Hannah Morrison

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Chloe’s Disneyland First Birthday Party



August 29, 2023

Chloe is ONE! We celebrated with friends and family a couple Saturdays ago with a full on Vintage Disneyland theme. We told the kids to come as their favorite characters OR like they were going to the park, and we covered the home in vintage Disney and pastels. I grabbed as much Disney-themed items from our own loot that I could to decorate with, mostly old Disney books and characters, and then we purchased some key party decor you will see linked below to give the touch of magic we needed! We did this party on a mega budget and I am really excited to share it with you.

For food, we did Build Your Own Waffle Cone Bar! We had chicken strips, Mac and cheese, 3 different kinds of French fries (white potato, sweet potato, shoe string), and toppings including syrup, honey mustard, and BBQ! I know it sounds crazy… BUT OMG. SO GOOD. I used to have a client that did an entire restaurant concept of waffle cones like this, and so when I was trying to come up with “park food” for the theme, I thought of these! It was easy for kids to eat without a table or on the ground, and people really had fun with it. It was also extremely cost efficient.

For the cake I made one myself again, like I did for Rory’s Donald birthday, and then one of my besties found the cake topper at Home Goods for $9 and it completely transformed the cake to theme. I used the GF King Arthur Confetti Cake Mix and Buddy The Cake Boss Buttercream frosting.

The banner I made with streamers took only about an hour and cost me $15! I bought two packs of this set of 6 pastel streamers (the colors were perfection!!) and then I already had a roll of twine in our craft box. My mom and I joked how most people would have probably measured each one out, but we just don’t work that way. I just sorta went for it and followed a general pattern. Although, it got mixed up a few times and then we filled holes with random colors. So use the word “pattern” very lightly. I would guess each strand was about 5-6 feet long so it hung 2-3 feet long on both sides of the twine. And then I layered it when I hung it up so that also made it feel full and large! The key is to simply tie very lightly so the streamers didn’t tear, but other than that it was just a “go for it” effort.

Chloe’s dress is from Lola and the Boys, and my skirt is a few years old from Red Dress Boutique! I wore it for Rory’s baby shower.

I used Knox’s craft cart (after a good scrubbing with a Magic Eraser) for our Polaroid stand. We had this cutie blue camera already and bought 40 film. Kids had so much fun taking photos of each other and there’s just always something extra magical about a Polaroid pic. We had this whole set-up, the cart and garland, as people walked in up front by my blue door, which made it feel very cohesive and Disney-esque.

It was extra hot this day, literally the day before hit the record hottest day, so whereas kids typically play outside the whole time when we do a party… they all were inside. Every last one of them. It was a little overwhelming, but we made it work. There were toys out to play with and we had Disney rides from Youtube playing on the TV. My friend who is a Disney Travel Agent came up and took the kids on a roller coaster ride from start to finish as a Disney Cast Member. It was so cute and the kids had a lot of fun with it. I think the parents did too, to be honest… hehe. All you need to do is type in “POV Disney rides” on Youtube and tons will pop up for you!

The key to a party at home with your kids is to just provide the space to play and have fun with it. Your home will get messy and it will be packed, but I promise it’s so fun. When it isn’t too hot to play outside with record temperatures, we typically have all the kids running amuck outside with the playhouse, trampoline, roller coaster, wagon, bikes, etc. Again, this specific time that didn’t happen, but it usually does! I have a gate on our stairs and literally tell parents as they come in that we have everything downstairs and they can play with whatever they see downstairs! Put things away that you don’t want played with or messed up, and that is it. You do not need to spend thousands of dollars on a party for your kid to make it feel extra magical. It just takes key items that shift an atmosphere into the theme you are dreaming of.

CATEGORIES ~ Blog, Disney, Family, Mommy & Me

Disney World 6 Months Pregnant (What I ate, schedule!)



May 24, 2022

Well, I just returned from my second trip ever to WDW and it was as good as my first! This time I went with just one BFF (my first was all 8 of us!) who happens to also be the Disney travel agent among us. We went to explore the Flower and Garden Festival and to create content for her business, and really just have a fun time! When I went to WDW last February for the first time, it was only 20% capacity re-opened which was honestly a dream first experience. Like, honestly, when will that ever happen again? Never. (We can only hope.)

This time was certainly a whole lot fuller even as a “lower crowd” week, and lines were well over 60-90+ minutes for the big attractions. Kristen wanted to really give Genie+ a solid strategic go, so we bought it every morning on the app and I will never ever do Disney ever again without it. I am working on a full dedicated post for Genie+ because it’s worth the time spent on learning it. I am so glad I did it for the first time with her, because I feel like I have down the strategy now and we literally didn’t stand in lines. Like, honestly, we stood in line 20 minutes the longest. We took the parks very slowly, because I am 25 weeks. But, I rode basically everything I would have wanted except for the roller coasters! Disney while pregnant is honestly not a big deal as far as the rides go. It was so hot and I am so pregnant that we took afternoon breaks each day for about 2 hours for coffee, water, snacks, and an outfit change before heading back out for dinner and night time at the parks. This was also when we caught up on the JD/AH trial… hehe. But honestly, having done a mid-day break now… I will always do this. It was so refreshing and I felt rejuvenated for the final hours at the park at the end of the day.

Where we stayed: Port Orleans Riverside, very nice moderate resort, well-themed but not cheesy, and tranquil overall setting

Our Schedule:

M: Flew out 5 AM, checked in/dropped off luggage in room for early check-in, arrived at Animal Kingdom by 10 AM

T: Epcot

W: Magic Kingdom

TH: Disney Springs, explore resorts, flew out 8 PM

**IMPORTANT DAILY NOTE** Every morning, we woke up and purchased Genie+ immediately (book before 7 AM which is when you can start booking your first lightning lane if staying in the parks!) and we booked our food order for the earliest pick up time available, and then were out the door to get our food and be at the bus stops by 8 for early entry to the parks. NO OTHER WAY TO DO IT! If you’re staying at a Disney Resort, the early access to the parks and Genie+ bookings is a game changer.

Day 1: AK/Port Orleans Resort

Okay, so to be honest, I was really sick this day and it’s kind of a blur to me. I have had horrible allergies and they hit me hard the night before which left me getting only 2 hours of sleep before we left at 3 AM for the airport. In addition to THAT, we concluded Baby C HAD to have been sitting on a nerve the first half of the day because I couldn’t walk more than a few minutes at a time before feeling I was about to pass out. It was really miserable and I felt like such a drag for feeling so crappy. There was eventually a very distinct moment I felt baby girl move and I legit could start walking again almost immediately! This changed my whole rest of the afternoon, thank goodness.

What I ate:

Satu’li Canteen: Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl with rice and beans, $15

Ice cream by Everest , $4

Sassagoula (at Port Orleans French Quarter): GF chicken tenders & fries + full add-on entreew salad, $20

Scat Cat’s Cafe (at Port Orleans French Quarter): GF beignets with strawberry and chocolate sauce *O M G y’all these were so good and if you’re not staying at Port Orleans, it’s worth the resort hop over, $7

Day 2: Epcot (Flower and Garden Festival day!)

We paid the $11 to walk onto the new Ratatouille ride at Epcot with the Genie Individual Lightning Lane … it was incredible and I would seriously do it again. If there’s a super long line for a ride not available on Genie+ that you purchased for $15 at the start of the day (not many aren’t available – just a couple really big ones), this allows you the opportunity to buy a walk-on and you do not have to purchase the $15 Genie+ to use it. It’s basically a la carte for booking a lightning lane.

What I ate:

Breakfast mobile order at resort food court (Kids GF waffles, bacon and add a side of eggs for protein), $13

Flower and Garden Booths for hours…. I was highly impressed by the clearly marked menus in front of every single booth with allergen markings. I would say I could eat at like 50+% of the booths if I wanted to, but there were many along the way that didn’t have any GF options at all. When you order from these, they’re slightly smaller portions to be able to eat around the world and are typically $4-$6 an entree!

Seasons: GF Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry + Powerade (very good!), $17

L’artisan des Glaces: Seasonal raspberry and vanilla macaron ice cream sandwich (WOW, so yummy), $7

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

We got to MK so early that we were able to stand at the ropes into the rides for the early entry access for resort guests. We basically walked onto Peter Pan!

What I ate:

Breakfast mobile order at resort food court (Kids GF waffles, bacon and add a side of eggs for protein), $13

Pecos Bill’s: Kid’s Chicken and Rice bowl with guac, $10

Aloha Isle: Raspberry Dole Whip twist, $7

Columbia Harbour House: Grilled shrimp skewers with fries and green beans + extra side of green beans, $20 **We sat here a long time while it rained hard and we were very impressed with this quick service spot!**

Scat Cat’s Cafe: GF Beignets… ooops, we did it again, $7

**I seriously didn’t even get good pictures of these because it was always super late at night after the parks closed and I devoured them.

Day 4: Disney Springs and Fly Home

We booked a late evening flight home to utilize our 4th day as much as possible! I am so glad we did, because we ended up wrapping up our shopping adventures at Disney Springs around 2 and took the bus to The Riviera for lunch and to explore it because I have been wanting to book a stay there with my family. It was more than I even dreamt it would be and 1000000% where I wanna stay when we bring the kids!

Boma Buffet: Y’all, I shared about this the most of my whole trip while there. Boma is a hot spot for breakfast at Animal Kingdom Lodge and now we get why. As far as allergies go, honestly 80% of the menu as-is was gluten free. It’s a buffet set up with stations, majority of which are African flavors and fare. When we were sat, our waiter gave us a guide to the entire buffet that let us know which foods at every single station were gluten free. I was truly blown away by the entire experience. We couldn’t stop flipping out over the food. Our favorites (though we genuinely had a hard time deciding) were the Goat Cheese and Chive Eggs, Oak Grilled Asparagus and Tomatoes, and the grits with the stewed tomatoes on top. But again… I honestly didn’t want to have to decide what was my favorite when Kristen asked me. I also ate salmon deviled eggs, sausage, mint pistachio watermelon, grapefruit and papaya with avocado, bacon…. muffins, donuts… haha. I ate real good. We ordered a coffee carafe for the table and they bring out a tray of pastries to every table as part of the buffet. They delivered an incredible GF only tray for us that included muffins, Mickey waffles, and donuts. 10/10 say DO THIS spot for a special breakfast. I love that we did it our final, slower day because we definitely felt full and a little sleepy from it the rest of the day, $37 (after generous tip and add on for coffee carafe and juice)

The Riviera’s Primi Piatto: GF Grilled Chicken Sandwich with salad and Romano Herbed Fries, $16

**After a very late lunch, we grabbed a coffee from their adorable coffee shop at The Riviera and rode the sky liner for a mini rest before heading to our resort to check out and head to the airport!**

I will for sure be doing a full review of the Genie+ strategy Kristen nailed for our trip, because it truly is the only way to do it. When you weren’t headed to your next lightning lane, you could just stroll, shop, drink coffee or grab a snack and make your way to wherever your next lightning lane was. Kristen mapped it out for us well to also avoid, for the most part, having to run clear across the park from one thing to the next. Aside from the general pains of walking 20k steps in a day, particularly at 6 months pregnant, I was so relaxed this entire trip at every park. It was just so chill and mostly because of the Genie+ strategy. And with that said, if you’re ever looking to take a trip to Disney, BOOK KRISTEN OMILION. So many of you have booked your trips with her since my first Disney World trip recap and it makes us both giddy. She truly is like a fairy God Mother and is the most intentional travel agent you could ever ask for. She knows the parks like the back of her hand and takes her job so seriously. Also… her services are free to use her. She is contracted through her agency to be paid by the park itself. You don’t pay a dime extra for her amazing services. IG: itskristenrenae

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Doing Disney Gluten Free



March 15, 2021

Two weeks later and still shedding fairy dust from my first trip to Disney World over here… hehe. If you missed it, my besties and I started planning this trip over a year ago before COVID, and some how we still pulled it off. Of the 7 of us, 3 of us have food allergies, and we were a little nervous about where we would be able to eat. Turns out, Disney is so allergy aware and they go to great measures to make sure people can eat and eat WELL.

Ordering food is really simple through the app (which is required right now to control the amount of people in each restaurant at a time), and majority of the places we went gave you the GF menu through the app. Some did not, so we had to special order at the counter. 1000% to eat on a budget at Disney is to order the kids meals and then you snack all day around the park! We documented everything we ate on our trip so that I could report back here!


POP Century: This was the resort we were at! 

  • Kids GF Mickey Waffles with Eggs and Bacon *I ordered this every morning and it was only $7!*

Disney Springs: We came here night 1 and our last night in the park

  • Erin McKenna Bakery is a fully GF bakery! You can literally eat anything here.
  • The Boathouse: We ate dinner here night 1!
    • Wedge Salad *YUM!*
    • Truffle Fries
    • Lobster Bisque
    • Mahi Tacos
  • Paradiso 37
    • Chips and Trio Dip
    • Frozen Margaritas
    • Salmon and veggies with lime rice

Magic Kingdom:

  • Joffrey’s Coffee: Iced black coffee with almond milk
  • Pecos Bills (Frontier Land)- Kids chicken and rice bowl
  • Dole Whip
  • Popcorn
  • Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street
  • Mickey Ice Cream Bar
  • Cinderella’s Castle
    • Lamb shank, Salmon (sub potatoes for pasta), Beef tenderloin, starter salad, charcuterie starter, coconut coffee custard, chocolate mousse, pumpkin cheesecake 


Hollywood Studios:

  • Joffrey’s Coffee: Iced black coffee with almond milk
  • Rizzo’s Pizzaria
    • Kids GF Pepperoni Pizza


Epcot:

  • California rolls in Japan at Sushi Cart
  • Choza de Margarita
    • Tostado de pollo
    • Chips and Guacamole with Pineapple Toppings
    • Mango and Strawberry Margarita

 

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Family-Friendly Rides at Magic Kingdom



March 9, 2021

Okay, so I went to Magic Kingdom for the first time ever with a group of besties. Picture 7 of the most laid back people and you’ve got our group hehe. Most women who hear traveling with 6 other ladies think “chaos” or “heck no!” But not my group! We are so close and legit had the time of our life together. Most of us have babies/toddlers and all we could think about was how much we couldn’t wait to get our family back after this trip. It’s just SO magical. Kristen, one of my BFFs who also happens to be a Disney Travel Agent, helped guide us through the park with ease on a schedule that made most sense. She can book and schedule out a trip for you that is tailored to your family *all for FREE*! Seriously, her services to book and schedule out your dream vacay are free and she is taken care of by Disney and her Travel Agency. It’s of ZERO extra cost to you.


I kept tabs on all the rides we rode that would be toddler friendly for Knoxy boy. And, in fact, majority would be safe for Rory to ride as well. I will likely just wear Rory in my carrier when we hop on rides as a family!

TIP: Get to the park as EARLY as possible (8:30 AM or sooner) to run to rides before anybody else, experience the castle without as many people around, grab photos, and start your journey around the park. As guests at a Disney Resort, we had access into the parks before they actually opened. This meant we got to see things and get in lines before people not staying in the park did. Again, Kristen can take care of ALL this for you!

Family-Friendly Rides at Magic Kingdom

  • Winnie the Pooh (Rory, too)
  • Peter Pan (Rory, too)
  • Dumbo 
  • Little Mermaid (Rory, too)
  • Magic Carpets 
  • Astro Orbiter 
  • Buzz Light Year Game
  • It’s a Small World (Rory, too)


Between all of these, this is a VERY packed day. You’re going to wait in line for these anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. BUT, I will say, the cues are set up in a way that waiting in line NEVER felt daunting. I never thought to myself how miserable it felt to be in a line. Everything is an experience at Disney – even the lines. I would suggest splitting these into two days or at least morning/nap time/late afternoon.

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My First Trip to Walt Disney World *at 28 years old!*



March 4, 2021

I honestly didn’t know if I would ever go to Disney World – Partly because we never went as a kid and partly because the idea of a theme park (as I know them) just doesn’t sound exactly appealing to me anymore. Sweaty thighs sticking to yucky roller coasters, an unclean environment, and just the general yucky theme parks we all know… I just didn’t believe Disney World would be THAT different. BOY WAS I WRONG. They are clean, kind, everybody loves their job, and the park literally smells like donuts. Everything I dislike about a Six Flags is what Disney does WELL. Disney workers own that they get to make somebody’s day magical and you can see it in every single person employed at the park, from the person driving you on the bus to the coffee carts, to the dancers and characters themselves. They all love that they get to see you that day. There’s just nothing like it. Our trip was one of 7 best friends, most of whom it was our first time ever at Disney. I will be rolling out a Disney Series since it’s just so much information, but in general… it was amazing. Disney is as much for adults as it is for kids. Tip: Our bestie, Kristen, is a Disney travel agent and can help you with your own trip! Her services are ZERO extra cost, and she can book/plan your entire trip to any Disney park. She could walk these parks with her eyes closed, and would truly help you plan an entire trip that is best suited for your family. From an itinerary to where to stay, and everything in-between! FAQ’s How long was your trip? Thursday-Monday Where did we stay? POP Century! This is a bargain resort on site at Disney and was amazing. It is newly refurbished and was top notch. We ordered our breakfast here every day and then went to the busses or sky liner depending on where we were going that day. What parks did you go to? Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot How much did it cost? This is entirely dependent on when you go and your group size, so it’s hard to say. But, our trip averaged out for 2 people at $1464 for a 3 night stay with 2 day park tickets that included park hopper. We also paid this over the course of a year… so it literally felt like I went on a free va cation. This cost doesn’t include food, but I would average $40ish a day for food. This is why booking with Kristen is so helpful, because she can find you deals and save you money. Did masks bother you? TBH, not as much as I thought. It’s hot and humid, and certainly not ideal. But I was having such a blast that it just didn’t bother me too much! When it does start to bother you, you are allowed to remove it for active eating or drinking… so just keep food on hand and find somewhere to sit and eat to remove it! 😉 Daily Itinerary Night 1: Disney Springs Day 1: Magic Kingdom Day 2: Hollywood Studios/Epcot (Park hopper pass) Day 3: Off-site at Universal Studios for Harry Potter World (will do a separate post for this one!) Night 3: Disney Springs for Dinner Day 4: Disney Springs for shopping before flying back




 





 

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I am Hannah, a mom of 3 and wife to Paul. I believe beauty is found right under your own roof, from the faces at your table to the vase that's been chosen with care to sit on top of it. My hope is to inspire you to find joy in every space you inhabit. I hope you choose to create and live a loved life that exists right in front of you.

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