The Happiest Place on Earth

Every year we take a family beach vacation. Family meaning that my little immediate family (the Mr., dictator, and BayBay), my parents (L and B), and my brother's family (Uncle Bug, Aunt Em, Jude, and YaYa Bell aka Layla). This year we changed it up from our usual spot of Panama City Beach to Vero Beach (another post to follow). Vero is close enough to Orlando that we thought it would be a spectacular idea to take the kids to Disney World for just a day. We flew into Orlando so it worked out perfectly to begin vacation there.

I am so thankful that we decided to do this. Elin is currently in the all things princesses stage (does it really ever end?). She is obsessed! In fact that is basically all she plays with all day, everyday. She has two type of princess figurines the mommy figurines  (as she has named them) and the baby figurines (these are located at the checkout at Wal-Mart, but be advised you may have to go to 20 different Wal-Marts to find them, yep, that mom). Her favorite princess currently is Punzel in her words, however, it changes daily sometimes hourly. We dress up as a princess, we play with princesses, we watch princess movies, the girl is obsessed. Needless to say her agenda for Disney consisted of finding the princesses. 

Just for the record I did not plan this Disney trip, my mom did, so the blog post will not be filled with planning a Disney trip. I do know that she used a travel agent and that it was easy to set up the Magic Bands and Fast Passes. From all the blogs I have read it also appears that travel agent is the way to go, they usually can save you a little money in the long run. The Magic Bands were something new to us. The Mr. and I went to Disney right before we got married and the Fast Pass was the big thing then. Now they have these cute little bands that have everything connected to them, your hotel room, your tickets, your Fast Pass, your Photo Pass, basically everything you need is on that Magic Band. My experience in the planning process consisted of selecting the Magic Band colors, and selecting the Fast Pass activities. I did not know this but when you initially make your Fast Pass selections you can only pick 3, as you complete the activities you can then add more, make sure you just download the App before you go. 

The other part of the planning that I did was deciding on what to do with the kids stroller wise. We have a double stroller but I NEVER travel with it when we are flying. Typically when we travel we just take the umbrella strollers with us and they do the trick. Disney was a new ballgame, lots of walking and sunshine (we knew BayBay would need some shade). My sister in law had told us that there are companies that you can rent strollers, pack in plays, car seats, etc. from and she recommended that we go with this option (she has a 4 and 6 year old and they still use the double stroller, easiest way to keep up with your kids in a large crowd).  I looked at the Disney strollers but they just didn't seem to work for Baylor, they are hard and plastic, and look like a pain to push. I looked at two different stroller companies:

Orlando Stroller Rentals

and

Magic Strollers

Both companies carry the same types of strollers. We went with Magic Stroller simply because they were maybe $5.00 cheaper (our stroller had a little more wear and tear on it than my brother and sister in law, they have always rented from Orlando Stroller, probably why ours was cheaper). The nice thing about renting a stroller from one of these companies is that a.) you don't have to worry about anything happening to your stroller at the airport b.) it is there when you check in to your hotel and you just return to the same place c.) they are nice strollers (whoever thought of this idea was a genius). Just make sure when you are renting the stroller that you include the rain cover, its free, and you never know when its going to rain in Florida. Also I know black is more attractive but we went with a color and it was easy to pick out in the stroller parking area. If you do go with black make sure you bring something to tie to your stroller the workers do move the strollers in the area to keep them tidy and make room. 

Magic Stroller

Orlando Stroller

We were in Orlando for one night and one day. We stayed at Disney's Coronado Springs. It wasn't anything to write home about, probably hadn't been updated in 20 years, but it had a comfy bed and a decent breakfast. We didn't get to enjoy the pool, but my brother and sister in law (they had been there for a week) said that the pool was pretty awesome. The hotel itself was huge. Note to all those first time Disney people, make sure you ask the front desk for your "First Time at Disney" button. I did not know this but luckily my sister in law is an experienced Disney goer and made sure that Elin and Baylor both got their buttons. Elin wore hers around with pride all day, nearly impossible to get it off of her because she loved it so much (on a side note we are still wearing our Disney Magic Band, love toddlers). 

YaYa Bell and Jude at breakfast

Since we were only doing Disney for a day we went with Magic Kingdom as our park of choice. Magic Kingdom is perfect for a little girl who loves princesses. Our Fast Passes for the day pretty much consisted of meeting Mickey and the Princesses. As usual upon arrival you are blown away with the beauty of Magic Kingdom. Nothing screams Disney like a castle. Elin loved it and was in awe. Our first Fast Pass was pretty much as soon as we entered Magic Kingdom. 

Check this link for shirt info (side note she can even get tall man sizes)

We hit the ground running and started with a visit to Rapunzel and friend (which happened to be Princess Tiana, one of Elin's favorites, loves NOLA like mom and dad). I think it is safe to say that Elin was star struck. I feel like she was thinking "wait, they really exist?" Obviously the people who are playing these princesses are amazing at their job, they stay in character no matter what circumstances they face. Rapunzel was perfect hugged Elin, talked to her about being a princess, and really made her first meet and greet a great experience. Elin was just as excited to see Tiana, and apparently she is a rare find. 

In true Disney fashion we had to go on Its a Small World, this was Elin's first real ride (pretty sure it is everyones first ride at Disney). She was mesmerized by the whole thing. The whole ride she was saying and pointing "mom look, dad did you see that?" It was also a nice break from the Florida heat on 4th of July weekend. 

Merida was our next stop. Merida is probably Elin's second favorite princess after Rapunzel (she is definitely my favorite, the Mr. thinks she's pretty awesome too) she was just as starstruck. Merida's little area is nicely set up because they have a little table for kids to color while you wait in line. Disney truly knows how to do things the right way. 

Showing Merida her muscles

Elin's beautiful artwork

We had a quick lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace (TIP: If you are staying for the week, do the meal plan), and then headed out to see Mickey. Now when I was a kid I remember you had to search the park high and low to find that silly mouse. Now they have a nice little set up, and I definitely recommend a Fast Pass for Mickey because the regular line was super long (TIP: Ana and Elsa were not at Magic Kingdom, but if you plan to see them Fast Pass them as well the line was 120 minutes long the day we were there, YIKES). This Mickey was very unique, he talked! We were very taken a back by that and equally as surprised when Elin decided to hug him. I think Baylor was just trying to figure out what it was because he just kept giving Mickey the stare down! 

Jungle Cruise

Disney is an exhausting day, and while I can't wait to go back (hoping to do the Disney cruise) I am glad that we had the beach to look forward too. We left the park at 5:00 and definitely were all exhausted and ready for a break. I am not the person to talk to if you are planning a week long trip, but I can say it was worth every second of watching your child form life long memories. I am pretty sure Elin has asked us "can we go to Mickey's house?" everyday since our visit. Disney is way more fun with your kids! We are counting down the days until we can go again!

New Obsession

Stay at home mom life equals little time to put yourself together in the morning. Usually I have one kid screaming at me "I need more donuts" and another one crying "feed me woman." My wardrobe these days consist of track shorts and t-shirts, and they are usually covered in something disgusting (baby food, spit up, pee, paint, you name it). I rarely ever wear make up and well I feel down right sorry for the Mr. because my hair is always in a pony tail. Would I change any of it? Absolutely not! I love being a stay at home mom, even though I have to say it is the hardest job I have ever had. I am terrible with schedules, my kids eat donuts, and sometimes we stay in our pajamas until lunch. Definitely not winning mom of the year, but hey I figure at this point who really is? Judge all you want, but at the end of the day we are all alive and happy and that is really all that matters! 

With that being said and you now knowing that the Logan's are a hot mess. I want to tell you about my new go to product that does give me some sense of putting myself together in the morning. Like I mentioned before I don't wear make up often. I just don't have time to spend in the mirror putting it on. I do however go out in public and don't want to look totally scary. I have tried several different types of tinted moisturizer and haven't really liked any of them. They either make my skin feel oily, don't match my skin tone, or make me feel like I am actually wearing a thick cakey make up. 

One of my best friends Ashley sells Beauty Counter. If you haven't heard about this amazing company you should check it out. Over 80% of their ingredients are organic, natural, or plant derived and are super safe for your skin! They do excessive amounts of research to ensure that the products they produce are safe, down to the containers the put them in. Who knew a lot of the most popular make up you buy is filled with ingredients that aren't safe for your skin?   Ashley sent me some samples of their different cleansing lines, which sparked me to try their tinted moisturizer.  

I love how this tinted moisturizer goes on. I use a brush similar to this one to apply the moisturizer. It goes on smooth, blends with my skin perfectly, is light, and gives me just the right amount of coverage that I need to make my skin look even. It also has SPF in it which is great for those days at the park. The product smells amazing! I purchased shade No. 2, and honestly I have worn it even when I needed a little more make up, its that good. I have just added some concealer under my eyes, bronzer, and blush and feel just as made up as I would if I used my usual go to foundation. Ashley sent me this video just to show you how awesome this product is. Plus it was featured on the Today show and was named by Allure as one of the top tinted moisturizer, it speaks for itself.  

I plan on ordering the concealer from Beauty Counter once I have used up all of the one I usually purchase (not that I don't like the one I use but I am willing to try all things Beauty Counter). The sample sets that Ashley sent me were from both their Essential line and the CounterTime Line. I really liked both lines, but honestly I will be ordering products from each line. I have already ordered the Nourishing Cream Cleanser. My main reasons for liking this product is that it left my skin feeling smooth, washes away the tinted moisturizer/make up, and smells great. I use the Clarisonic in my morning beauty routine and it works great with the Clarisonic. 

I plan on ordering the Rejuvenating Eye Cream, I could definitely notice a diminishing of my dark circles when I used the sample (yep, lack of sleep causes those) and I may also order the Rejuvenating Radiance Serum, my face always felt tighter when I used it and now that I am 30 I probably need to start worrying about controlling the aging process. Unless I inherited this girls skin then I have nothing to worry about:

My grandmom who doesn't look day over 30! 

If you need any help at all figuring out the Beauty Counter line don't hesitate to contact my friend Ashley. She is an expert in all things Beauty Counter and really all things life! Hope you all order at least one of these amazing products, you will probably be hooked but don't say I didn't warn you.

    

Invitations and Announcements Galore

I wanted to do a quick post on my Etsy store. During my little vacation from the blog world not only did I travel around a lot but I also have been spending a lot of time making new invitation on my Etsy site NOLA Lou Lou. In the past few months I have had tons of orders and felt like it was time to up my game and just start coming up with new ideas for my shop. 

Here are a couple new items to my shop that I am in love with:

I am not sure if I ever blogged about my store and how it works but here is a quick run down. Essentially I make the invitation/announcement/wall art or whatever digital work your heart desires and you print it from your home or the printing company of your liking. Usually when you log onto sites such at Tiny Prints or Shutterfly you are paying a fee (its included in the price) for the designer and then you are paying for them to be printed. While I would love to print all of these invitation I just don't have the space or equipment to do so. However, chances are if you let me design your invitation, Christmas Card, etc. I will probably save you time and money just because you will be printing them yourself. So if you are having a party, looking for home decor, sending out Christmas cards, getting married, whatever it maybe please don't hesitate to contact me. I love doing custom work and can make just about anything. I can incorporate pictures of your loved ones, play with font, and well if I can't do it I will be upfront with you and let you know. Just because you don't see it on my site doesn't mean I can't make it! 

Check out the store, refer a friend, just don't forget about NOLA Lou Lou for your digital work needs! Happy Thursday Y'all! 

In Connecticut We Say…….

I am back, after a short little hiatus, and I have tons of things to blog about. We have been on so many trips and I have a couple of things I can't wait to share with you guys. This blog post though is going to be a quick little update about the family and all things Connecticut.

I decided to update you guys by reintroducing you to the kiddos, since lets face it the Mr. and I aren't changing on a daily basis. 

The Logan Line Up

The Dictator

Meet the little girl who runs our family, at least for now. This girl currently is attending summer camp two days a week at a fun little kids gym in the town over from us. She is obsessed with all things princesses, sticker books, drawing, and having the Mr. chase her around our island a million times every night. She can be a diva, jokester, drama queen, sweetheart, all rolled into one. 

No she doesn't wear glasses, she is just a diva who loves to dress up!

Baymax aka BayBay

Meet Baymax also know as BayBay. This little guy may only be 7 months old (almost 8) but he is equivalent to a one year old in both height and weight. While we don't currently have a crawler it is going to happen at any moment. He is obsessed with his sister, and basically anything his sister will let him get his hands on (we aren't the best at sharing). I don't know if it is a boy thing but BayBay is always busy and if he not busy he is eating. He is a super momma's boy and loves to cuddle.

Just look at those rolls, according to his cousins he reminds them of this guy! 

We have been in Connecticut now for 6 months. It has, to say the least, been an adjustment for everyone but I feel like we are settling into our new normal. New normal being life with two kids, life in Connecticut, life away from everything we've ever known, whatever you want to call life now that we have made several big life changes and taken a (huge) leap of faith (still not sure what the Big Man has planned for us but learning everyday to rely on him for essentially everything). 

While we haven't fallen in love with Connecticut we are learning the ropes. We have had to learn several things since moving here. Examples being: learning how to drive Connecticut style (people have no idea how to merge, use the slow lane, or fast lane at that, their brakes, in a nut shell CT drivers maybe the worst drivers in the country, sorry but it is true), we are learning how to navigate (only 2 more states to go in New England), and we have also had to learn the lingo. Yep, just because we are only 17 hours away from Kentucky doesn't mean we speak the same language, surprising I know. Here is some lingo that we have learned:

Other  game changers since moving here. The grocery store, I have still yet to find a grocery store here that is my one stop shop. All you people reading this who have Kroger near by be sure to stop and thank God next time you walk in your nearest friendliest Kroger. Our Wal-Mart isn't even a one stop shop, they don't carry meat or produce (shocking I know).  I currently have to go to two or three grocery stores just to get everything I need, but I am still searching, and in the mean time missing Kroger. I should also mention that Trader Joe's doesn't carry wine (go ahead and shed a tear for me here people).

Coffee, yep, that is my next topic. In the KY there is a Starbucks on every corner. I loved Starbucks, went there whenever possible, bought the coffee at the grocery store, thought that there was no way I would ever convert over to the dark side (Dunkin Donuts). Oh how things have changed. We live in a really small town and we have 4 Dunkin Donuts, they are everywhere! I have converted over, I learned to order properly and I switched over so fast and am not even looking back. I love their hot coffee and ice coffee, I love buying their coffee and brewing it home. If you aren't a Dunkin fan and still hanging with Starbucks I encourage you to step out, find a Dunkin and order my favorite go to French Vanilla coffee with cream and sugar. 

My final rant is mainly just another thing I miss about the south. In Connecticut they love their Diners, and well I miss brunch. Diners are just not cutting it for me. Where is Wild Eggs? First Watch? Cracker Barrel for that matter? I miss brunch! I miss the quirky little places in Louisville where you could get endless coffee and a meal that please me (the breakfast lover) and the Mr. (loves everything but breakfast). A diner just doesn't scream brunch to me, it screams truck drivers and late night food! 

While I would still say we are settling in, we are making Connecticut our home away from home. Stay tuned bloggers I have lots of fun blogs coming soon!