• Oh Twodles birthday party

    Oh Twodles birthday party

    Long before Arabella turned two, a Disney-loving friend of mine posted photos of her son’s “Oh Twodles” Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party, and I thought it was genius. (For those who don’t know, Mickey and friends all say “Oh Toodles” several times per episode on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, summoning a magical helper thingy). And since Arabella […]

  • Winnie the Pooh tea party

    Winnie the Pooh tea party for children

    We’re having a Winnie the Pooh tea party at home, and you’re invited! When I canceled Arabella’s first birthday party in March, I thought I was just postponing it. But as restrictions increased and our time in Okinawa got shorter and shorter, I realized we weren’t going to be able to have her party there. […]

  • Visiting Disney with a baby

    Visiting Disney with a baby

    The idea of visiting Disney with a baby may be pretty intimidating—we definitely got a lot of “you must be nuts” looks when we told people we were taking Arabella to Hong Kong Disneyland when she was 100 days old (this was before the protests got big and before coronavirus). But visiting Disney with a […]

  • An American Disney fan’s guide to Disneyland Paris

    An American Disney fan's guide to Disneyland Paris

    Bonjour! Today I’m going to tell you all about visiting Disneyland Paris, from an American Disney fan’s point of view. But before we get started, you should know a few things about me. Those of you who read my blog, follow me on Instagram, or happened to have gone to middle school with me have […]

  • Military family guide to Disney World

    magic kingdom railroad

    Many years ago — long before Magic Bands, rose gold mouse ears, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — Toby and I went to Disney World. It was the first time he had ever been to a Disney park, and the first time I had been since my high school graduation. We were going to […]

  • Visiting Disney World for July 4th

    Visiting DIsney World for Fourth of July

    We love Disney, and they have the best fireworks ever. So when we found out we were moving overseas last summer, we knew we had to spend  July 4th in the most magical place on Earth before leaving the U.S. It was a fantastic trip, and I would definitely do it again if we have […]

  • Disney Halloween cookies

    jack skellington cookies

    Halloween at Disneyland is an extra magical time. They have a special Halloween party (which, sadly, we never made it to), Halloween-themed treats, various Disney villians to meet and take photos with, and cool Halloween decorations throughout the park. I had never seen Nightmare Before Christmas before going to Disneyland at Halloween, but after experiencing […]

  • Disneyland’s diamond celebration

    jen with goofy

    It’s been almost 60 years since Disneyland opened in a former orange grove in Anaheim, California. To celebrate their birthday (which is actually on my birthday, July 17), they’ve spruced up some of the oldest rides, blinged out Sleeping Beauty’s castle, debuted a new fireworks show and created a new nighttime parade. And to kick it all […]

  • Ripped jeans and pixie dust

    fairy good life

    You’ve probably noticed that I put my outfits together based on the event, occasion or location at which I’ll be wearing them. I think I’ve always been like that, actually: I remember going to a Phoenix Suns game when I was in middle school and wondering what the heck the woman sitting courtside in YELLOW […]

  • Fab Fave Friday: What to eat at Disneyland

    If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that Toby and I are basically obsessed with Disneyland, and go there constantly. We also tend to eat quite a lot while we’re there. So today, I wanted to share some of our favorites with you, in case you’re hitting the park and didn’t bring your […]