Tag: Disney

How To Celebrate Mardi Gras At Home

Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) is an amazing celebration especially popular in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before Lent. I’ve spent some time there over the years and it is such a fun celebration you want to be a part of. If you’re lucky enough to be there during the parade it is a trip you won’t forget but you can also celebrate at home. With a little preparation, and a great list of items you can get yourself it can be a fun family tradition and way to celebrate NOLA traditions! Most of the things you can get on this list through Amazon. All of the food I’ve mentioned on the list are from Louisiana and very traditional.

You need to make a King Cake (also known as three kings cake or epiphany cake) of course. A great brand I’ve found to make yourself is Mam Papauls. It is not hard (My daughter and I made last year’s together) and includes the filling and baby. Next make some traditional beignets from the masters at Café Du Monde (established in 1862!) and their famous chicory coffee. It is a personal favorite as you can see below. Just remember to not wear black with your beignets (powdered sugar is a MESS!)!

Dinner is next with some wonderful Jambalaya Girl (also from New Orleans, very involved in Mardi Gras & a long line family in the NOLA food business) traditional Gumbo & Jambalaya for dinner. Simple and easy for anyone to do (you can add your own meat or seafood) with an amazing taste of New Orleans.

On the Amazon list I’ve put some masks (no not the kind we’ve all been used to lately!), doubloons (or coins) and beads (what they call Throws). You also need some table decorations which are also there.

Music can be found on a great Spotify playlist with some fantastic New Orleans Street Jazz. You also need some movies and tv shows about New Orleans, Mardi Gras and its history. My favorite for the whole family is Disney’s The Princess and The Frog. Tiana is a chef who makes all the above mentioned food and it takes place in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. These next movies and tv are more for the adults (rated PG-13 and above). Interview With The Vampire is a great film (and book!) that features late 1700’s New Orleans. The book was written by the great New Orleans author Anne Rice who passed away last year. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button takes place in New Orleans and features many time periods of the cities history. The tv show Treme is about the city after Hurricane Katrina and is a fantastic show (with 4 Seasons!) about this amazing city and its culture and strength.

If you can’t tell, I love New Orleans and all of their vibrant culture and art the city has. Mardi Gras is a wonderful time in the community but there are so many parts of it you can take around the world to celebrate on your own and have a little piece of NOLA with you.

xoxo

Jaimarie

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Encanto

Have you seen Encanto on Disney+ yet? If not you need to. It is fantastic and fun for the whole family!

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it now at home on Disney+!

Here are some very cute Encanto themed Girl’s Swimsuits based on the female characters from the movie. Who would you choose?

Click here to get yours
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Adventures With Bob

One thing that has been a constant since my daughter was born was her BOB Stroller.  We have actually had a couple because of moves and have traveled with them to multiple countries.  They hold everything and are perfect for all kinds of weather.  They were originally a jogging stroller, but trust me, nothing is better for a long day at Disney or walking on cobblestone road.  You feel secure that your child is safe.  They are very stable.  The tires are like bicycles and the amount of storage and accessories leaves your child riding in style and comfortable through kind of weather.  The Revolution single jogging stroller has been our choice but there are duallie strollers (for two children) as well. Our favorite accessories have been the travel bag (especially if you intend to fly with it), handlebar console, and rain cover.  

Here she is on one of our adventures. She chose her own outfit for our walk. 💕  
Do your kids have any items they have to take with them when you travel or go out for the day? Let us know their favorites in the comments!

xoxo

Jaimarie

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The Minnie Van

Before I had a baby I wasn’t too excited about a Minivan. Recently at Walt Disney World that all changed.  Together with Lyft Disney has created a very fun ride called the “Minnie Van”. It is a collaboration with the ride share service and available for guests of the resorts around the parks. You can arrange a ride in a private Disney car right from your phone. A Disney cast member drives you, so you know you’re in good hands, and they can take you anywhere around Walt Disney World Resort. The service holds up to 6 guest with two available car seats (versatile car seats that can be either forward or rear facing or even a booster seat) for little guests.

Minnie Van
The Minnie Van on our most recent WDW trip

On our last two trips to Walt Disney World we have had the opportunity to try the Minnie Van. One time from the Caribbean Beach Resort and once from the Polynesian. If you currently use Lyft you probably know how it works but additionally we had to ask for an activation code at the front desk to use the Minnie Van service.

WDW Minnie Van
Gianna loving the Minnie Van at WDW

On both trips the Disney cast member drivers were wonderful and so helpful and accompanying. The ride is $25 flat for a one way trip. Although this seems a bit high compared to normal ride sharing apps or the free transportation options WDW offers, when you are pressed for time or don’t want to deal with the bus service or other options it is a great time saver! Also being provided by Disney there is a feeling of additional safety and the provided car seats make it great for families.

The Minnie Van drops you off right where you need to be at the parks!

For us, we had a half day after travel to spend at the park so the time saved was well worth it. Disney music was playing during the trip which my daughter loved and it was so much fun to see her light up as she recognized a song. Both of our drivers have been so helpful and knew answers to any questions we have had.

On each trip, our Minnie Van was equipped with Graco 4ever car seats and Gianna loved them so much that we ended up getting one ourselves as her new “big girl” car seat!

Graco 4ever
Her new “Big Girl” car seat at home

If you are staying at a WDW property and are looking for a way to add a little special touch to shorten your trip to the park or ease to your day, make sure you try a Minnie Van. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from our adventures at Walt Disney World in upcoming posts and follow us on Instagram @ATinySuitcase!

xoxo

Jaimarie

 

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Island Life

Our family recently relocated to The Bahamas for my husband’s work. Although our extended family lives here and we have visited often, nothing compares to the new adventure we are on. Traveling (and moving) with a toddler is always challenging.

Being based in California, London and Las Vegas previously, the island life is something you see in movies and photos on social media or are lucky enough to experience on a vacation or cruise (my previous experiences).  Although we will be back and forth, we will be spending quite a bit of time here and it is truly like a dream.  Spending the Winter in a tropical location adds a very fun twist to the normal cold holiday season.

Within a day of arriving, my daughter found a coconut that had fallen from a tree, cracked it open and we drank the water.  One of her favorite movies is Moana so you can imagine how excited she was!

She found a fallen coconut
Just like Moana!
Learning about coconuts
Drinking the coconut water

If you want to escape the cold Winter this is the place to do it!  Check back often for more about our adventures in The Bahamas here or on our social media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, & Pinterest

🇧🇸❤️

Jaimarie

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International Christmas Desserts

What are your favorite Christmas desserts? I love to travel (which hasn’t been so easy lately) and food from around the world. Some of the best times I’ve had traveling are during the holiday season, and traditional food other cultures celebrate Christmas with. Below are some of my favorites. If you try any, be sure to leave me a comment below!

Click the photos for links and recipes.

Happy Holidays!

Jaimarie

Lefse – Norway
Christmas Pudding – U.K.
Gingerbread
Buche de Noël – France
Panettone
Fudge
Turróne – Spain
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The Belle Dress

For my daughter’s 3rd birthday and trip to Walt Disney World (our favorite) she asked me to make the two different dresses Belle wears in Beauty and The Beast. I love to sew but this is a major project for any seamstress. I try to make her something for every trip to Disney but this was a bit extreme. Through Etsy I found two different pattern makers to make (what I call) Belle’s Blue Dress and Belle’s Yellow Dress.

Gianna & Mama
Model & Dressmaker

The Blue Dress I purchased was just the pattern with written instructions which was somewhat difficult. It’s a wonderful pattern with good instructions. The dress is finely tailored and absolutely beautiful. It was designed by PaperScissorsFrocks who makes amazing costumes and turned out exactly like the film.

Blue Dress Front
Belle’s Blue Dress

 

The Yellow Dress (a lifetime sewing goal for me) was designed by Marina at Frocks And Frolics who has not only a great pattern and written instructions but an academy as well online with broken down instructional videos for each section. It was so much fun to watch and make. I honestly can’t wait to make my next one with her.  Even the Epcot Akershus Princesses and everyone at the Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom complimented her dress and she was so proud. The finished product was exactly what she dreamed of and we couldn’t be happier!

Telling Belle about her dress
Birthday Princess Bib
Getting Belle’s Autograph

 

I even ended up making a matching bib from another pattern (Yuzu & Pear that I altered) so we didn’t ruin her beautiful dress while eating all her birthday treats at Walt Disney World for our Be Our Guest dinner at Beast’s Castle & our Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Princess lunch at Epcot.

Birthday Cake
Birthday Princess Bib

Both dresses and bib were made on a Brother SE625 and many of the items I made them with were bought locally in The Bahamas or on Amazon. See the photos and video of our trip to Walt Disney World and her beautiful dream dresses and let me know in the comments if you decide to make either of these. I would love to see them! Send me your ideas of what we should make next. 💖

xoxo

Jaimarie

 

0

The Minnie Van

Before I had a baby I wasn’t too excited about a Minivan. Recently at Walt Disney World that all changed.  Together with Lyft Disney has created a very fun ride called the “Minnie Van”. It is a collaboration with the ride share service and available for guests of the resorts around the parks. You can arrange a ride in a private Disney car right from your phone. A Disney cast member drives you, so you know you’re in good hands, and they can take you anywhere around Walt Disney World Resort. The service holds up to 6 guest with two available car seats (versatile car seats that can be either forward or rear facing or even a booster seat) for little guests.

Minnie Van
The Minnie Van on our most recent WDW trip

On our last two trips to Walt Disney World we have had the opportunity to try the Minnie Van. One time from the Caribbean Beach Resort and once from the Polynesian. If you currently use Lyft you probably know how it works but additionally we had to ask for an activation code at the front desk to use the Minnie Van service.

WDW Minnie Van
Gianna loving the Minnie Van at WDW

On both trips the Disney cast member drivers were wonderful and so helpful and accompanying. The ride is $25 flat for a one way trip. Although this seems a bit high compared to normal ride sharing apps or the free transportation options WDW offers, when you are pressed for time or don’t want to deal with the bus service or other options it is a great time saver! Also being provided by Disney there is a feeling of additional safety and the provided car seats make it great for families.

The Minnie Van drops you off right where you need to be at the parks!

For us, we had a half day after travel to spend at the park so the time saved was well worth it. Disney music was playing during the trip which my daughter loved and it was so much fun to see her light up as she recognized a song. Both of our drivers have been so helpful and knew answers to any questions we have had.

On each trip, our Minnie Van was equipped with Graco 4ever car seats and Gianna loved them so much that we ended up getting one ourselves as her new “big girl” car seat!

Graco 4ever
Her new “Big Girl” car seat at home

If you are staying at a WDW property and are looking for a way to add a little special touch to shorten your trip to the park or ease to your day, make sure you try a Minnie Van. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from our adventures at Walt Disney World in upcoming posts and follow us on Instagram @ATinySuitcase!

xoxo

Jaimarie

 

0

Island Life

Our family recently relocated to The Bahamas for my husband’s work. Although our extended family lived here and we have visited often, nothing compares to the new adventure we are on. Traveling (and moving) with a toddler is always challenging.

Being based in California, London and Las Vegas previously, the island life is something you see in movies and photos on social media or are lucky enough to experience on a vacation or cruise (my previous experiences).  Although we will be back and forth, we will be spending quite a bit of time here and it is truly like a dream.  Spending the Winter in a tropical location adds a very fun twist to the normal cold holiday season.

Within a day of arriving Gianna found a coconut that had fallen from a tree, cracked it open and we drank the water.  One of her favorite movies is Moana so you can imagine how excited she was!

She found a fallen coconut
Just like Moana!
Learning about coconuts
Drinking the coconut water

If you want to escape the cold Winter this is the place to do it!  Check back often for more about our adventures in The Bahamas here or on our social media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, & Pinterest

🇧🇸❤️

Jaimarie

 

0

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