Exploring Life One Plate and Adventure At A Time
Exploring Life One Plate and Adventure At A Time
Hello and welcome! I’m Jessica “Jay” Simms, a Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. based travel blogger, foodie, and proud first-generation Filipino American, with a passion for adventure. I explore culture through cuisine and storytelling, sharing …
Read MoreSee what I've been exploring lately, from restaurant reviews and travel experiences to recipes, hidden gems, and affordable adventures.
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links Not even Loki can stop you from throwing the best birthday ever when you order …
The Prime and Wine Special arrives at Morton’s The Steakhouse, available for a limited time. This special deal offers a delicious Million Dollar burger with a glass of Stag’s Leap Winery, for a special price …
Read why my families loved the newest telling of this classic fairy tale, in my Disney’s Cinderella Movie Review. See how this classic fairy tale is given a new fresh take on one of the most treasured love stories of all time. Also, make sure you catch this special short at the beginning of the film featuring Frozen Fever.
My family loved watching Disney’s Cinderella Movie in theaters, we were in such awe. I loved how they dove deeper into Ella’s story and how it had a more realistic take on true love. One of the best parts about this film is the Frozen Forever feature that ran at the beginning of the film. It’s a must see so make sure you come early so you don’t miss it.
This mom was super happy to see Frozen Fever before the actual movie Cinderella! It was very cute and starred all of my favorite characters! I don’t want to give away the actual short film but it was uber cute! I loved seeing these famous sisters together as well as all of the other memorable characters. I will warn you, get ready to giggle and smile the whole way through as you see the Frozen group back together again.
The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home.
But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope.
Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods.
Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an apprentice at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit (Richard Madden).
Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand, and a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham Carter) steps forward and, armed with a pumpkin and a few mice, changes Cinderella’s life forever.
This honestly was a must-see for me since the cartoon version of Cinderella was played almost every other day in my home as a child. I have seen previous real-life Cinderella movies but many always left me feeling as though I never really got to know ELLA.
The thoughts I’m always left with are ” Who is she? Where did she come from? How did she end up in her position? Can she really talk to animals?” These questions of course have loomed in my head since my early years of watching the original movie.
At the very beginning of this movie you are taken back to Ella’s childhood which gives a look into her early years in life. This was so informative for me since I have always wondered about her parents and her mother in the previous movies. I felt as though it gave great insight into why Ella grew up to be the kind and generous person she was.
Her mother was able to teach her those things in her childhood that later on in the movie and her life she held on to and valued. Her mother taught her to always “Have Courage and Be Kind” No matter what! This lesson was valued throughout her life and more so in her darkest hours.
As many of us know her father dies and she is left alone with her stepmother and two stepsisters. In this movie, Disney went deeper into Ella and her father’s store giving insight into their bond and love.
I loved how they did this giving this store even more life and insight into how their classic Disney princess came to be. Ella’s new stepmother was played fiercely by Cate Blanchett who embodied a scorned woman well. The story plays out as the classic tale with her unhappy rude stepsisters.
I loved how this movie introduced the prince and how they portrayed him as a relateable human being. I also loved the encounters they had together as they were magical and classic. In this real-life version, the prince stopped at nothing to find his lost princess. The lengths he went to just to find his lost princess stayed true to Cinderellas’s Mother saying “Have Courage and Be Kind”.
I would highly recommend this movie for all the little princess’s out there, it’s defiantly a great film for the whole family that involves some really cute humor. I found myself saying “AWWW!” and laughing throughout the movie. Bring your family and friends to see this awesome movie since now it’s in theaters!
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“This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links Throw your very own SpongeBob themed Birthday Party with these easy ideas! With so many …
Read about how I am able to keep my family of 5 on budget with my 8 Ways To Save Money This Summer. Filled with helpful tips that I have developed over the years, this post is filled with helpful tips and tricks to help you save money this summer.
Summer time is one of the best times of the year in my home, we love to plan family outings in and around our hometown. Having a large family of 5 which now includes 3 teenagers and an almost preteen, things can get pricey. After many years of traveling around the world with my kids, I have picked up some great money saving tips.
Below I am sharing 8 Ways To Save Money This Summer, which work great any sized family. Also don’t forget to checkout some delicious recipes below that you can recreate on tight budgets.
Take advantage of low-priced charcoal during this time of the year and grab some burgers and hotdogs. Host a potluck at your free local park or in-home with family and friends. Hosting a potluck is a great way to cut costs of hosting big get together’s and also usher in new opportunities to try different foods.
Stay organized and assign ahead of time types of dishes you would like to expect, as always make sure to keep all the foods family and kid-friendly. Or at least bring 2 different versions of dishes, if they are going to be spicy just bring 1 version of it being mild.
When spring kicks in turn off the air conditioning during the day and then open up your windows. Let the fresh air roam in your home as you enjoy your lower electricity bill.
Ice is almost always cheap to buy in bulk during the summer. I’ve seen 5lb bags as low as $1 at my local grocery stores. Turn off your air in your house and unplug all nonessentials, then throw some ice, drinks, and snacks in a cooler and take your kids to the park.
Your kids will enjoy getting out of the house as you enjoy them getting all that bundled-up energy out before you head home. Plus it will give them a quick to fall asleep full night’s sleep leaving you with oodles of quiet time. Read a book or catch up on your shows, do whatever helps you relax.
Every county offers free activities during the spring and summertime. These activities are usually themed and do not require you to pay a cent. The only cost to you is the gas to commute to each location, which shouldn’t be much since they are located in your area.
Check with your local community center to see if they have any printouts of local free activities or research it online with Google. Many restaurants will host free kids’ nights which are free with the purchase of adult meals. Check with your local favorite restaurants with specific dates and times available.
This is defiantly my kid’s favorite pastime in the summer, they love to make their own ice cream and then have an ice cream party. The best part about this is that you can basically create the device to make it with stuff you already have in your home!
Customize your ice cream experience and make different flavors. Instead of using regular milk substitute with your choice of milk with almond milk, coconut milk, or even soy milk! The possibilities are endless with this fun-filled activity. This is also a fun sleepover activity that any kid would surely enjoy.
One of the best times of the year to buy fruit is during its harvest time during the spring and summertime. I’ve seen some amazing sales and many times I hear “how are you going to eat that?”. My response is always “Well I’m going to freeze it of course!” I love taking ziplock bags and filling them with different fruit combinations.
These ziplock bags are portioned to feed up to 2 people when I make my homemade smoothie shakes. I switch and combine different fruits depending on the rotations of fruits on sale. You can also buy quality freezer bags and freeze each fruit individually to make simple baked deserts in the fall and wintertime.
Always make sure when your freezing for the long run, that you are properly sealing your bags to deter your fruits from becoming freezer burnt.
Don’t waste electricity heating in your home, pack up some sandwiches and head out to your local park! No sweeping o vacuuming is required in this activity so you will save oodles of your own energy with this activity.
Many picnic-style foods go on sale during spring and summer so take advantage of them. Buy in bulk and prep meals for up to a week in advance, the freezer is your best friend when prepping meals, and researching take-along meals will help spark the inner chef in you.
Always keep empty reusable water bottles handy during the summer. Filling up at water fountains can reduce you costs of hydration tremendously. If you are worried about the quality of filtration in the water fountains you can always purchase a quality reusable water bottle with a built in filtration. Fill up where ever possible and take it on the go with you and your family.
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