All in Vacations

Travel Baby Formula

Travel Baby Formula

Brittany Payne
Household, Vacations, Kids

Brad and I travel a lot.  We decided while I was pregnant that we would not let a baby slow us down.  We are really trying to stick to that goal after having Melody.  Of course some trips are not realistic and traveling is definitely not as easy as before, but we are doing pretty good.  We have a baby that loves the car, so that definitely makes traveling easier.  One thing we faced on our first big travel (it was 3 1/2 hour trip to Brad's parents' house) was making Melody's bottles.  We now usually make all of her bottles for the day in advance, but that has not and will not always be the case.  I decided to make use of some of our breast pump supplies and create my own travel baby formula containers.  Check it out below!

What to Wear to Disney World in January

What to Wear to Disney World in January

Brittany Payne
Vacations

Winter is my favorite time of year to go to Disney World.  I especially love going in January.  My mom and I go almost every year for my birthday, and the crowds are extremely low.  You do have to be careful if you go on the weekends, however.  There are cheer competitions going on most weekends in January, but during the week is perfect crowds.  Some rides are usually closed, but you will honestly find a ride or two closed during all parts of the year.  Beyond the low crowds, I love the weather.  It is rarely too hot or too cold.  However, it can be difficult to dress.  The reason is because it starts off chilly in the morning, warms up in the afternoon, and gets chilly again.  Below are my tips and suggestions for what to wear in January (or general winter time):

DragonCon 2014 and 2015

DragonCon 2014 and 2015

Brittany Payne
Vacations

I already kind of discussed DragonCon back in May when I was going over what Brad and I wear to it.  I thought it might also be informative to discuss some of what we did at the last two DragonCons that we have attended.  It is highly unlikely we will be attending DragonCon 2016 (primarily because we have a little one now, and we prefer she not get the ConCrud), but if you are and have never been, hopefully this will give you some idea of what to look forward to.

What to Wear to Disney World in September

What to Wear to Disney World in September

Brittany Payne
Vacations

As most of you know, I go to Disney World quite frequently.  One of the most difficult tasks for me is what clothes to pack for the weather.  This is primarily because Orlando weather isn't always the easiest to predict.  However, in September, you can pretty much guarantee it is going to be humid, hot, and maybe even rainy!  So dress appropriately. 

New York Planning and Trip Report

New York Planning and Trip Report

Brittany Payne
Vacations

So our sort of "babymoon" was a trip to New York over Thanksgiving.  We started planning our trip, however, before we knew I was pregnant.  Hence the "sort of" babymoon.  New York was something Brad had always wanted to do, and he really wanted to go before kids.  So we investigated and planned away!

Dragoncon Outfits

Dragoncon Outfits

Brittany Payne
Vacations

Every Labor Day weekend an event called DragonCon is held in Atlanta, GA.  In 2014, my husband and I went for the first time just for one day.  We really were not sure what it was all about, and we already happened to be in Atlanta for Ole Miss and Alabama football games.  So we spent the Friday before Labor Day checking it out.  It turned out to be so much fun, we decided to go back in 2015 for the entire event weekend.  This was Friday-Monday. 

Liberty Tree Tavern Review

Liberty Tree Tavern Review

Brittany Payne
Vacations

So I will let you know now, this is not a positive review of Liberty Tree Tavern.  There are positive parts, but overall, I would not eat here again.  I won't say "never" because there is always the off chance we go with people that may want to eat there...many years down the road.  BUT, if I have a choice or vote in the matter, we will not be going back.  Check out our experience below.

The Brown Derby Lounge Review

The Brown Derby Lounge Review

Brittany Payne
Vacations

So my mom and I knew we would not have enough dining credits for EVERY meal.  So we decided we would either pay out of pocket for a meal that didn't take the dining plan or for breakfast.  Well we only ate breakfast one morning, so we decided to try The Brown Derby Lounge.  As I mentioned in a previous review, The Brown Derby itself is not worth the two credits for the table service dining plan usage.  However, if you want to try some of the foods The Brown Derby has to offer, such as the Cobb Salad, stop by the Lounge.  It is first come first service seating.  We arrived at 12:30, and there was plenty of seats available.  

La Cantina de San Angel Review

La Cantina de San Angel Review

Brittany Payne
Vacations

So for lunch on our last day, we decided to use a quick service credit.  We were at Hollywood Studios that morning, so we were torn if we should just eat there, or go try something at Epcot.  Well, we opted for Mexican at Epcot.  Mexican was about the only type of food we had not tried since we were at Disney World.  My mom had tried La Cantina de San Angel before, but I had not.

Cape May Cafe Review

Cape May Cafe Review

Brittany Payne
Vacations

We dined at Cape May Café our first day at Disney World for my 30th birthday trip.  I will be completely up front and tell you I did not get enough pictures.  I really wish I had.  However, you can find plenty of pictures of this amazing eatery online.  But let me give you my review (in case you can't tell I like it already!).  

Disney Trip Planning - 30th Birthday

Disney Trip Planning - 30th Birthday

Brittany Payne
Vacations

As usual, my mom and I planned to go to Disney World for my birthday.  I was turning the big 3-0.  Unknowing to my mom, my husband and I were trying to get pregnant, so I found ways to discourage our usual cruise/Disney combo.  So we decided we would just do 3 or 4 days at Disney World and fly.  I found out I was pregnant September 23rd, but Brad and I wanted to wait and tell our parents after our first doctor's appointment.  So I didn't tell mom until October 21st.  I put off booking Disney to make sure she would be ok going with me while I was four months pregnant!  I hated for her to not enjoy herself and ride everything unless she was truly ok with that.  Of course she was good with it, so the planning began!

DIY Disney Shirt

DIY Disney Shirt

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Vacations

My mom and I went to Disney for my 30th birthday.  I plan to do my trip report soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share with you my DIY Disney shirt I made.  I really wanted a pregnancy Disney shirt.  I googled and found some that were going to be around $30-$35, but I knew I could make one for much cheaper.  So I decided to give it a try.  I designed the shirt myself using Pixelmator.  You can either design your own shirt, or you can buy the rights to an image online and just print it yourself.  The entire project cost me about $15.  See below!

Baby Bump Selfies at Disney World!

Baby Bump Selfies at Disney World!

Brittany Payne
Vacations, Randomness

My mom and I recently went to Disney World for my 30th birthday.  Since I am pregnant, it is technically my baby's first trip to Disney World. Sine my husband wasn't with us for her "first" trip, he asked that I take pictures of my "bump" as if it was a baby selfie. This would allow him to see her first trip from her perspective. Below are the pictures I captured! 

Surf Hut - Destin, FL

Surf Hut - Destin, FL

Brittany Payne
Vacations

Surf Hut is about a year old in Destin, FL.  It is your typical shrimp basket restaurant.  We have been there twice.  This review is of our second trip.  The waits can get long, so arrive early or plan on having appetizers at the bar area.  

Disney Souvenir

Disney Souvenir

Brittany Payne
Crafts, Household, Vacations

If you have stayed at Disney World in the last few years, they send a nice little picture and a thank you for visiting.  We have received both Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.  It is a sketch picture and at the bottom it says "Payne Family Vacation 2015".  It is super cute, and we have so many that I felt we should do something with at least one of them.  This idea has been floating around Pinterest, so I decided to recreate it.  See below!

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