mommy and me

5 Lessons For My Daughter thanks to THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS +Recipes #DisneysNutcracker @DisneyStudios

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When was the last time you cried at the movies? Well thanks to Disney’s new film, THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS, I shed a few tears while watching the mystery and magic unfold. It made me think about my role as a Mother and what important lessons I would want my daughter to know, especially when it comes time for me to go.

In the film, which opened in theatres everywhere on Nov. 2, 2018, Clara (Mackenzie Foy) is dealing with the death of her Mother who has left her a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s (Morgan Freeman) annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key—which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren), to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

Watch the Trailer here⤵️

Check out ‘Family Traditions’ Featurette here⤵️

Starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy and featuring a special performance by Misty Copeland, Disney’s new holiday feature film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” directed by Lasse Hallström and inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale is a must see! But I’m telling you..HAVE. YOUR. TISSUES. READY!

We have seen the Nutcracker ballet [see past posts here] and even the Hip Hop Nutcracker and I have never had this reaction before. Maybe I cried because I am 45 years old, my daughter is 7 and I know one day she will have to deal with the loss of me. How can I prepare her for my death? More importantly am I doing enough to prepare her for life? Will she be angry, feel abandoned or perhaps lost like Clara?

There are 5 Lessons For My Daughter thanks to THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS that I want her to know:

  1. Who you are is not determined by others. You decide who you are for youself. You hold the key to unlocking the magic, your unique gifts, inside you.
  2. What do you do when you miss someone? REMEMBER them.
  3. When choosing friends, may they be loyal ,reliable, trustworthy, respectful, caring and fair. A great example of loyalty is shown by Captain Phillip (Jayden Fowora-Knight)
  4. Where ever you go walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
  5. How you love your life and the people in it will be your legacy. So live with passion, conviction, character, confidence and don’t forget to DANCE!

And here are 2 delicious Nutcracker themed recipes created in honor of the film:

Nutcracker Cookies: https://family.disney.com/recipe/nutcracker-cookies/

Nutcracker Gingerbread House:https://family.disney.com/recipe/nutcracker-gingerbread-house/

Take a look at our Sunday Funday at the movies here ⤵️

Like THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneysNutcracker

Follow Disney Studios on Twitter:https://twitter.com/DisneyStudios

Follow THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/disneysnutcracker/

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS is now playing in theatres everywhere!

Do you plan to see The Nutcracker And The Four Realms?

Plan a #MommyandMe Lunch Date at @American_Girl Bistro + Enjoy Interactive Shopping Fun with American Girl App! #charactercounts

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I recently traveled to Atlanta to visit family and friends during my daughter’s Spring Break. It coincided with Easter as well, so there was a whole lot to celebrate! We enjoyed a fabulous Easter Brunch at the Mandarin Oriental, a fun dinner/show at Medieval Times, and a family-friendly dining experience at The Cowfish during our stay.

While all of these were amazing foodie fun experiences, I knew that planning a visit to the American Girl store would be just the place to make #outandaboutAva’s Spring Break extra special. I was happy to find out there was one in Alpharetta,GA that included a bistro and even happier that I could turn this into a double date with mom/blogger [Ashley of @MommyWeek], her daughter and of course the Girl of the Year doll, Luciana Vega!

Mommy and Me Lunch Date with Ashley of MommyWeek, Leslie of SobeSavvy, their daughters + American Girl dolls!

The Bistro

As soon as you walk into the bistro, you know you are in for a girly good time with all the pretty pink decor. From the pink table, pink menu, pink daisy centerpiece and pink napkin holder (which your child gets to take home as a pony tail holder keepsake), the American Girl Bistro is… “soooo cute” per my little girl. All are welcomed to have a seat at the table, including your doll! They will bring a pink dining chair (with a doll if you don’t have one) right to you for your little one to enjoy. Here is a fun pic from my Instagram instastories showing what the American Girl Dolls look like sitting at the table too!

The Menu

Memories are always on the menu at the American Girl Bistro. Expect to have a delicious dining experience that you can create all on your own! Lunch included an appetizer, entreé and choice of dessert. We ordered speciality Luciana Vega drinks and said a toast to new friends and new memories!

For starters, I had the mozzarella cheese sticks while both girls ordered the fruit fondue, which came with muffins, a fruit skewer and yogurt. We all thought the presentation of the yogurt served like a flower pot was so fun! Our main entreés came quickly and were cooked perfectly. I highly recommend the salmon dish if you are looking for a healthy seafood option. My daughter loved customizing her bowtie pasta by sprinkling as much parmesan cheese on it as her heart desires! Everyone became a member of the clean plate society since we finished every bite. It was that good.

Be sure to save room for the scrumptious sweets to enjoy at the end of your meal. The delicious desserts range from cookies, cupcakes, brownies, ice cream or if you really wanna go all in, get a brownie ice cream sundae!

SobeSavvy Tip: Wanna make your dining experience more fun? Play the the conversation starter game, which you can find at the center of the table. It’s a great way to learn about yourself and everyone else!

The Boutique

After our delicious lunch, we headed into the American Girl boutique store to explore what’s new. Did you know you can search for exciting augmented reality experiences throughout the store simply using your smartphone? That’s right, you can bring magic to life and unlock interactive experiences, stop-motion videos, behind-the-scenes content, and more!

SobeSavvy Tip: Download the American Girl app for FREE, scan the pages of the catalogue and look for special icons in the stores. Get ready to go beyond the stars with Luciana and discover all of the interactive ways to play at americangirl.com/luciana. Overall our Mommy and Me lunch date was more than just a girls day out, it was a day to remember and a trip we’ll never forget! Just watch this video and wait for the happy dance moves from my little one after all the fun:

Make plans to head to your nearest American Girl store and check out all the fun, new happy spring experiences to share. Check out MommyWeek’s blog post giving her perspective of this fun day! Be sure to stop in American Girl store soon and leave with your smiles in full bloom! Thanks again to our friends at American Girl for hosting us and giving all of us a Spring Break date we will cherish.

All smiles for #outandboutAva and her mom, Leslie, Founder of SobeSavvy.com during their visit to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro in Alpharetta,GA

American Girl Atlanta Bistro

1202 North Point Circle

Alpharetta, GA 30022

Enjoy #NationalNoodleMonth Eats in #Raleigh @ToriiNoodleBar @shopCrabtree #Ramen #dineCrabtree

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SobeSavvy.com Celebrates National Noodle Month at Torii Noodle Bar

There really is a holiday for everything and in case you did not know the month of March is National Noodle Month! Looking for a place to celebrate in Raleigh? May I suggest you go to Torii Noodle Bar at Kanki in the Crabtree Valley Mall. If you read my last feature on this restaurant, then you know it is one of my favorite places to dine especially with my daughter who loves noodles! This past weekend, we were hosted to try some of the noodle dishes on their menu and here are some highlights from our mother and daughter lunch date!

MENU

Leslie, Founder of SobeSavvy.com and her daughter, #outandaboutAva enjoy Japanese soda at Torii Noodle Bar

Torii Noodle Bar has a menu that as soon as you open it you can see the mouthwatering noodle entree bowls available. Appetizers, entrees, beverages, and dessert are served at this intimate & modern noodle bar.

APPETIZERS

SobeSavvy Tip: If you use code “SoBeSavvy” at Torii, you can receive a free appetizer with purchase of an entree!
O

ffer is good through May 14, 2018 and Please limit one coupon per party.

We started with some edamame and dumplings before ordering our entrees. Edamame is good for you and great for sharing for only $3.95 on the menu. If your little dumpling loves dumplings as much as mine does, order the Gyoza. It’s flavorful and fun to dip into their signature ponzu sauce.

Edamame or Gyoza for an appetizer..which one would you choose?

ENTREES

My little one is having fun mastering the art of chopsticks and Torii Noodle Bar has a nice variety of noodle entrees that gives her the practice she needs! Not a pro yet? No worries, they will adjust the chopticks for little hands. She ordered the Yakisoba stir fried noodles and opted to get the sauce on the side. I love that you can customize the noodles to you or your childs liking. Hers was lightly tossed in soy sauce instead which she enjoyed!

Yakisoba Stir Fried Noodles are kid-friendly and flavorful at Torii Noodle Bar

At the wonderful suggestion of our server and being the seafoodie that I am, I was eager to havr the seafood scampi ramen. The portion of this is huge, which quite frankly I did not mind. It was chock full of fresh veggies, seafood and served in this amazing broth.

DESSERT

SobeSavvy Tip: You must save room for dessert and try the Japanese Mochi Ice Cream. We had the strawberry and mango flavors, however you can try a sampler of all the Mochi flavors offered. It was so yummy! A sweet ending to our tasty lunch.

SERVICE

All smiles after our delicious lunch with great customer service at Torii Noodle Bar

Sure, we ate and slurped and drank some fun Japanese soda, but what made the meal most memorable was the service. Our server named Lily, who is also a mom to a daughter named Ava, was simply wonderful. She was patient, knowledegable and pleasant. My little foodie has a lot of questions and is quite curious about things like wanting to know what Torii means in Japanese? Here is what we found out: The entrance of the Jinja (a Shinto shrine) has a traditional Japanese gate called a Torii (鳥居), (literally ‘bird abode’). A Torii is built to show the beginning of a sacred place. It symbolically marks the transition from mundane to sacred.

I think the name of the restaurant is a perfect fit because you will not get mundane service or food once you walk thru the doors at Torii Noodle Bar. The next time you are at Crabtree Valley Mall, treat yourself and your little one to oodles of fun while enjoying a bowl of noodles at Torii Noodle Bar!

Torii Noodle Bar At Kanki

Crabtree Valley Mall

4325 Glenwood Ave

(919) 782-9708

Hey #NC Moms, Head to @UPlaceNC for #BacktoSchool Shopping Fun in #ChapelHill #UPlaceNC #shoplocal

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Today is the first day of school for #outandaboutAva, who is going into the 1st grade! Excitement is in the air but she is prepared to go back to school in style thanks to our recent shopping day at University Place. This beautiful shopping area is located in the heart of the Triangle region and is the only enclosed shopping mall in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I had fun shopping with my little one and wanted to not only share our finds but inspire you to go check out the great sales at the following stores:

Glee Kids

Leaving out the store.. full of “glee” | Glee Kids store, University Place

If you like big style for your little one, Glee Kids is a baby & clothing store you should not ignore! We saw a ‘Sale’ sign that caught our eye for one of my favorite brands for children, Tea Collection. Tea styles offer easy-fit items with globally inspired styles perfect for my girl on the go! There’s so many cute fashions, accessories and cool bookbags too, choosing what she wanted was easy to do!

#outandaboutAva shopping at Glee Kids

Cool & Cute Backpacks for girls/boys at Glee Kids

New Arrivals , Gift Items and more at Glee Kids

Great Customer Service at Glee Kids

Shopping Find: Girls Ruby Graphic tee from Tea! From Glee Kids

The Heather Pocket Patch Dress from Tea+ Unicorn Lip Balm found at Glee Kids

The Red Hen

Shopping at The Red Hen | University Place

Looking for a variety of clothes, toys, books, shoes and more? Then, The Red Hen is your ideal store! This resale and gift boutique offers great prices on previously owned name brand clothes and carry new and/or local items. They won Indy Week’s Best of the Triangle: 2017 Best Children’s Clothing Shop and provided a wonderful ‘shop local’ experience.

Shopping Around at The Red Hen

Shopping Find: Carters Black Vest | The Red Hen

Too cool for school! Shopping Find: Vest + Gap Pink & Black Polka Dot Skirt | The Red Hen

Shopping Find: Lands End Leopard Cardigan Sweater | The Red Hen

Burlington Shoes

Back to School ‘Sale’ smiles at Burlington Shoes

I don’t know about your kid, but my child’s feet seem to grow overnight! Which means new shoes for back to school are essential. Tons of shoes, socks and backpacks are available and on sale until Sept. 10th, so hurry there now !

Fun Times + Shoe Shopping with Dad at Burlington Shoes

Emoji Socks Rock! Shopping Find: Emoticon 6pk socks | Burlington Shoes

Shopping Find: Nine West ‘Wilmah’ Girls Ballet Flats | Burlington Shoes

I appreciated how I was able to shop with ease and thoroughly enjoyed our time at the mall. After all was said and done, we had a few shopping bags plus lots of back to school shopping fun!

University Place ‘Back to School’ Shopping Fun with #outandaboutAva and her Mom, Leslie Founder of SobeSavvy.com

UNIVERSITY PLACE

201 S Estes Dr

Chapel Hill, NC 27514