Disney World-Day 2 (Hollywood Studios)

Day 2 was our first real day in the parks! We decided to start with Hollywood Studios mainly because of the crowd levels on that day.  Our first stop that morning was breakfast at Hollywood Vine.  Hollywood Vine is a buffet style resturant where you can meet Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Handy Mandy and Jake the Pirate.  Mara LOVES Disney Jr. so I thought it would be a casual way to introduce her to them and I'm all about some breakfast!

Getting into the park early for Breakfast!

breakfast with some of our favorite characters

The girls reacted exactly how I thought they would be with the characters.  They were shy and nervous never wanting to get up and talk to them or hug them.  I was completely fine with this as I really wanted this breakfast to be a sort of introduction to characters as I knew it would be a BIG part of our Disney experience.

Little did she know she would be meeting him soon!

Here comes Sofia!

After lunch we headed to the rides hitting the Great Movie Ride first.  Probably not the best use of our time because the girls didn't seem to enjoy it and were a tad scared by some of the darker parts.  My favorite ride of our entire trip was next as we had fast passes for Toy Story Adventure.  Maddy wasn't having this one either. Not sure if it was the 3D nature of the ride or that the cart moved pretty fast for her either way Josh and I had a blast competing for the top score (which I got!).

This about melted my heart

not Maddy's favorite ride ever

We split up here so Josh could ride the Tower of Terror while we met the power couple, Minnie and Mickey! The girls were adorable with this meet and greet.  Mara gave Minnie a hug and admired her pink dress and jewels.  Maddy wanted nothing to do with Minnie.  For Mickey it was the opposite! Mara was not about him but all Maddy wanted to do was play peek-a-boo giggling the entire time!

She was SO excited!

Admiring her bracelets

Just a regular game of peek-a-boo...

With the most famous mouse

As we walked out of the meet and greet we got a special treat and saw Goofy, Chip and Dale! So fun to just walk into characters on the street!

Chip and Dale stop to say hi!

It was onto the Little Mermaid from there which the girls really enjoyed.  I appreciated the air conditioning as it was starting to get pretty hot.  We reconnected with Josh from there and headed back to the hotel for a bit of a break grabbing lunch in the resturant there.

Interupted by a storm trooper parade

Later that afternoon was our first taste of the nasty rains Florida has instore.  We were able to see the Frozen show (AMAZING) but while waiting in line to see Olaf it started to downpour.  Not like a light mist but like water up to your ankles rain.

Two tired girls...and parents ready for frozen

Of course we had a time frame to keep so we had to venture out in it.  Little did we know it wouldn't be the last time we dealt with this kind of rain but we sure got our system down.  Stroller cover on.  Ignore screaming kids.  Push as hard as you can to bus stop.  Keep head down.

Once dry and fed in the hotel we tucked the kids in bed and headed out on our own.  This night was one of the special events Usborne had arranged for the trip earners.  Although the original water park plan was cancelled due to weather we had a nice time at the indoor luau.  If anything it was a night out just the two of us!  We finished it with a drink (mocktail for me) at the hotel bar and planned the attack for Day 3 at Magic Kingdom!

UBAM family

Disney World-Day 1 (Disney Springs)

When Usborne announced that the incentive trip was Disney world, I knew I had to make this happen for my family.  Mara is at such a fun age for the theme park and is pretty much obsessed with the princesses.  We were off on a whirlwind 7 days at the parks!

It's good to be an UBAM kid!

Watching cartoons at check-in

On Sunday my mom and aunt flew in and we drove down from Josh's folks in the afternon.  I wanted a pretty relaxed afternoon/evening so I had planned for us to take our time getting settled into our rooms and then head to the Disney Springs area for dinner.

Riding the boat to Disney Springs

Port Orleans Riverside, our hotel, is connected to the Disney Springs area via a river so it's pretty simple to hop on the boat and cruise on over.  This also made for a pretty relaxing trip with the kiddos.  We had reservations at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner.  I thought it would be a fun experience for the girls because of all the animals.

Dinner for the night!

Mara was convinced this was real

Initially they were a little frightened when the "rainstorm" went through but once we had experienced it once they were good.  Of course little food was actually eaten as they were too interested in the fish tanks and the monkeys that were nearby.

After dinner we walked around the area for a bit.  It was a tad crowded so I wasn't interested in going into too many stores. Plus it's so hard to actually get out of said stores with little ones and not purchase things! They want everything!!

Our princess lover

Maddy had everyone in the store "awwing" over this!

We took in the lego creations at the lego store and stopped to take pictures outside of the World of Disney.  Then after a quick chocolate treat it was back to the hotel to get to bed early.  The next morning we had breakfast planned with some Disney Junior favorites and a long day at Hollywood studios!

Usborne Update

Life has been busy here the last few months and frankly I've fallen off the blogging train...hard.  I think the biggest reason has been a great one.  My Usborne business is booming!

Since February I've been in a push to promote to team leader with the company.  This has entailed filling my calendar, holding an amazing book drive, coaching new team members and just diving head first into everything Usborne.

Although it's been a busy time, it's been a good time.  I never expected my business to be where it is now 8 months ago when I joined.  I thought I'd be lucky to be doing a party a week.  Now with my week nights filled, I am so grateful to be able to share these amazing books with others.

As of May 1st I officially promoted with the company and things are only going up.  My team is growing and this train I've started on is only speeding up.  I can't wait to continue to see what's in store for me.

If you're interested in hosting your own Usborne Book party please let me know!  I'd love to help you earn some FREE books for the kiddos in your life!  Books are really the keys to opening a 1000+ doors and I love that I get to do that for so many families!

Usborne in 2016

When I started this business I honestly was just in it for the books.  I have always had shelves full of books and wanted that for my girls too.  I want them to love reading as much as I do and appreciate the beauty of getting lost in a great book in our high tech world.

Quickly this little "book discount" turned into an expanding business which I absolutely loved doing.  I got to share these amazing books with not only my family and friends but others who may not have heard of Usborne if they hadn't attended one of my parties.

Since we've been married I've stayed at home instead of working full time.  I have completely loved this role but in the last few months have found a whole new level of fulfillment in my ability to contribute to our family financially.  It's just a small thing but I am so proud to be able to say that yes I earned that....doing something I love!

The next few months are looking to be some of the most exciting in my business thus far.  I have made a commitment to promote and will be working extra hard to not only meet the requirements of this promotion but to also meet the lofty goals I've set for myself!

I'm dreaming large this new year and would love if you could be a part of it!  If you like our books and would love to add to your collection, please place an order on my website today HERE!

Love our books?  Why don't you consider hosting your own Facebook party with me today?  February hostess rewards are pretty amazing with an extra $50 in FREE BOOKS with shows totaling $350 or more.  On top of your hostess rewards I am giving each of my February hostess a FREE shine a light book as my thank you to you for helping me reach my goals.  Message me today or comment on this post to set up your party date today!

Want it all?  Join my team!!  I'm looking for fellow book junkies who are passionate about this business and want to share the love of literacy with others.  Join up costs are low and there are no monthly sales requirements.  You really can make this business your own!  Check out my website HERE for more information.  Can't find the answer to your question?  Shoot me an email and I'd love to chat!!

An Usborne Update

As many of you know, I have recently joined the Usborne Books & More team.  I have loved these books since the first time I purchased them for Mara and finally took the plunge at the end of last month to start selling them.  It was a big leap for me.  I don't consider myself a salesperson but had faith that these books would speak for themselves.

Now nearly a month in I am so pleasantly surprised as to where I am.  I held two Facebook launches with friends back home and was so encouraged about how supportive everyone was!  Books were ordered, parties booked and I was on my way!

On top of that the rewards started coming.  Usborne has some amazing incentives for new consultants.  I have been able to earn a half refund on my consultant kit along with the first success kit for hitting sales milestones.  Plus from my launch parties we have earned a ton of free books for our personal library.  So much so that Josh is a little confused as to why we need that amount in free books! :)

The past few weeks I've been holding parties for others and it has been so exciting.  I love working with other Mama's to get FREE books for their kiddos!  I've seen how books, especially Usborne books, have transformed our house and I can't wait to share that with others.

I was talking to Josh last night and he made a good point.  He said it seemed that my reasons behind going into this were shifting.  At first I thought, "Hey the consultant kit is a great deal.  I'll get that and if that's all, that's fine."  Now I'd say I'm thinking ahead.  How can I share these books with others?  Can I help my family financially with this?

In the past month I have already learned that my goals with Usborne are subject to change.  I can make this little business of mine into what I want and I love that.  I'm so ready to continue moving forward with this and see where it takes me!

On that note if anyone is interested in hosting their own Facebook party (or if you're local a home party) please let me know!  I'm currently taking bookings for November and would love to put your party on the calendar!  As a new consultant, I can offer you DOUBLE FREE books.  Yep that's right!  Twice as many books for FREE!  Also I am giving anyone who books before November 1 a coupon for 65% off any one item! So stock up on some books for the kids in your lives today!  Christmas is around the corner!

Also feel free to browse my website at https://s4971.myubam.com/147705

A New Opportunity

After much thought, I've taken the plunge and joined Usborne Books & More! All this started from my love of their books.  Every time I pick up one of their books I am instantly intrigued by the story lines, vivid pictures and educational information.

Mara loves these books too!  We own approximately ten and there is always at least one in her current favorite list.  As a mom of a toddler, I also love how durable these books are.  The ones made for her age group have hard pages and are practically indestructible.  We do own a few that are technically for "older" kids but they still hold up great in little hands.  I am super excited to extend our Usborne library and share these great books with others.

On top of our love for the books, I am so happy to have found a company that I can get behind and support.  I really appreciate their business model and know I will be able to promote the product and literacy no matter where the military sends us!  

Here's to this new opportunity and diving head first into my new Usborne Book company!!


*Please feel free to contact me if you're interested in hosting a party! As a new consultant I currently have AMAZING incentives for hosts.  We can do a home party (if you're local) or a Facebook party (if you are not)!