Tips for a Magical Beauty and the Beast Movie Night

Oh, happy day! It was the day that I've been waiting for. It was the day that the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast was being released on Blu-ray/DVD. This was a special movie so I wanted to make a special night out of it. My mind began swirling with ideas. I didn't want anything too complicated because who has time for that?! Everything turned out better than I could have imagined. I'm going to share what I did it and how to create your own magical night.

Checklist 

• white sheet
• chairs
• lights
• roses
• yellow streamer paper
• yarn
• cardstock
• themed food

Tent

We used a sheet and two chairs to make a tent. I definitely recommend this way. You will find out why in a moment. Also, use a white sheet. Again, I have my reasons. We tied rubber bands around the knobs of the chair to secure it.

Garland 

Use the yellow streamer paper and yarn to create a paper garland. Cut off sections of streamer paper. Experiment with how big you need it.  It took me several tries to get the size I wanted. Tie the paper on the yarn. Try not to crinkle your paper but if you do, it's not a big deal. Fluff it back out.  Hang the garland across the front of the tent. Decorate it with roses. 

Beauty and the Beast Shapes

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the shapes. If you don't have something like that, print the shapes and then cut them out.  I laid these on the top of the tent and then laid lights around them. Look under the tent for a magical surprise. (Watch the video to see how it turned out for us) See? I knew that you would be glad that you had a white sheet.

Themed Food 

 There are so many choices when it comes to themed food. Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres, beef ragout, cheese souffle... You get the point. I decided to to go with beef ragout and of course, the grey stuff. Although, my "grey" stuff didn't really turn out grey. I believe it is because the Oreos didn't have much filling so I suggest double stuffed Oreos. Oh well, it was still delicious. The recipe I found for beef ragout was surprisingly easy. Brown the meat and then throw everything in the crockpot for 3-4 hours. It may be different than what was offered at the Beast's castle, but hey, I am just looking for cheap and easy. The family loved it so I call that a win. 

Find the beef ragout recipe I used HERE
and the grey stuff recipe HERE.

Enjoy your night. 

It really didn't take that much effort and it is memory that I smile at. If you use any of these ideas for your Beauty and the Beast movie night, send us a picture or tag us on Instagram. We would love to see. I love these themed movie nights so check back for more.

If you are more of a visual person, we have you covered. 

Check out the video to see how we did it all. 

 

What is the Beverly?

If you read a lot of Disney forums, Facebook pages, and blogs, then I'm sure you've heard about the Beverly. This drink creates a lot of buzz.

Epcot offers a fun little spot where you can cool off and enjoy some refreshments for free. It is called Club Cool and is centrally located in Future World. It is a nice little break from the heat. If you stop here, then you must try the Beverly. If you don't, we may take away your Disney card or something. 

The Beverly is an Italian drink and is well... a bitter drink that Jacob says tastes like aspirin. The whole family has tried it. This last trip we decided to be awful parents and let little Bean try it. Poor guy. He may never trust us again.

He made it out just fine and actually enjoyed the pineapple drink from Greece. 

So be sure to stop by and try it. It is a requirement. If you have already tried it, what did you think?

Watch the video to see little Bean's reaction!

Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom Review and Video

There were several MUST do's when I booked our trip for Disney World, such as breakfast at 'Ohana on the day we leave (it's a delicious tradition of ours.)  A couple of new ones were:

1.) An early reservation to Crystal Palace on little Bean's first birthday.

2.) 1900 Park Fare. I knew the step-sisters would love my two boys. (And they did! Review/Video coming soon.)

First Birthday Breakfast at Magic Kingdom

We didn't know a whole lot about Crystal Palace going in, excepting that it would get us in the park before rope drop, and that Pooh and friends would be there.  As it turns out, we have a tradition now.  'Ohana on the day we go home, and Crystal Palace for breakfast on our first park day.

All the delicious food on my plate.

Seriously, this restaurant has jumped to the top 5 after just one visit.  The food was amazing, and plentiful.  It's a buffet (one of Jacob's favorite words) style breakfast with so many choices! Everyone will find something that they enjoy on the buffet even those picky eaters. Our waiter was just wonderful; neck and neck with one other for the best service we had the whole week.

The Winnie the Pooh character interaction was perfect.

But what really sets CP (what the cool kids call it) apart are the character interactions and the cast members.  We were just a bit nervous about Bean's first interaction with the characters, since they can be a bit overwhelming for little ones.  But he loved it!  They didn't charge right up to him, they let him warm up to them on his own time.  There was no rush to get to the next table.  Pooh even got in a small tug-of-war with Bean.  (Check the video for more on that.)  And Piglet loved Bug's outfit.

Piglet loved her outfit.

Now, while others might choose Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table, I am telling you here that CP is our pick.  And we ate at all three of those places during our trip.  It's relaxed, not too crowded (that is, until this blog sends throngs of people beating down the door to get in,) and the food and cast members are top notch.  It was truly a pleasure for every single member of the family, and like I said, is a must-do for every trip after just one visit. 

The whole family with Tigger.

So next time you Disney, try something a bit different than the crowd.  You'll be glad you did.

Be sure to check out the video for full character interactions and a look at what we ate.

 

All opinions and photos are all our own. Please do not use photos without permission.

4 Tips for a Winter Family Movie Night

When it is cold outside, I just want to stay in by the fire. Who agree?! When it was 20 degrees outside, we had a super fun family movie night. We watched Finding Dory and added our own special magic to our night. 

Here are four tips to make your winter movie night extra special.

 1.) Make pizzas

Lay out all the ingredients for the kids to make their own pizza. The kids enjoy dinner much more when they get involved. The pizza is even yummier than take out in my opinion. We use Mama Mary's crust.

2.) Make a tent

Keep it simple. It doesn't need to be fancy. I used chairs and some sheets with Christmas lights draped across.

 3.) Hot Chocolate Whipped Cream Decorations

While the pizzas are cooking, spread whip cream out on a plate. Freeze for about an hour. Use a cookie cutter for a fun shape. 

4.) S'mores Pops

 These were a super yummy treat and so easy. Roast marshmallows on the fire. Dip in melted chocolate and then crushed graham crackers.

Click play to get a visual of all these tips. 

Have a fun movie night and stay warm!

DIY Burlap Candy Canes

 I decided to go with rustic inspired Christmas decor this year and burlap candy canes seemed like the perfect fit.

I had some old candy cane lights that did not work anymore and one was even cracked so I decided to repurpose them into burlap candy canes.

Click play to see how I made them!

Let me know if you try this or how you repurpose old candy canes. 

DIY Candy Cane Spoons

These candy cane spoons are easy to make and the kids think that they are the coolest thing ever!

Hot chocolate is a big part of our Christmas traditions especially when we are decorating the tree. The candy cane spoons will definitely become part of that tradition too. They are so tasty with the hot chocolate.

Click play to see how we made ours!

Thanks for visiting and watching! Enjoy your candy cane spoons!!

DIY Thanksgiving Thankful Tree!

Do you need to keep the kids busy while you are cooking? Or are you looking for a fun family activity? Then you have found the right place!

We did a thankful tree to document what we are thankful for this year and it also works as pretty decor on Thanksgiving.

Check it out! Click play.

Happy Thanksgiving!!