Month: November 2014

Decorating the New York City Disney Store for Christmas

Disney Store NYC www.mouseearsmom.com

Thanksgiving Day is over. Time to pull out those sparkly decorations!

I LOVE decorating for the holiday season! My two little Mouseketeers are so excited to open storage containers and unwrap treasures Mommy has collected over decades. Christmas lights accent the memories hanging on our Christmas trees (all four of them.) And Daddy braves the weather, climbs the ladder and gathers as much patience has he can while our little ones “help.”

While we just started decorating at our home, Disney Store in New York City’s Times Square was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season last week when I visited the city.  Some of you may not be able to travel to NYC this holiday season so I just have to share the Christmas transformation with you!  It’s beautiful and of course a bit “Frozen!”

NYC Disney Store www.mouseearsmom.com

On the first level of the store, a magical Mickey Mouse wreath added some festive charm to the traditional Mickey and Minnie balloons that are a staple in Disney’s NYC store.

NYC Disney Store Christmas

Nope. This castle is not located in a Disney park.  It’s found on the second level of the Disney Store in Times Square!

It’s possible that Elsa had a hand in the icy transformation of the castle, because I found “Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post And Sauna” nearby.

Frozen NYC www.mouseearsmom.com

Sven was hanging out there! Can you imagine trying to take him home?

Sven in NYC www.mouseearsmom.com

Inside of Oaken’s children participated in a free coloring project of Mickey and Minnie Mouse masks. The kids were having a blast. I checked out the décor instead!

Oakens NYC www.mouseearsmom.com

“Yoo-Hoo!” Big Christmas Decorating Time! (sorry couldn’t help it)

Seriously, look at the size of the ornaments hanging from the ceiling!

NYC Disney Store www.mouseearsmom.com

All joking aside, the Times Square Disney Store location is bubbling over with festive holiday décor that is truly a treat for the eyes.  If you have the opportunity to visit New York City this Christmas season, add Disney Store on your “Must Do” list.  If you’ll be too busy preparing for the holiday, I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the store!

Happy Decorating Everyone! Will you be adding a Disney touch to your castle’s holiday décor?

Let’s Talk Turkey at Disneyland Park

A Turkey Dinner at Disneyland

I love Turkey!

Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow and that’s when we all talk turkey in the U.S.  But for me, I’d love turkey any day of the year.  At Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (my home away from home),  Liberty Tree Tavern serves the most delicious traditional Thanksgiving dinner year round.  But what’s a turkey-loving girl to eat when she visits Disneyland Resort in California?

This Thanksgiving, Disneyland Hotel will be hosting a sold-out Thanksgiving Day celebration from noon to 6:00 pm. The character dining experience is an all-you-can eat buffet featuring traditional Thanksgiving favorites and some not-so-typical Turkey Day offerings like king crab legs and chilled poached shrimp. It sounds fabulous, but when you’re visiting Disneyland Resort during any other day of the year, where should you go for a great turkey meal?

River Belle Terrace

River Belle Terrace

Located within Disneyland Park, River Belle Terrace is tucked away in Frontierland.  The restaurant offers a wide variety of American cuisine. I’m not a connoisseur of Disneyland food but stumbling upon this exquisite quick-service location was a delicious find and a pretty one at that!

Let’s take a look inside!

River Belle Terrace www.mouseearsmom.com

It was quiet at the time of our visit, so only one side of the cafeteria style restaurant was open.  We had most of the dining area to ourselves! Of course, I captured a few photos to share with you. The décor of the dining area was beautiful! Although the restaurant is located within Frontierland, it closely borders New Orleans Square. The décor and design of the restaurant show French inspiration with a touch of Victorian grace.

 The center of the inside dining area featured this stunning display!

River Belle Terrace www.mouseearsmom.com

Here’s a close-up of the light fixtures and wallpaper found in the dining area. Aren’t they beautiful? I’d love to take one of the lights home for my little princess’s room!

River Belle Terrace Light Fixture www.mouseearsmom.com

Yes, it’s beautiful, but how was the food?

I purchased the Home-Style Turkey Dinner for around $12 (US). The turkey dinner consisted of flavorful turkey with turkey gravy, perfectly roasted potatoes, southern prepared veggies and a super yummy buttermilk biscuit. It was delicious! My only suggestion would be to add stuffing!

Next time your visiting Disneyland Park, if you love turkey like do, try River Belle Terrace. It won’t disappoint!

In the meantime, I hope your Thanksgiving Day is blessed with good food and the warmth of great friends and family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’d like to check out River Belle Terrace’s full menu, visit https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/river-belle-terrace/

 

Sofia the First Premiere Party

Sofia the First

Thank you House Party and Disney Junior! I received free supplies to host this fun little party for some special Princess Sofia fans!

Before “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy” premiered last night on Disney Channel, we partied like royalty at our very own Premiere Party!

Guests were greeted upon entering our castle with jewels to adorn the necks of a few lovely princesses.

Sofia's amulet craft Mouse Ears Mom.com

(Check back soon for a craft tutorial to make this simple Sofia the First amulet-inspired necklace!)

A feast of sweets were prepared for the royal occasion.

#SofiaTheFirstParty Curse of Princess Ivy

Purple cupcakes with purple icing looked lovely with Princess Sofia, Rapunzel and Princess Ivy treat toppers. House Party and Disney Junior supplied me with the lovely graphics to use for my treat toppers.

Bejeweled Princess Parfaits

Princess Bejeweled Parfaits

These Bejeweled Princess parfaits were made with fat-free Greek yogurt, blueberries, strawberries and the yummiest vanilla granola. They were a big hit!  One little princess even requested to bring one home with her!

Princess Ivy Butterfly Sugar Cookies

Sofia the First: Curse of Princess Ivy cookies

Princess Ivy’s butterflies flutter about throughout the entire show, so I decided to feature them on the treat table.  Luckily House Party gave me a Wilton butterfly cookie cutter so it was easy-peasy!

(To make Princess Ivy’s Butterfly Sugar Cookies, I dipped the butterfly sugar cookies in dark chocolate and added a purple hard shelled chocolate candy.)

Time for some entertainment!

Sofia the First Party supplies

The kids all gathered at the beginning of our party to read the story of “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy.” This storybook, that we received as party of our party pack, was beautifully illustrated.  If you enjoy reading before bedtime, I’d really recommend this one!  I’ve already read it three times to the kids and now Victoria likes to “read” it to me too!

Butterfly Hair Clip Making

Sofia the First Party

The girls enjoyed creating their own hair clips, while the boys took off to play Disney Infinity!   The mommies kicked in to help with the glue gun!  Here’s a look at Victoria and Mommy’s clips once we glued on the finishing touches.

photo (63)

We had so much fun at the party that we didn’t get to the stickers and placemats until this morning! As soon as Victoria woke up this morning, she got to work!

Sofia the First Party

The kids had a blast at the premiere party! And they loved the “take home” stickers, posters, crowns & tiaras!

#SofiaTheFirstParty

Thank you House Party & Disney Junior!

Did you watch “Sofia The First: The Curse of Princess Ivy” last night?  If not, check your Disney Channel listings, I’m certain it will be on again soon!  We already watched it again this morning!

“Sofia The First: The Curse of Princess Ivy” Premieres Sunday, November 23rd

NITELITE, FLAMBEAU, EVERBURN, PRINCESS RAPUNZEL, PRINCESS SOFIA, PRINCESS AMBER

This week on Disney Channel, “Sofia The First” episodes feature Disney Princesses!

Little girls across the country are tuning into Disney Channel this week to catch up on “Sofia The First” episodes featuring their favorite Disney Princesses.  Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan and Snow White have each guest starred on different “Sofia The First” episodes and each episode will be shown this week on Disney Channel.  The princess episode week is all in preparation of this weekend’s royal event.

Sunday, November 23rd at 7 pm on Disney Channel, a special family event featuring Princess Rapunzel will premiere! In the prime-time special titled, “Sofia The First: The Curse of Princess Ivy”, Mandy Moore reprises her role as Rapunzel, from Disney’s hit film “Tangled.”

You may be wondering why does the title mention Princess Ivy and not Rapunzel. Take a look at the video link below to find out.

Princess Amber discovers the secret of Sofia’s purple amulet and accidentally summons an evil princess by the name of Princess Ivy. With the help of Rapunzel, I have a hunch that Sofia and Amber can work together to save their kingdom.

Sofia

My daughter, Victoria, is so excited about Princess Sofia’s latest adventure.  She and I are busy planning a premiere party courtesy of Disney Junior and House Party. I’ve received a free party pack, including the beautifully illustrated book featured in the photo above.  Disney Junior and House Party gave it us to read to our premiere party guests in exchange for a post sharing all our fun with you.  I’m planning a simple Sofia the First craft idea, various Sofia-inspired snacks and of course story-time, all in preparation of “Sofia the First: The Curse of Princess Ivy!”

I can’t wait to share the fun with you this week!

Will your family be enjoying the special Sunday night event too?

Simple “Big Hero 6” Cupcakes

Big Hero 6 cupcakeThis past weekend my son, Gavin, and I saw Disney’s newest film, “Big Hero 6.” We loved it! Baymax was Gavin’s favorite hero. A funny robot with a kindness that’s pure with selflessness, Baymax has won my heart too.

When I mentioned to Gavin I’d like to make Baymax cupcakes, he jumped right into helping me. He and I created these simple Baymax-inspired cupcakes.  I’m proud to say that the design of the cupcakes came from Gavin’s suggestion and I think they came out adorable!

I started with a basic white cupcake in a Wilton white baking cup.

Baymax cupcakes  Next I applied white icing to each cupcake.

Baymax cupcakes

Using a spatula Gavin helped me smooth out the icing.

Baymax cupcakes

Using two brown M & M pieces and black licorice, we added Baymax’s eyes.

Baymax Cupcake

It’s that simple!  It took more time to divide the brown chocolate candies than to decorate the cupcakes!

 

 Did you see Disney’s “Big Hero 6” yet?  Which hero was your favorite?