Holiday Tips

With the holidays now in full swing, I'm always looking for tips and tricks to make life a little bit easier. Here's three simple tips I'd like to share today...

Tip #1- Use up alll that leftover turkey- all of it.
While I sadly didn't end up with too much leftover turkey, I did make full use of what I had, including the carcass. A few years ago I made homemade turkey stock and was amazed at how much better it was than the canned/boxed stuff. Simply place the carcass in a pot and cover with water, simmer on low/medium until a rich, dark colored broth is visible; this can take between one and two hours depending on the size of the carcass. Make it even easier by putting it in the crockpot! Same concept, just cook on low for 6-8 hours. I store mine in old takeout containers (think egg drop soup) in my deep freezer and thaw it when I need it. I also do this with rotisserie chickens and am equally happy with the results. Saves money, tastes better, fewer preservatives, adds flavor to those holiday recipes... sounds good to me! 

Tip #2- Gift Wrapping
I'm not a bag girl, nothing against it, but it's just not me. I have two very excited littles, one of which is a pre-reader, so I curb the chaos by giving each family member their own wrapping paper. Here's the rundown this year:
Hubby- Star Wars
Big Girl- Pink, girly designs with Santa 
Little Girl- Puppies with presents
I find that this makes Christmas morning much easier, I don't have to be so worried about them opening gifts that don't belong to them, and no worries when a tag inevitably falls off. I also have two coordinating papers that I use to wrap anything else. Hubby is a bag guy, so my stuff will be easy to spot, too. 

Tip #3- Gift Wrapping as Decorations
If there's a spot in your home you'd like to add some Christmas flair to for cheap, consider going back to your wrapping paper stash! I have three panels above my fireplace that I decided to redecorate for the season. I covered two in wrapping paper, left the center panel as is, and added a wreath and ribbon I found at the Dollar Tree. Consider trying it in your home with a framed picture or canvas.     

           

Before

After

Not a long post, but hopefully a few tips that can save you some sanity this season. Merry Christmas!

Disney DIY-ing & The Dollar Store

In case you haven't figured it out, I have Disney on the brain these days as our trip quickly approaches. I'm super excited to come see the holiday decorations; Halloween blew me away so I can't wait for Christmas! I'd like to add some seasonal touches to this trip, but I'd like to have some money left in my bank account, too, you know? 

Enter the local Dollar Store. While I was there picking up my wrapping paper I decided to see what else I could find. I was super excited to find several Disney items! In addition to some cool Star Wars wrapping paper, I picked up some door decorations, Santa hats, and found these candy cane headbands. 

For some reason, my first thought was, "These could make awesome Mickey ears!" I really wanted some Christmas-y Mickey ears, but I couldn't fathom paying $15-20 for a seasonal pair. Below you will find the instructions to make ears like the ones I made. I ended up making two pairs and was pleased with the results-- I think my girls will like them and I'm excited to see them in pictures. 

Step One- Get Your Supplies
I used two pairs of these candy cane headbands to make one pair of ears. One pair is the "base" so to speak, the other pair is for parts. You are left with an extra headband you can use for another project, too. I also raided my craft stash and used my hot glue gun, a needle/thread, some green sequins trim (optional, left from a Halloween costume), and made the bowtie-style bow with some scrap fabric and my sewing machine. 

Step Two- Disassemble, Prep Pieces
I found these to be very easy to take a part because they were held together with a lot of hot glue and a few stitches. Removal was done by carefully pulling and using small scissors when necessary. I went ahead and removed the white ribbon (carefully), and the green bows. I also unstitched the top end of the candy cane. Next I went to my spare parts piece and removed the candy canes from the headband, these will become the other half of the Mickey ears. There is a small wire that runs across the headband and into the candy canes to help them hold their shape, I cut the wire about an inch longer than I needed.

Step Three- Sew it Up
Next I took the candy cane from the spare parts piece and ran the end with the extra wire into the opened seam on the other candy cane and sewed them together all the way around. I tried to make sure no raw edges were exposed, and hand-stiched it up. Mine didn't need to be perfect because that seam will be covered by the white ribbon. 

Yes, I ignored my own directions above and didn't remove the white ribbon until later... 

Step Four- Make the Ears
Now curve the ears into the shape you'd like and fasten the other end to the headband using hot glue, you could probably sew them in place as well, but I feel like to glue gave it a bit more stability. 

Here's an "in the middle" picture...

Step Five- Decorate Away
Because I was going with the Christmas theme, I wound the white ribbon around to mimic a candy cane, I secured it periodically with hot glue. I did the same with some green sequins trim as well. After some debate I decided to use some leftover tulle to make a nice, big, floppy, Minnie-style bow for the middle. I also debated finding some battery powered lights... but then this venture would no longer be cost effective (sigh.). Here's my final product:

Remember that this is just a basic overview, go crazy and customize any way you'd like! I'd love to see what you come up with! I'll post a picture of my girls wearing them, but since it's a surprise trip I don't have any pictures yet!

The Disney Itch- Top 5 Reasons I LOVE Disney World

I remember looking at people's pictures on Facebook and thinking.. 
Are they at Disney AGAIN?!? They must be rich! They must have easy jobs with lots of vacation time!
I was wrong (kind of) on both accounts. Disney can be expensive, but if you plan ahead and use some savings tips, it's not impossible. And as for the vacation part? My husband works his tail off as a family practice doctor, working close to 60 hours a week if you factor in all the time he spends documenting, responding to emails, etc. He doesn't get much uninterrupted vacation time, we choose to take vacations like this to make sure we prioritize reconnecting as a family. Tonight I was taking advantage of a Shutterfly promo and was flipping through pictures from our last Disney trip, now I have Disney on the brain and one month + three days until our SURPRISE trip. I've heard a lot of people make excuses about why they won't go, it's expensive (not going to argue that one, but saving helps), my kids aren't old enough, I don't like rides, etc. so I thought I'd share the top five reasons I LOVE Disney World. 

5. The Food

Y'all, I like love food, a lot. The best meal I have ever had in my entire life was at the California Grill, which is located at the top of the Contemporary Hotel. In addition to the great food, you can also view the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom from the outside viewing area or from some tables! I recommend timing your reservation around the fireworks, we had a late dinner (Date night! Thanks, Grandma!) so we had our starters, went outside to enjoy the fireworks, and they brought us our dinner as soon as we came back inside-- it was so heavenly! The only bad part was we were so stuffed we couldn't manage to order dessert! It's a little pricey, but a steal if you are on the Disney Dining Plan! While this is by far my favorite, I also love lots of things I've tried in the parks, my favorite being the Dole Whip Float, refreshing on a hot day! I also love that in Epcot, there are packaged snacks native to each country, this is awesome for my four year-old who cannot have Red Dye, because it's been banned in most of those countries, so she can snack to her hearts content! Her favorite is the Hi-Chew, a taffy-like candy.

4. The Time

Even if you are someone who has a demanding job, I think it's easier to put away your phone and be really present when you are at a place like Disney. Yes, they have Wi-Fi in the parks (although spotty in Animal Kingdom), but for some reason there's just something about the place that makes me far less anxious about all those annoying red bubbles on my iPhone. I feel like I do a better job being really present there, something I struggle with daily at home. And I am not sure why people say kids don't remember Disney if you take them when they are small, because my oldest daughter went for the first time right after she turned 3, she is almost 5 now, and we still hear her talk about the first trip we made. Our youngest daughter just turned two and talks about it as well. They've had a ball and may not remember every detail when they are adults, but if all they remember is that we took the time to take them, I'm good with that. 

3. The Learning Opportunities 
Yes, I take my kids out of (pre)school for vacations. While I love the program they are in and know that they are learning tons there, I'm also a big believer in experiential education. Disney has loads of opportunities for this, especially at Epcot. While Soarin' across California is fun, it also shows the expansive and varying landscape. See? On our last trip my girls learned about papyrus, gardening, the history of technology, a slew of animals, different cultures, to name a few! In this picture, my oldest conquered her fear (that she gets honestly from her parents) and pet a snake. She still tells everyone about it and was so proud of herself. While many think of Disney sheerly as entertainment, there is so much to learn and explore on your vacation as well, don't miss out on that side of Disney! 

2. Saying "yes." 

On vacation, it's also easier for me to say "yes." I'm not saying my kids run wild at Disney, but I do let them make choices more freely than I do at home. 
You want to ride the carousel again? Okay. 
A cupcake for breakfast? Sure. 
Staying up a bit later? Alright. 
While planning is required to maximize your time at Disney, there are also plenty of times to go with the flow. Stop and watch that street performance, jump in line to meet that character you stumble upon, join in on a dance party in the rain, Why not? You are on vacation. I think these are some of the best memories we've had on vacation- the times we've said yes. Do they make mommy a bit uneasy because she's a control freak, sometimes.. but they are totally worth it. 

1. It's Just Plain Magical
You can't find it anywhere else. You can't duplicate it, no matter how hard you try. From the way every cast member appears genuinely happy, to the characters interactions, to wonder on every corner... it's just plain magic. The feeling I get when I enter the resort, it's that same warm fuzzy feeling I get when I'm snuggled up under a warm blanket, drinking hot chocolate, watching my girls play on Christmas Day. Sigh...

Call me crazy, that's okay, but there's nothing like a Disney trip and I can't wait to go back! I also can't wait for you to go, so you can be hooked, too!

Side note: Our kids have had meltdowns, we had one bad dining experience (which Disney quickly stepped up and fixed), we've been there in rain, we've been there in the heat (which is pretty much always), we've been there in crowds. Were those things fun? Nope. I kind of equate it to giving birth, the trauma/drama tends to melt away as time goes on. See you soon, Disney.