If you have been following my blog and social media at all, you know I have been living the low carb and keto lifestyle for about a year now. Yes, I cheat here and there, but I pretty much stay on track. So when my family and I went on a 7 day Disney Cruise I knew I had to make keto work for me. It was actually a lot easier than I expected. Sure I had a milkshake or a dessert here and there, but I didn’t binge out on them. And if you wanted to stay strictly keto while onboard, Disney is very accommodating.
Breakfast Options
The best way to eat breakfast is to head to the buffet at Cabanas. However, if you feel you might be tempted by the donuts and other carbs, you have the option to order room service. There are even door tags you can fill out the night before and hand on your door handle to have food brought to you in the morning.
If you do feel that you can handle the temptation, there are lots of options at the buffet. I normally fast in the mornings, but decided to have a small breakfast every morning with my family. Most days I had bacon, eggs, and sausage – but there are tons of options available (like omelettes – yum!).
Lunch Options
Lunch again, is served as a buffet. You can go to Cabanas (which was my top choice) or Flo’s Cafe. At Flo’s you can order hot dogs, burgers, chicken, etc. If we ate out there, I would get a cheeseburger with no bun, which they had no problem giving me.
Then I would just pile on the toppings at the toppings bar. One of my favorite things for lunch at Cabanas was the grilled chicken. They had this almost every day. I would get a side of veggies and it would fill me up.
This cheese souffle is still in my dreams…
Dinner Options
Disney is VERY accommodating. I often asked for substitutes, such as veggies instead of potatoes, on their dinners. They will also substitute grilled chicken for fried. Every night there was a fish option as well, however, I am not a big fish fan so I did not get those. And for an appetizer they always had a salad – perfect!
No sugar added apple pie!
Desserts are my weakness, but there were no sugar added desserts. Yup! They have these on the menu every single night. I took advantage. They were pretty tasty, but probably fall more under the low carb rules than the keto rules.
Still, I came home from the cruise only up a few pounds, that I lost within two days of going back to my regular routine.
Just remember, Disney is there to work for you. Want three salads instead of a main course? Done! They are always super willing to accommodate you and your dietary needs/wants. Don’t hesitate to ask!
If you didn’t already know, I am a big fan of MC Chris. I was able to see him live for the first time during his MC Chris is Dead 10 year anniversary tour, and it was pretty awesome. I rocked out and drank way too much. It was a night out with my husband where we were staying in a hotel and the kids were home with a sitter. We took advantage. #MCCHRISISGOODMUSIC was just released and I was excited – but cautiously optimistic – and here is why.
Is It Too Political?
MC Chris is very politically outspoken. I am 100% cool with that. In fact, I always agree with the things he has to say. I was just a little nervous that it might have hurt his music a little. Well, I could not have been more wrong. This is one of his best albums yet! It started right off with a skit that made me grin from ear to ear! And it has the perfect mix of songs. Plus, a Taco Bell song. I mean, you cannot go wrong with a Taco Bell song.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bop7Qwsg3Xh/
The Track List
Every song on here was great. I mean, every single one. There wasn’t one song that I will skip when I listen to it – over. and over. and over. I have bolded my five favorites below, but they are worth a listen. I guarantee it.
Soul Jar [Explicit]
#Mcchrisisgoodmusic [Explicit]
MC Chris 2020 [Explicit]
Sidon Ithano [Explicit]
Asmr [Explicit]
Nuggetz [Explicit]
Pitfall [Explicit]
Gordita Crunch [Explicit]
Soft Suggestion List [Explicit]
C-3po [Explicit]
Foxy Nazi [Explicit]
Scum Licking [Explicit]
Shkreli [Explicit]
Games America [Explicit]
He Wasn’t so Bad [Explicit]
Ggtt [Explicit]
#MCCHRISISGOODMUSIC is available for purchase now!
This review is in no way sponsored. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
I was so excited when Fallout 76 was announced. One of my favorite series ever, turning into an MMO format, what more could I want? Well, I have to admit, it was not at all what I had hoped for. I got bored. Fast. I got annoyed. Often. Because I am such a completionist, I don’t often get into a game right away, because I am usually finishing up another one. Red Dead Redemption 2 came out right before Fallout 76 and I planned to go back and forth between the two.
As soon as I got out of the vault and into the big world of Fallout 76, I was annoyed. Something I really loved about Fallout series was the open world, but with a story line that you should follow too. We get the same thing, sort of, with Fallout 76, but by the time I was able to play, many players were far more advanced than me. If I wanted to fight anyone, it was pretty impossible, as I would die immediately.
I Wish I Loved It More
As I was exploring the world, I would come across different missions that I could complete with other players. This was extremely frustrating as I might be hunting for a piece of the puzzle and then someone beats me to finding it. These sort of missions were just not made for a group effort if you ask me. Perhaps if I had friends that could play with me from start to finish, I would enjoy it more. For now, I will stick to the regular Fallout series – in fact, I might just replay Fallout 4 now.
One of my goals of 2018 was to live stream more. I mainly stream on YouTube, but I do on Facebook once in a great while as well. When I started, I was totally lost. I didn’t know what equipment to use, and just used the stock mic and camera from my laptop. Now that I have tried out several different things and found what works best, I want to share them with you so you can top quality stream too!
Elgato Stream Deck
When live streaming, the Elgato Stream Deck allows you to pop up all sorts of things on your screen. Introduction videos, graphics, follow reminders – the possibilities are endless. Instead of fumbling with OBS or StreamLabs and trying to add in what you wanted, simply press a button and it will show on your live stream. It is super easy to set up and there are many different buttons and pages you can use. A definite must to bring your streams to the next level.
Blue Yeti Microphone
I tried several different microphones before I found the on that my viewers and I liked the most. The Blue Yeti Microphone has great sound and comes in several different colors. It is on the pricier side, so if you want a decent microphone at a lesser cost, the Snowball is a good option too.
Ring Light
Unless you are blessed with the perfect lighting in the room you stream from, lights are pretty important. I found a really affordable ring light that fits perfectly on any desk. There are three different light modes and it can adjust to 11 different brightness levels. There is also a holder for your cellphone if you want to stream or take photos from it – and a nice carrying case for travel.
Green Screen
For live streamers who are playing video games or showing clips a lot, a green screen is important. You can find some with a stand for sale, but they are usually quite pricey. I used PVC piping to create my own green screen stand and purchased this solid color green backdrop. It works perfectly for what I need and was a fraction of the cost!
Webcam
It should come as no surprise that if you need a good webcam. There are many options out there, but I weighed the cost versus the quality and ended up with this one. The quality is amazing and so much better than the stock camera on both of my computers. I highly recommend it.
The Grinch is finally available to come home on Blu-ray and Digital — here is a list of the bonus features!
The Grinch is one of my favorite Christmas movies so you know the whole Smith family went to go see it in theaters. We have been anxiously awaiting the home release and now the time has finally arrived! To help celebrate, I want to give a Grinch Valentine’s Day prize pack to one lucky winner as well. The blu-ray and DVD have many amazing bonus features – including three mini-movies staring Max and the Minions! Bring on the laughs this new year with The Grinch!
Bonus Features
The bonus features are always my favorite part of a home release and The Grinch is no different. There are mini-movies, cast interviews, and even a how-to-draw (my artsy daughter’s favorite!).
Who’s Who in Who-ville interactive map
“You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” Lyric Video – Tyler, The Creator
Mini-Movies:
Yellow is the New Black
Dog Days of Winter
Santa’s Little Helpers
The Making of the Mini-Movies
From Green to Screen
Illuminating THE GRINCH
My Earliest GRINCH Memories
Grinchy Gadgets
Songs From His Little Heart
X-mas Around the World
Cindy-Lou’s Yule Log
Production Babies
Any Who Can Draw – Hosted by an Illumination artist and head of story Mark O’Hare.
The Grinch Comes to Digital January 22nd Blu-ray February 5th.
A new Disney Junior Puppy Dog Pals DVD, Playtime with Puppy Dog Pals, is now available — here’s a bonus features list!
Puppy Dog Pals is a favorite in our household. My youngest daughter, who just turned 6, is obsessed. We have several Puppy Dog Pals playhouses, stuffed animals, figures, clothing – you name it, we have it. Her 5th birthday party was Puppy Dog Pals themed and she wanted her 6th to be Puppy Dog Pals themed too. She is a HUGE fan. So when we found out that another DVD was due to be released, Playtime with Puppy Dog Pals, you know we were thrilled! You can win yourself a copy below!
We love these guys because we have two pugs of our own! Well, we have a pug and a puggle who we love dearly. My daughters often watch Puppy Dog Pals with our dogs – who love it just as much as we do!
Episode List
The Great Pug-scape / Luck of The Pug-ish
Scuba-Doggies / Walking the Bob
Captain Rolly / The Coolest Dogs in Town
The Legend of Ol’ Snapper / Adventures in Puppy-Sitting
Bob’s Boomerang / Fetch That Fish
Bonus Features
Episodes 1 and 2 from Season 2:
A New Pup in Town / The Last Pup-icorn
Keia’s New Doghouse / The Fang Fairy
8 “Playtime with Puppy Dog Pals” shorts
Synopsis
Adorable puppy brothers Bingo and Rolly are back! Join the doggy duo on amazing missions: deep-sea diving in the Great Barrier Reef, fetching a four-leaf clover in Ireland, running all over Down Under, and much more! Then, meet their brand-new puppy pal Keia in two exciting bonus episodes! Packed with action, music and a ton of silly fun, these playtime adventures will leave you howling with laughter!
Bohemian Rhapsody perfectly captured Freddie Mercury and Queen. If you are a Queen fan, or even if you aren’t, you need to watch this movie!
My husband is a GIANT Queen fan, so as soon as this movie was announced he was cautiously optimistic. He loves Freddie Mercury and was worried about how this movie would portray him. We were so nervous about it that we skipped it in theaters and waited until the home release. So what did we think? It hit the mark, and exceeded all expectations.
I got into Queen’s music because of my husband, so I am what you might call a newer fan. I really got into them about ten years ago, but have been going strong since. And I absolutely LOVED this movie. More than I ever thought I would. As soon as it ended, I wanted to watch it again.
The Music Made This Movie
The music in Bohemian Rhapsody was pure perfection. It was like the songs were meant exactly for all those moments we heard them. Certain scenes were made so powerful because of the music and songs that were included. And talk about a fantastic soundtrack. I own it on vinyl and CD.
Rami Malek
No one else could play Freddie Mercury like Rami did. Honestly, I had never seen him act before this. I don’t watch Mr. Robot even though I have heard great things and plan to eventually. So I went into this movie blind to him and his acting ability. Although I will say that I have always thought he resembled Freddie. But his facial expressions, his mannerisms — it was obvious that he studied Freddie so he could do him some real justice. Also, I read that Rami’s vocals were actually blended in with the music which just makes him that much more amazing.
The Shot For Shot Live Show
I live for this scene in Bohemian Rhapsody. It is probably my favorite part of the movie. If you haven’t seen the side by side comparison to the actual concert, be sure to check it out. It is uncanny. Right down to the placement of the drinks. Just WOW.
Overall Thoughts
This movie is deep. Sure, it is fun and has some great music that can sing along to or tap your foot to. But it dives into the struggles that Freddie Mercury went through. And whether you are a Queen fan or not, it makes for a great drama.
About Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet.
The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music.
In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms is a family friendly film that will take everyone on a wild adventure!
When Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms hit theaters last year, the timing never worked out for me to go see it. So I was really excited when an advance copy showed up at my doorstep to watch with my family. Not only is the movie magical and beautiful, the story is great as well. My young daughters were glued to the TV screen while it was on and loved every second of it. Then we had to check out my favorite part of a home release, the bonus features. Trust me when I say The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a must pick up for families!
Mackenzie Foy is Clara, Keira Knightley is Sugar Plum Fairy, Jaden Fowara-Knight is Phillip, Eugenio Derbez is Hawthorne and Richard E. Grant is Shiver in Disney’s THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS.
This movie is truly a must see for families. My girls are 6 and 7 and they really enjoyed it. There was nothing too intense for them, but I can see how it could be for some young kids. The mouse king was a little creepy for my 6 year old, but in the end she was laughing about how silly he looked. And if your child is sensitive to death, be leery as Clara’s mother does die. They don’t show it, but there are flashbacks you know what happened.
One of the major lessons that my girls learned from this movie is that making mistakes is OK. It is something I have tried to impress upon them so I was happy to see this movie reiterate that. They also learned that it is important to trust yourself. Not to mention that Clara’s science and technology interests made my daughters realize these are fun things to get excited about (my engineer husband LOVED that part!).
About The Nutcracker and The Four Realms
Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice and the regents who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony to the unstable land.
Bonus Features
I know I sound like a broken record but my favorite part of a home release movie is the bonus features. The deleted scenes always tend to tie the movie together more for me. And who doesn’t love some inside information from the stars of the film themselves.
On Pointe: A Conversation with Misty Copeland
Unwrapping “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” – Dive into the production design, sets, costumes and more that helped transform a beloved ballet into an adventurous movie.
Deleted Scenes:
The Stahlbaums Arrive
Follow Your Ribbon
Clara Asks About Her Mother
Left, Left, Left, Left, Left
Out with the Old
Music Videos:
“Fall on Me” Performed by Andrea Bocelli Featuring Matteo Bocelli
“The Nutcracker Suite” Performed by Lang Lang
ON DIGITAL: Unwrapped: The Visual Effects of “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”- View a reel that explores the layers of effects in sequences of the film.
A huge thank you to 20th Century Fox for sending us to NYC to experience The Kid Who Would Be King press event! All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
My daughter and I have been over the moon excited about The Kid Who Would Be King since we saw the first trailer. We knew this was a movie we would both love, and were thrilled to be invited by Fox for a special weekend in NYC to celebrate it’s release. We screened the movie, my daughter trained to be a knight, and we attended a press conference with the cast. Including Sir Patrick Stewart (Professor X, Captain Picard, real life Knight…). Yea, that was amazing. Also in the interview was Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Rhianna Dorris, and Director Joe Cornish!
1. Dean Was Hurt On Set
During the interview we found out that there were two versions of the swords. One version was real and heavy, and used for close up shots. The other was much lighter and used for most of the fighting and training scenes. Joe let us know that while filming someone actually got hurt. Yup, Dean, who plays Bedders, dropped a sword and it went through his toe. OUCH! Don’t worry, it was only a little cut.
2. Rhianna Took Playing Kaye Very Seriously
When you see the movie you will agree that Kaye is a very tough character. “She is very strong and inspiring, but she also has this underlying sense of vulnerability about her, and sensitivity. I think that’s very important as a female to be able to have that softness about you but also the tough strong character that you want young girls to aspire to be like.” I couldn’t agree more because my daughter walked out of this film wanting to be like Kaye!
3. Bullying Plays A Big Role In The Film
Bullying is a major part of The Kid Who Would Be King. Lance and Kaye start off as bullies to Alex and Bedders, but become allies, just like in the tale of King Arthur. Someone asked everyone what advice they had for kids who were being bullied. Louis said “don’t suffer in silence” and went on the explain that kids who are being bullied need to find someone they can trust to tell, anyone. Rhianna agreed with this, especially as someone who played a bully. She said the bully is usually going through something themselves and they are deflecting that pain on to you.
Joe spoke up and said that he has learned, with age (and everyone laughed), that the bullies don’t do well in life. “It’s the people that are bullied that usually get on in life. And bullies have usually got some sort of problem with their own lives.” He also agreed that Louis had some excellent advice, to not suffer in silence.
4. Sir Patrick Stewart Was a Bully As A Child
Sir Patrick Stewart had to add in that he was a bully when he was younger. Yea, the whole room was shocked. I think we all gasped when he admitted it. Patrick let us know that this is something he hasn’t ever talked about in public before.
“I came from a background where my home life wasn’t particularly safe. I don’t need to say anything more on that. The example that I was being given was a very bad one. I look back at what I did at that time and I’m ashamed of what I did. I felt that in some way I had to make myself feel important and the only way that I could do that was to control other children. I cannot make my family responsible for who I was and what I was but it was an element. I deeply regret it and it’s part of one of the reasons I have become an activist on the issue of domestic violence. For me, it’s a way of apologizing.”
5. Joe Came Up With This Idea When He Was 12
I was totally shocked when the director, Joe Cornish, let us know that the story of The Kid Who Would Be King is something he came up with when he was 12 years old. I absolutely loved that my daughter was in the room for this interview because now she has a confidence that things she dreams of now, can become a reality. In fact, Joe pointed that out to all the kids in the room, saying not to give up on your dreams. The big battle at the end was a fantasy that he had in his head when he was 12, and is his favorite scene in the film. “I lived next to a big school and I fantasized that there would be this massive battle with undead knights. And all the kids would ganging up into an army and fighting them.”
6. The Hardest Scenes to Film
When asked what the hardest scene in the movie to film was, both Louis said the pond water scene because you have to keep your energy up, and still act, and be careful with the swords. Rhianna agreed that the lake scene was a really intense scene compared to the rest of the film, in terms of the emotion. We all chuckled when Joe butted in saying he didn’t believe that for a second.
“I would like to contract what they said. We built a pool to be a lake and filled it with chlorine to keep everyone safe. I got terrible chlorine burns all over my face and body. These kids were in there like it was Sunday afternoon at the local pool. Literally like little dolphins, so I don’t know what all this ‘it was hard work’ business is. It was hard work for me to stop you splashing around.”
Sir Patrick Stewart added in that for him, one of the hardest parts was doing the hand motions for the magic spells. “I found it very difficult to learn the hand movements because they had to be exact. There was one sequence in particular that I had to copy something that we already saw Angus do. That was challenging.” Patrick added that catching the Cherryaide cup in one of the scenes was also difficult. He let us know that someone was above him dropping a cup, that he had to catch, and it took him a great deal of times to finally do it.
7. Why They Wanted to Do The Movie
I was so proud of my daughter for asking a question to the cast. She wanted to know what made the actors want to do the movie. Louis spoke up that after he got the script, “I realized what a great part it was, and how well written it was.” Rhianna let us know that after she read the script, the whole thing in general made her really excited about it. “The tale of a boy that goes from being almost nothing, to a king – I liked that story. And just the fact that it was a modern adaptation, and the medieval period just dumped in to the modern world, I thought that was pretty cool.”
But my favorite answer was from Sir Patrick Stewart. He pointed out something that I had, in fact, thought of myself. He was finally able to add playing a wizard as a notch in his acting belt. “Two other actors who I have known all my career, which is getting on sixty years now…it seemed to me that all my friends were playing wizards.” he then added that his initial excitement was that he was finally going to play a wizard.
About The Kid Who Would Be King
Old school magic meets the modern world in the epic adventure THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING. Alex thinks he’s just another nobody, until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. Now, he must unite his friends and enemies into a band of knights and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin (Stewart), take on the wicked enchantress Morgana. With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be.
The Kid Who Would Be King hits theaters January 25th!
My girls are getting older and while there are many things I will miss about them being little, there are many things I am excited for as well. My oldest has started watching what we call “real people shows” and I love cuddling up with her to watch them. The Disney Channel has become something special between the two of us, and I am really excited for the new show, Sydney to the Max. We watched the trailer together and she can’t wait either!
These girls are too cool for school!
I could tell right away that Sydney to the Max was a show we would both enjoy. We are eagerly awaiting the premiere – and even have a fun girls night planned to watch it! We are going to do each other’s nails, wear face masks, and more – much like this mother/daughter spa day that we had before. Something that I always do to relax, and that my daughter has started doing too, is coloring with colored pencils. So imagine how thrilled we were to receive a Sydney to the Max package from Disney that included a coloring book with coloring pencils!
They used to be so little!
Father/Daughter Bonding
Since this show is about the father/daughter bond, my husband has agreed to join part of our girl’s night! I am excited about this because I think them watching a relationship between father and daughter is important. Especially as our oldest daughter is growing up, just like Sydney. These years can be a confusing time and I think this show will help the whole family through the transition.
SYDNEY TO THE MAX – (Disney Channel/Ed Herrera)
About Sydney to the Max
Set in the present day with flashbacks to the 1990s, the comedy revolves around outgoing middle schooler Sydney Reynolds who lives with her single dad Max in the house he grew up in, along with her progressive grandmother Judy — three generations under one roof. As Sydney’s preteen pursuits begin to expand with unexpected and funny twists, Max tries to get a better sense of the guidance, perspective and support she needs. Grandma, full of both parental wisdom and wisecracks, has a razor-sharp memory that proves Max’s own teenage antics parallel Sydney’s. Flashback scenes to a young Max and his best friend Leo juxtapose the funny predicaments invented by Sydney and her vivacious friend Olive.
Premieres on Disney Channel: Friday, January 25 at 8:30pm ET/PT!
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