Have you ever been sick or not felt your best at Disneyland or Disney World? It is the absolute worst. 

I have been compensated by Sundown Naturals® and Pollinate Media Group for this post as part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sundown Naturals® but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #GoodnessGiveaway #sharethegoodness http://my-disclosur.es/OBstV

Have you not felt your best at Disneyland or Disney World? It is the absolute worst.

For my 18th birthday we took a weeklong trip to Disneyland that ended in me feeling less than my best and it was the biggest struggle. Not only was it my birthday, but I felt not my best on every ride and was the slowest version of myself.

Not ideal, I assure you.

Today I come to you with my 5 tips for feeling your best and staying healthy during your Disney trip!

1. Pack vitamins (Multi, Vitamin C)- Vitamins are a great way to integrate a mini "health" routine into your trip and feel your best during a long park day. As a kid (read: still a kid at heart, but an adult in form) I used to love gummy vitamins. It’s the perfect excuse to eat what tastes like candy! Since everything at Disney is maximum fun, I think that should extend to the vitamins that I pack as well.

I grabbed some Sundown Naturals® gummy vitamins at Walmart to pack for my trip in two weeks and they taste awesome. This particular brand is gluten free, dairy free, and artificial flavor free◊ which is extra great. I picked a multivitamin for overall wellness and a vitamin C to boost my immune system, but you can see what vitamins may be best for you by taking a short quiz here with a coupon attached at the end!

2. On a multi-day trip bring "just in case" medicine like Ibuprofen and Advil-

Just in case you feel sick or sore from walking (!!!!), pack medicine like Advil to have in your hotel room or on your person. Disney charges a premium for medicine in the gift shop, so prepare ahead of time. One person can be the designated packer for this and the whole group will be thankful just in case someone gets sick.

3. Pack hand sanitizer, wipes, and Kleenex-

Pack your bag or fanny pack with hand sanitizer, wipes if you have little ones, and Kleenex. While the best thing to do is to wash your hands at a bathroom in the park, the next best thing is having some sanitizer in a pinch. Single/mini packs of all these things should be available at your local Walmart to save some space.

Wipes are also great for feeling better in the middle of the day when you are oh-so-sweaty and tired!

There is a whole post on what I pack for Disneyland that can be found here!

4. Drink water, its free!-

It always surprises me when someone doesn't know this but just in case you don't the water is always F-R-E-E at Disney Parks. Head to a food service counter, ask at a Starbucks, or fill your own personal bottle at a water fountain. Staying hydrated is the best tip I can give you for feeling great while at the parks!

5. Wear sunscreen, because sunburns are the worst-

You know what’s worse than feeling less than your best? Feeling that way AND being sunburned. Protect your skin, wear a hat, and load up on sunscreen to stay happy and healthy.

All of these things should keep you feeling happy and healthy on your next Disney vacation!

PS. be sure to enter the Goodness Giveaway Sweepstakes today! Head into Walmart and purchase at least 1 Sundown Naturals® vitamin product for a chance to win weekly prize packages and a grand prize! Every week, one winner will be selected to choose from 1 of 4 prize packs – Yogi Pack, Fitness Pack, Foodie Pack, or a $100 Walmart Gift Card. Simply upload a picture of your receipt here and you are entered for a chance to win some incredible prizes now through 11/1!

xo,

Natalie

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. ◊Applies to all products manufactured after 5/1/15. Please check back of label as manufacture dates may vary.

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There are a handful of great recipes that take zero talent, barely any time and end up tasting great. So when you find one of these gems you bookmark it, write it down, and print it out to ensure you don't lose it in case of emergency. 

This recipe is one of those gems, pin it for later!

I found this recipe originally from my favorite source, Martha Stewart and made two small changes to the recipe below. I really don't like Mushrooms, so if you do sub the carrots for an equal amount of those. The only other swap was full-fat sour cream in exchange for low-fat, which was a recommendation in the youtube video I watched. 

Putting the ingredients into the crockpot takes about 10 minutes, and the prep work required to serve it is about the same. Make sure to dissolve the cornstarch in some cold water initially, and add the fresh dill right at the end for best results.

Happy Crock-pot-ing!

xo,

Natalie

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Its the spookiest time of year to visit a Disney Park and if you are planning an October visit, you might have one specific item in mind to snag as a worthy memento of your trip. 

The one, the only, Poison Apple Stein. 

This mug blew up on the internet last year, mostly on Tumblr and Pinterest. You can't carry it around in the park for more than 5 minutes without someone stopping you to ask "where did you get that mug?!?" and proceeding to head in the direction you pointed them in. 

So the question I an many others have been asked so many times this month is where do you get it? Well I have created a comprehensive list for you guys AND a video, with that answer in mind. Here is how you can find THE poison apple mug on both coasts.

Something to note is that the mug is priced differently depending on where you buy it. Sometimes the mug is filled with fruit, ice cream sundaes, frozen lemonade, and if you ask you can just buy the mug plain and keep it clean to take home. I have tried to list the various prices where I can but if you know of a change or correction, make sure to comment and I will update the listing.

In Disneyland:

Maurice's Treats

inside fantasy faire, across from the theatre. Get the mug filled with a frozen beverage for $12.99. They also offer the mini poison apple glow cubes for $4.00 with any drink.

Big Thunder Fruit Cart

Across from the ride, next to the mark twain. Get the mug filled with fresh fruit for $10.99.

Haunted Mansion Snack Cart

Across from the ride, get it filled with a frozen beverage for $13.50 or get it clean and empty for the same price. 

In California Adventure:

Mortimers Market

In the front of Buena Vista Street, right where Oswald does his meet and greet. Get the mug filled with fresh fruit.

Fairfax Fruit Market

in hollywood land next to the smoothie place, look for the building with the mosaic wall. Get the mug filled with fresh fruit for $10.99.

Clarabelles Ice Cream

right next to Starbucks on Buena Vista street. Sometimes I have seen the mug offered with a sundae inside.

In Magic Kingdom:

A note about Magic Kingdom mug access: As far as I know, the poison apple mug is only available during Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party. If someone has insight on this, please comment below!

Sleepy Hollow Refreshments 

Right across (sort of askew) from where Jack and Sally meet in Liberty Square. Fill the mug with an apple pie sundae complete with caramel sauce.

Cheshire Cafe

right next to the teacups!

The Friars Nook

next to the "Winnie The Pooh" ride, get the mug filled with frozen lemonade and gummy worms. We got our mugs at this location during Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party.

As a last and final resort, you can always order one on Ebay. But it will run you double the cost of a mug at the park. Ive also linked a few poison apple items to browse in the widget below.

Happy Hunting!

Natalie

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Hello Everyone! Long time no talk, er...blog.

I have been a little MIA and took an extended trip to Florida (more on that soon!) but now leaves are falling, PSL's are amok, and I am back at the computer and ready to write again. Like literally everyone, Autumn is my absolute favorite season. One thing that I turn back to every fall is painting my own nails, which is something I often forgo in the summer. Maybe its that I would rather hop into a salon, and be back outside in 20 minutes in the summer but I systematically turn to my nail polish stash every September. 

Sephora sent me their new Formula X System to test out for you all, and I couldn't think of a better time to give it a try. I pulled out my favorite "early fall" nail color, and gave it a try. Here are a few thoughts.

From Right to Left: Cleanser/ Basecoat/ Nail Color/ Top Coat

Before I could paint anything, I had to remove the old polish! I had a deep grape on my nails, and the remover did an amazing job of erasing it. Really cute packaging, super easy use, but I must say I dont know that I would pay for the convenience of sponge removal over a bottle.

Seriously quick removal, now on to the polish!

The first step was to use "cleanser" on the nail in preparation for base coat. This concept was super new to me, I have never primed my nails to be primed and usually I dont have the desire to add an extra step. Overall I don't know how effective this was, but it was easy peasy to apply. Oh, and it smelled great...which is strange for a nail product.

The base coat was like any other base coat, but the application brush was the real MVP. One to two swipes was enough to cover each nail.

All the steps seemed to work well together, and resulted in "gel like" nail coverage as promised on the packaging. Time will tell if it holds up like gel polish, so stay tuned on Snapchat the next few days for chip reports ;) Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the result and this topcoat is my new favorite!

Special thanks to Sephora for sponsoring this post! 

Happy Thursday Friends!

xo, 

Natalie

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Two weeks ago Cameron and I were on a plane to Disneyland for a quick weekend trip (so sad how time flies, haha!) and had the opportunity to check out the newly remodeled Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel during our time there! The hotel was updated to coincide with the diamond celebration and had a grand "re-opening" this May. If you are a local or frequent visitor, you may remember this property as the Sheraton, and a whole lot has changed since then!

Pictured: Anaheim Magestic Garden Hotel/ Ortsenia Park Ears

Room/ The room was huge, and I mean HUGE! Like almost too much space for just the two of us, but for a traveling family it would be totally perfect. The room came fully equipped with a tv, a single serve coffee maker (very necessary, we had a 5am flight!), table/desk area, and a decent size bathroom. The decor was seriously gorgeous, walls were lined with forest wallpaper and the stained glass headboard was stunning.

My only complaint about the room at all was the shower and toilet, both were broken upon our arrival. Not a huge deal but worth noting, we called down to the desk but our stay was quite short so the time it took to get it fixed didn't quite match up. The desk was super sweet, these things do happen!

Proximity To The Park/ At first glance on a map, this hotel doesn't seem that close to the park at all but the shuttle ride makes it essentially right next door. Personally I liked that the property seemed secluded and far away from all the harbor blvd madness. When you arrive the main driveway is lined with palm trees, I liked this divide between "busy" time at the park and "down" time at the hotel.

The shuttle aka "the dream machine" runs between the hotel and the park every ten minutes and is completely free and easy to use. It pops you right to the front of the park and runs far past park closing so you can stay "in the magic" till the very last minute.

Disney Experience/Theming: For an off property hotel, the theming is pretty impressive! They have  disney desk in the front lobby to help you with tickets and some photo opportunities to celebrate the diamond celebration. The overall "castle" theming also carries over the magic experienced within the park, I loved all the little medieval touches.

Food/ The food didn't blow me away, but was a solid option and was slightly less expensive than in the park. They also offer their own branded character dining and have roaming princesses visit your table which is always fun for kids!

Grounds/ So gorgeous! From the medieval castle exterior to the lush green corridors between buildings, everything is so immersive and serene. There are beautiful pink trees and big green plants, its such a beautiful slice of Southern California. The koi pond is also really fun, I stared at it for a good twenty minutes before we left for the park one morning :)

See more of what i'm talking about here!

Pricing/ Perhaps the best part of this hotel is what you get for the bottom line, a room here *on average* won't run you more than $200 a night. When I initially looked on Trip Advisor, the rooms were going for around 150$ which is super competitive for the Anaheim area. We paid 99$ a night on a media rate, and felt like we definitely got a great experience for what we put in.

Overall, we had a great weekend and would definitely stay here again for a Disneyland visit! Special thanks to Anaheim Majestic Garden for being so accommodating, and letting us check out the new updates :) You can see more of our weekend in this Youtube video!

Have a magical week!

xo,
Natalie

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