Blog | Wine Girl Mommy’s World | Just a wine loving girl, living a mommy’s world

- Toddler Activities- Gymnastics
  
  Posted at 11:25 am by CS, on February 20, 2020
  
  This may or may not be a new series that I will try where I talk about different toddler activities and what sort we are trying and how we are liking them. It depends on if Cameron will want to try more activities, what I can get her to try, and how often the activities come about.
  
  This first one, is all about gymnastics. Our little gymnast has love to run and jump and climb on things since she first became mobile. If it’s not able to move or fall over, she is going to try and climb it. We decided we would sign her up for gymnastics to help her burn off some of that energy, but of course for the longest time I could not find a class that worked with her age and timing. All classes for her age group in our area were always in the middle of the week during the day, something that I was not able to do since I work. We decided that we would just have to wait until she was a bit older and could then take classes on weekends. Then, we ended up moving and luckily our new city does host classes for her age group and have plenty of class times so that they work with everyone’s schedules.
  
  We were able to find a preschool/toddler class that met Wednesday evenings for her to go and run out all that excessive energy while at the same time work on some gymnastic fundamentals and beginning skills. This is a parent participation class, so mom and dad get to work off some energy too while helping Cameron out.
  
  We’ve had one class so far, and initial reactions, Cameron is going to have the best time. We have three coaches that watch over the 8 toddlers and their parents.
  
  Class is only a half hour, which I think is perfect, because by the end of those 30 minutes everyone is ready to call it a day. I’m not sure who was more worn out from the first class, Cameron from running around and trying all the stations, or me from having to chase Cameron around all the stations.
  
  Class is structured, in the way that the coaches come in and take attendance just to ensure everyone that signed up for class is there. Then they lead the kids is stretches, which goes exactly the way you would think it would with a class of two and three year old’s. After that the coach went around to all the stations to show the kids what they entailed and how to properly use them. Once that was done they let the kids and parents off to choose whichever station they wanted to work on. The rest of the class was just each kid running from station to station, parents following and calling after them not to cut in line, or wait their turn, or to move on from the station and let someone else have a turn. Cameron found a few stations that she enjoyed the most, two bars, and a set of rings, and of course the trampoline. She did well enough listening to get out of others way, or wait her turn. Towards the end she did get a little fussy and wanted to leave the class shortly before it was over, but I think it was more because she saw toys out in the waiting area and wanted to go play with them.
  
  All in all, I think she had a great first class, and I know we are looking forward to going back and continuing to learn and play and have fun with the other kids and coaches. Hoping to start up Dance, Swim, Music, and any other activity we can find for her age group. Just to get her out of the house, around other kids, and in activities that hopefully she will learn to love and enjoy. If at any point she decides she doesn’t like it, we won’t push her to continue.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged toddler, activities, gymnastics
- Disney Birthday
  
  Posted at 11:40 am by CS, on February 17, 2020
  
  I think it is pretty clear now from previous posts that I’m a lover of Disney. So is there any better place to spend a birthday than at Disney World? For a Disney lover, that answer is pretty much always no. For the second year in a row I decided that is where I wanted to spend my birthday. It’s also nice, because my birthday falls in a pretty down time at Disney so it’s always a lot less crowded than some other times we visit during the year. I’m totally ok with that, little crowds, pretty mild weather, and good company, what better way to spend a birthday.
  
  We were at Disney for 3 days this time around, and while we didn’t go to the park all 3 days, we did go on to Disney property every day we were in Orlando. For this trip we decided to stay off property because it worked better for our group, and for our budget. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, Lake Buena Vista/Orlando. It is sort of Marriott’s version of a timeshare hotel. Now while we don’t buy into the timeshare, we can still stay there with money or points since my husband is a Marriott frequent stayer and is at Titanium level. This resort is very large and perfect for large groups. It has multiple pools, lots of things to do and eat, and they have a few different room options that can work for how large your party is. We stayed in a 2-bedroom villa which was plenty of room for our family for this trip. And one of the other great things about this resort is that it is only 15 minutes from the Disney parks. That helps during those mornings when you want to get there for rope drop but don’t want to wake up that early, since you aren’t staying on property and have to drive yourself to the parks.
  
  Check out the resort website Here
  
  On our first day in town, we wanted to do more relaxing things. We had thought about going to Hollywood Studios, but Cameron sort of rules most of our Disney days depending on her nap schedule, and how she’s feeling. We began our day going to the Premium Outlets on Vineland Avenue because I wanted to check out the Disney character warehouse and see what sort of merchandise I could find. While this trip to the outlets were pretty good, I was also trying to save up my money so I didn’t buy as much as I wanted. I ended up getting Cameron a Minnie hoodie, some crayons, and then a holiday stitch which is supposed to be like a Disney version of Elf on the Shelf. Still a pretty good haul even if it’s not much. After the outlets we headed to Disney Springs because we had lunch reservations at my favorite Disney Springs restaurant, Homecomin’. Before lunch though I had to grab my celebratory birthday button, because it’s not really a Disney birthday, if you aren’t obnoxious and want to wear a button to let everyone know it’s your birthday. Lunch didn’t disappoint. I had the thigh high chicken biscuits and some grits, as well as a margarita, because it was my birthday trip and why not. After lunch, we walked around, and shopped around Disney springs. I also, had to pick up my Sephora insider birthday gift, and treat myself to some skincare products I had been wanting. Once we were finished at Disney Springs, we stopped by Publix to get some needs for the rest of the weekend, then checked into the resort where we decided to stay in so we saved up our energy for the rest of the weekend.
  
  Friday was my actual birthday. I decided I wanted to spend the day at Magic Kingdom, because while it was my birthday, I also wanted Cameron to have fun. We began our day taking some basic castle and purple wall photos, wanted to get them in before Cameron decided she wasn’t in the mood for photos. Once photos were finished, we headed off to do some rides. I was trying not to rush around this trip, just take our time and enjoy ourselves. We rode the tea cups, it’s a small world, and pirates, peoplemover, and Monster’s Inc laugh floor as well as met Rapunzel and Tiana all before lunch. We wanted to ride the carousel but someone decided she wasn’t about it this trip. Then it was time for lunch, and we had scored reservations at Be Our Guest, which was a first for everyone. I will say, while it was good, I probably will not return. The food, was pretty decent, but I’ve had better food at Disney, and it was super loud the entire time. I think the pull of the restaurant, is that you are dining in the Beast’s castle which is pretty awesome. I am glad we tried it though. After lunch, I decided I was done with Magic Kingdom, for some reason it felt busier than normal and I was over the “crowds”, so we chose to head over to Hollywood Studios. We were able to snag a fastpass on Tower of Terror, and this way we could walk around Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story land. When we arrived, the weather started taking a turn, and it’s Florida so that’s pretty normal, can be sunny all day and then all of a sudden, it’s supposed to rain. We then decided to just walk around for a hot moment, and head back to the resort, because we weren’t prepared for rain. It was actually pretty nice to leave early and beat the crowds, and this also meant we could have an actual birthday dinner. We went to Hurricane’s Grill and Wings, and once again the food was ok, nothing super great, but at least it wasn’t super expensive. We ended the night back at the resort with a cookie cake and some wine. Pretty amazing birthday if I do say so.
  
  Saturday was all about Epcot. This time of year the Festival of the Arts is going on at the park, and while it’s not my favorite festival, it’s still a pretty good festival. We rode Nemo, Imagination, met Joy from Inside Out and road Soarin. But the main attraction was walking around world showcase and trying different foods and drinks from the festival booths. I think my favorite was the slush drink from the France Pavilion. I didn’t try a lot of food this festival because there wasn’t a whole lot that sounded appealing to me. I did get Cameron some Brie in a bread bowl, some beef wellington, and we shared a seared scallop. She seemed to enjoy all three of them. Early in the afternoon, my brother and SIL met up with us since of course we are a Disney family. We walked a bit more around the world, just chatting, and hanging out, then went to the Japan pavilion for our dinner reservation. Sadly, while the food was ok, it was another not super amazing meal. This is one thing about Disney I think they can improve on, their meal selections and quality of food. After dinner we decided to leave the park for the day since we had been walking 8-10 miles the last few days.
  
  Sunday we all got up and left for home, with another trip to Disney in the books. I really enjoy spending my birthday with family at my happy place. It makes getting older not so bad.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments
- Around the world event
  
  Posted at 11:13 am by CS, on February 6, 2020
  
  Cameron has been going to a new daycare/preschool since the beginning of the year. After the first few initial days where she was unsure, she has grown to really enjoy going there, and all the fun they have, and all that she learns.
  
  We got to experience our first school event that they put on outside of school hours and had a great time. I really like a school that does these extra events where parents can come and enjoy, or where parents sign up to participate. It makes me feel like I have a bigger part in her schooling rather than just sending her to this place every day during the week.
  
  The event that the school had that we went to was an “Around the World” event. Every classroom in her school picked a country to represent, then parents signed up to bring different dishes from that country. Once the event started, you walked around to all the other rooms and tried the different foods that were prepared and brought in. The kids also had made passports earlier in the week that they could get stamped in every country. Made an awesome little keepsake. In every classroom there were also pictures and facts about the country that you could learn about. It was adorable to see all the work that was put into the classrooms and so cute to see the kids interact with their classmates that they would randomly see walking around. Cameron was a very popular girl, it seemed that every classroom we went into one of the teachers or helpers were saying hi to her. That makes me feel good too knowing that she is warming up to not just her teachers, but any adult that comes to her classroom to help out when needed.
  
  Cameron’s classroom had the country Cuba. We made a chicken and rice dish, as well as brought lemonade. The chicken dish was a hit as far as we could see when we went back into the classroom later in the night. The other countries that were present were USA, Italy, China, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Greece, England, Ireland, and India. Cameron tried food in just about every country and from what I can tell, she enjoyed it all. The event only lasted an hour, which I think is a perfect time frame to get in, try the food, and get out in time for your normal night time routine. It was also great, because it was a night I didn’t have to worry about dinner either, and that is always a plus.
  
  I’m looking forward to the other events the school will put on during the year. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun things coming our way.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged around the world, daycare, events, school
- Why I love Disney
  
  Posted at 11:16 am by CS, on February 3, 2020
  
  I get the question a lot of “why do you love Disney so much?”, “why do you go to Disney so often?” especially because I’m an adult and so a lot of people think that liking Disney as an adult is weird. And not that I feel that I HAVE to explain myself, but I thought I would share a bit of why I do love Disney so much, and why I’m forever wanting to go back to the parks, and introduce Cameron to it all.
  
  Nostalgia/Memories– For as long as I can remember, I just have memories of going to Disney World, and watching Disney movies, and loving all of the characters. Now, I may have not gone to Disney as often as I remember going as a kid, but it seemed like once a month we were going to Orlando and going to the parks. I also remember watching all the Disney movies on VHS, and seeing The Lion King (the animated original) in theaters. So when I think of Disney, I think back to my childhood and how in awe of everything I seemed to be. These were happy times, so it’s always nice to have those memories to look back on.
  
  Never the same visit- “Why do you keep going back to Disney?” I think most Disney fans probably get that question over and over again from people that don’t really understand the magic of Disney. For me it’s simple, it is never the same visit or never the same trip. Because there is so much to see and do for all ages at Disney, it’s so easy to go again and again and be able to experience something new each time. And even if you are riding the same rides, seeing the same characters, or watching the same parades, the people you are with and the specific situation may be just the littlest different that it makes the trip as a whole different. We have taken Cameron to Disney more than a handful of times while we were staying in the Orlando area, but not one trip was exactly like the one before. That to me makes every trip special. And now with Cameron getting older, and taller, she is starting to be able to ride more, and she is understanding more about the trips and starting to have favorites, and things she wants to be able to do when we go.
  
  The Magic– There is just something about the magic about being at Disney. It’s hard to stay mad, or get mad, or be mad at Disney. And if you are mad at Disney, you are doing it wrong. Seeing your child’s face light up as they ride it’s a small world for the millionth time, or when they see their favorite character and run in for the hug, it just melts your heart. Yes, there is a potential to have a less than spectacular day, especially when going with children, but that can happen anywhere.
  
  Bonding with your child– Believe me, I know there are plenty of ways that you can bond with your child outside of spending the money at Disney. And I do bond with Cameron in those other ways. But taking her Disney, or watching Disney movies is one additional way that her and I can get closer and bond as mother and daughter. It thrills me that some of her favorite characters are some of the ones I grew up loving as well. So I think just having this one extra level that we can have together is great to experience.
  
  Family time- Additionally we love Disney because our family loves Disney too. A lot of full family vacations have been taken to Disney. Extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole crew, and these visits and vacations become super magical because we are spending them with the ones we love, and may not get to see so often due to distance.
  
  These are just a few reasons as to why I love Disney so much, why I’m hoping Cameron will have a bit of that love in her growing up, and why I’m always wanting to go back even though I’ve been time and time again.
  
  Posted in Thing I Love | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Disney world, family, love
- January Favorites
  
  Posted at 11:35 am by CS, on January 30, 2020
  
  Decided to try another new series and see how it goes. I’m not one that uses a whole heck of a lot of products every day, or week, or month. So not sure how many favorites each month I will have, but figured I could at least give it a shot. Plus, I know I’m always looking for new things to try out and I can’t be the only one. So maybe this series will help someone else too.
  
  First up, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Berry. I got this for Christmas (gift to myself) and I am loving it. I put it on at night and when I wake up my lips feel super soft and smooth. Which with the crazy weather Florida is throwing at us this year it is definitely wonderful to have. I got it from Sephora and it comes in other varieties as well. It only cost $20 dollars, which to me is a great price.
  
  Next up, the bareMinerals Blemish Remedy serum. I do suffer from stress related and hormonal acne, so whatever I can do to try and help that I like to try. I have tried lots of different washes and treatments, some work, some didn’t, but I’m always on the lookout for something new too. When I saw this at TJMaxx I figured, what the heck. It’s a treatment serum and it’s very light on my skin, not as harsh as some of the other treatments I’ve used so it’s definitely a plus. So far I can tell that it seems to be helping. And it was only $6.99.
  
  Next, the newest Rachel Hollis book. I loved her first book that I read, it’s actually the read I decided to start writing the blog, so as an early birthday gift to myself I decided to buy this from Target. It does not disappoint, so I’m so glad I got it. And it was on sale at Target and who doesn’t love a good target sale.
  
  The year of 2020, is the year that I’m trying to be more grateful. I figured the best way to do that was with a gratitude journal. Each day, I write down 3 things that I’m grateful for, they can be as little or as big as I want them to be, and it’s really been helping put things into perspective. It’s a great journal, and I got it from amazon as a Christmas gift to myself.
  
  Another Target fund has made this months list. I had been searching and searching for a smaller type “park/diaper bag” to bring to Disney because we have been going more, and Cameron hasn’t been needing AS much so I was trying to find a bag that I could still fit enough in but that wasn’t so chunky. I was having the hardest time all last year finding one, but on my 6th trip to target in 2020 I finally found this beauty. It’s exactly what I had been looking for. Not to big, not to small, will hold all my park essentials and what I need for Cameron. And it’s black which is the color I wanted. I was beyond happy to find this, it was in my basket before I knew it. Only $25 dollars too.
  
  These five things have made the month of January exciting and fun. It’s always great to try new things and love them. Hopefully February will bring some interesting things as well.
  
  Posted in Thing I Love | 0 Comments | Tagged amazon, backpack, blemish remedy, favorite things, favorites, gratitude, January, lip mask, monthly, Rachel Hollis, Sephora, target
- New Toddler Routine
  
  Posted at 11:33 am by CS, on January 27, 2020
  
  Now that we are back on the East Coast, Cameron is back in daycare, and I’m working a more normal schedule, I figured I would do a re-vamp on a earlier post to talk a little bit about what our daily routine looks like. And because now she is at school again, we once again try to keep her on a similar schedule when she’s with us on the weekends so that her schedule and routine does not get disrupted.
  
  6:35am- Wake up and get ready for school. Have fruit, an applesauce, or some mini muffins as a pre breakfast since she does eat breakfast at school. We get dressed, brush our hair and teeth, and put on shoes before heading out for school.
  
  7:00am- As long as our morning routine goes smoothly this is about the time we leave for school.
  
  7:15am-4:45pm- At school. They eat breakfast about 8:20, lunch at 11:15, nap from 12:00-2:30, and an afternoon snack at 3:00pm. They do arts and crafts, go outside to play, have activities, and read throughout the day too. She learns letters, numbers, words, signs, concepts, colors, etc.
  
  4:45pm- Pick up from daycare.
  
  5:00pm-5:30pm- Dinner time. This is all dependent on who goes to pick her up, what the dinner plan is for the evening, or how hungry she is when she gets home from daycare.
  
  5:30pm-6:00pm- Depending on how messy dinner is, we either clean up dinner then go for bath time, or go straight to bath time and clean up dinner after we get done.
  
  6:00pm-7:30pm- Family time. This is when we play in Cameron’s play room, or color, or do some other sort of activity (Wednesday nights we have a gymnastics class now), or we put on a movie for a little screen time while we just relax and unwind from the day.
  
  7:30pm- Prepare for bed. We get our jammies on, our diaper changed, and start to get settled for bed.
  
  7:45pm- Depending on who is doing her bed time routine, mommy or daddy will go into Cameron’s room and read her a few books and then tuck her in, turn on her soothing giraffe, and put her to bed. We are reading 4 books at the moment, and trying to rotate others, but we are trying to put a reading routine in place, sort of so she associates the books with bed time.
  
  Our weekend routine is almost exactly the same, minus her going to school. So what we do during the day varies. We are at the age where we have friends, so we can go to play dates, or birthday parties. We also like to play outside, and a lot of days we have errands to run. When we are at home, it’s normally for lunch and nap time. Then we do a lot of crafts and coloring, and playing in her play room. We are trying to pull back and limit screen time, because we are guilty of allowing her a bit more screen time then I would have liked in the recent months. Anything to keep her entertained and learning.
  
  I think she is really liking her new routine, and it’s starting to grow on us all, and becoming a bit easier to implement.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged bedtime, daily, daytime, dinner, nighttime, routine, weekday, weekend
- Moving with a toddler pt. 2
  
  Posted at 11:25 am by CS, on January 23, 2020
  
  A few months back, when we began our journey back east I wrote a post on what it was like to pack up a house, and move with a toddler.
  
  Now that we have found a house and are getting settled back east, I figured it was time to write a post about what it’s like unpacking a house with a toddler. Here’s a hint, it’s just as hard, if not harder now because Cameron is 7 months older than she was when we were packing up in CA. She is getting into much more, she is more active, and more curious. Here’s how we have been trying to make getting the house set up as easy as possible, as well as keeping Cameron a happy camper.
  
  Unpack the kids room first. Just like you want to make sure you leave their room and stuff until the last thing to pack up, you want to make sure it’s the first thing you unpack at the new house. This way, they are comfortable and have the familiarity of all their belongings to make the transition easier.
  
  Tackle one room at a time. This way you aren’t running back and forth from room to room when you’re unpacking boxes. If you keep to a system, and work on a single room at once, it’s easier to tackle, and know where all the items for that room will be. We made sure to do our kitchen, bathroom, and master bedroom after we finished Cameron’s room and playroom. These were the main living areas that we knew we wanted to make sure we had things unpacked because we would be using them often.
  
  Wait until nap-time/bedtime. When trying to unpack with a toddler who wants to get into everything it’s best to wait until they aren’t around to try and unpack things. With this you have to be careful of where in the house you are working during these times, to make sure you don’t wake up the child.
  
  Let them help if they can. Hand them a pillow, or a hanger, or their clothes. Giving them some sort of responsibility also helps with keeping them entertained while unpacking. This way you also kill two birds with one stone.
  
  It may still not run smoothly, and it most definitely will take time. But these few tricks can help out a little.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged helping, moving, toddler, transition
- Daycare and Toddlers
  
  Posted at 11:26 am by CS, on January 20, 2020
  
  Recently we put Cameron in a new daycare. This was because we are finally settled in our new home and city and it was time to place her in an actual daycare. Not that we haven’t loved the last 7-8 months of “Grammy daycare” where my mom watched her, but it was time for her to be in an actual school and around other kids. Back in California, she went to an in-home daycare, which we loved. Loved the caretaker, loved the facility, loved how comfortable Cameron felt going there. This daycare is an actual institution with different classrooms for different age groups, so she is with kids her own age. When we toured the facility she seemed to take right to it, which was nice, not to mention they were one of the only places we liked that had an immediate opening, which was awesome. So, we got her signed up and hoped things would work out. I was a bit hesitant, not with the school itself, but how Cameron would react. Going from seeing me, and being around only adults for 7-8 months to go to a school all day with strangers would be a be change for a toddler. Not to mention, we are still working through her speech concerns, so I was hoping that would not hinder any communication she would be able to have with her teachers.
  
  I will say, the first couple days were tough. Not sure who it was rougher on, me or her. I was constantly feeling bad leaving her because she would not want me to leave, and would cry and scream as I did. Then I would feel so guilty, for her because she was so upset and scared, and for the teachers for having to deal with a child would was so unsure of where she was. After those first couple days though, she did start to enjoy herself, drop-offs, while still not perfect, have gotten a little better, and her teachers have been saying she’s doing better and better, interacting more, and all around have a much better time. One another amazing thing about this school is that I have an app that sends me updates on Cameron’s day, so I can see when she’s been changed, what she’s eating (because this place includes breakfast, lunch, and a snack), as well as how she naps.
  
  Here’s a few things I learned in the few weeks since sending her back to a school. Because we started sending her to daycare back in California when she was only 4 months old, we didn’t have as much of a fear or fight from her, because she wasn’t old enough to really understand what was happening.
  
  Try keeping all their other routines normal.- Keep their morning routine, their evening routine, and their bedtime routine as close to normal as possible. That way they still have a sense of their normal life, even when they feel like it’s been disrupted by going to school.
  
  Give them loads of hugs and reassurance.– I tried to give Cameron as many hugs as I could when dropping her off. Then I would always tell her she would have a great day, and her teachers couldn’t wait to teach her, and the kids wanted to play with her. I also always tried to mention when I would be back to pick her up, or her father if he was doing pick up that day. Now, I know she can tell time, or concept of time, so I’m sure it didn’t make much sense to her since it all probably felt forever. But I tried to do this so she understood that we still loved her and would always come back for her.
  
  Try to stay consistent.– This is something that can be easy or hard, depending on scheduling, and parent work responsibilities. But I’ve been trying to drop her off and pick her up at the same time, or as close to the same time each day. So once again having her start to feel that comfortable sense when going to and from daycare. I think I have noticed she seems to have a more understanding in the morning, that when we get in the car, daycare is where we are going. So that has helped a lot too.
  
  Don’t linger, but don’t sneak out.– Obviously if we could stay all day to make them feel better we would. But you want to be firm with the fact that you let them know you are leaving. They may hate that, and cry, and cling to you, but it’s best to stay firm that you need to go and they need to stay. But at the same time, you don’t want to sneak out because that may cause them to go into a bigger fit because you aren’t around anymore and they didn’t see you leave. So I would drop her off, back towards the door, tell her she would have a great day, that I loved her, and while watching her, leave the room and close the door. It is tough, and if she would start to cry my heart would break, but after a few days, leaving has gotten easier and easier for us both. The workers have even said that she doesn’t cry as much once I leave.
  
  Be excited for them.- I try to get her excited for the upcoming day, and the crafts they will do, the things they will learn, and what she will eat, so that she may get excited too. I think if I show excited, she knows it’s OK and that she will have fun.
  
  Now this may not be every tip, or trick, and this may not work for everyone. But these are the few things we’ve been doing over the past few weeks and it seems to be helping her get more comfortable with her new school surroundings.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 1 Comment | Tagged daycare, first day, new, school, tips, tricks
- Parents night out fancy version
  
  Posted at 10:46 am by CS, on January 18, 2020
  
  Back in August, my husband and I had a parents getaway weekend to Disney. I wanted to do another fun parents evening at Disney so I somehow talked my husband into doing so. In November, we took ourselves on a parents night out to do something I personally have been wanting to do for some time. David has been wanting to do it as well, just not as long as myself since he hasn’t been a Disney fan as long as I have.
  
  We treated ourselves to dinner at Victoria and Albert’s inside the Disney Grand Floridian hotel. Let me tell you, if this is something you have been wanting to do, and you can spare the cost of it, as well as snag a reservation, I would 100% recommend it.
  
  Yes, we went back in November, and yes it’s taken me some time to pull together my thoughts on the meal which is why they post is so late.
  
  First off, I felt very out of place there, but not in a bad way. It is definitely a fancy place, and I myself don’t consider myself to be fancy. I felt like a kid in an adults only area, like I had to whisper and be on my very best behavior. And, while yes you should act appropriately, you don’t have to be stiff and “proper” like I seemed to have been the entire time. Luckily after the first course or two, I was able to loosen up a bit and enjoy myself.
  
  Secondly, it’s a tasting menu that comes with 7-8 courses, depending on the season/timing/allergies/etc, but they courses aren’t extremely large in portion so it’s not like you will be feeling overly full leaving the restaurant. You will for sure be full because it’s plenty of food, but you won’t be feeling sickly and like you over ate. Now the menu does change with the season, and what’s fresh, and what the chefs choice to make will be. Which is good, if this was something that you could afford to do often, you would be able to try a lot of different menu items. You also have the option to do a wine pairing that is an additional cost. We opted to do that as well as added on a few additional menu items that were available just to get a greater sense of what was offered, plus it all sounded amazing.
  
  The service was amazing, and I mean at a five diamond restaurant why would it be any less. Our server made us feel comfortable the entire night, she made sure we had whatever we needed, that everything was explained to us as we were being served a new dish, she made sure to share stories about the chef, and also share some personal stories of herself so that we really got to know her.
  
  Now I will be the first to admit that I’m a fairly picky person when it comes to food. I have been trying to get better as an adult and as a mother to set a good example for my child to at least try new things. So I swore to myself that I would try everything I was served this evening. I am so glad I did too. I got to have caviar, a black radish, Japanese beef, amazing chocolate, and what shocked me the most was the fish I had that I actually enjoyed. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not one for fish, but the way it was prepared by the chef, I ate the entire thing. The only few things I didn’t finish were some of my main entree of the beef, and a few chocolates so I could take it home to share with my parents who were gracious enough to watch Cameron while we went out to enjoy this meal.
  
  Sadly I didn’t take pictures of all the courses, for two reasons. One, I was enjoying them so much I almost forgot I wanted a photo of it before I dug in, and two, with it being such a nice place, I didn’t want to be that person who was constantly taking out my phone to take pictures. I wanted to sit and enjoy the food, and enjoy the moment and atmosphere.
  
  All in all, it was one amazing meal. Amazing food, amazing service, amazing company. I for one, would love to go back and try other items in different seasons. Need to start saving up for another treat.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged dinner, Disney, fancy, five diamond, meal, parents night, victoria and alberts
- 2020 Goals and Resolutions
  
  Posted at 12:27 pm by CS, on January 13, 2020
  
  Maybe if I write down my goals, or what I hope to achieve/accomplish in 2020 I will actually hold myself more accountable for them.
  
  I guess I don’t really want to call them resolutions. Since to me I feel like that puts more pressure on whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish. So these are just a few things that I want to focus on in the year 2020.
  
  Be more present– I can fully admit, I probably spend way to much time on my phone. Playing games, on social media, and actually writing blog posts. This year I want to focus on putting the phone down more and enjoying life with those around me.
  
  Take more chances/opportunities– I’m an introvert, and I didn’t use to always be one. So this year I want to try and step out of my comfort zone and say yes more. Take a new class, join a group, volunteer for things. Things that just really may scare me at first, but can create great stories in the end.
  
  Spend time with friends and family– Now that we are back on the east coast, I want to make it a point to see friends and family that I haven’t gotten to see as often due to distance.
  
  Work on work– I want to prove to my job, that the promotion title they just gave me was worth it. I want to show them that I can do all the tasks I’ve been assigned, and take initiative on all the projects we have coming up.
  
  Continue with the blog/network– I started this blog in April of last year, and I did it just for myself, to get my mom stories out there. This year, I want to try and expand on that, and see what sort of networking I can do to grow my blog.
  
  Be more grateful– I want to take this year to be more grateful for the things I have. To take each day and enjoy it.
  
  It’s not a long list, but I think it will help me make 2020 one amazing year.
  
  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged achievements, goals, New year's, resolutions
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