blogging about life – Simplefficientmama

Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve written a post and I’ve really been itching to write about our first trip to Disney World with the kiddos! I wrote a really long one but decided I may just have to write about the highlights because it was looooooooong!

But before that, I just wanted to thank everyone who has followed me on my blogging journey. It’s been hard coming up with content because I get caught up with what I think people may want to hear instead of focusing on writing about what I feel like writing about. So this year, my goal is just to write. Without thinking about what may be a “hit” or what may start to “trend.”

I started blogging because I wanted to share my adventures as a mom, but also to share my adventures as an individual. If it happens to put a smile on someone’s face, then all the better! So here’s to 2019!! Looking forward to writing more about things that give me joy! Thanks again for the follow!!

Disney World

This past Christmas, my family and I went to Florida for our annual Christmas family reunion. Since this is the first time our little ones have been to Florida, A and I decided to suck it up and go to Disney World! What an adventure for sure! Here are some of the highlights that happened during out trip there!

JK it wasn’t that bad… haha

Animal Kingdom

Can I just say that Disney World is a machine?! The way everything works from the trams that take you to the parks and back to the parking lots, to the staff that notices the small things and make sure that you feel special. No wonder people call it “the happiest place on earth!”

OK! So yes, Animal Kingdom. This is where A and I went “solo” with our little family. Everyone else went to Universal and we took E and baby bro (let’s call him J from now on) here because we know they love animals. We were not disappointed!

They loved the shows especially The Lion King and Finding Nemo. I mean who knew a 2 year old can sit still in awe for a whole 35 minutes? J enjoyed the shows so much he kept yelling “more” after each show we went to.

Lion King

Guys, legit, go here. E and J were staring open-mouthed the whole entire time. It’s basically songs from the movie with lots of tumbling and jumping and dancing! Here is J… who even taught him how to clap like that?!?

Pandora

We didn’t do the Flight of the Avatar – couldn’t get a fast pass to it and then the line was like 4 hours long! But we were able to go on the Navi’i River ride. Reviews showed that adults didn’t really like it, but the kids loved it so much! A boat ride in a cave with lots of glowing lights? Yes please!

We also indulged in the Night Blossom Drink! One of my good friends recommended I try it, so I did and I heart it. The kids loved it too. Limeade, apple, and pear flavors with popping passion fruit flavored bubbles? Yasssss! It also makes for a great insta pic… just saying.. if you’re into that…

Finding Nemo

It’s the whole movie in 35 minutes. Loved it. E got a little scared of the shark scene… but J was all about everything. I can’t believe this boy sat through the whole thing. Ok Disney, I see you.

My Thoughts on Animal Kingdom

It’s definitely a lot harder to get around with kiddos. Yes, bring them strollers. It’s super helpful. Also, note to self, E and J both have major FOMOs and don’t want to miss out on anything. So yes, J will forego his nap… but also know he will break down as soon as you get home… it was a rough night.

Magic Kingdom

I love this place! I LOVE THIS PLACE! If E and J weren’t with me, I would still love this place. Here is where E got her fill of princesses while also being treated like a princess. She was one happy kid. J didn’t nap his usual 1-3 pm but fell asleep during dinner and then woke up hangry… yayyyyy! This was also the day that 15 of our family members joined our family of 4 to enjoy the park together!

Ok Disney… I see you and your awesome lights!!

The Rides

We rode a few rides – Buzz Light Year, Winnie the Pooh, the Carousel, Peter Pan’s flight, and of course It’s a Small World (my mom’s fave). The fast pass saved us from waiting too long in a few of the lines. This is when 19 of us would go through the fast pass lanes to enjoy the rides together. I loved it! It reminded me of when I was little and our whole family would wait in line together. This is when the cousins would either bond or get into fights depending on the mood. Luckily, there was no fighting this time around.

Meeting the Princesses

There was a portion of the day where my mom, A, E and J broke off from the whole family, so E could finally meet the princesses. People… let me tell you! If your kid wants to meet a certain princess, make sure you stand in the correct line! Because we waited for an hour to meet Rapunzel, only to find out we were in the Esmeralda and Jasmine line!! Thankfully E didn’t know any better and thought we were just gonna get in another line again after meeting Esmeralda and Jasmine.

Little did she know that her mother had to pretty much beg the fast-pass people for the Rapunzel line. I think it helped that E was all decked out in her Rapunzel outfit – hair and all, that they kindly let us through the fast pass lane (especially since no one was there). E was speechless as Rapunzel tried to talk to her, but her smile said it all – her dream had come true. My heart melted when I saw that.

Enchanting Stories With Belle

Ok guys, I had to single this one out. There wasn’t a long wait for this one and honestly, I thought it was going to be a total dud… but guys, if you ever have a chance to take your kiddos here… do so. They get the kids involved and they get an up close and personal time with Belle!

I loved it because E and J volunteered to be in the little story… this momma was so proud that J didn’t cry because the whole trip, he only wanted to be with me. So I was so proud to see him up there. I really think it’s because E was up there and he saw that she was having fun so he’s like “ok me too.” And my personal favorite, A, got picked to be a knight. The last person that would volunteer for anything that would make him be in the spotlight… but he did it for the kiddos and I loved it so much I had to write separately about it.

That Dole Whip

Ummm, O (my friend) is the best. She recommended this and I wonder why of all the years I’ve been to Disney when I was younger, I have never had it before. Guys, get it. It’s legit. It’s basically soft serve pineapple ice cream. And if you think it’s too tarty, get it mixed with vanilla ice cream and you’re good to go. Legit. Get it!

My Final Thoughts on Magic Kingdom

I can’t even. What can I say? I love this place. The shows were great! Beware of Mickey’s Philharmonic though – it could scare a 2 year old because of the loud cymbal sounds. Speaking from experience of course. Lol.. but otherwise, the shows were great and over the top and awesome. I loved them all.

Yes, it’s a lot harder with the kiddos. But I can tell that they really enjoyed it and if you can take them being whiny and cranky from lack of sleep/tiredness, then I really think you ought to try it.

Finally…

Ok, that was longer than I thought it would be… but trust, it was way longer. LOL.

When I was a kid, I totally enjoyed all these rides and shows and stuff. But truly, I only remember snippets of it. As a mom, I don’t even remember what happened in any of the rides or the shows… what I do remember are E and J’s faces – their smiles, their awe, and their cheering. I guess that’s what my mom remembers when she took us when we were younger. I think that because of the way her face lit up every time E and J were awed of something. And I know that because of the way I felt when I saw their faces light up.

So yes, A and I were exhausted… but we both agreed that the best part of that trip, was watching E and J. We also agreed that we would have to go again without the kids so we can enjoy it for ourselves… hahaha.. just keepin’ it real yo! Disney is not just for kids ok??

Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the day!!

(all gifs are from giphy.com)

I know lots of people do New Year’s resolutions. I do too! However, for some reason, I also have been pretty big on birthday resolutions. I think every year, there are 5 things that I always want to focus on. I’ve never written them down though. So I thought that maybe if I write them down, I can at least keep myself accountable and maybe improve upon it every year.

Last week, I turned 36 years old. Not necessarily such an important number to remember. But that is how old I turned. So there you go. My husband asked me jokingly “How does it feel to be 36?” My answer was “feels like 35.” Ha…I don’t really feel “old” per say… I still feel very young because I know there are so many things I still need to learn. At what age do people usually feel “wiser”?

Anyway… again I digress…

Every year, I feel like I can improve on the things I list below. So every year, I would like to make them my birthday resolutions in no particular order!

1) Cherish Family Time

Sometimes, life can be so busy that it’s hard to enjoy family time. A lot of times, my husband and I wait for 6:45pm to happen so we can start the kids bedtime routine. Before that, we go through the motions of picking them up and feeding them and then watching them play while we wait for the clock to get to 6:45pm.

There are seldom days where we actually play with them during the weekdays because we are both just so tired. So this year (and every year), my resolution is to make it a point to play with them without distraction while they still want my attention and affection.

The same statement goes for other family members… and friends. I have a friend whom I admire because she actually makes it a point to make sure she hangs out with old friends. Sometimes I am so tired, I just want to veg out at home. And that’s perfectly ok! But continuing to build relationships with loved ones is also important.

2) More Time With the Spouse

It’s so easy to neglect each other after a loooooonngggg day. After we put the kids down to sleep, I either sit and blog or sit and watch tv while Andrew continues working the rest of the night or go play basketball (his first love ;-)). Sometimes when we drive to work together, we both either haven’t gotten enough sleep or are worried about the rest of the day – it’s hard to just spend time and talk to each other.

So this year, my resolution will be to make it my mission to get to know the hubs again. Yes, we have lived together for such a long time, shouldn’t we already know each other like the back of our hands? People change. So I want to keep getting to know Andrew as he changes and I want him to keep getting to know me as I change. This way, when the kiddos grow up and fly the coop, we may still know each other =).

On our wedding day

A recent date night. Keep getting to know each other =)

3) Get Fit/Healthy

Exercise: Every year, I tell myself I’m going to exercise. I do try and then I get into a slump and it’s hard for me to get out of it. This past year, I realized I could do more than I thought I could (with proper motivation). I’m proud to say I was probably at my healthiest after high school.

I did fall into another slump a month ago though. Injuries and then getting sick made me feel lazy and not motivated to do things myself. Going to Orange Theory helped because it helped to have other people there doing the same exact thing you’re doing so it helps you to keep going. But my resolution this year is to exercise 3-4 times a week. Doesn’t have to be hardcore all the time. But just to keep it moving!

Eat Healthy: I ate tons of junk food during the month of May. I think when I am in a funk, I like to turn to junk food. They just taste sooooooo good! I guess I’ll have to curve those cravings. My resolution is to make sure that I don’t over indulge. No, I don’t have to eat the whole bag of cheese puffs at one time… who? me?… moving on..

Sleep: This is something I struggle with all the time. I sometimes choose “me time” over sleeping because I feel like I barely get any privacy during the day. But I know that sleep is also important, so my resolution this year is to find a happy medium between the two.

4) De-clutter The House

I don’t know about you… but I feel like I can get rid of 50% of the stuff we have in our house. There’s just so much clutter and I think we can make do with less clutter in the house. So I think this year, my resolution is to slowly start to either donate, sell, or throw away some of the things that we don’t need anymore.

5) More Time with God

If I’m going to spend time trying to get physically fit, I feel like I also need to spend time to get fit mentally/spiritually. This is probably the most important thing on this list for me. I know in my heart and mind that I am more at peace when I have a good relationship with God – as in reading my bible, praying, doing devotions regularly. This could be during good times and/or bad times.

I struggle with keeping this consistent however, because it’s something that I just kinda try to do at the end of the night when I’m in bed. So this year, my resolution is to try to read my bible or do devos and pray before I am in bed. That way, I am not always so sleepy when I try.

This is probably the hardest thing to do every year. But every year, it’s something that I need to push myself to be better at. I’m writing it down so that I can keep myself accountable with it!

6) Be Kind

Ok ladies and gents… I mean real talk. Sometimes I judge. Like in my head, I know I think thoughts that if ever said outloud, would probably cause an uproar. Sometimes I can’t help it because some people are just real jerks. But over the years I’ve learned that people go through a lot of crap daily. So maybe the jerky person isn’t really just a jerk but is someone who just had a really bad day.

I know that’s not an excuse and some people are just real jerks but I can definitely try to better control my judge-iness and side eyes. So my resolution this year is to try to be more understanding of people’s situations. I feel like just being kind and compassionate also makes a person feel good as well. So really this goes both ways – being kind to others makes them feel good, and it will make you feel good as well. It couldn’t hurt to try right?

What About You?

I guess I have more things in my head really but I think these 6 main things are what I will try to focus on.

What about you? Do you have birthday resolutions? Are there things you want to do every year that you just want to keep getting better and better at?