Lifesaving Disneyland Tips for Moms with Tots

1.ENTERING DISNEYLAND: If you are planning on riding in on the tram, you will have to fold your stroller up (that’s a pain!). However, if you are able to get in the first row or the last row, those are wider and you may be able to load up with the stroller in tact. Of course, you must take your kid out, but at least you can keep all of your gear in the stroller basket.

Another reason to take the monorail in is so you bypass the crowds at the gate’s entrance. If it is a weekend you can get back to Toon Town faster and have the opportunity to see many characters without waiting.  If you go to the characters at the front of the park you will wait at least ten minutes to see one character.

2. BABY CARE CENTER: At the end of Main Street is a mom and baby retreat, the Baby Care Center. They have comfy feeding chairs, clean changing tables and short potties for potty-training babes. They have essentials you can purchase there too! Overall, it’s a nice place to getaway from the chaos and help your baby to relax.

3. We try to go to Disneyland when there are fewer people, like Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the longest lines we wait in are 20 minutes.  But, when we do I also bring the TULA to carry Dean. He wouldn’t last in line more than 5 minutes without it! Sadly, Disneyland is always crowded now.

4. PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Instead of photographing your kids right in front of the castle go to one of the sides.  These side angle shots make it look like you are the only ones at the park!

5. Buy your souvenirs ahead of time! I know this sounds cheap and cheesy, but your bank account will thank you. Buy a few things ahead of time and in the morning right before going into the park, present your kids with a shirt and something fun they can carry (for a minute, of course). Going to Disneyland is no cheap endeavor, and you will encounter moments of weakness when you see something you MUST have, but at least you won’t be fighting with crowds on Main Street looking for a shirt with a picture of the Mouse. You can get custom Disney shirts before your trip on Etsy!

 

Baby + Valentines Day = LOVE

Get in the spirit of hearts and glitter by dressing your baby up for a special Valentine’s Day Photoshoot!

It’s so easy! Here’s the recipe for a sweet Valentine’s Day photo!

1 adorable onesie and a fluffy tutu

1 fabulous sign

A bow or flower, some moccasins 

A soft floor

A fun Valentine-themed prop to distract baby

Mid-morning light

And as many babies that you want!! 💋❤️💜💛

Onesies and Banner https://www.etsy.com/listing/508355501/first-valentines-love-you-more-gigi-mimi

Photography by http://www.tiffanyephotography.com/gallery/

Avengers first birthday!

Lucky for me I have the privilege and honor of helping my best friend create birthday parties for their little ones!

Hunter is one of the most precious little boys around and he just turned one!

We put together a superhero party for him with all of the classic characters from the Avengers.

Once we decided on a shirt we figured out how we would decorate everything else. We made the shirt with printable iron on and use a sleeveless style to show off those superhero muscles!

The neighborhood pool house was a fun and easy way to throw party. Though the babies could not use the real pool the pool full of balls worked quite nicely!

Of course a first birthday always needs a cake to smash!

And every superhero needs some super delicious food with super cute avenger names!

Finally, make sure everyone arrives in there super hero gear for cute pictures!

Pick up your onesie and decorations! https://www.etsy.com/listing/479604797/captain-america-first-birthday-baby

Time Flies Photoshoot 1/2 Birthday

Albert Einstein said, “The only reason for time it so that everything doesn’t happen at once”

As a mother we all know how quickly time can pass by and how important it is to cherish all of the moments and to live in the moments.

We set up a small photo shoot to celebrate the six month half birthday of Dean in July. It was a perfect theme because it color-coordinated with The Fourth of July and with a pre-planned family bbq.

Time flies was the best theme! It really made me realize how fast baby boy is growing! Plus, nothing is cuter than a pilot baby with an aviator hat!

We used our cricut to create fun matching shirts for him and his bestie, Kylie!

We got some great photos from it!

Get your onesie and decorations here, Foxy Little Rascals: Halfway To One Time Flies

3 Tips for a DIY Baby Photoshoot at Home

Are you looking to nail that perfect at-home photoshoot? We are by no means professional photographers or decorators or anything like that, but we have picked up some harrowing tips that can really improve your chance at capturing those perfect shots.

There are so many reasons to have baby photoshoots, more than just first birthdays!

I took all of these photos on a Nikon D40X. We made every decoration here (except for any stuffed animals or chairs). With some planning, work and patience, you can really pull something cute together!

 

1. Gather Props – props are great for many reasons, one main one being that they keep baby distracted. Or can get their attention when it starts to drift to the fan or dogs running around. We are big fans of highchair banners and backdrops-they add so much fun color and make everything a bit more whimsical. We made ‘I’m Halfway to One’ shirts with their themes!
2. Lighting – We opted for indirect-diffused lighting. Essentially we just took all of our pictures midday, but in the shade. This lighting tends to create little or no shadow and is really good for portraits or close-up photos because it is the most flattering. Try to find flat shade, like on the porch.
3.  Patience – Typically a full baby is a happy baby! A big perk to do these photo sessions at home is mom and baby can take as many breaks as they need. If it gets overstimulating, you can take baby aside and calm him any way he needs. Then pick up where you left off when everyone is happy and ready to smile again.

All of the props can be found at https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/FoxyLittleRascals

How did you do with your first at-home photoshoot? Any additional tips you want to share?

 

Love What You Do!

Our crafts have a mind of their own. They have engulfed our kitchen table, crept over the countertops and are crowding the living room. Glitter is in the bed, the shower, and on my back. Sometimes getting obsessed with a million projects at once has its own crazy-beautiful-messy consequences.

Since this is our first post, I find it most fitting to warn all those who wish to venture with us that we are friends and both new moms dying to embrace this whole ‘work-from-home’ dream lifestyle. We are busy, distractible, but most of all excited. We are excited to strive for lots little successes as we launch and to meet goal after goal. We are inspired.

I’m trying to narrow down what this blog will look like, for all of our sakes.
-Things We Love
-Things We Recommend
-Things We Make

Things We Love is a fun place to share with you nifty things we have discovered. Pictures, crafts, awesome facts that can change your life forever! Or something very similar to that.

Things We Recommend will probably end up being something that we also Love, but YOU should love it too. Just kidding, but we highly recommend it.

Things We Make will showcase new projects that have just been created, custom ordered, or in the process of being made. We want you to see all of our pretty things, and tell your friends.

What’s inspiring you these days? Feel free to answer with a link to your favorite blog or picture!