books – Mousekatots

Read All About it: July Book Picks

July 27, 2017July 27, 2017 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family, family fun, Home, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

We are little late with this month’s book picks. But, as I say better late than never.

For us, we really look forward to the summer reading program at our local library. We have been attending special shows featuring magicians, acting troupes and much more.

We also still visit the library every other Friday to pick out new books to enjoy during story time.

Here are some of our favorite library book picks for this month.

“Vanishing Valentines: Scooby-Doo Picture Clue Book”

We love getting these Scooby-Doo Picture Clue Books from our library. They have the regular story but instead of some of the words they have a picture. For example, instead of the word “Scooby-Doo” they just have his picture. We love this because the parents can read the words and our little one can say what the picture is.

If you own the book, there are flashcards of the picture words that are used in the back of the book that you can cut out.

The story is pretty short and cute and it is perfect for any Scooby fans out there.

“A Day at the Fire Station” by Richard Scarry

I think it is important to introduce your kids to the classics. In my opinion Richard Scarry and his busy world is a classic.

The illustrations are great and it gives an in-depth look at a fire station, which is something that kids around preschool age are pretty interested in to begin with.

“The Noisy Paint Box” by Barbara Rosenstock and Mary GrandPre

This was my favorite book of the bunch. Not only was it colorful with beautiful illustrations but it told the story of the abstract artist Vasya Kadinsky.

The story was really easy to identify with about a young boy who could see color when he heard different sounds like instruments at an opera. While he was forced into painting more realistic art he fought against it and painted what he wanted to paint and what made him happy.

I love that they made a book about an artist that was easy accessible to children.

In the back there are some examples of his work and it was fun to have Lily pick out her favorite painting, which was “Two Ovals.”

“How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth” by Michelle Robison and Illustrated by Kate Hindley

This was a really sweet story about a little girl who wanted to wash her woolly mammoth. (Surprising I know!)

It is really great for little ones because it helps teach them sequencing and even cause and effect on a certain level.

A fun accompanying activity might be to ask your little one to talk about the steps they would take to wash their imaginary pet and then to draw a picture of the process or one of the steps of the process.

“Pipsqueaks!: Maze Day A Book of Beginning Mazes”

Ever since Lily was a little baby she would watch “Baby Maze” on Baby First TV and she loved it.

This book features a bunch of different types of mazes that are not just your typical “labyrinthine maze.”

The illustrations are so cute and it is fun to try and see what all the mice are up to in the illustrations.

“Players in Pigtales” by Shana Corey and Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon

Any fans of the 1990s film “A League of Their Own” would love this book that follows the character of Katie Casey who wants to grow up and play baseball. She is told over and over that girls can’t do that until they start the women’s professional baseball leagues during World War II.

It is a wonderful story, not just for girls, but for everyone that loves baseball and is interested in learning more about this unique section of women’s sports history.

Tara’s Books of the Month

I don’t have any photos that I took of my book picks because most of them were read through my Kindle.

“Catching the Big Fish” by David Lynch

I love David Lynch. “Twin Peaks” is my favorite series of all time and “Mullholand Drive” is one of my favorite movies.

This book talks a lot about Lynch’s beliefs in transcendental mediation and how it affects his every day life, how it drives his creativity and also stories about the various films and “Twin Peaks.”

I can’t recommend this book enough. There are a lot of chapters but they are all super short.

You don’t need to necessarily be a fan of Lynch. You can really get a lot from it if you want to develop your creativity.

“Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur

It has been a long time since I read a book of poetry. After seeing it on the top 10 bestsellers I had to check it out.

The poems are very personal and share a lot about the author’s personal life including childhood abuse, her current relationships and finding herself.

Some of the poems at the beginning were uncomfortable to read, but later the poems were beautiful and really touching.

“The Lumberjanes”

I have never read a graphic novel before. But, since our library card includes membership to the ebook, television, movie, music and graphic novel renting site Hoopla, I thought I would give one a shot.

After a lot of research, I found the “Lumberjanes” series.

It is about a group of girls who are at summer camp when all these strange things start to happen. It reminds me of the Disney series “Gravity Falls” which I also love.

I read the first two volumes as ebooks and I had to request the third volume from the library in physical form because they didn’t have an electronic version.

That wraps up our books picks for this month (better late then never). Have you and your Mousekatots read any good books lately?

Also, here is a video showcasing Lily’s favorite book from this month:

Read All About It: March

March 16, 2017March 16, 2017 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family, family fun, Home, Uncategorized

March has been a very bitter month for us, when it comes to weather.

This means that we spent a lot of time indoors curled up with a good book and we went back to the library this month due to the height of flu season.

Here were our choices for the March bookbag.

“If You Give a Moose a Muffin” by Laura Numeroff

Just like the famous “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” this story talks about what happens when you give a moose a muffin. As you can image the fun that ensues as the book escaltes from a simple muffin to a sweater and to a puppet show.

“What Pet Should I Get” by Dr. Seuss

Recently this new Dr. Seuss book was discovered years after the author’s death. Just like all of his other books it spent a lot of time on the bestsellers list. What I really like about the book is that there is section in the back from the publisher about the importance of going to shelters to pick out your new pet instead of going to a pet store like the book states. (Please excuse the blurry photo. We were too excited.)

“Easter Surprise” by Catherine Stock

This book is a sweet story that gets kids in the mood for Easter. The story is about two siblings who goes on a trip to a lake house during Easter. The beautiful watercolors enhance the story and give it a really sweet feeling. This is just one of many Stock’s holiday books.

“Oh No, Little Dragon” by Jim Averbeck

This is a sweet story about a little dragon who loses his spark and is afraid that his Mommy won’t love him anymore and he tries so hard to get his spark back by making himself warm. It is only when he learns that his mommy will always love him no matter what that brings the spark back. Sweet story with cute and fun illustrations.

“Elephants Cannot Dance” by Mo Williams

If you couldn’t already tell by the picture this was our favorite book. Lily has always been a fan of the Elephant and Piggy books and she really liked this one. It tells the story of Elephant who has no confidence about dancing. However, he learns to accept himself as he is and celebrate his own unique qualities.

For me, I haven’t done much reading this month. Between work, the blog and deciding to make Lily’s Easter dress I have had a full plate.

But, I have enjoyed reading these two books that came with my subscription to Calm Box that was a Valentine’s Day gift from the hubby.

Each book is full of either inspiration or tips on how to lead a less stressful life.

The beautiful illustrations and quick relaxation tips make for a nice read right before bed to help you remember what is important in life.

What has been on your book list this month? Leave your comments below.

Seuss-tastic Time

March 4, 2017March 3, 2017 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family, family fun, Home, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

A couple of evenings ago we had the opportunity to attend a special Dr. Seuss evening that was sponsored by our school district’s early reading program.

The event was really planned out well and Lily had the chance to hear three different Dr. Seuss books.

After the books the kids had an opportunity to play some different Seuss themed games while the parents listened to a talk about how to incorporate reading into everyday life.

They even had a gift bag give away that included a copy of the book “Raising a Rock Star Reader.”

I never win anything, but I won the raffle. I was excited.

Then after a reading of “Cat in the Hat” we took a few photos and played some games before we received a wonderful giftbag full of several books including “Fox in Socks” and a couple other books as well as erasers, a pencil, pencil sharpener, stickers and bookmarks.

We had such a wonderful evening and we were so thankful for the district for putting on this wonderful event.

How did you celebrate Dr. Seuss day? Leave your comments below.

Read, White and Blue

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family, family fun, Home, preschoolers, Toddler, Uncategorized

read-across-america-day1 — Photo courtesy of Batton Rouge Moms

This week the country celebrates “Read Across America” in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

It serves as a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the tradition of reading not just by yourself, but reading to your children as well.

So, in honor of the celebration I wanted to share both Lily’s top three books and my top three books. (Lily decided on the number three because she is just three years old.)

Lily’s top three books of all times

“Interrupting Chicken” by David Ezra Stein

This book always elicits giggles in our house.

The story is about a little chicken that is enjoying story time right before bed when she keeps on interrupting her father as he tries, and fails, again and again to read stories when the little chicken keeps on interrupting.

Can Papa finish one story before he is interrupted? Found out in the book.

“The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne

Every child that has grown up has visited his or her friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore and the whole gang’s tale of Heffalumps, Busy Backsons and becoming completely surrounded by water are one of our favorite stories to hear time and time again.

I am sure everyone has either wanted to play Pooh Sticks with Winnie-the-Pooh or gone bouncing with Tigger at least once in their childhood.

“Creepy Carrots!” by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown

This is one of Lily’s favorites from way back when she was little.

The story is about a bunny that cuts through this field on his way to and from school where he plucks a few carrots from the garden to eat.

Everything seems to be going fun until he starts to think the carrots are following him.

The book is more cute then creepy and reminds me of a cheesy monster movie.

It is also a Caldacot award winning book, so you know it must be good.

Tara’s top book picks

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

This is my all time favorite book. I love the regency time period and Lizzy Bennet is one of my all time favorite literary heroes. She bucks the system when she won’t marry the creeptastic Mr. Collins (can you blame her?) and is holding out for love.

Mr. Darcy is also such a dreamy character (even though he is a jerk throughout half of the book) that has Austen fan girls swooning for days.

The story really talks about the dangers of pride and of course the prejudice that people pass each day.

“She’s Come Undone” by Wally Lamb

When I first read this novel many years ago, I had to keep on checking the front cover to double check the gender of the author.

Lamb did a wonderful job being the voice of a girl that grows into a woman and has to face many challenges during this transition.

Dolores Price spends her time feeding her soul with junk food until she turns into a young adult where she goes through a rebirth that helps to transition her life.

Really great story that deals with difficult themes.

“Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden

What stood out to me the most was how well Golden did at transporting the reader to another place and time. Somewhere that most readers would never have experienced and make it seem like a place they know so well.

The story follows a group of girls as they train to become geishas before and during World War II.

Becoming and being a geisha was an art form that was much more than “entertaining” a gentleman, and Golden really goes into depth on explaining this.

The film version of the novel was a really good adaptation that stayed pretty faithful to the book.

What are your favorite books to read with your little one or on your own? Leave your comments below.

What’s in the Bag

January 20, 2017January 20, 2017 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family fun, Toddler, Uncategorized

There is nothing better than when it is cold and snowy outside to sit and cuddled together and read a good book.

Even though we haven’t had a lot of snowy weather and cold temperatures, it has been cloudy and rainy, so we have read quite a few books in addition to our nightly bedtime stories.

Here is our:

I have been alternating between two different books this month.

The first book, I probably mentioned in a previous post, is the “The Epcot Explorer’s Encyclopedia.”

It is really good. It tells both about the past attractions and also previous versions of current attractions. If you are a fan of “Horizons” and “World of Motion,” then you will want to check it out.

Did you know that there were a lot more attractions planned for World Showcase that are actually there today?

The other book, that I just got this week, is all about the Danish art of coziness called Hygge (pronounced Hoo-ga).

Hygge is really popular right now. It is all about surrounding yourself with the simple pleasures in life like candles, warm drinks and close friends.

The books talks about what the secret to good Hygge is, how it can improve your happiness and how to bring it into your own home.

I am going to do a more in-depth book review and talk about Hygge in a future blog entry.

Since we just got over the flu at our house (which was not a fun experience) I have been a little leery to go back to the library because of all the germs.

So we have been dipping into our books that are collections of stories.

For Lily’s birthday this year, we bough this book “Five Minute Snuggle Stories.”

It is really sweet Disney themed stories that leave you feeling all cozy inside.

Lily loves what she calls “short books.” These are the beginning to read books that offer different steps on the reading process.

These two have been our current favorites. I think it is because she is obsessed with Dory and loves to watch “Zootopia.”

What winter wouldn’t be complete without “The Snowy Day?”

This classic book just automatically puts you in the middle of a snowy day by just reading the book. You can almost feel the crunching of the snow under your feet.

Every night after Lily goes to bed after her story, we read a chapter from a longer novel each night. The lights are turned off and I use a book light as she lays in bed and tries to drift off to sleep.

This month we are reading “The Land of Stories” that was written by Chris Colfer, of “Glee” fame.

The story is about two twins who fall into a book that was read to them when they were younger and must go on a quest to return home.

So far, it is really good and the world building is extensive.

For awhile, Barnes and Nobel was running a special that is was $4.95 when you bought another book from the children’s section.

What books are you and your Mousekatots reading this month? Leave your comments below.

Challenge Accepted

January 4, 2017January 4, 2017 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, Disney, family fun, Toddler, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

It has been awhile!

Thank you for sticking around while the Mousekatot gang spent some time together as a family over the holidays.

We had a wonderful time. Santa was very good to us, we ate so much yummy food and we were able to slow down life a little to enjoy our time together.

Now, it is back to the real world and a new year.

To kick things off I thought I would share with you a fun challenge that I thought other Mousekatot families might be interested in participating.

Searching online I came across different reading challenges.

What they are is they are a list of different types of books that you challenge yourself to read throughout the year. They might be from different subjects that you normally don’t read from or from an author that you may have never thought about.

I came across two different lists, one for the little readers and one for us parents (which can be difficult to do when we have such little time to read.)

While this challenge is from 2016, it is still a great list that can also be used for 2017.

It comes from clarescontemplations.com and I think it offers a really great variety of books.

2016-childrens-book-challenge — Photo courtesy of clarescontemplations.com

This list offers a lot of unique options of books that would really open up a new world of opportunities that you might not have checked out otherwise.

The first book off this list that Lily and I read is “Interrupting Chicken” by David Ezra Stein.

This falls into the “Read a Book that Funny” category.

This tells the story of a little chicken that keeps interrupting her father while he is trying to read her a bedtime story.

This will make parents laugh if they have a little chatterbox in their family and children will laugh along with the stories that the little chicken comes up with.

For those of us parents the reading challenge that I found comes from popsugar.com.

2017-adult-reading-challenge — Photo courtesy of Popsugar.com

There are a lot of books included, which will make completing the challenge, well, challenging. So, I am going to be happy if I can finish at least five of these books. However, I am going to strive for at least half of this list.

The first book that I am reading for the challenge is “The Epcot Explorer’s Encyclopedia: A Guide to Walt Disney World’s Greatest Theme Park” by R A Pedersen.

This book is going to qualify for my “Something that has been on my TBR list for a long time.”

I received this as a Christmas gift this year and I have to say that I have enjoyed reading it so much.

It breaks down each attraction and country that is found in Epcot and shows the history and the current information at this park.

If you are a fan of learning more about unique Epcot, attractions long gone and a look at the dreams that Walt had for this park, then this book is for you.

My plan for this challenge is to share our progress with you and let you know about the different books that we have discovered.

If you have any book suggestions for us to check out, please leave them in the comments below.

Also, let me insert a plug for Mousekatots.

If you, or someone you know, is planning on visiting Walt Disney World with a toddler, or any child as a matter of fact, you will want to check out Mousekatots.

The book offers tips and tricks on how to make your trip to the Mouse House more enjoyable including what to pack, how to prepare for either road or air travel, what attractions are best for kids, where you can find macaroni and cheese in the Magic Kingdom (you know you need to know this information) and much more!

The book is available through the link above.

Holiday Book Bag

December 17, 2016December 16, 2016 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, christmas, family fun, Family Vacation, Toddler, Uncategorized

With the Christmas and holiday season right around the corner, we wanted to take one more trip to our public library to stock up on some books to keep us busy during the holiday season.

So I wanted to show you what we have in our:

We are lucky enough to have a wonderful library that has a lot of books for adults downstairs and then a great children’s library upstairs.

I am a big lover of cozy mysteries (mystery books that are not overly violent and often feature a sleuth who is not a professional in the business.) Luckily, our library has a wide selection of these types of books.

My cozy mystery choice for over the holidays is:

“Gingerbread Cookie Murder” by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier

This book is really unique because it contains three different stories in one book and they all have to deal with murder and gingerbread. (How is that for a niche book subject?)

The first story is “Gingerbread Cookie Murder” by Joanne Fluke.

Fluke is the author of the Hannah Swensen novels that feature the owner of a bakery as the heroine of the books. (Some of the books have been made into movies for the Hallmark Channel and feature Alison Sweeny in the role.)

This time Hannah finds her neighbor murdered with a box of her gingerbread cookies nearby. She soon discovers he had a list of enemies longer than her Christmas shopping list. Will Hannah be able to solve the crime?

The second story is “The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies” by Laura Levine.

Jaine Austen has been recruited to help her parents’ retirement community play when the actor playing the gingerbread cookie falls to his death during the play. Was it an accident or something more? It is up to Jaine to find out.

The final story is “Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots” by Leslie Meier.

Lucy Stone discovers the body of the father of a five-year-old boy who had gone missing. When gingerbread cookie crumbs that Lucy gave to the boy are found on the body she sets off to find the killer before he strikes again.

Honestly I picked up the book because I really wanted to read Fluke’s story, but if I have time I might check out the other two.

When it comes time for Christmas and over the winter I really like to find a sweet romance. Not one of the bodice rippers that features Fabio and some woman half clothed with her hair flapping in the breeze, but a sweet story that is full of heart and gives you the warm and fuzzies.

My go to author is Debbie Macomber.

Some of her books were made into the widely popular drama series “Cedar Cove” on, you guessed it, the Hallmark Channel.

So I picked:

“The Perfect Christmas” by Debbie Macomber

This book I actually started reading as an e-book from our library, but my time was up and the book “poofed” away from my bookshelf when I was only a few chapters in and I thought I would get it in hard copy form and finish it.

When 33 year-old Cassie Beaumont receives a Christmas card from a friend depicting her perfect family, single Cassie decides to take fate into her own hands.

She makes a sizable investment into a very exclusive matchmaker, Simon Dodson, who guarantees a match or your money back.

But before Simon will introduce Cassie to her match, she must complete three holiday tasks: be a charity bell ringer, dress as Santa’s elf at a children’s party and prepare a traditional turkey dinner for her family.

Will Cassie be able to complete the tasks and find love? What does Simon have planned for her?

The few chapters I read were really cute and I am looking forward to finishing the book.

Those were the two books that I choose. I am hoping to at least read two of the stories while I am on vacation from work, but with a little one you never know.

For our little bookworm, who also loves to read, I choose mostly Christmas books, except for a book from her favorite series.

“Happy Pig Day” by Mo Williams

This book, that is part of the Elephant & Piggie series, teaches children about how to include their friends.

When Piggie is celebrating the very special Pig Day, Gerald her elephant pal starts to feel left out. Will Piggie notice and find a way to include Gerald in the festivities?

Lily loves these series of books that feature very few words on each page and almost always garner a laugh from the little readers.

“The Animal’s Santa” by Jan Brett

I was immediately drawn to the books because of the beautiful illustrations. Lily and I previously read another book by Brett and we enjoyed the illustrations. Because there is a lot of text on each page for pre-schoolers, the intricate illustrations help distract the little bookworms and make them less antsy while you read.

The books tells the story of Little Snow, a white rabbit who is celebrating his first Christmas, as he learns who is the Santa for the animals.

On Christmas Eve, Big Snowshoe, who is Little Snow’s big brother, figures out a way for the animals to catch a glimpse of Santa.

“Henry the Christmas Cat” by Mary Calhoun and illustrated by Erick Ingraham

If you have read Mousekatots before, then you know that we have two sweet kitties. So, anytime there is a book that features a cat we snatch it up. So when we found a book that featured a cat and Christmas we had to check it out.

In this book, Henry is a Siamese cat that follows his family everywhere. When he finds out that his boy is acting in a Christmas play he decides he wants to see what this is all about and sets out to find his family.

On his journey he becomes an accidental shepherd and steps in to save the day and the play.

“Llama Llama Holiday Drama” by Anna Dewdney

If you have a little one then you are probably familiar with the Llama Llama books.

In this story Llama Llama is struggling to remain patient for Christmas to arrive while he helps with all the holiday preparations like decorating, shopping and making Christmas cookies.

This is something all little ones can identify with.

“On This Special Night” by Claire Freedman and Simon Mendez

For us, teaching Lily the reason for the season is something that is important.

We have a few books that take on this subject, but I really liked that this story was told from the perspective of the animals that were in the manger when Jesus was born.

Little Cat and Mother Cat end up joining the other animals that are going toward the special light that lead them to a very important someone who embodies peace, love and joy.

So, those are the books that we chose from the library to enjoy during the holidays.

What is your favorite holiday book or what books do you plan on reading over the holidays? Leave a comment below.

Mom & Dad Spotlight: AbracadaBar

November 5, 2016November 5, 2016 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in family fun, Toddler, Toddler Travel, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World

While Mousekatots is usually about enjoying Walt Disney World as a family, it is also nice if Mom and Dad can sneak away for a few minutes for a nice date night to enjoy the resort’s nighttime offerings.

While Disney Springs is a great place where you can go to a bunch of different lounges and restaurants in one night and try your hand at bowling or go to a movie, the various resorts at Disney also offer unique wateringholes.

During our last vacation to Walt Disney World, we stayed at the Beach Club Resort for the first time (this turned out to be my favorite resort, ever).

Being so close to the Boardwalk, we walked over to the resort one night to check out the AbracadaBar.

Just like with all Disney restaurants and night spots, AbracadaBar has an interesting “story.”

This place was the former hangout of magicians, illusionists and their assistants. After every show they would gather together to share laughs, tricks and friendship until the early hours of the night.

No one knows what happened, but one night the magical hotspot just disppaeared, along with everyone in it.

Recently, the hot spot has been rediscovered and has been opened to the public.

The lounge is decorated just like how the magicians would have left it complete with their posters, some tricks on the wall and beautiful lighting and wallpaper.

The menu is small, to be expected, but it has a bunch of different drinks.

After looking over everything I opted for The Conjurita, “a colorful margarita that never reveals it’s secrets! Gran Centenario Plata Tequila, Cointreau, Simple Syrup and Lime Juice. (It even comes with a magic trick!)

Here is a live review of what I thought of the drink. (Please excuse how dark the video is. It was very dark inside the lounge.)

Kevin ordered the Elixir, the same drink the magicians were drinking when they disappeared. “The mysterious cocktail that may have made a room of magicians vanish into thin air … Lucid Absinthe and Water.” Yep, you heard that right, absinthe, the green fairy.

While today’s absinth doesn’t have wormwood like the kind that was drunk by bohemium poets, it still packs a bit of a punch.

Here is Kev’s review.

If you have the opportunity to checkout AbracadaBar, I highly recommend it. The drinks were great, and strong, and it is such a fun atmosphere.

Will this lounge be on your radar next Walt Disney World visit? Leave your response in the comments below.

A Romantic Step Back in Time

October 11, 2016October 10, 2016 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Pittsburgh, Uncategorized

Being the parents of a toddler, the opportunity to go out on a date is really special.

This past week we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary and had the opportunity to have dinner at one of our new favorite places, The Historic Summit Inn Resort.

370613_1 — Photo courtesy of Hotel Planner

The hotel was first open to the public in 1907 and was designed as a playground for the many millionaires that lived in the city only five minutes away (At one time, this city had one of the highest rates of millionaires per capita in all the world, according to the resort’s website.)

It used to be a ski resort, but unfortunately that part of the resort has long been closed.

However, the resort still has two swimming pools, several ballrooms, a beautiful veranda that overlooks the valley and city below and more.

Today the resort is still beautiful and has that retro and romantic feel.

When you walk into the resort, it is like you are stepping back in time. You are greeted by a beautiful split staircase.

Before our dinner, we went and looked around the resort and found the indoor swimming pool, bar, saw a high school reunion and a beautiful bride on her wedding day.

We were seated in the dining room near a gorgeous stone fireplace and our table had this beautiful Tiffany style lamp.

One of the things that I really liked about the menu was that it was seasonal. There were a variety of different dishes that were autumn themed including an elk stew, pumpkin cheesecake and more.

I kicked off the meal with an apple cider martini, Kevin had a glass of wine, and we split the most amazing appetizer, a baked Brie with crostini and strawberry compote with chunks of strawberries. It was AMAZING!

I was really excited when I saw that the menu had a butternut squash ravioli. Not only do I love this dish, but it was what I had for dinner at our wedding, so it made it extra special.

This ravioli also had a brown butter sauce (not the most healthy of options) with a drizzle of cream and two leaves of sage with butternut squash on top.

Kevin opted for the Eggplant Parmesan with pasta, which he said was delicious.

We also had dessert. I had the summit chocolate cake and Kevin had the flourless chocolate cake, which we both finished before I had the chance to take a photo, but it was both beautiful and delicious.

It was a wonderful night, that my hubby had arranged and surprised me with and I was so thankful we had the chance to enjoy dinner and connect with each other.

What is your idea of the perfect date night. Leave your comments below.

Two Unlikely Best Friends

October 6, 2016October 6, 2016 by disneywonderlandgazette, posted in Books for Toddlers, family fun, Toddler, Uncategorized

13731718_1082369121842129_8437218686349478398_n — Photo courtesy of Mo Williams

We read a lot of children’s books.

Lily has liked most of them, but none have quite hit a home run like the Elephant and Piggie series from Mo Williams.

The series contains 25 books that cover a variety of subjects that children can relate to including being invited to a party, jealousy when there is a new friend, naptime and more.

Elephant, AKA Gerald, takes life seriously and seems to always have a plan. He becomes easily rattled, but has his best friend there to help him see the bright side of life.

Piggie is always ready for adventure and loves surprising her best friend Gerald. She is very sensitive to his needs and often times helps him achieves his goals.

10391470_997326290346413_7901021098141479889_n — Photo courtesy of Mo Williams

The books are easy to read and only a few words are on each page and are shown inside of a speech bubble.

The stories always feature some sort of issue that the two friends must overcome and teaches kids good problem solving skills.

But, the biggest reason why we like them is because the books are funny and super sweet. Every time we read one, Lily is laughing out loud and can’t wait to read the next one.

A lot of libraries seem to have a pretty good collection of the books because a few have been awarded a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award for being a most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English.

If you do a search on YouTube, there are different animated tellings of the books and there is also a musical that is currently touring.

554348_284886308257085_172993651_n — Photo courtesy of Mo Williams

Have you read any of the Elephant and Piggie books? If so, what is your favorite?

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