these ideas down on a secret calendar so that you have a plan.  Pinterest and Google are great resources for ensuring your elf has a wild ride while visiting.  Our elf, Pickles, made a friend while staying with us.  His friend often joined him on his adventures.

4.  Visit unique holiday themed places.  I love historical holiday themed field trips. On my list this season is The Folkways for the Holidays at The Landing from the Three Rivers Park District 
https://www.threeriversparks.org/parks/the-landing/the-landing-folkways-of-the-holidays.aspx.  
I also enjoy visiting Christmas tree farms who offer hayrides, and pancake breakfasts with Santa. Anoka has many activities as well for the holiday season with their annual Over the River and Through the Shops activities.  I especially like their annual tree lighting ceremony the first weekend in Dec. http://www.exploreminnesota.com/events/6810/over-the-river-and-through-the-shops.  
Downtown St. Paul/Minneapolis is also always on our list.  We love getting a hotel room with the kids and looking at Christmas lights.  We will visit Macy's 8th Floor Display, and we used to go to The Depot before they tore it down to visit the train water park.  It is too bad they won't be rebuilding it.  They also recently started the Holiday Market downtown.  I like to visit it on a weekday before our hotel visit.  We get hot cocoa, pick out a new ornament, and just walk around enjoying each other's company.  I've heard that the Christmas markets are all over the suburbs too.  Don't forget about Menards!  We love visiting their Christmas forest a few times in December.  They go all out.  Also, the Mill City Museum does an Almost Christmas play in the flour tower that we will soon attend.

5.  Make time to spend holiday moments with friends.  Simply put, my friends are my family.  Anyone who has a small family, or interesting family dynamics can understand that holiday friend traditions should continue to be celebrated.  Back in college, my three roommates and I started our Christmas Winter Wonderland tradition in 2002.  We have continued to celebrate it every year since!  Different members have joined and left, but the core have stayed.  It used to be at our houses until we all started having kids.  We used to have rules such as, whoever gave birth, moved, or remodeled closest to the date could host, but until we are done having babies, we will go out for our celebration for awhile.  We always exchange names and buy a personalized ornament to exchange in some unique way.  Bingo at Wild Bill's has also been a new norm now for the past two years.  One of these days we will win!

6.  Decorate, decorate, decorate!  Having your house decorated will put you in a happy mood every day:)  We put up 8 Christmas trees!  Even the Barbie house gets Christmas lights:)  Every kid has a tree in their room in a different color, and every room has a tree (except the kitchen, but soon....).  I also play Christmas music in my room while I get ready, in the car, and on the T.V. during dinner.

7.  Embrace holiday crafts!  From gingerbread houses and edible forests, to salt dough ornaments, make memories!  Craft with your kids (or yourself)!  We love making a variety of things.  This year, I am going to create not just a gingerbread house, but a gingerbread house nestled within an edible forest!

8.  Have a theme!  Is there something your kids are super in to?  On Christmas day, we typically have a theme.  One year, Santa left Monster's Inc everything for big gifts (tent, scare floor, figurines, etc.), and last year, it was Barbie everything.  This year, we are doing a Barbie inspired Christmas yet again, but it is going to be called Barbie Village. A new Barbie house, a Barbie camper, a Barbie tent with sleeping bags, a Barbie cruise ship, and Barbie quad bunk beds.  I will also be making a Barbie closet and hanging barbie outfits.  Beckham will get some cars and baby things.

9.  Make awesome holiday food!  We even make food for the reindeer (1 cup of oats, 2 tbs glitter or sprinkles, and a poem- http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/five-printable-reindeer-food-poems).  Thanks to my sister-in-law Jaime, that tradition started years ago and made an appearance in my classroom).  I make an awesome tear apart ham/cheese/bacon egg bake (recipe on my blog in my Easter post) for Christmas morning and cinnamon rolls with pancakes on Christmas Eve morning.  Of course, we bake fun cookies weekly as well!  We spread the reindeer food on Christmas Eve night before heading in for the night.  We also make a chocolate Christmas cake with candy canes a few days before Christmas to enjoy on Christmas Eve night, and I make a turkey dinner for Christmas night.  We like to have hot cocoa bars too weekly.  We make hot cocoa and the kids can add marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and whip cream as a special treat (credit to my bro for the new tradition we started last year-thanks Wes).

10.  Make holiday jammies a big deal.  I love picking out holiday jammies for everyone during the holidays!  If they match, even better! Lately I have been into plaid for the dressy holiday outfits.  I've never been a dress person for the girls, or myself, so I stick to sweater or plaid tunics and leggings.

11.  Holiday movie nights are huge at our house!  I am partial to the Family Stone (like I watch it every night before bed starting Thanksgiving night:).  I also love Home Alone 1 & 2, The Grinch with Jim Carey, and The Santa Clause 1, 2, & 3.  We play holiday movies all day on the weekends.  Every Friday night, the girls have a sleepover in mom's bed (while dad is banished to the pink bunk beds), and we have pizza or McDonlads while watching Christmas movies.  We just saw two new holiday movies recently, Love the Coopers, and The Night Before.  Love the Coopers was a little depressing, like the Family Stone unmedicated.  The Night Before was hilarious! 

12.  Our favorite church service to go to is on the day before Christmas Eve at Grace Fellowship Church.  They know how to rock out and celebrate the season!  They have a live Nativity scene with real animals, and the best music.  You can drink hot cocoa in the sanctuary as well.  http://gracefellowshipmn.org/

13. Enjoy adult time and relaxation.  Kacey and I try to find times to chill out just the two of us right before we lay gifts under the tree, in between holiday parties, while celebrating my December birthday, or on Saturday nights with a movie and a fire going.

14.  Embrace the chaos and the mess!  Your little ones are only little once and they will carry on your family traditions for years to come!  The best memories I have as a kid are from the holiday season.

15.  Join every secret Santa thing that you can.  It makes it fun to go to work:)  If you don't have one, start one.

I could have made this post way longer, but this is more of a "quick" tip post:)  Merry Christmas! 

We recently completed a much needed remodel on the main floor of our home.  We fell in love with our home about six years ago and before we knew we were pregnant.  It was a foreclosure in a nice neighborhood.  At the time, we did not have kids, so we didn't quite know exactly what type of flow we needed in a home to raise little ones.  Now, with three kids, we definitely know what we need! We found an amazing contractor who was doing work in the neighborhood in January.  We got in touch with him and the rest is history.  David McBroom with McBroom Contracting (763-238-6730) did a fantastic job on our remodel.  His design ideas, employees, the people he partnered with such as the cabinet maker (Travis Davis from High Mark Custom Cabinets), and his overall positivity gave us the kitchen, mudroom, and main floor of our dreams.  Sneak peak...

We started off with a tiny kitchen.  We had nine cabinets, and kept extra food, serving dishes, and small appliances in the mudroom and entry coat closets.  We purposely stayed away from a Costco membership (even though I have been very intrigued by Costco) simply because we had zero space.  We had ugly white tile floors that were uneven and cracked, original 27 year old oak cabinets, low quality appliances, cheap laminate counter tops, and closed off spaces.  I like to cook and bake, so maneuvering in this kitchen sucked.  I could not keep adequate tabs on the kids while I was cooking, and even though I liked the dining room, it was not functional or used often. 

As we began the process, and researched materials, I started to get the feel of what I wanted.  I was going for a country light/bright kitchen.  I wanted some timeless materials, mixed with a rustic feel what was also bright and cheery.  I have always preferred white over dark cabinets.  I also liked the brush nickel finishes.  With lighting, I was going for the industrial look.  For appliances, I wanted a stove that wouldn't set off the fire alarm when I cooked (proper ventilation was key), I wanted to be able to see the kids while I cooked, and I wanted a kid friendly snack drawer in our fridge.  I run my dishwasher every day (so many bottles to wash), so I needed something durable.  This is what we ended up with.  Notice the oven/cook top in the center island with a downdraft ventilation system.  Although the downdraft is complicated to install, it is way better than having the microwave vent over the stove.  I have not set the alarm off yet.  Papa Murphy's pizza and cooking bacon were the true tests, and this stove from Jenn Air passed! It sucks all smoke from the top and in the oven down through the floor and out beneath the deck.  The downdraft is built in and there is no pop-up ventilation system that takes up island space.  I love being able to cook while the kids sit at the island and watch or participate.

We loved the barn door look, so Dave helped us select a barn door to close off our mudroom.  We couldn't be happier with it.

Dave also designed this locker system in our mudroom and re-purposed our kitchen cabinets to give us more storage.  Again, his creativity took our mudroom to the next level.  The bench cushion was made by Vicki Orr, we used to work together at Palmer Lake.  She also made the window bench cushion.  I look forward to getting wire baskets to go under the bench to hold shoes.

I really needed a command center where I could teach my online classes, grade papers, pay bills, plan the menu, and keep track of schedules and school papers.  Dave McBroom and Travis Davis (High Mark Custom Cabinets) designed the desk, and I ordered my whiteboard from Etsy.com.

I think we will get the Costco membership now! Our new pantry.

We redid the main floor powder room.  Kacey needs to add the knobs on the vanity still.

I became obsessed with grey subway tile...

So, all in all, we are loving our new layout, and it is perfect for a family of five!

Since we have a nanny starting with us part time as I take on a new position as a special education director using my administration license, I had to get organized with schedules and the communication I expected from the person caring for our children on those days.  There was a lot to take into account for three kiddos.  Eva needs to get on and off the bus each day, three meals and two snacks have to be prepared, outfits need to be picked out, Cici needs to be nebbed twice daily, activities need to be chosen, and light cleaning needs to be done.  Thank goodness for Care.com, because we were able to find many great candidates, plus back-ups (background checks were included as well).  The interviewing process was fun (we created our own set of interview questions), and making a final decision was tough.  Testing them out on date nights was a great way to ease into it as I begin training for the position and when I actually start my position.  Here are the "nanny notes" I created for our nanny to fill out daily while she works for us.  In the end, I am glad that I am able to explore a new position, while still being home three days during the work week and being able to bring Cici to preschool, Eva to and from school, and Beckham to baby story time.