Brynn's Second Birthday Lemon Party!

We had Brynn's party the day before her actual birthday over at The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds. All week the weather was showing rain during her party but luckily it was clear and sunny (and HOT...sorry guests) during her party. We served BBQ pulled chicken sliders, grilled hot dogs, pasta salad, and veggies to our guests. I had lemonade, french berry lemonade, limeade, and water for our guest to enjoy. Instead of serving a traditional cake/cupcakes I went for mini cupcakes, mini lemon cakes, and mini cookie sandwiches which were a HUGE hit with our guests so I'll make sure to keep that in mind for years to come.

We ate, mingled, Brynn {but mostly me} opened presents, and then we let her smash her little cake. So many people raved about her cake and could not believe it when I told them at it was a vanilla mini cake from...Publix that I decorated myself! It turned out so great and the birthday girl snacked on it all day.

I originally picked a citrus theme for the party but then Target came out with the most adorable lemon/lemonade things in their dollar spot so I fully committed to lemons lol! I arranged flowers from Traders Joe's and Publix for the centerpieces and then placed fresh limes, lemons, greenery, and baby's breath in berry baskets to go on the sides of the arrangements. I also shoot for low cost items that I can reuse when entertaining so I'll make sure to provide links for the most asked about items.

We all had a great time and only had one casualty...Brynn's bestie, Nora took a tumble from the new princess carriage and got two bad skinned knees. Now I know to always have a first aid kit at kid's parties! Good news is that Nora is on the mend because she's literally the toughest toddler this side of the Mississippi! The other lesson I took away from this party is that next year I don't care how cheesy and un-Pinterest worthy it is...we're having an indoor, air conditioned...possibly Chuck-E-Cheese party! Here's the photo drop....

Party Supplies:

Tablecloths
Centerpiece Vases
Kid's Picnic Table (Early Birthday Gift from Aunt Maggie)
Entry Table
Yellow Gingham Paper Plates (Used a 40% off coupon on each pack)
2-Tier Cake Stand

Thanks for stopping by and please comment if you have any other questions about the party!

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WDW Tips and Tricks: Q&A Round 1

I get asked questions about WDW all the time so I started to keep track of them and want to answer some of them every so often here on the blog so here goes round one!

Baby Minnie Ears and Adult Ballcap made by yours truly available at Brave Bow Co

Where can I get cheap tickets to Disney?

There's honestly no such thing as cheap Disney tickets. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Don't ruin your vacation by purchasing illegally resold tickets that won't work for you and your family when you get to the gate. Instead opt for booking a vacation package where your tickets are included or buy {lightly} discounted tickets from AAA if you have a membership with them. Disney offers ticket specials throughout the year to FL residents and active/retired military so make sure to keep a watch out for those. 

Should we stay at a Disney hotel or off property?

This completely depends on what you want out of your trip. I personally LOVE staying in Disney hotels. It makes everything so convenient. Being able to bundle your hotel, dining, and tickets it great and not having to worry about airport transportation is wonderful. You might think that staying off property is cheaper but we found out the hard way that once they add the daily resort fee and parking charge it's not much cheaper and then you have to pay to park at the theme parks as well, when you stay at Disney you get a parking pass included in your stay. So in my opinion if you are staying for more than a couple days and really want to experience Disney go with a Disney resort.

Do you think we should do one park per day or park hop?

If you would have asked me this question two years ago I would have said park hop for sure! Now that I have to tote a stroller, baby, diaper bag, and everything else I say if you have kids in strollers do one park per day. If your kids will be walking park hop away! I want my days in the park to be as relaxed as possible and for me personally that means not having to take everything out of the stroller, fold it up for the car or bus, and then have to unpack everything again. Nope, not feeling that. 

The food there is so expensive...any tips on how to save some cash while eating in the parks?

If you want/need to be mindful of your food budget eating at quick service locations are your best option. The entrees can be ordered a la carte so you don't have to purchase the side item if you don't want to. Opt for a large cup of ice water instead of soda because it free and because FL is hot. Bring some snacks with you that won't melt in the hot FL sun to tide you over between meals along with a bottles water that you can refill throughout the day. If you still want to enjoy some treats and snacks in the park share it with someone so you have to buy one. 

What is your best Disney advice?

I get this one all the time and here is what my answer ALWAYS is...when something goes, wrong be nice to the person who is helping you. I can't stress this enough. There's a strong possibility that something will go wrong during your vacation. I know you've spent a lot of money on this trip. I know you've spent a lot of time planning this trip. I know you have high exceptions for The Most Magical Place on Earth but please show kindness and patience to the person helping to fix your issue. It's like my grandma always told me...you get more flies with honey than vinegar. 

Have other questions you'd love to have answered? Comment below and you might see it on round 2!

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Brynn's First Trip to Walt Disney World

It's no secret that I LOVE DISNEY! Walt Disney World will always have a special place in my heart because of my five years working there. It's where I made some of my greatest friends and memories. I spent so much time working and playing in the parks that I know them like the back of my hand, which has spoiled my husband and family when we visit. People kept saying to me that they couldn't believe I was going to brave the parks with a four month old but they were forgetting that my job used to be touring families (a lot of the time with babies and toddlers) around the parks so it's second nature to me. With my husband Brian, brother-in-law Jay, and best friend Kathleen in tow we made Brynn's first trip to Walt Disney World at the beginning of December.

You can tell she's my child with that textbook side eye

We opted for a long weekend where we all arrived to Orlando late Thursday night and left Sunday afternoon. We had a bunch of people who wanted to see us and meet Brynn so everything was scheduled around that. Friday we had a lunch date with our friend Leanna at Disney Springs and then headed over to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I had two objectives as soon as we got there...get a Christmas card photo and take her on her first ride while it was still bright outside so we could film it. I was amazed at how well Brynn did being out and about all day in an unfamiliar place. She probably just loved being in constant motion.

Our Saturday was spent at my old stomping grounds, Epcot. Thanks to rider switch we got to experience the new version of Soarin, enjoyed delicious food and drinks, and spent time with some of our favorite people. We started a new tradition at Epcot which was getting Brynn's silhouette crafted, I'll do a full post on that later. Brynn met Santa and Mrs. Claus for the first time and by "met" I really mean she slept but managed to pull off the cutest little yawn you can see in the video below. On our way out we got Brynn her first Disney souvenir, a Belle ragdoll she adores and stopped by the guest relations lobby for old time's sake.

I had thought my best Disney days were behind me but this trip made me realize they are just beginning. I can't wait to share my tips on navigating Disney with a baby soon...until then enjoy the video of our trip below captured with my new obsession our GoPro.

All photos courtesy of my bestie Kathleen Norris at Places I Will Go Blog

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5 Tips to Make Your Pregnant Trip to Disney Great

Going on any trip while pregnant requires some special planning but, a trip to fast paced theme parks requires a lot of planning. I lived and worked at The Most Magical Place on Earth for nearly five years and thought I had done everything in the world there...until now. Going to Disney while pregnant is a completely different machine that what I'm used to. Here are a few things I found to be extra helpful when visiting Disney while pregnant.  

{one} Dress for Comfort

We went to Disney in April when I was rounding on 19 weeks pregnant and when we planned the trip I didn't think the weather would be too hot. I lived there for nearly five years and April was always warm but never miserable. Unfortunately it was 90 degrees without a cloud in the sky. I should've listened to my gut and brought my dri-fit capri pants to wear in the parts but I opted for my cute maternity khaki shorts...big mistake. Some women are fine in shorts but mine ended up being uncomfortable and ultimately ruined my day. Your shoes can make or break your day so this is the one time you can throw fashion to the wind and wear something that feels better than they look.  Listen to your gut and dress in what you know will be comfortable for you for those long hours in the parks.

{two} Don't Rush Meal Time

Let's be real, the food at Disney is one of the greatest reasons to visit when you're pregnant. A bonus is if you plan accordingly your meal time will be an opportunity to cool off and relax indoors. Taking your time during meals in the park will be your saving grace. Enjoy a meal somewhere that you've never visited of fear of too much time being taken up by the dining experience, if there ever was a time to do so it's now!

{three} Utilize Disney's Package Pick-up

If you're anything like me you want to pick up some adorable merchandise for your baby! The only downside is carrying and keeping track of it (oh hey pregnancy brain!) throughout the day. Disney offers a wonderful service called package pickup where you can opt to have your purchases sent to the front of the park to grab on your way out (allow at least 3 hours for it to get up there) or you can pick it up the next day at the main gift shop in your hotel. This came in very handy when my mom bought the baby her personalized "My First Christmas" ornament.

{four} Plan Your Activities Inside and Outside of the Parks

Using Fastpass+ is a wonderful way to plan out your day in the parks but don't let that be the only thing you take time to plan. It's difficult to have an open to close day in the parks while pregnant so plan things that help you still experience the parks. For example I made a late dinner reservation at 'Ohana at the Polynesian and because of our dining time we were able to watch Wishes, the Magic Kingdom fireworks, from the comfort of our table.The restaurant dims the lights and plays the music so you get to enjoy the show without the crowds. This goes for several restaurants at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Don't think that every waking minute needs to be spent in the parks...enjoy the pool, see what recreation offers your hotel has, and if you're lucky have some "me time" being pampered at one of the spas on property.

{five} Celebrate this New Chapter

Disney is all about celebrating everyday things and making them magical. The celebration buttons (birthday, anniversary, first visit, etc.) are easy conversation starters for cast members as well as fellow guests. I was lucky enough to find and amazing Etsy shop, CrowleyCastle, that makes adorable custom Disney buttons (seen in the photo above) that you won't find in the parks. We got them to use in our gender reveal and were stopped countless times by people telling us how much they loved them, wishing congratulations to us, and asking where to get them.

One of the greatest things about Disney theme parks is that they hold true to Walt's original vision of everyone, no matter your age or physical restrictions, can have fun together. I suggest planning things out and utilizing the My Disney Experience to scope out what rides are safe for expectant mothers. I didn't feel like this was a half done trip just because I was pregnant and if you plan your trip right you won't either. So girl go to Disney and treat yo' self to all the Dole Whips and Mickey pretzels your little heart desires and have fun on the world famous Peoplemover. 

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Our Last Visit to Disney Without a Stroller

This past weekend we visited my old stomping grounds of Walt Disney World. We knew that this was going to be the start of very different Disney trips for us but, we wanted to go to the place we fell in love one last time before the baby arrives.

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Friday morning we made it on our 6:00am flight by the skin of our teeth because the Atlanta airport thinks it cool to have two metal detectors operating for the entire north terminal. After we ran like Macaulay Culkin to our gate we used our one hour flight to prepare for our day in the parks. We utilized Disney's Magical Express to our resort, where we quickly checked in and left our bags with bell services before hopping on a bus to the parks.

Our day started at Magic Kingdom where I had made a reservation for lunch at Be Our Guest. I have dined there but neither Brian nor my mom had so it was exciting for me to see them experience it. If you haven't been there I highly suggest it. Lunch is consider "fast casual" so you get the quick service price range with the table service experience. Brian and my mom were so surprised when our food was brought to us on real plates. I opted for the "order ahead" service and placed everyone's order a week in advance so all we had to do was pay and find our table. I loved that option and even if we decided when we got there we wanted different items we could have switched. Here are some photos I took at lunch...it's very dark in the restaurant so my apologies for the dim photos.

The Grand Ballroom Dining Area

If you look through the windows you'll see snow falling. 

The center of the Library area we dined in. 

My wonderful carved turkey sandwich.

My birthday cupcake topped with "grey stuff."

Once we finished with lunch we walked around the park scooping out places for our gender reveal pictures, that you can see HERE, while enjoying a couple rides in between. Most importantly though we got our favorite Disney treat...Dole Whips!!!

Around 3:00 I got the text that our room was ready and since the 90 degree heat had worn us down we decided to go back to the hotel for showers and naps. Once we got to the hotel I hit a wall, I was so exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stay in bed but, didn't want to ruin the day for Brian and my mom. We had originally planned to go to Epcot and walk around World Showcase to sample some of the goodies for Flower and Garden but, the thought of dealing with festivals crowds sober made me want to crawl under a rock. We decided to head to Hollywood Studios instead. I was ready to give another park a shot with my iced chai from Starbucks in hand but, that was very short lived. We only went on the Great Movie Ride before I began to feel very bad. We ended up going back to the hotel for the rest of the night. I was so disappointed in myself. I guess the former tour guide in me thought that if I could walk around for hours in dress shoes and head to toe polyester one day in the park pregnant would be a breeze. We settled in for the evening and after dinner Brian and I swam for a little bit and were able to watch the fireworks in the pool. 

The next morning Brian and I woke up and went to the dining hall in our hotel for breakfast. Our food was wonderful. All breakfast food has been good to me my entire pregnancy so I was very happy to get to breakfast. Brian got a pop-tart sandwich (eggs, cheese, and bacon between two pop-tarts) and I got a waffle platter. 

We lounged, because it was raining a lot of the day, met up with my friends Katie and Brandon, and lounged some more. That night I had made a reservation for dinner at my favorite Disney restaurant, 'Ohana. My friends Josh, Leanna, and Natalie (she's pregnant too) joined us for a meal we all had been texting about for a week. While we were waiting for our table we exchanged gifts. I had gotten Natalie some outfits for her baby girl. Natalie got our baby an adorable golf outfit and the Boppy pillow and case from our registry and Leanna got us an adorable Ralph Lauren outfit for the baby. We were seated right before Magic Kingdom's fireworks started so we were able to enjoy them, music and all, without the crowds. We went through two servings of pot stickers and didn't even blink.  

We were some of the last guests in the restaurant because we got so caught up in our gossip and Real Housewives convos. Luckily I get to see them next weekend too because I'm going back to Orlando for Natalie's baby shower! 

Our last day, Sunday, was spent at the pool with our friend Katie before getting lunch and catching our shuttle back to the airport at 3:30. The weekend was very busy but very fun. I think it's safe to say going to Disney while pregnant is not the easiest thing but it is possible. Later I'll share some tips from what I learned to hopefully help some other mommas out in the future. Thanks for reading!

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Make it PINK...or...Make it BLUE?!

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we are having a little PRINCESS! We love her so much and are so excited to meet her in August. One thing is for sure she is already adored by many!

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5 Reasons I'm Excited About this Weekend...

This Thursday, March 31st, is my birthday so we decided to celebrate my last birthday before I become a mom at where other than...Walt Disney World! If you've read my "about me" or know me personally, you know that I worked for Disney for five years. I left the company in June 2014 to move to Atlanta with my then fiance, now husband Brian. I miss Disney a lot, especially when I'm having rough days at work because even if it was a not so good day at work at Disney I was surrounded by people who made me feel valued and made me laugh from the moment my shift started until it ended. There are so many reasons to be pumped about a trip to Disney but here are my top five...

Seeing and catching up my Disney family

My birthday celebration a few years ago

I'm so excited to see as many friends as possible. We are only going to be there three days but you better believe I'm making the most of my time with some of the most wonderful people on the planet. I'll be with people who get me and truly love me for exactly who am I and that's a beautiful thing. We talk and text often but seeing them in person is sooo much better!

That my mom will be joining us

We had talked about her coming with us for a while but last week we made it official. She will be driving from WV to GA on Thursday and flying to Orlando with us at the crack of dawn on Friday morning. She's a big Disney fan so she's excited to be at one of her favorite places with two (well three kinda) of her favorite people!

It's Flower and Garden time

I'm excited to be going during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Epcot was my home park and I love every bit of it especially during festivals! A few years ago they brought in the outdoor kitchens used during the ultra popular Food and Wine festival and now it's like having two Food and Wine's but one with gorgeous flowers and topiaries around the park. I'm headed straight for the frushi (fruit sushi) in Japan and a wild violet lemonade.

The food...duh

Be Our Guest via

Calories don't count at Disney...especially when you're pregnant! I'm ready for some amazing food! We have lunch reservations for Be Our Guest, which my mom and Brian have never been to, and will be having dinner at my favorite restaurant, Ohana at Disney's Polynesian. Food comas for all! And lastly I'm so excited...

To do our gender reveal!

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That's right people, the world will be finding out if Baby Schiffbauer is a boy or girl this weekend! I would love to announce it the day we get there but that would be on April Fool's and we don't want people to think we're trying to pull one over on them so Saturday shall be the day! So if you're interested in knowing if we're having a prince or princess stayed tuned on my Facebook or Instagram.

If you want to follow along on our adventures follow me on snapchat, username: j0rdashian. I'd love to hear what you think we're having! Comment below with your guess of a boy or a girl! Thanks for stopping by!

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