I've heard many times people say to wait and take a trip to Disney when the kids are old enough to remember it. But I highly disagree. We took our 4 and 1 year old at the time and let me tell you- Everly was at the age where this stuff was MAGICAL. This stuff was REAL. These were the REAL princesses. That was the REAL castle of Cinderella. My momma heart was overflowing with joy watching her take it all in. Seeing all the characters come to life that she had only ever experienced on TV- I'll say it again, it was magic. The excitement she experienced during the parades, the awe in her eyes during the shows, the anticipation of waiting for the characters to come around to our dining table- worth it. every. single. penny. If you have toddlers and are debating on whether or not to go, GO.
I'll be real, planning the trip was overwhelming. But I'm a planner, and controlling. So I was up for the challenge. If you're the opposite, I would definitely recommend a Disney vacation planner. They are free to you. And they have all the knowledge. There are dining reservations to make, fast passes to book, character visits to plan. It's a lot. You have to practically plan out your entire day(s) months in advance. And knowing that babies don't always agree with "plans" was stressful. It's also easy to over plan. I didn't want to spend our entire vacation running from one appointment to the next. On the other hand I also knew the best rides and most popular restaurants are booked within seconds. And I wanted to experience as much as we could within those two days. (Because who knows when I'll talk my husband into this again). It's a fine line to walk and finding the middle ground was hard. But you have to embrace it. Let's be honest, the trip is for the kids, not the adults. You will be exhausted. They will be cranky. It's inevitable. Do yourself a favor and make the trip as convenient as possible.
First I will say never EVER go to Disney with toddlers/babies in the summer. We went in October and it was still SO hot. Having a baby who needs to be constantly holding a blanket in order to soothe herself was no fun. Having to hold said baby and blanket in line to ride rides was even less fun. When we go back, it will be smack dab in the middle of winter.
Speaking of Disney resorts, if you have toddlers/babies the resorts connected to the monorail are worth the premium. The pure convenience and quick transportation was a life saver. You just roll that double-wide stroller right on to that thing and you're at the park within a few minutes. No need to wait for the next bus that only runs every half hour, break down a stroller, or worry about finding a seat. Talk about convenience. (And speaking of double strollers, we have this one and LOVE it). The magic of the Disney atmosphere extends beyond the parks at these resorts as well. You can watch the fireworks and even hear the music from these resorts. We stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. I've also stayed at the Grand Floridian (without the kids) and was very impressed. The quality is top notch, the abundance of choices in restaurants is great, and the convenience to Magic Kingdom cannot be beat. We even happened to walk into the lobby at the right time on our last day and bumped into Pluto. We've accidentally bumped into Moana at the Polynesian before as well. No fast pass needed there!
Speaking of fast passes- inside the parks you won't survive without them. I used almost all of our fast passes on the characters. Which turned out to be a good decision for us. The real experience for toddlers is in the meet and greets, at least for Everly it was. We did wait in line for a couple of popular rides we didn't have fast passes for and it was AWFUL. Not only were the lines insane, Everly really didn't find much entertainment in them. The only rides worth a fast pass for us were Ariel's Under The Sea. Everly did love that one. And It's A Small World, because it's a classic. If you're planning a trip with toddlers, the top of your fast pass list should be Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ariel's Under The Sea, and character meet and greets. If you plan your dining right, you can knock out a lot of characters at mealtime. So do your research there before deciding how to spend your fast passes in the park. Which leads me to say- I highly recommend character dining. We did one every day and the girls loved it every time. Even baby Addison giggled to no end at all the characters who came to greet her.
We chose to spend two days at only one park - Magic Kingdom. If you have little girls, this is by far the best park to spend your time, in my opinion. The other parks are better for older kids/teens. My girls don't know the world of Avatar or Star Wars. We live the life of princesses at the Hart house. So Magic Kingdom was our top priority. And knowing we wouldn't be able to take advantage of all Magic Kingdom has to offer in one day, we split it up over two. It was nice to not be in such a rush to get everything checked off the bucket list in one day.
On that subject- plan at least one, if not two days in between all the parks to stay at the pool. It'll actually feel like you're on vacation for a minute. And also, margaritas. Just trust me on this.
My final and probably most important suggestion for Disney vacations with babies/toddlers- bring a grandparent! We enlisted the help of my mother and she was the MVP of the trip. Having the flexibility to have her entertain or hold a sleeping baby while Chad and I went on rides with Everly was so special. Otherwise we would have had to split up on rides Addison was too small for, which meant half the time one of us was missing out. Or the ability to ask Nana to stay in the room with a napping baby while we went to the pool. There was even one night Nana stayed in the room with the kids while Chad and I went walking around the resort. It was incredibly helpful having her there with us, not to mention special. I think she enjoyed getting to relive her days with us as kids at Disney World just as much as we did.
All in all, Disney is exhausting. A trip like this isn't for the adults, nor is it for the short tempered. So be mentally prepared. It's for the kids. Love it. Embrace it. Let this be a vacation for THEM. I promise you- watching your kids experience the very real magic that is Disney World, totally worth it.
ADDISON TURNS TWO
April 1, 2019
We celebrated our (not so) baby Addison last month with a Lilo and Stitch themed birthday party (planned and put together all by her daddy) and a day playing hookie at home with Momma on her actual birthday.
Addison started off really hesitant and unsure of the party happening, which is typical for her. She does not enjoy being the center of attention the way her sister does (unless of course it's her momma). But as soon as a couple of her little girlfriends from daycare walked through the door she instantly perked up. It was so sweet to watch her excitement as she sat next to her friends.
The menu was thoughtfully planned out with all of Addison's favorites- fruit, smarties, the marshmallows of a Lucky Charms' box, pretzels, cupcakes and cookies.
Once it was time for presents, she started to open up a bit. Addison was so polite as she thanked every person for the gift when she opened it. You could tell every single gift sparked joy. This moment is always one of my favorite parts of my girls' birthday parties.
The party was a big success. Thank you Chad for planning and putting together everything! Chad and I decided to switch roles this birthday party in hopes of better understanding each other through the process. He helped me understand every small detail doesn't matter to the little girl who just wants to be celebrated with friends and family. It felt good to give up control and just appreciate the experience rather than the decor. And I think he learned how much time and thought (and money) goes in to planning a big party. We both will better appreciate each other's perspectives next time around.
Addison is still our smug baby who has a look that can kill. She is not easily amused and frequently gives the side eye. But when you do get her to laugh a good belly laugh, it makes the entire room laugh along with her. She still loves to play with the tags of her blankets. It's the quickest way to soothe her. In fact don't even give her a blanket unless it has a tag. Like her sister, she is too smart for her own good. She still doesn't enjoy eating food. But she loves a good cookie, cupcake, strawberries with sugar (thanks to her daddy), yogurt, and as always- a sippy cup of milk.
She will never turn down a chance to be held, and in fact requests it constantly. She enjoys aggravating Everly from time-to-time. But she also loves doing everything her big sister does. She loves to color on things she's not supposed to and has been known to get into the shampoo bottles. She also enjoys playing in the toilet every now and then.
She is happiest dancing to music, running around naked, playing outside and being held by her momma. She LOVES putting on a good princess dress and frequently wears her princess heels around the house. She gives the best kisses and grabs your face with only her bottom lip puckered out. She says the best goodbyes where she tells you yells "wuv you" five times and along with several fist bumps, high fives and endless hugs and kisses. Our ritual of telling everyone goodnight when it's bedtime takes a solid five minutes.
Happiest birthday Addie, AKA wookie. We love you more than anything. You are the snuggles we need at the end of the day and the smile we look forward to every morning.
CHRISTMAS 2018
February 15, 2019
Happy New Year friends! Even though it's already February I wanted to make sure I recapped the end of our 2018 so I never forget the special times we shared.
The Hart girls had the best Christmas. We ended up not taking our annual family vacation with my extended family this Christmas. And with my new job, I didn't have much time to take off. So we tried to do some "extra" things during the weekends in hopes to make up for it. We kicked off the Christmas season with a trip to The Polar Express. The girls loved it! Everly became slightly obsessed with the movie when I had her watch it in preparation for the trip. We went with our next door neighbors, which made it that much more fun.
We took Everly to her first ballet to watch The Nutcracker. We felt so fancy in our Christmas dresses going to the theater. In typical Hart family fashion, we started the night off with a trip to one of favorite local pizza places. I was pleasantly surprised that Everly did so well for the full three hours of the play. She asked so many questions, laughed, and clapped. It was so sweet. This is definitely something we will do again.
The following weekend Everly felt all The Nutcracker vibes all over again as she performed in her own winter showcase. Her baby sister was in awe of the "pincess".
From then on it was a different family gathering every single weekend, which is always my favorite part of the Christmas season. Everly's favorite gift? Make up. Real make up. She gave makeovers to everyone, including my 80 year old grandmother.
Christmas Eve we made preparations for the big man as we decorated 75 cookies and the 1 year old covered herself in flower more than anything. Turns out Santa put our girls on his nice list as they woke up the next morning with their stockings full. Addison's favorite present? A scooter. Which was actually hilarious to watch.
I hope you all have had a great start to the New Year. We can't wait to see what 2019 has in store for us!
HOW I DECORATE MY CHRISTMAS TREE
December 2, 2018 • HOLIDAYS, OUR HOME
It is so hard to choose my favorite part of the Christmas season. I love the fact that it brings my extended family together under one roof. I love watching the magic of everything through my girls' eyes. Also at the top of that list is how much I love all the Christmas decor. I am a product of my raising. My grandmother owned her own florist. She also owned a Christmas store in the second half of her building. So my passion and knowledge come from watching my grandmother and my mother create the most beautiful trees, garland, and wreaths every Christmas for 30 years. I am no expert on decorating. I'm just a girl who grew up watching women whose art was holiday décor.
I like to go with a more formal and traditional tree in my living room. I try to coordinate my trees with the rooms' existing decor to create a cohesive look. Consequently I use more whimsical and fun decor throughout the rest of my house- like the girls' bedrooms and playroom. But this post will revolve around my traditional tree. First I recommend picking a Christmas tree that's no more than 1-1.5ft shorter than your ceilings. I have 9ft ceilings and a 7.5ft tree.
Decide on a color scheme and choose your ribbon first. The ribbon takes up the most room on my tree. So I revolve the ornaments and picks around my ribbon. Pick two or three different textures or prints that are cohesive, but not matchy matchy. I went with a simple neutral color palette for my tree, so it was easy to find cohesive ribbon. If you are going to go with two very opposite colors I would suggest you find a third pattern that includes a little of both colors to tie them all together. I also like to choose ribbon that stands out - typically that means glitter for me. The shimmer glows beautifully against the lights. You also want thick wired ribbon, especially if you have a larger tree. Thin ribbon (similar to what you would put bows on presents with) will look odd against a large tree. I would guess my thickest ribbon is about 4" thick.
Ribbon will be the first thing you put on your tree. I cut my ribbon into 12-18" sections and loop them in my tree in a zig zag pattern. Place them all in a vertical-ish direction adjusting the placements ever so slightly. Once I've finished off one roll, I switch colors and alternate my zig zag placements in the opposite way of the first roll. I used approximately five rolls of ribbon on my tree.
Ornaments are next- if you have a good sized tree, you're going to need good sized ornaments to balance it out. I have 13 extra large ornaments, and I could probably use a few more. Again, choose ornaments in about two-three different colors. But choose several different shapes, textures and patterns to mix it up and also use ornaments that incorporate both colors to tie them together. I place my largest ornaments in a zig zag pattern and take them about 2/3 of the way up my tree.
Medium and small ornaments can be sprinkled throughout the tree, concentrating the small ornaments towards the top half of the tree. The medium sized ornaments can be used across the entire tree. Once you have all your ornaments placed you should have very little holes at this point. I remember helping my mom decorate her trees growing up and getting so frustrated that I could not find a spot for ALL the ornaments she wanted me to put on her trees. When you get to this point - you've made it.
Finally, I always like to use picks to fill in the holes through out my tree, again placing them in a zig zag pattern. I also like to use picks as my tree topper. I like the larger statement they make. I have about eight picks in my tree topper and another dozen or so throughout my tree.
I hope this was helpful! I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. Happy decorating!
I hope this was helpful! I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. Happy decorating!
WAYS TO MAKE YOUR TODDLER MORE INDEPENDENT
November 19, 2018 • MOTHERHOOD
I don't like talking about it, because I will make myself cry if I think about it hard enough. But we are getting closer and closer to kindergarten over here. And my girls are about to walk into a world their mother does not micromanage. So with that in mind, I've been mindful of trying to teach my girls more responsibility and self reliance. I've noticed a significant change in Everly these past few months. So I thought it might be helpful to other moms if I shared some changes we've made that I think has made the biggest difference in her independence.
PICKING UP AFTER THEMSELVES
PICKING UP AFTER THEMSELVES
Enforce cleaning up after themselves with easy storage solutions like ottomans and baskets. This makes picking up toys much easier for both my girls and myself. It's easy for them to throw toys into a basket. And I don't have expectations of it looking a certain way, like I do the items openly displayed on bookshelves or dressers. I think this is key. If I am going to enforce my toddler to pick up after herself, it's not fair of me to criticize her efforts if things aren't displayed perfectly. We have some sort of basket or ottoman in every single room in the house for this reason. It's much easier to get Everly to comply with putting her toys into a basket in the same room as opposed to carrying her toys upstairs to the playroom.
Picking up after herself is not a "chore" for my four year old. It is an expectation. She is not rewarded for it. I try to teach her that if she is willing to make the mess, she has to be willing to clean it up. Otherwise, don't get it out. If she throws a fit about having to pick up her toys, she isn't allowed to get in the ottoman the next day after school. It's the same expectation for dinner time. Anyone who sits at the table and eats has to throw their own paper plate in the trash and cup in the sink. I even put paper towels in an easy to reach location and make my four year old clean up her spilled milk. Of course the process takes FOREVER, and she goes through half a roll of paper towels to clean up the tiniest spill. But eventually this became habit for Everly and she cleans up her spilled messes without me even knowing. Sometimes I'll find half the role of paper towels in the trash can, only to find out later Everly cleaned up water she had spilled.
Even my 20 month old has to help clean up after herself. Of course with toddlers that young you have to set realistic expectations. Addison takes her own plate to the trash. But if she dumps 57 cheerios on the floor, it can be overwhelming for her to have to pick up every single one. So I encourage her by getting down there myself and helping her. However I always make sure to leave 10 cheerios on the floor for her to pick up and throw away herself. Later on I will create some sort of "chore chart" that will allow them to get rewards for performing extra help around the house. But picking up after themselves will not be on that list.
This may seem obvious and so simple. But I am always surprised at how many birthday parties we attend where Everly is one of the few toddlers throwing her own plate away before she runs off to play. Plus it makes the next day so much easier when the shoes are easy to find and the living room isn't cluttered.
This may seem obvious and so simple. But I am always surprised at how many birthday parties we attend where Everly is one of the few toddlers throwing her own plate away before she runs off to play. Plus it makes the next day so much easier when the shoes are easy to find and the living room isn't cluttered.
GETTING READY FOR THE DAY
An easy morning for us starts the night before. Everly and I recently started getting together Sunday night to go through her closet and pick out five agreed upon outfits that she will wear for the week. She has really enjoyed this new process. Since she prefers "work out clothes" all day every day, we compromise. I pick out an outfit, then she picks out an outfit. We alternate back and forth until all five outfits are put together. We put those five outfits on the lower shelf in her closet separate from the rest of her wardrobe. Then every morning once she finishes her breakfast and watches ten minutes of television, all I have to do is ask her to go get dressed. And she knows exactly what to do. There's no fuss, no arguing, no me running around trying to find her clean panties (most of the time). She feels independent and more confident. Almost always we walk out the door with shoes on the wrong feet. But that's okay. Girlfriend did it, and she did it all by herself.
Speaking of walking out the door, teach your toddler how to turn off the TV. The small things are sometimes the greatest help when we are running late and I'm across the room trying to get Addison's shoes on.
Now that Everly is in preschool, I'm trying to teach her to be mindful of what she needs to bring to school the next day, and be responsible enough to remember them herself. Designate a noticeable spot for your toddler to put things they have to bring with them the next day. For us, it's the kitchen table right next to the door. If she has dance class the next day, I remind her that she needs to put her ballet shoes next to the door so she doesn't forget them. If she has to turn in homework the next day, put it next to the door. If she wants to bring a blanket to school for nap time, put it next to the door. If your toddlers carry backpacks to school everyday, work with your toddler to fill up their backpack for the next day and have them hang it on the door you walk out of.
Now here's the hard part- let them forget it if they don't grab what's next to the door. There are days that Everly dances barefoot or takes naps without a blanket. Of course you have to pick and choose items you will let them forget. I'll typically grab the homework if she has forgotten it. I'll ask her about it as we are driving to school to make her realize what she forgot. Then I'll surprise her with it as we walk into preschool. If she has a dress rehearsal, I'm not going to let her forget her dance shoes. But I'll never grab a blanket for her.
SNACK DRAWER
This has been a game changer. Do you ever tire of hearing "Momma I'm hungry"? Or it's the middle of the morning work day madness and suddenly your toddler wants something to eat? Put together a "snack drawer" or a reachable "snack shelf". I cleaned out one of the drawers in our kitchen and filled it with baskets full of her favorite snacks- fruit cups, pretzels, snack bars, peanut butter to-go cups. Now anytime Everly professes her hunger at 3:00 in the afternoon, I'll tell her to head for the snack drawer (only if she ate her lunch adequately). I don't let her in the snack drawer if she refused to eat a proper meal earlier that day. Or if I ask her to pack her backpack for church or Nana's house, she can easily pack it herself with her favorite toys and snacks. Now Momma can't be blamed for packing the wrong snack or the wrong color cup. Keep a little stool in the kitchen for your older toddlers to get in the fridge, reach the paper towels, or grab fruit off the counter. Everly loves eating her snacks at the island standing on the stool.
These tips are so simple. But they have made the biggest difference in empowering Everly to be more independent. She loves to participate in grocery shopping and decide what to fill her snack drawer with. And she even loves helping Addison get dressed in the mornings once she is ready.
I'd love to hear any tips you have for your older toddlers. Please share them in the comments below.
These tips are so simple. But they have made the biggest difference in empowering Everly to be more independent. She loves to participate in grocery shopping and decide what to fill her snack drawer with. And she even loves helping Addison get dressed in the mornings once she is ready.
I'd love to hear any tips you have for your older toddlers. Please share them in the comments below.
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