Monthly Archives: November 2017

8 posts

5 Reasons to be a member of the Zoo!

Family fun

When is the last time you went to the Zoo?

As a mom young children, I am always looking for educational and fun experiences for my family. While I was studying for my bachelors in Early Childhood Education, I specifically remember the remarkable rate in which the brain develops in the first three years of life.

85% of the brain development 

happens in the first 3 years! 

5 Reasons to purchase a pass to the zoo
 
As a mom of three children ages three and under, I feel it is crucial to their academic success to fill their days with meaningful experiences. Which is why I asked for an annual pass to the Zoo last Christmas, and it has been the most fun year with the girls yet!
Here are my five Reasons why I think you should consider an annual pass to the local zoo! 

1.  Meaningful Experiences

There are so many opportunities to learn at the zoo. Some of our favorites include; animal shows, talking with a zoo-keeper and feeding the animals. 
StorybookErin - 5 reasons to buy a Zoo Pass
StorybookErin - 5 reasons to buy a Zoo pass

2. Encourage Physical Activity

The Zoo is often quite large and filled with playgrounds and splash pads. These are great places to let your kid out of the stroller and burn some energy.   The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity a day for children. It’s easy to encourage an extended time of play at the zoo, and as an added bonus your kids will sleep better at night.
Storybookerin - 5 reasons to buy a zoo pass

3. Splash Pads!

Our local Zoo has five splash pad’s throughout the zoo and they are all free for visitors to the zoo! This is especially great during the summer months! Not all zoo’s offer free splash pads, for example, when we visited the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans there was an extra charge for the water area.  My experience in Florida is that there will be a free water area for kids!

4. Special Events! 

Are you are looking for an Easter Egg hunt or a place to take your family trick-or-treating? Check out your local Zoo! Each year we have taken our girls to these special events for FREE. Thanks to our membership!
StorybookErin - 5 reasons to purchase an annual pass to the zoo
StorybookErin - 5 reasons to purchase an annual pass to the zoo

5.  Increase Conversation and Communication 

When we go to the zoo just as a family, we will often pick a nice shady park bench and have a snack. We like to sit near a large animal such as an Elephant or Giraffe this. During snack time, our girls seem to really open up and ask questions about the animals. Our most recent trip resulted in a 20-minute conversation about Elephants, and how they use their trunks to eat.  Toddlers have growing minds and lots of questions, let’s give them opportunities to ask questions and explore their world!
StorybookErin - 5 reasons to purchase an annual pass to the zoo
 

See you at the Zoo! 

Here are a few other zoo’s our family has explored!

Santa Fe Teaching Zoo, Gainesville FL

Jacksonville, Florida

StorybookErin - 5 reasons to purchase an annual pass to the zoo
Share me on Pinterest. 
 
 

Harmony Barbershop, Walt Disney World

Disney

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls,

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom –

Where Dreams Come True!

If you dream of creating a magical experience for your child’s first haircut, I urge you to consider Harmony Barbershop on Main Street, in Walt Disney World.   Each stylist at Harmony Barbershop is a state-licensed cosmetologist, armed with stickers and pixie dust to ensure a magical experience.

The “My First Haircut Package” is only $25.00, and includes a personalized certificate, a small piece amount of hair from the first cut, and commemorative Mickey Ears!  Harmony Barbershop also offers haircuts for children (9 and under) for $18.00 and an adult haircut is $19.00.

Although there are a few walk-in appointments available, you might consider calling ahead to make a reservation. Especially since you will be using some of your time inside the Magic Kingdom to get your haircut.

Reservations can be made by calling (407) 939-7529
Prior to arriving make sure your child’s hair is clean and dry and detangled. The stylists do not wash your child’s hair, but will potentially spray some water on their hair.  You have to arrive and check in about 20-30 minutes prior to your appointment, this is to ensure efficiency with appointments. After checking in for our appointment, we sat outside on Main Street and enjoyed the ambiance, took some “before” photos and listened to the Barbershop Quartet singing nearby. 

Once it was our turn, the whole family (and I mean, the whole family) piled into the window seat of the barbershop and watched our two oldest daughter’s first haircuts. 

The stylist first introduced herself to our daughters and gave them as many Mickey stickers as they desired, and toys to play with during the haircut.  The entire haircut lasted about 30 minutes per child and included a sprinkle of pixie dust at the end. 

I was a little concerned that our girls would get a little anxious to get down during the middle of the haircut, so I purchased a Mickey Lollipop at the gift shop next door for them to enjoy during the haircut. 
We had such an amazing experience at the Harmony Barbershop, and even with our large family group piled into the room we were not once treated disrespectfully or asked to rotate guests in and out of the barbershop,  it was truly a magical memory, one I will cherish for the rest of my life.

So, if you’ve got a trip to Disney coming up and you want to add a little extra magic in your day, consider stopping by the Harmony Barbershop. Even if you aren’t getting a haircut, ask for a sprinkle of pixie dust to add a little extra sparkle to your day. 
SHARE ME ON PINTEREST. 

Feed FIVE people a Thanksgiving Inspired Meal for 15 Bucks!

Mom Life
Happy Thanksgiving!

Here in the Jimenez Family, we believe that Thanksgiving deserves plenty of attention and recognition. We do not feel it appropriate to put our Christmas tree or decorations out until after Thanksgiving!

Does anyone else feel this way? – Just us? 


 This year is a magical season of life for us. Our girls, ages 3,2 and 1, have simply fallen in love with holidays and love to celebrate them. I mean, it took at least a week for our three-year-old to understand that we couldn’t just go trick-or-treating every day.  Since our girls are really into the holidays, we wanted to make them last and create many positive experiences for them. So I got the idea of hosting a Thanksgiving meal, just our family!

Traditionally we spend Thanksgiving Day in Miami with my husbands family, and then Friday – Sunday in Orlando with my family (2015 Thanksgiving Vlog). We have a wonderful time, but this year, as I said, I wanted to extend the Thanksgiving Celebration and being a family of five on a single income, I knew I had to do it for as inexpensively as possible!

So, when I found a great deal on Chicken at the grocery store, I knew it could be a reality! Here is how I put together a beautiful Thanksgiving inspired meal for my family for under 15.00!

I purchased the chicken at my local *Winn-Dixie, but all other supplies were purchased at Aldi. I’m a new convert to the Aldi obsession and plan to do a full blog post about shopping at Aldi and what I love to buy, so stay tuned!

Menu (with Aldi Pricing)

  • Sweet Potatoes (.89 3lb bag)
  • Marshmallows (.89 1lb bag)
  • Frozen Corn (.99)
  • Frozen Green Beans (.99)
  • Carrots (.69)
  • Stuffing (.89 a box)
  • Apples (3.99)
  • *Boneless Chicken (4.71 4lbs)
TOTAL: 13.15

Putting it all together! 
In general, we keep our meals pretty simple, so adding a few extra side dishes to our dinner was no problem. 
Vegetables
  • Steamed with a little salt, pepper, and butter
Sweet Potatoes
  • I used my slow-cooker technique to make the sweetest, sweet potatoes ever! 
  • Topped with Marshmallows and melted for a bit in the oven after the chicken was resting. 
Chicken
  • Baked until done with seasonings I had on hand (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic) 
Stuffing
  • I purchased it but didn’t make it. When I do make it, I like to add apples, onions, and some celery for flavor and crunch. 
Dessert
  • Apple Crisp! 
My husband looked up a recipe, I halfway listened, and improvised on the recipe to create something new, the end result was delicious so I thought I’d share! 
Instructions:
In a bowl mix:
  • 5 Peeled Apples (3 granny smith, 2 Fugi)
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Cinnamon
  • 1 tbs sugar 
Once combined, add to a square baking dish
In a separate bowl, mix:
  • 1 stick of butter 
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup oats 
  • a splash of vanilla
  • cinnamon 
Once it has reached a chunky consistency, add it to the top of the apples and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 
Serve with Coffee and enjoy!

Over dinner, we read some books from the local library and spoke about gratitude. It was a fun little evening for our family, and I think one we will add to our family traditions! 
I hope this post inspired you to create beautiful memories with your family!  If you decide to take on the challenge of serving a Thanksgiving-inspired meal for under 15.00  I’d love to see photos and hear stories so be sure to reach out on Instagram or leave some comments below! 
Happy Thanksgiving!

PIN ME!
_ _ _

*This post contains affiliate links.

Evelyn Greer Park, Pinecrest FL

Family fun Healthy Living

Did you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the childhood obesity rate as more than doubled since the 1970’s and that 1 in 6 children from the ages of 6-19 is considered to be obese?

The CDC recommends at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity for school-aged children, living in a small condo this isn’t always the easiest for us to accomplish that at home, so we love to explore all the beautiful parks in our area. We typically spend about 45 minutes to an hour at the park, and that includes our picnic time.

One of the parks we recently visited a park located in Pinecrest, Florida and fell in love with all that it had to offer.

Evelyn Greer Park is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! As we approached the park, I couldn’t help but notice the beautifully manicured park, and the fence around the playground. As a mom with multiple children, the fence is a huge perk!

This park has several soccer fields, a batting cage as well as a fitness and walking trail that is a little longer than a quarter mile – great for the mom or dad who wants to get a little walk in before playing on the playgrounds with your family.

Prior to Hurricane Irma this park had a large canopy over the playground, hopefully, this will be back up soon because there wasn’t much shade on the playground itself – but the walking trail was quite shady.

Another thing I loved about this park was the large clean restrooms. When you have a potty trained and potty training toddler, clean restrooms are a must and this park provided!

I can’t say enough positive things about this park, we had such a lovely time. If you’d like to see more of what this park has to offer, please take a moment to watch our Youtube Video and give us a subscribe. 😉

DIY Turkey Shirts

2 comments
Family fun

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we have been having a BLAST getting ready! My girls and I are memorizing a bible verse together and talking about the things we are grateful for each day.  I even have an entire Pinterest Board dedicated to creating a memorable and magical Thanksgiving with my girls! You can read all about the activities we are doing, in this post.

In 2012 my husband and I decided to make the commitment to complete our local Turkey Trot every year, no matter what. At the time, we didn’t have any children and were very new to running and our weight loss journey’s so the commitment was made.

By 2013 I was expecting our first daughter (in January), but I held my commitment and completed the Turkey trot

In 2015 my husband and I woke up to POURING rain, so we left the girls with their grandparents and ran the Turkey Trot, just the two of us. 
2016 I started the tradition of dressing up in festive Turkey Apparel, and since it was really last minute I opted to dress as a “burnt turkey” – Let’s be real if I attempted to cook a turkey, it’d either be raw or burnt.  
This year I decided I wanted to dress the whole family up like a flock of turkeys for the event, so off to the internet, I went. While scrolling through Amazon, I found an adorable shirt that would be SO easy to make. So, I did and the whole project cost less than 10.00! 
Here is the breakdown of cost from Walmart
Shirts: FREE* I recycled shirts from other projects
Rit Dye: 2.97
Googley Eyes: 4.97
Felt: Free* I already had these items on hand in my crafting supplies
Felt at Walmart is about .97 a square 
Hot Glue Gun / Glue: Free* this is another item I had in my crafting supplies 

Total Spent: 7.94 + tax
My Inspiration
As you will see in the video, this project was as simple as cutting and gluing the shapes onto my shirts. This craft can easily be done as a family project too! I opted to complete it when my older two children were asleep, but I know they would have been able to handle this with no problem. Just be sure to be mindful of the hot glue. 
If you liked this video, and want to see more quick and easy budget-friendly DIY’s be sure to subscribe to my channel and leave a comment. Your support of StorybookErin is greatly appreciated. 
PIN FOR LATER.
This post contains affiliate links

My Breastfeeding Story + Tips for meeting your Breastfeeding Goal

Mom Life
This post has been whirling around in my mind for quite a while, in fact, I wanted to write this post about two years ago when I weaned my first daughter. However, after a complete FAIL at breastfeeding my second daughter, I just felt inadequate.

So, before I get to my tips I thought I’d briefly share my journey with you. When I was pregnant with my firstborn, I was determined to breastfeed for a year. It was going to be so easy – I mean, everyone I knew that breastfed their children made it look so easy, and I took a class so obviously, I’d be a professional right after delivery… right?

I wish I could tell you that it was easy, I really do but the reality is, that it isn’t. My firstborn had severe reflux, and so most of what she ate was projectile vomited back up (super gross, I know!).  As a result, my daughter was breastfed about 50 percent of the time and then 50 percent bottle fed.

She was fulled weaned by 10 months.

My breastfeeding journey with baby number 2 was very brief. We were in the middle of a major life change, and as hard as I tried to breastfeed, I just couldn’t. My milk never came in, and I was so stressed out with our recent move across the state, that I made the decision to bottle feed and it was literally the best decision ever! 
Yes, I said it. The BEST decision ever, one I do not regret for a moment. 
Bottle feeding gave me such a sense of freedom, I was able to allow my husband to help out with the feedings, and get some sleep or go for a run a few times a week.  
In August of 2016, I was fully intending to bottle feed baby number 3. When my second born weaned at 6 weeks old, I was devastated – I spent months feeling like a complete failure. So, as we were approaching the arrival of our third baby I knew I didn’t want to go through that emotional rollercoaster ever again – so I was going to bottle-feed. 
Funny thing about my plans, they almost NEVER work out. So, when we arrived home from the hospital with our darling little girl in September of 2016, I also arrived home with a clogged-duct. Knowing that I could get develop mastitis, I got to work pumping, and feeding. It took about a week, but everything cleared up and as a result, I had established a pretty solid milk supply and my little one had figured out how to latch! 
After 13 months of mostly exclusively breastfeeding, my girl has weaned me and I can honestly say, I am so thankful for the experience. Breastfeeding wasn’t easy, but we made it 13 months, a full 13 months longer than I thought and as she becomes more and more independent I can’t help but reflect on the times I got to hold her close and provide everything she needed. 
 Now that I’ve shared my story from feeling like a failure to breastfeeding a toddler I thought id share a few things that helped me overcome my breastfeeding anxiety and grow to love the experience. 
  1. Find a Tribe
    • Supportive Family Members 
    • Supportive Friends
    • Online Groups
  2. Be Confident in Public
    • Have a good cover, and know how to use it
    • Learn to feed and walk
      • I mastered feeding and walking in two different baby carriers – LIFE CHANGING!
    • Know the law for your state, here in Florida a woman has the right to breastfeed her baby anywhere she is allowed to be (More information here).
  3. Stay Hydrated 
    • Keep a bottle of water near you at all times
      • I prefer one with a straw, it’s much easier to drink out of when your hands are full. 
  4. Eat a Well-Balanced Diet
    • When you are establishing your milk supply, you don’t want to be cutting calories. In my experience, if I didn’t eat plenty of nourishing fruits and vegetables my supply would start to go away. 
  5. Master the Latch and Positions
    • A bad latch can cause serious pain, make sure the latch is deep and comfortable. 
    • I watched several youtube videos from La Leche League to help me understand how to find a comfortable latch 
    • I also spent some time mastering different feeding positions until I found ones that worked for both of us
      • In the evening I would do side-laying position because it was the easiest to get my daughter back to sleep and transferred into her crib. 
What is your breastfeeding goal, how can I help support you in your journey – Let’s connect! 
Pin for later



Animal Kingdom: Fun Facts and Things to Do

Disney

Jambo Friends!

Today I’m going to share a little about Disney’s Animal Kingdom. When Animal Kingdom opened in 1998 I was approaching high school and our Disney Trips were mostly reserved for Night of Joy.

As a result, my first visit to Animal Kingdom was a few months before my husband and I got married in 2008, and I don’t have childhood memories of this park and it just isn’t my favorite. However, once we purchased an Annual Pass to Walt Disney World, we’ve been exploring the park and I’m finding a better appreciation for this theme park – especially because of the Dumbo Style ride in Dinoland USA.

Make sure you take some time to explore The Tree of Life as you enter Discovery Island. Standing at 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide, there are over 300 animals carved throughout, you might find your favorite mouse hidden among the branches.

Speaking of your favorite mouse couple, take some time to go visit the Mickey and Minnie meet and greet as AK is currently the only theme park that provides an opportunity for you to meet them together. During the Holiday Season, you will even have an opportunity to see them in their festive sweaters.

My favorite ride in Animal Kingdom is Expedition Everest! Unfortunately, our children aren’t quite tall enough for the attraction. That’s why I love to take advantage of the Rider Swap that Disney offers. Before entering a ride, make sure you ask the cast member for a Rider Swap ticket so that you can switch places with whoever is watching your little ones – it’s a great perk for everyone in your party to ride the coaster without spending most of your day in line.

While the big kids are riding Expedition Everest is the perfect time to try a Mickey’s Premium ice cream bar! There’s a quick service location just to the left of the entrance for the ride.

Animal Kingdom is unique in that this theme park is considered more edu-tainment than entertainment. Meaning, there are lots of opportunities to create learning experiences with your family. My girls enjoy walking the nature trails, visiting the tigers and visiting the aviary, make sure you pick up an animal guide at the front of the trails this creates a fun game while searching for the animals.

There is so much more to do at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll see why it’s quickly becoming one of my more preferred parks to visit, especially with my young family.

So what do you think, is Animal Kingdom a MUST SEE or MUST SKIP?

Want more Disney? Check out our Animal Kingdom Vlog on Youtube! 

PIN FOR LATER 

Creating Positive Thanksgiving Memories with your Family!

Family fun Mom Life

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and here in our home, we have a whole month of fun activities planned! My goal during the baby and toddler years is to create magical memories and build an atmosphere of love and support. I believe it is my responsibility to create real tangible experiences that help my children develop a love of learning and help keep their imagination and their dreams growing.

During the month of November, our family will be memorizing Psalm 107:1. Each morning in November I will practice this portion of scripture with the girls, and then in the evening around the dinner table, we will be discussing and documenting the things we are thankful for. Even though my girls are only 3, 2 and 1, I feel it’s important to encourage an attitude of gratitude. I’d like to make this a family tradition where we can pull the journal out each November and see how things change, or maybe some things stay the same?

Want to join us? Get the conversation going during your next family gathering. 


I’ve also created a Thanksgiving Pinterest board where I’ve been collecting lots of age-appropriate activities to do with the girls!

I’d love to have you be part of my little community on Pinterest, so be sure to give me a follow!