Friday Faves (+ hi from Orlando)

Hi friends! Happy Friday and helloooo from one of our favorite vacay spots: Orlando! We’ve been here this week meeting up with friends, visiting the parks (we’ve done Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios), enjoying time together, and eating all the delicious food.

Some pics from our trip:

My fave Disney-loving girls

(my shirt // sneakers // the girls’ shirts )

Wearing our ponchos when it rained all day

P’s best friend in the whole world and her mom, who is one of my good friends, met up with us for a couple of days. They moved to Florida a few weeks ago and the girls have been missing their buddies (they’ve been inseparable since they were 2 1/2 years old). We planned a surprise reunion for the two of them and seeing the looks on their faces was the most heartwarming thing ever. It brought tears to my eyes because they were so genuinely thrilled and surprised to see each other.

Lunch at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. It was our first time dining here and we were really impressed. It’s served family-style, so they put everything on the table and you share. It’s “as much as you care to eat.” Healthy food at Disney used to be scarce, but now there are SO many options. It’s nice to eat a vegetable or two in between the churros and rice crispy treats. 😉

Mac n’ cheese, salad, papadum and bread + dippers, chicken, pork, steam with chimichurri, roasted veggies, shrimp curry, and rice

We also had a fabulous lunch at Be Our Guest, which is always a hit with the kiddos.

Some tips from this trip:

– I always have a snack bag in my backpack for lines and waiting around, usually stashed with bars, jerky, trail mix, a pack of tuna (this is weird but it’s an easy way to add protein to otherwise lame to-go salads), cheesy crackers, gummies, almond butter packs, etc. The kids always get snacky while we’re waiting in line, so it’s nice to have! We also bring our own water bottles and fill them frequently throughout the day.

– Lurk the website for dining reservations late at night, or close to your trip. NOTHING was available when I first planned this trip, but I randomly found Be Our Guest and Tusker House reservations at like 11pm on a Saturday night. It’s also helpful to check from your phone and a desktop – my computer showed me different times than my phone!

– It rains a LOT during the summer in Orlando; almost every day in the afternoon. I brought water shoes for the kiddos, flip flops for myself + ponchos for everyone. (Get the ponchos at Target or Amazon before your trip. They were $2 at Target and $10 each at the park.) This way, we could put our sneakers in our backpacks and put on our water shoes when it started to rain. Soggy sneakers can put a damper on things, so this was super helpful.

– There currently are no fast passes available, so lines are a bit longer. The good news is that Disney is super efficient and the lines went quickly. We never waited as long as the listed times indicated, and also did the “dad pass.” (Tom went in line for some of the longer waits while we did another ride, and then we caught up with him in line.) We were able to ride a ton of rides, and all of our favorites (including Mine Train, the new Mickey Mouse ride at Hollywood Studios, and Flight of Passage.)

More of our Disney tips are in this post!

Our last Disney cruise recap is here

I also hiiiiighly recommend dinner at Cafe Tu Tu Tango (off property). It’s a funky tapas spot with entertainment – usually it’s a bellydancer, flamenco dancer, or Michael Jackson impersonator. The food is incredible and you can order a bunch of options and share everything.

All in all, it’s been such a wonderful trip. Usually by the end of a trip, I’m ready to go home and get back into a routine. Not this time. I’m ready to start a new life here.

A nice treat will be seeing Maisey and the rest of our zoo. 😉 The kids start school next week, so this has been the perfect last hurrah before we’re really back into it.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my faves from the week and around the web. I love hearing about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments below!

Read, watch, listen:

– This made me LOL thinking about Tom on vacation. (It’s about 90% accurate.)

– Good habit inspiration.

– More reasons to ditch blue light before bed.

– Malibu Rising. This was so well-written and intriguing, I read the entire book on the two flights here. Definitely worth a read.

Fitness + good eats:

– Try this barre wild card workout. So many of my fave moves in this one.

– Coconut grilled chicken and rice.

– How to ferment vegetables.

– 15-minute gentle full-body stretch.

Beauty + fashion:

Last call for Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! It ends on Sunday.

Here are some of my top picks that are still in stock:

Such an awesome deal on my fave leggings in the world. (I’ve tried a lot of leggings in my life lol.)

Ordered this track jacket and LOVE it. The fit is perfect (very flattering cut) and high-quality fabric.

This tank arrived and the fabric is a dream. Ordering another one before the sale ends.

This is when I stock up on my fave everyday thongs.

This is the time of year when I order a few of my favorite bras, too. This one is wire free (praise be) and gives you a nice shape under t-shirts without being too padded or thick. I ordered another navy one and black.

Inexpensive holiday gift ideas, like these slippers, these dainty initial pendants, and this chain bracelet.

Fall/winter printed pajamas.

The BEST shorty pajamas and they have leopard print! I have multiple sets of these and ordered one more. 😉

These faux leather leggings. These have been a staple with low-top sneakers and a sweater for the past couple of years. They’re super flattering and comfortable.

My fave socks in the universe. I like thick workout socks and these are moisture-wicking and perfect for strength training and spin classes.

These bike shorts! Love these for strength training and hot yoga. These are the perfect length, too.

I use this on the girls and myself and it’s the only thing that can tame our wild manes.

This bralette is cute with a v-neck tank. 

Wore these skinny jeans all last year and will definitely be wearing them again this season.

Men:

This casual pullover.

Classic chino shorts.

Great price on these low-top sneakers.

Super soft pima crew neck tee.

Amazing deal on this luggage.

It’s a perfect time to get new sunnies.

Kids:

These Tucker + Tate dresses are adorable and only $20. Got a polka dot one for P and it’s super cute.

These soft and comfy fleece hoodies.* (These arrived already and are the Zella quality I love. I can tell the girls will wear these a lot.)

This animal ear hoodie!

Ugg boots and North Face jackets for the kiddos <— I always order their winter gear from this sale

Happy Friday, friends! What’s something that made you smile this week? Any upcoming trips planned or anything fun you’ve done this summer?

xo

Gina

Congrats to the winner of the sneaky Beautycounter giveaway, Tracy! I’m going to reach out now and get some BC goodies on the way to her this weekend. Stay tuned for more regular and sneaky giveaways 😉