Monthly Archives: February 2018

11 posts

Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast, Trattoria al Forno

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Disney

Ever since Disney Parks Blog announced the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast I have been wanting to go and take my girls. My oldest daughter is a HUGE Rapunzel fan, and her younger sisters have just fallen in love with Ariel so this restaurant was the perfect fit for our family. 
 

About the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast

This character breakfast in the newest one available in the Disney parks, and just opened in April of 2017.  Located just outside of the Epcot Resorts on the Boardwalk, this breakfast is the perfect option for guests who want to experience Disney magic without the cost of a park ticket. 

Reservations at Trattoria al Forno

Breakfast reservations begin at 7:30 a.m., and end at 11:00 a.m.
 
Pricing: 
  • 1 table service credit on the Disney Dining Plan 
  • $15-20 per child
  • $15-34 per adult 

 

Since this is a fairly new character dining reservations are recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit.
 

Dining reservations can be made by calling: (407) 939-5277 

 

The Food at Trattoria al Forno

The food was quite good and very filling, we each got something different off the menu and shared with each other. One of my favorite things about the restaurant is the uniquely themed pastries. 

You can check the full menu here. 

 

Do I recommend Trattoria al Forno

 
Yes, absolutely. 

Unlike the Akershus restaurant in Epcot, this dining experience has both Prince and Princesses, making it an ideal restaurant for families with both young boys and girls. 

Review of Akershus. 

 

What to Expect at the Bon Voyage Breakfast 

 

Each of the characters will come to your table to sign autographs, take photos and converse with you. My daughters were especially excited to be interacting with Flynn Rider and Prince Eric.  This was a new experience for them, and they still giggle about meeting the prince’s when going through their book of signatures. 
 
After you eat breakfast, make sure you leave a little extra time in your schedule to explore the Boardwalk. There are so many fun things to do on the Boardwalk with your family or you can enter into Epcot in the International Gateway.  
 

Frugal Tip*

Although there is a small gift shop just outside the restaurant, you can purchase your outfits ahead of time and save a significant amount of money. 

Planning a Disney Trip? 

Join my FREE Disney Facebook Group! 

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* This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase it will cost nothing extra for you but a small percentage will go to support our family.

Secrets for planning a Successful Disney Vacation

Disney
Are you subscribed to my Youtube Channel? 

I recently posted my first ever PLAN WITH ME video featuring my Erin Condren Life Planner and shared 3 of my best tips for planning an epic Disney vacation! 
Our most recent Disney vacation was absolutely perfect, zero complaints and millions of memories! If you want to see some of the footage from our trip and see how I use my Erin Condren Life Planner for memory keeping, please check out my Youtube Video. 
Tip 1: Plan in Advance! 

Planning a Disney Vacation can be pretty overwhelming, that’s why I feel it is important to plan well enough in advance that you can do some research and decide what you want to accomplish during your trip. 
Some important dates to keep in mind, 
Another thing to consider is the Disney Dining Plan and if it is a right fit for you and your group. We decided to go with the Disney Dining Plan for our last trip, but there are a few things to consider before committing too it.  You can read more about the Dining plan on this post if you are interested. 

Tip 2: Consider a Travel Agent 
Did you know that it is absolutely FREE to use a Travel Agent? It’s a common misconception that you have to pay a fee for using a travel agent and for that reason many people plan on their own. It is possible to plan an epic Disney vacation on your own, but a travel agent who is in-the-know can really help you. 
Our travel agent helped us with:
  • Countless questions about the Dining Plan 
  • Fast Pass+ reservations
  • Countless questions about hotels
  • Discount Monitoring 
  • General Advice 
  • Surprise gift in the mail a week before we left 

I am not a travel agent, but the one we used was fabulous! Find her here. 

Tip 3: Don’t over commit and over plan 
It is so easy to rush around the parks trying to go on the most rides, see the most shows and eat the most snacks – and those things are all fun! But, have you ever just taken a leisurely stroll down Main Street, USA? Walked around the World Showcase and had conversations with the cast members? There are so many beautiful details, and magical experiences to be had! 
Just a few we had: 
  • Ride the Trolly down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom
  • Walking with Mary Poppins, chatting about tea 
  • Ride the Nemo Ride 3x in a row 
  • Cotton Candy gift from a cast member 
When you have a little wiggle room in your schedule you open yourselves up to so much opportunity. 
Happy Planning! 



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Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, is it right for you?

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Disney
This post may contain affiliate Links

I often hear the criticism that Epcot is for adults only, and people are shocked when I tell them that it is actually my favorite park to take the girls too! There are so many things to do in Epcot that are appropriate for all ages, including my new favorite breakfast location, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.

About Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Located inside the Epcot theme park, just outside of the new Frozen Ride (formerly maelstrom) you will find the entrance to the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. When you enter the banquet hall you are greeted by a Princess and a photo pass cast member. So make sure you have your autograph books and magic bands ready to scan.

After your royal greeting, you will be ushered to a table and greeted by a waiter to take your beverage order.

We had an 8:00 a.m. breakfast reservation, so we had the opportunity to enter the park one hour before the park opened and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. This was a unique breakfast because it was partially buffet and partially family style.

Breakfast Menu Options 

 
On the buffet, there was plenty of fresh fruit, yogurts, cheeses, salmon and other Norwegian style cuisines.  Serves to the table was a large platter of eggs, biscuits, bacon, and sausage. Even though this was family style, you could request more of any of the items you desired.

What to expect when meeting the Princesses? 

Every few minutes the princesses come to the table and invite the children to join them in a parade through the restaurant. My four-year-old was in heaven. She literally couldn’t contain her excitement, and if I’m being honest, her excitement made me love the whole experience even more. My 1-year-old was more concerned with eating, and my two-year-old is quite shy so instead of going on the parade with the princesses, she would find a quiet spot and dance to the music.

After the parade, the princesses come to each of the tables and chat, sign autographs, and pose for photos. They didn’t rush when they visit your table. During our breakfast hour, we saw each of the princesses once and were able to participate in two parades.

 What Princesses will I meet? 

As always, the princesses can change without notice. – But, the princesses we met while we were there were:

  • Belle, Beauty and the Beast
  • Princess, Aurora, Sleeping Beauty
  • Ariel, The Little Mermaid
  • Cinderella
  • Snow White

Do I recommend this for all-ages or only toddlers girls? 


I think the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is a great option if you have someone in your party who absolutely LOVES the classic Princesses. The breakfast menu had something that everyone in our party would enjoy. Even my picky preschooler found something yummy. Plus, you can take photos with your favorite princesses.

You can meet the princesses throughout the parks, but often times the lines are long and it’s just fun to combine the princesses in with a mealtime.

If you aren’t a fan of princesses and all things girly, I’d skip this. The price point is a little expensive for the type of food, but the atmosphere and character interaction is worth it if you have a Disney Princess fan in your group.

Breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall was absolutely a highlight of the trip for my girls.

How much does it cost? 

If you are on the 2018 dining plan, this meal is only 1 table service credit. This is a great option for meeting the princesses, especially since Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom is two table service credits.

Adults are 59.99
Children 3-9 are 35.00

Reservations are recommended and can be made 180 days in advance on this website. 

Check out my thoughts on it here. 

FRUGAL TIP: 
Purchase your Costumes online prior to going to Walt Disney World. 

 

SHARING IS CARING 
 
 

 

Achieve your Fitbit Step Goal without leaving home!

Healthy Living

Get your steps in

I see you. You’re frustrated that you aren’t hitting your fitness goals because you are a stay-at-home or work-at-home mom. I have three little ones at home with and only a double stroller. So I was finding it impossible to hit my step goal on a regular basis. Like you, I was frustrated.

Then I turned to my favorite FREE platform for workout routines and started WALKING in my living room! By following two 15-minute walking routines I can achieve my step goal. As a bonus, my girls all enjoy the fitness routine with me! Here are two videos I’ve been loving on Youtube that help me reach my step goal, and encourage healthy habits with my girls! This first is about 15 minutes and at the end, you’ve walked 1 mile.

The second workout is also 15 minutes and one mile long.
Adding these walking routines to my day lifts my spirits and inspires me to keep chasing my fitness goals!

What are your favorite ways to reach a fitness goal?

Here are my picks for exercising at home and three options to purchase your own Fitbit*. 
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*this post contains affiliate links. 

Affordable Disney Inspired Jewelry!

Disney

A few weeks ago I shared the news that I am a brand rep for the Etsy shop Cajun Keepsakes, and I shared a little about the shop owner and some of the products I have from her shop.  (You can catch up on that post here).

Today, I wanted to share some of her adorable Disney inspired pieces. All her pieces are affordable and can be customized to say pretty much anything, so if you’ve got a favorite Disney quote here is your chance to wear it with pride.

I currently only have one Disney inspired piece from her shop, but have my eyes on a couple more pieces.

This darling Mickey necklace with my Blog Name stamped on it was so comfortable and proved to be a big conversation starter especially with cast members and people in lines. You can pick this beautiful necklace up from Cajun Keepsakes for about $7.00, use the code STORYBOOKERIN for additional savings at checkout!

I love this so much, it looked cute with everything from dresses to t-shirts. If you are a fan of the Mouse, go grab one of these necklaces, you won’t be sorry!

There are a few more Disney inspired pieces in her shop that you might like. 
These Lava Rock bracelets with a little Mickey bead are $10.00 and can be used with your favorite essential oils. 

These Princess Bangles are a subtle and inspiring way to share your love for the Princesses. They remind me of some of the bracelets I’ve seen in the Disney Parks. They are $7.00.

If Disney inspired jewelry isn’t your thing, she has lots of other family and motherhood inspired pieces all at affordable prices.  Be sure to use the code STORYBOOKERIN at checkout for a discount.

This code is not an affiliate link, all proceeds go directly to Kelli and her beautiful family. The code will expire April 26, 2018, and is valid for 10% off your purchase of $5.00 or more.

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FAT-SHAMED at Davids Bridal!

Healthy Living Mom Life

Fat-Shamed

I have the great honor of standing up next to my future sister in law as she and my brother in law exchange their wedding vows this Spring. I didn’t imagine the struggle finding the perfect bridesmaid dress would be nor did I anticipate being fat-shamed at one of the most known bridal shops around.
 
David’s Bridal, this is for you…
on behalf of every other curvy girl who has to deal with your store and employees.
 

An Open Letter, My Story

Dear Davids Bridal,

Have you ever tried to make an appointment on your own site? 5 redundant steps with the last one being a second confirmation of the appointment?  I arrived at my local Davids Bridal and was greeted by two girls who seemed quite annoyed at my existence. When they couldn’t find my appointment, I was told I’d have to wait – the two girls then proceeded to talk about their personal plans and lives while still trying to gather information from me – After a few moments one girl says to me…
“do you have the brides phone number of not?!” 
I responded with
 “I was waiting for your personal conversation to end so I could give it to you” 

After a few minutes, I was greeted by a third (annoyed) employee. Every other word out of her mouth was how she wasn’t working the next day, and she’d had a rough day. She brought me the dresses I’d requested and then disappeared. Thankfully, I had my husband there to help me try everything on so I could make a decision and leave. The appointment was quite tense and the employee made no effort to assist in helping me find a dress.

Every time she came to me, her words were negative
“your back doesn’t look good in that dress”
 
 “are you sure you like that?”
 

 it just didn’t end, and I was feeling overwhelmed with her negativity.

To make the situation worse, I wasn’t able to get into one of the dresses that was the exact same size and material as all the previous dresses (that had been loose), so I asked her to verify that the dress was labeled correctly. 

Her response was quite sharp, and she says
“Yes, that’s the size. I didn’t bring you the wrong one”. 
 
 her sharp response frustrated me because she just wasn’t listening.
So when she brought a larger size of the dress, I showed her how the one she originally brought me was 4+ inches smaller than the other dresses of the same material, and it HAD to be mismarked.
 
That’s when she said it… words that hurt me so deeply and have rung in my ears for over a week. Words that put me in tears for hours, words that no one should ever have to hear. 
“You don’t know how big you are” 
I took a deep breath and responded with,
“WE ARE DONE TALKING!” 
Once in the dress that was now about 3 sizes too large, I asked her why the size she originally bought was $129.00 and the one I was wearing was 189.00.
She grabbed the tag from the dress I’d questioned and says…
“Oh, this is a Junior Bridesmaids dress. 
That’s why it’s cheaper”
(EXCUSE ME????)
She THEN proceeded to tell me that someone ELSE must have put it in the wrong place.
She Never took responsibility for bringing me the wrong dress
and she never apologized for her words.
I got dressed, grabbed my husband and left in tears.
Davids Bridal, you are the worst of the worst.
I hope I never have to set foot in your store again.
– – –
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Your guide to the Epcot Festival of the Arts with kids

Disney

Walt Disney World brought back the Festival of the Arts for the second year, and it is SO much fun for adults AND kids! There a few days left in the Festival so I thought I’d share some of our favorite activities you should definitely check out at the Festival! 

The Festival Ends on February 19th, 2018! 
So you don’t want to miss it! 


Paint By Number! 
I found this activity to be so nostalgic, I remember painting by number as a child and now that my girls are getting older it’s becoming one of our favorite activities. 
Seriously, how exciting is it to paint a GIANT Canvas IN DISNEY WORLD? 

We absolutely loved this activity and the free postcard given when you exited was an added bonus to the excitement. 
Artful Photo-Ops
These were so much fun and rarely had a line so you could take lots of fun photos as a family or however you want. 

Kid Cot Stations 
There were custom stamps for the kids to collect in the countries in addition to the traditional stamps you can collect in the kid cot locations. 
Art Walk 
Inside your FREE Festival of the Arts Passport, you are led on a little tour of the countries filling your passport with images found when rubbing a crayon over the template. This was a lot of fun for the girls, our two-year-old especially loved this!
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your family and head on over to Epcot for some Art filled fun! There were so many other things to do at this festival these were just the ones we did with our girls and found perfect for families of all ages.

The question of the day: Did you attend the festival, what was your favorite part? 

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Is the 2018 Disney Dining Plan right for you?

Disney

I just got home from the most magical week at Walt Disney World, and am so excited to share some Disney content!

I’m a Florida Resident, and also an annual pass holder so since I’m semi-local to Walt Disney World, we don’t often stay more than a few days at a time.  This year we decided that we would do an entire week, and check out the dining plan, and I am so happy that we did, you do have to be staying on property for more than one night (I think three nights is the minimum), but when you consider the perks of staying on property it is worth it!

The dining plan we purchased had the following credits and was only $75.50 per night. 

  • 1 – Table Service (per night of stay)
    • Includes alcoholic beverage for guests over 21
  • 1 – Quick Service (per night of stay)
    • Includes alcoholic beverage for guests over 21 
  • 2 – Snack Credits (per night of stay)
I personally found the dining plan to be absolutely worth it. We just spent a week in Disney with our three kids, and never had to purchase any food – everything was paid for in advance! 
If you are on the fence about the dining plan, here are a couple of things to think about. 
  • Are there enough table service restaurants that you have been wanting to try to fill your vacation?
Long before our vacation, I had a list of places we wanted to try with our family, and when we were 180 days before the trip, I started making my reservations. 
  • Are you willing to sacrifice park time for a sit-down reservation? 
I have small children, so a sit-down meal out of the sun was perfect for our family. But, you might not want to sacrifice the 60-90 minutes out of your day for the dining. (There is a quick-service only dining plan you could look into). 
  • Do you want to try all the snacks? 
Disney is known for some creative and yummy snacks, these snacks can be quite expensive so we personally don’t typically buy a lot of snacks while we are there. On the dining plan, there are two snacks per day included. We had so many snack credits left over that we actually we able to bring a whole bunch of treats home to share. 
  • Do you like to have a Beer (or wine) with your meal? 
Something new that is included with the dining plan in 2018 is the inclusion of a specialty beverage with both the quick-service and the table-service meals. I am not a big beer drinker or wine, but it was nice to have that available. 
Favorite Snacks tried
  • Carrot Cake Cookie
This is only available inside Hollywood Studios, and is ABSOLUTELY delicious! 
  • Caramel-Covered Pop-Corn
This is only available in the Werthers Store in Epcot, SO GOOD! A large bag is considered a snack credit and fed our whole family of five. We loved it so much we brought home 3 bags! 
  • Starbucks Beverages 
All sizes are included, so get a venti of your favorite beverage. 
  • Cookies the size of your face!
Available at Big Top Treats inside the Magic Kingdom, this cookie was so much fun!
Overall, we loved the Dining Plan and would absolutely do it again for a future trip! I’d love to hear from you, have you tried the dining plan? What snacks did you try? 
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Our Pinkalicious Birthday Party on a Budget!

Family fun
PINK, PINK, PINK!

I’m not going to lie when my daughter told me she wanted a Pinkalicious party I was ecstatic! I fell in love with the story Pinkalicious when I was in college, and actually hosted a pink-themed tea party! This year we decided that instead of a BIG party with all her friends, we would have a simple celebration at the zoo with our friends, and then have a special Disney day with her cousin.

Thanks to some bargain shopping at our local Walmart, and an unused tablecloth from her  Tangled party we put together the decorations for the party for less than $10.00!

To add to the theme, we included some of the stories around the food table.

Our daughter picked a menu of hot dogs, fries,  macaroni and cheese and of course
PINK CUPCAKES!
FRUGAL TIP: Bake your own cupcakes! 

 If you can’t get enough Pinkalicious, be sure to check out the 
PBS Kids App for the new TV Series that 
just released and our girls LOVE it!

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My Running Story.

Healthy Living Run Disney

“RUNNING IS THE WORST” 

You’ve said it, you’ve heard it, but do you really believe that running is the worst?
I used to believe that.
In fact, I spent most of my life believe that.
This is me before I ran, and then again while training for my second Marathon!
A post shared by Erin ✨ (@storybookerin) on

 

So how does someone go from the girl on the left, 
to the girl on the right? 
How does one go from absolutely hating running
to obsessing over running? 
 

It started with a walk

…that turned into a run.

In the year 2012, my husband and I decided we’d lived our unhealthy lifestyle for long enough, and we were going to walk each morning before work. So, at 5:30 a.m. each day we got up and went for a walk around a nearby golf course. We started to lose some weight, and then one cool March morning an older large man ran by us.
I was so humiliated and inspired at the same time, so I took off running and I haven’t stopped since. I went to work and told a co-worker that I’d run a little bit that morning and didn’t hate it. So, what did she do? Encouraged me to sign up for the Everest Challenge at Disney! (Read all about it here)
After the Everest Challenge, I got serious about learning to run and the research began. I’d like to say that I figured our running pretty quickly, but the truth is, I didn’t. When I first started running, I would run, run, run until I just couldn’t run anymore and then I’d walk really slow trying to catch my breath. It worked and helped motivate me to keep training and through it all, I continued to lose weight!
In February of 2013, I ran my first half marathon than in April I ran my second and fully solidified my love of running!
5 years later, I’ve run 11 half marathons, 2 marathons, 2 10ks and countless 5k’s! Many of these races I’ve run while pregnant with one of our three girls and I’ve learned SO many things!
So, here are the things I tell people who have seen my love of running develop and how I encourage them on their journey.
 

HOW TO START YOUR RUNNING LOVE-STORY

Before you begin your running journey, I think it is important to set some goals.  Is your goal to run a 5k, run a mile? Maybe you want to run a Full Marathon! Set that goal, write it down and put it somewhere you will see it.
When I first started running, I had the numbers 26.2 written on a post-it in my office, I’d look at it every single day, and then in January of 2015 I hit that goal and it was awesome!
The second thing I tell people is to look into the Run-Walk-Run method of running. Developed by Olympian Jeff Galloway, the Run-Walk method is perfect for any level runner. – Find out more about the Run-Walk Method on this post.
Lastly, find accountability!  If you don’t have someone physically with you to run, try reaching out online. The running community online is so supportive! Track your fitness with apps and get social! I’ve found some amazing friends in the running community on instagram and twitter and i’d love to connect with you too!!
My Favorite apps for tracking fitness include:
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How to make money while working out!

Healthy Living

Last week I made $10.00, just by sharing my workouts online! 


Too good to be true?  It’s not! 
In January of 2017, I ran across a blog post introducing the app Achievement. This is a FREE app, that pays YOU for working out! Since I was doing the 21-day fix at the time, I thought I’d give the app a try and you know what? it worked! My husband was the first to cash out, but I wasn’t surprised because he bikes to work every day, so obviously, he was earning more points than I was. 
How the app works

This application is basically like participating in a big market research, and health companies fund the app which in turn gives you financial incentives for making healthy choices!

How to earn points 

  • Connect your favorite health apps and work out as per usual. 
    • I have the following connected: 
      • Garmin
      • FitBit
      • MyFitnessPal
    • List of apps that you can connect here
How many points to cash out? 
You need 10,000 points to cash out at $10.00. The money is redeemable in Giftrocket or Paypal. 
How long did it take to cash out? 
It took me 1 year to earn enough points to cash out, and my husband about 8 months. 
There are ways to earn more points, by doing surveys and referring friends, we just simply didn’t do those things! 
So what are you waiting for? Let’s make some money JUST by tracking your exercise with your favorite device! 


*Use my link and we both get a point bonus!*