Still Riding that Disney High!

Few things make me smile as much as hearing Diella and Enzo laugh! 

We just returned from a family vacation at our absolute favorite place: Disneyland. Our poor little Enzo brought back a very nasty cold with him this time, so we have been laying low, nursing him back to health. He's been, understandably, very whiny and needy during his time of sickness. So seeing a video of our vivacious and happy toddler definitely warmed my mama heart, and I had to share. Because, really, isn't he just the best?!

My favorite moment on the trip was meeting Kylo Ren, when our whole family was speechless at how absolutely BA he is. We literally stood there silently while he ordered us around, all of the kids were scared of him, haha! I'm totally one of those adults who get super jacked when they see the Disney characters like a silly fool, I can't help it! I'm 99.9% sure that I get more excited than Diella. She'll probably tell me I'm embarrassing her in the very near future for this! Is it weird that I sort of want to be an embarrassing parent? Even now, there are times I feel like Amy Poehler on Mean Girls when I'm with Diella and her friends. "There are NO rules in the house. I'm not like a regular mom, I'm a cool mom."

Look at how straight Diella is standing!

I finally had the chance to try Disney's Mickey Mouse-shaped beignets that I hear so much about on the Disney food blogs & YouTube. Turns out they're not exactly Mickey shaped, but a little like a warped teddy bear shape. Not that it matters really, but I'm just tellin'

 y'all. YOU GUYS. I have never had a beignet before, and they are SO FREAKING GOOD. They're loaded with powdered sugary goodness and they're so soft and fluffy. I'm so glad I finally tried them. I also got a Mint Julep, because, they're so sweet and refreshing. 

 Is there a such thing as a good picture of someone eating? I always look like a creep. Note the powdered sugar all over Raf's arm, and my shirt. GIVE ME ALL OF THE BEIGNETS, KTY.

Other highlights of the trip include: seeing the Shadow man on Mark Twain's Riverboat. I yelled "SHADOW MAN!" to him, and he slowly turned around and gave me the sassiest "I'm too cool for you" glare. It was slightly embarrassing, but mostly really hilarious. We watched the 10:30 Paint the Night Parade on our last day, and Diella was dead tired. Like so tired, that she fell asleep on her cousin's shoulder waiting for the parade to start. 

But as soon as the parade started, she got a second-wind and was dancing around, and singing and waving to the characters like a madwoman. I was so proud, lol.

Now that Enzo is mobile and more aware of what's going on around him, it was so fun to watch him explore and experience Disneyland. He was waving to characters, pointing out everything, and running around like he owned the place. We all enjoyed experiencing the park through his eyes. 

I have to say, purchasing Annual Passes to Disney were a really good investment for us this year. We have made so many lasting memories. Raf and I are often sleep-deprived on these trips due to our overly ambitious traveling schedule, but we are always laughing our heads off from being delirious. It actually adds to the experience, lol! Until next time, Disney. Stay classy!

P.S. I found these two little ditties on my camera from Diella. You're welcome, Internet!

On Being Kind To Yourself

Let me tell you a little somethin' somethin'. I have this tendency of being overly self-critical. Every action that I take, even the smallest step, results in massive internal reflection. I feel that it's important to be a "decent" human being, and be aware of how your actions can affect others, but in my case, the awareness turns into neuroses!

One of my "resolutions" (maybe let's call them lofty goals) for this year is to be a little kinder to myself. I certainly don't plan on not improving and challenging myself, but I also want to give myself a mental break. It's tiring over-analyzing ever little remark I make to my fellow man, after all. 

I have often fall into the mommy trap of comparing myself to other moms, and lamenting at my shortcomings as a parent. Most of the time, it gives me renewed strength to try different activities with my kids, or to take a different approach with them, but sometimes it just makes me feel crummy. So often online, I read other women cutting each other down for decisions that they have made as parents, or life decisions they carried out. While I sometimes find it comical to read the hate speech that is spewed, it also really makes me sad. We mommies have got to stick together and support one another, not cut others down! I personally cut myself down enough, I certainly don't need it from an online community that is so much better equipped to support me!

So this year, I am resolved to live a little more unfettered. To allow my inner-self to reign, and feel more comfortable in my own skin. To just let me be "me" and resist the urge to cut myself or my worth down! I'm really excited about this new challenge. I'm hopeful that I can be a little less of a basket case for my family, and that this new, hopefully less critical, "me" will be a little happier! I know I can do this, and I can't wait.

Santa visits redeemed! ...or how I failed Diella for 3 years straight!

A couple of posts back, I shared our family's 24 Days of Christmas tradition. When we had Diella, Raf and I knew that we wanted to be a tradition-based family. We wanted to ensure that we were enriching our lives together while creating lasting memories for our children. We created many traditions that we have been very good at carrying out, and some we have done away with because they didn't suit our needs. But some times I dropped the ball on traditions. One such time-honored tradition that I really slacked on was going to visit Santa.

Every year, my friends post funny or adorable pictures of their kids with Santa, and I'd think "I need to get Diella to visit the ole guy." Truthfully, I didn't take Diella to see Santa at the Mall/store/anywhere until she was 3 years old. I don't know what happened! It just seemed that every year, we were busy with other things, and seeing Saint Nick sort of fell by the wayside. But as parental guilt does, it began to weigh on me that I hadn't yet taken Diella to visit Santa.

All was not lost, however, because we sure have made up for the lost time of those past 3 years. She has seen a Santa 5 times this year already- from the Polar Express to Rawhide, she's been following that jolly soul around like crazy. Each time she's seen him, she's asked for a different gift-- I can't decide if she's forgetful or resourceful ;-)

This year is Enzo's first Christmas, so we were all excited to get pictures with Santa. I was curious to see if he would cry when left with Santa like so many babies do. And since we missed out on Diella's baby/Santa experience, I was a little nervous to see how E's visit would go. But he was so excited. There were no tears involved, but he was mean-mugging Santa for a little while. We were finally able to warm him up through cooing at him and playing peek-a-boo. And I think Santa's beard of plenty also helped introduce a little mystery into the situation such that E opened up to him a little more.

I'm so grateful for family traditions, and for having the chance to share sweet moments with my family. I love this wonderful season, and have been taking advantage of this uncharacteristically cold spell (for the desert, anyway) to snuggle my babies a little closer and kiss them a little more tenderly. I hope you're finding small ways to enjoy the season, cuddle your family, and starting or upholding a tradition that you love!

Fort Wildnerness cabins, a budget friendly-but still luxury- option.

Wait, does that headline even make sense? It really did in my head...

In October, our family spent a week at the Disney World Resort. It's crazy how fast the "on property" hotel rooms fill up... We booked our vacation 6 months prior to our trip, and hotel rooms at our first choice, Animal Kingdom, were already booked completely.

So after much deliberation, we decided to stay in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. Going this route was the perfect choice for our family because we were able to make meals in their full service kitchen. We also had a living room that was on the other end of the cabin from the bedroom so we parent-folk could unwind and reflect on the day while the kids slept. I really enjoyed having the freedom to make meals, with food that we ordered from an online grocer, Garden Grocer. It was so seamless using their service as the food was delivered to our room and put away for us when we checked in. Having a kitchen also allowed me to control our budget for the trip and ensure that we were eating healthy.

The resort grounds were also really awesome because there were many activities that our family could enjoy together. We enjoyed a campfire sing along, a s'more roasting session, an outdoor movie, a poolside dance party, pony rides, bike rides and a canoe trip around the resort. 

The resort grounds are huge! The resort is located on over 750 acres of cypress and pine forest. Many people rent golf carts to get around the property quickly- something we will definitely do on our next stay there. However, the resort also provides free bus transportation around the grounds, which makes life easier. But with the busses travelling less frequently at night, it can tend to take a very long time to get back to your room.

If you plan to have an extended stay at Walt Disney World, I would recommend staying in a room that has a kitchen. I'm obviously partial to the Fort Wilderness resort cabins, but the Polynesian Resort also has villas that offer in room kitchens.

The 24 Days of Christmas

For the past few years, our family has wanted to find small ways to celebrate the Christmas season and take an opportunity to spend time with each other. I decided that a fun way to do this was to institute the 24 days of Christmas. 

Each day, we participate in a family bonding activity, which I try to keep Christmas, or winter-related. Sometimes it's just a fun thing that we like to do as a family.

This year, I included a scriptural journey about Jesus' birth and life in our Christmas activities. So each day has a scripture entry included on its activity card. I've included a printable that I used this year. Our family is really enjoying the integration of scripture with our daily bonding opportunity! It's the perfect opportunity for us to be reminded of the reason for the season. We also have a special Christmas treat each day. Because, well, food. Last year's Christmas activity countdown/ pseudo "advent calendar" looked like this: 

Ok, ok I was a little psycho excited last year, so we made it 30 days of Christmas instead. It was a lofty undertaking while I was very pregnant. And since we have a very active toddler this year, it's back to 24 days & sanity we go!

I thought it would be fun to share this year's list with you all! I hope you enjoy it, Internets!

I hope you are taking time to enjoy this beautiful season! Even small breaks to enjoy the peace it brings are worth it!

Love,

Nikki

P.S. If you're wondering what the flour game is, read more here!

A Pre-Thanksgiving North Pole Excursion

Two weekends ago, our family went to Northern Arizona to ride the Polar Express, a tradition that we really love! The blessed event takes place in Williams, Arizona, which is about 30 minutes outside of Flagstaff. 

If you've ever read the book or seen the movie The Polar Express, then you can imagine how magical an experience this is for kids. Our family dresses in our jammies to ride the train. Most families do this as well, some are even cute enough to be in matching jammies-- something we haven't done, and I don't know that we will, I like that our individual jammies express our individual personalities :). 

The train cars are so adorable. Inside, they're decorated with lights, garland, wreaths and presents adorn the luggage racks. The seats are convertible, so your whole party can turn to face each other, an option that I found particularly quaint. 

The train offers three departure times: 3:30 p, 5:30p and 7:30p. We always try to get the latest departure so that we have time to fuel up at the dinner buffet prior to our North Pole adventure. The train takes off from the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, and it's all-in-all about an hour long ride.

The trip starts off with the car attendants serving cookies and hot cocoa to each guest. They even dance around (as cautiously as possible with the steamy hot cocoa) like the attendants in the movie. Following their snack distribution, the conductor comes around and stamps each person's ticket.

After all of the snacks and ticket stamping, the car attendants begin the story of The Polar Express. Once the story's complete, we arrive at the North Pole, where the kids get to see Santa's Workshop and wave to Santa and one of his elves from the train. We even pass by an Elvish village, where the train comes to a stop. Santa boards the train there, and goes through each train car giving every kid their own bell. If the kid can hear their bell ring then that means they still believe in Santa! 

On the way back, the whole train car participates in singing Christmas carols (my favorite part), with the car attendants leading the singing and dancing around. We had a particularly enthusiastic attendant this year, and it just made the trip so much more special. Diella and I sang so loud together that my voice was horse all night. 


We just love going to the Polar Express train ride each year. It's such a fun and special way to ring in the Holiday season. We went a little earlier than usual this year, November 13th, because we were going to be up north for a friend's wedding, so we sort of rang in the season super early. We just love this tradition and this year, there was even snow on the ground when we went there, which made the train ride even more special for our family. 

Reservations for The Polar Express (their peak times, that is) go really fast, like reserve-a-year-in-advance fast. It's an experience that you and your kids will really enjoy. Our family highly recommends it!

With Love,

Nikki

A New Start? Yes, please.

Wooo weeee! It's been nearly 5 years since I've visited this Blogger page. Life and time have flown by like crazy. During my absence, I have graduated from school, had a baby boy, and become a full-time mama. Life is sure a whirlwind sometimes, I tell ya.

Now that I have time to dedicate to my creative endeavors (when I'm not running after my toddling boy!!), I would like to share my crazy life experience with the Blogosphere as I struggle, as humbly as I can, through this thing called "motherhood." 

In pursuance of my new start, I'm excitedly brainstorming how to redefine my blog. This includes how to present myself on the Internets, and how to create a community around myself. Stay-at-Home mommy-hood can often be a very seclusive thing, so I'm trying to break out of that nonsense! No thanks on that. I want to connect with other like-minded mommies, and share our experiences. 

So join me on this fun journey, shall you?

With Love,

Nikki

Sometimes...

I wear my daughter's hair clips to work. Just for the heck of it.

I look evil. It was tough to get a pic of the bow! Oh well, it's holiday-approriate. Happy Halloween!!

This weekend...

This weekend we are:

1.
Audubon Arizona’s Enchanted Trail/ Sendero Encantado


October 22, 23, 29 & 30
5:30 pm - 8 pm
On four special nights in October, you will find the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center transformed into a wonderland celebrating Arizona’s nighttime creatures. Magical lights will beckon your family to explore the desert night on Audubon Arizona’s Enchanted Trail. What awaits YOU around the next bend?

This will be an experience children of all ages will never forget! Visitors will enjoy seeing live animals, making crafts and solving a mystery puzzle by completing the "Enchanted Trail."

Admission is Free. For more information, please contact Cathy Wise.

New to our Audubon Center? We are located on Central Ave just south of the Salt River.

Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center
3131 S. Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85040

How cool does this sound?! I know Diella will love it. Plus, it's free. Can't complain about free stuff, right?

2. Library Story time for families -Saturday at 10:15
Phoenix Ironwood Branch Library

3. Going to Fear Farm . Aaahhhhh. I'm going to cry. Good thing we're going in a decent-sized group. Seriously, the names of the different places in the Farm are: Chainsaw Mayhem, The Asylum, Apocalypse, Comdemned and Decimation. I'm pretty freaked out!

4. Phoenix Ironwood Branch Library
Is having a MAJOR book sale. We're going on Sunday to get titles for less than the Sarday Sale ($.50 a piece?!). Again, gotts love a bargain. Information about that sale is here.

5. Finishing the Soprano's, hopefully!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Russian Circles - Chasers

Saw Russian Circles at Chasers last night. That band is so talented. I love watching the guitarist, he is so clearly passionate about the music they produce.

Here's one of my favorite songs by them, Death Rides a Horse. Enjoy!

I hope to have a before and after posted next week :)

Paranormal Activity

I recently saw the movie Paranormal Activity. It got off to a slow start, and the actual scary parts are few and far between, but I can't shake being terrified every night when I wake up! If you haven't seen the movie, most of the 'scary' activity takes place in the dark of the night (around 1-3 a), which happens to be around the time I wake up every night. Every sound I hear in the night- whether it's my dog, my daughter, a neighbor, or the dishwasher- terrifies me!

Scary movies dealing with Satan or demons ALWAYS do this to me. I must stop watching them. I don't think I'll be seeing PA2, or I'll be in a world of hurt when it comes to the dark. Am I reverting to a 5 year old girl? Have I started sleeping with a night light? Maybe.


Are you a scary movie fanatic, like me? What's your favorite horror flick?

Weekend Re-cap

What a great weekend this was! Diella and I went yard sale hunting on Saturday morning. I made out like a BANDIT. For $15, I got: a vintage-inspired record/ cd/ tape/ fm am radio player, Disney play table and 2 chairs, dog food/water bowl for outside, an embroidered picture, a wicker basket and a pretty ceramic display trinket.

I am most excited for my new record player. It's in PERFECT condition, except for the cd player. Its sound quality is better than my Crosley turntable that I bought brand new! We listened to vinyl all weekend to celebrate the great find, and welcome our new favorite piece of furniture into our home.

It came on a stand that I'm probably going to re-purpose and sell on craigslist. Or I might find another use for it- not sure yet.

Gotta love good deals!!

MY BEST GIRLFRIEND IS PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!

Veggie Enchiladas

I found this delicious recipe for veggie enchiladas here. I was a little skeptical on it at first. It's by no means an "authentic" Mexican food recipe- it has mashed potatoes in it, after all. But it was delicious nonetheless.

A couple of changes I made to mine: I used home-made enchilada sauce, added sazón, and green chilies for taste. What a 'lish dinner!

Special thanks to my husband for not killing me for making him have Mexican two nights in a row.