Happy Tuesday friends! I am so excited to share more about our trip to Florida and our amazing cruise that we took last month! Today I am specifically excited to share about our breakfast at the Kona Cafe that is located at the Disney World's Polynesian Village Resort.
As a bit of background before I share this- there was a mixup with our reservation. We had booked Ohana originally (or so we thought) and instead when we arrived found out we had been assigned to Kona Cafe. I am sure the mix up was ours somehow, but it was definitely different then we had thought we were going to eat. I would say that for what we were looking for (a really nice sit down restaurant for the morning) Ohana would have been the better fit. Another bit of something was in regards to allergies- which I explain later in the post. I wouldn't say that it was our favorite meal in anyway, but the grounds were beautiful and the best part was being together. *smiles*
I think that if you are traveling with kiddos, want a quick service meal, or are trying to catch a flight or head to the parks for the day- I would recommend Kona Cafe. I would also recommend if you do not have food allergies. But- if you have serious food allergies, are wanting a full sit down meal and want to relax and take your time and have a leisurely day in front of you (like we did) then check out Ohana.
One of our favorite things about our experience was the beautiful grounds of the Polynesian Resort. Our drive up to the entrance of the resort (which I had never visited before) was beautiful!
The oasis of tropical palms, lush vegetation and beautiful flowers was simply gorgeous. There was a feeling of outdoor island ambience everywhere you looked and for my ocean loving heart it was so beautiful!
If you know me well then you know one of my dreams is to visit Hawaii, so it felt like a taste of what I have imagined a visit to there would be like!
As you arrive you are greeted with so many beautiful details!
Walking into the open aired lobby was so gorgeous!
I am always amazed at the detail that Disney gives to everything- even to the light fixtures.
After dropping my sister and mom off at the front, I parked the car and headed into the lobby to make my way to the second floor where the Kona Cafe is located.
Haha! Look who was waving to me from outside the restaurant!
Kona Cafe provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is open to the public each day and reservations are recommended, but to be honest, I saw a lot of people walk in without reservations. If you are coming to visit Disney and use the Disney app you can arrange your reservations through the app for Kona Cafe.
For those who have food allergies like myself, one of the things that was delightful to discover was the options that Kona Cafe had for food allergies. When the reservations were made with the Disney app I had the opportunity to "forewarn" the kitchen of my allergies. I do have to admit though that this was the ONLY restaurant that I have ever been to on a Disney property where a waiter did not go over the restrictions I had. In fact- when I mentioned my allergies our waiter seemed a bit annoyed which I thought was just odd.
It was fine, and I had no issues with the food that I received, but one of the things about Disney restaurants is that typically the waiters go over these things at any sit down restaurant and usually it is never even a second thought about allergies. I was a bit surprised by this so as a warning this might happen for you or maybe the waiter was having an off day. Either way- the food was fine, but as someone who has health issues it is nice to know that Disney typically takes this type of thing more seriously than I experienced. If you have serious food allergies like myself than you know how it feels to enjoy a meal with no worries of cross-contamination. I admit, I wasn't as relaxed about my meal at this Disney property as I typically am, which I think changed my perspective of the experience and why I can't totally recommend this restaurant.
One fun thing about the property is that the Monorail stops right at this resort. After our breakfast we headed out for a fun ride around Disney on the monorail which you can read about HERE!
Happy Tuesday friends - I hope you have a wonderful day!
last week of april best sellers in the caravan sonnet shoppe on teachers pay teachers
April 29, 2024
Happy Monday friends! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! Today I am excited to share the top 5 items that y'all have loved the most from the Caravan Sonnet Shoppe from the second week of April! This was such a great week of sales for the shoppe and it has been SO exciting to see!
Thank you for ALL the sweet reviews, the love, and the support of this space and shop!! I am SO excited to share SO many new things coming in the weeks ahead!!!
I love looking at this type of data and information and planning on how to best serve YOU! It is truly an honor to prove creative, colorful, and most of all educational resources that are ready to use! Thank you again for all of your support! Here are the top 5 best sellers from the last week of april!
Price: $2.50
Unit: Personal Loans/College Life
Classroom Activity/Assignment: Student Loan Debt Activity
CONSISTENT WEEKLY BEST SELLER in 2023 and 2024
One of the most WELL loved resources in the shop!!
I actually wrote an entire blog post about this resource HERE!
Word Document Contains 5 pages (6 political cartoons) to help students to analyze and consider their thoughts regarding student loan debt. This would be perfect for a junior/senior high school level finance class. This will work perfectly with the Semester Finance Bundle or any of the Personal Finance Resource section, specifically the College Life Unit Bundle (HERE).
This activity/assignment is specifically helpful if you are wanting dive deeper into this financial aspect of college, need a substitute filler around this time period or a way to sensitively introduce the concept of college debt and paying for college for a later unit. However you are using this- this will be a way to help students (and their families!) think about this subject in new ways and help this come alive for your students. This resource will help bring creative engagement to your lectures!
Purchase this resource HERE!
*over 50+ Pages Included*
Price: $17.50
This bundle includes ALL of the powerpoint presentations with colorful, animated, engaging, and educational sections from the Checking Account Unit in Personal Finance and the word documents associated with this unit! With 13 resources and over 50 powerpoint presentation pages/slides/word documents/PDFs/assignments/answer keys (54 to be exact!!) you will be ready to have a foundation to teach this mega unit in your personal finance class!
Bankruptcy/Chapter 11 Word Scramble (****4 Star Rated****)
Price: $2.25
Unit: Personal Finance Holiday Unit
Looking for the entire 5 Star Holiday Unit Bundle? Click HERE!
(I actually wrote an entire blog post on this resource which you can find HERE!)
Looking for a simple and yet effective powerpoint to highlight ways to take an earth day approach with finances? Than this resource is for you! This powerpoint highlights 9 unique ways that students can apply earth day concepts to their finances! This resource will help bring practical knowledge to your financial literacy classroom and creative engagement to your lectures!
Powerpoint Contains 10 Powerpoint Slides with colorful and animated sections on the topics of going "green" with your finances. This is a fun and interactive topic for students in high school and in college!
Price: $2.50
*Powerpoint Contains 9 Powerpoint Slides with colorful and animated sections all about Making Foreign Policy, the basics of foreign policy, just war theory and more!
This resource includes the following topics:
- the basics of foreign policy
- just war theory
- how foreign policy is applied
- tools of foreign policy
- economic sanctions
- foreign policy and institutions
- AND MORE!
*Powerpoint can be easily converted into Google Slides for your convenience
**Powerpoint can be edited to fit the needs of your classroom!
Purchase this resource HERE!
Price: $2.75
(I actually wrote an entire blog post on this one product which you can find HERE!)
This resource contains 9 Powerpoint Slides with colorful, animated, engaging, and educational sections on simple tips for investing! This Powerpoint Presentation contains practical and helpful information to help students understand the basic principles of investing and investments. It also gives students tips on how to invest wisely and the different types of investors! It will also help you in your discussion of this topic!
This powerpoint is specifically helpful if you are wanting to dive deeper into this financial aspect of this topic, need a substitute filler around this time period or a way to sensitively introduce the concept of travel budget/study abroad for a later unit. However you are using this- this resource will be a way to help students (and their families!) think about this subject in new ways and help this come alive for your students. This resource will help bring creative engagement to your lectures!
This resource covers a variety of topics including:
*Risk Tolerance
*Investment Options (Basic Overview)
*Importance of Diversity
*Investment strategies (Basic Overview)
*AND MORE!
Purchase this resource HERE!
So there are the 5 top sellers from the last week of April! I am so excited to see in this coming week what the top sellers will be and excited to share later this week the top 5 best sellers from the entire month of April!
I also want to take a moment to say thank you for every single purchase that has been made in the shop. I work incredibly hard with so much heart behind the scenes to make these products and I want to share the products that others are finding helpful in case you or a teacher/homeschool mama friend could find them useful also. So thank you again for your support of my shoppe! If you have purchased something from the shop- would you take a moment to leave a review? Reviews for shops are SO important and I SO appreciate your help and time!
Thank you again for all of your support, for following along in the shop, for your kind reviews, and for purchasing these products!
Happy Wednesday friends! I am excited to join in on the What's Up Wednesday posts again this month!
If you are like me then I truly am literally in shock that it is the end of April!! I admit though that I am looking forward to the summer with great anticipation and can not wait to spend time at the cabin in just a few short weeks!!
This salad (arugula, strawberries, walnuts, and red onions, is on a constant repeat.
In my defense though, arugula is incredible and it is so good for you. I shared an entire post (HERE) of the health benefits but if you haven't had a chance to check it out then go ahead and look at it. You will be shocked I am sure as I was to learn about how good it is for you!
What I'm Reminiscing About...
Our beautiful stay in Florida and our cruise we took last month. This week I shared all about one of my favorite Disney resorts- Coronado Springs which you can read HERE!
.jpg "the opportunity cost of the sun")
Room F112.
As I am working on final edits and pages for my upcoming book, The Opportunity Cost of the Sun (releasing soon!!), I have been remembering the absolute precious times in that classroom above.
Interested in keeping up to date with the book release? You can read more HERE and sign up for updates (on the book and other fun projects) by following along by signing up with your email HERE and also receive a FREE ebook!
What I'm Loving...
.jpg "whats up wednesday (april 2024 edition)")
The return of spring... and early days of driving down to the cabin. With all of the rain we have had over this winter we have treasured even more any day or evening we have had the opportunity to enjoy the sun.
.jpg "whats up wednesday (april 2024 edition)")
I also really loved the opportunity to hear from so many of you about your quiet times with the Lord. I shared a little glimpse into mine in a post earlier this month HERE, and love hearing what so many of you are also doing!
A LOT of behind the scenes things for work, jobs, the shop and the blog. There are a lot of announcements coming up in the days, weeks, and months ahead and I look forward to sharing more. In the meantime, I covet prayers for many things.
What I'm Dreading...
Honestly absolutely nothing. Well maybe the fact that I have to go get brakes on my car today. *ugh*
What I'm Working on...
In addition to the shops and editing, I am working on cleaning out and truly embracing more minimalism in so many different areas of life. It is a long process, but one that I have been truly working on recently and a focus this year.
What I'm Thankful for...
We continue to be overwhelmed with gratitude for the protection of our home and the roof. You can read the miracle of protection HERE!
Summer.
What I'm Watching/Reading...
I am working my way through this one again. I have said this almost at nauseum but there has not been a book that has impacted my faith more over the last 5 years then this book. I need to do an entire blog post on why, but for now, my tender heart will just say that if you are living in a season of broken dreams and spending lots of time weeping... this book is for you. You can find it HERE.
Have y'all seen this movie- The Boys in the Boat? It was so good y'all. It was inspirational, encouraging, and truly inspiring. If you haven't had a chance to watch it- definitely check it out!! You can find it HERE!
What I'm Listening To...
I shared this over the last year, but on my morning walks I have been listening to different sermons and a recent one I have listened to again and again from Joel Osteen was on Supernatural Provision. If you are looking for an encouraging and uplifting message during a difficult season, this message from Joel Osteen has been incredibly encouraging and I have listened to it on repeat this week! You can find it HERE!
What I'm Doing This Weekend...
Today we leave for New York for my medical appointment tomorrow for a second opinion on my iron treatments. As y'all may remember I had a very difficult reaction to my iron treatment in the fall which has been incredibly painful and difficult. We definitely appreciate prayers y'all. Thank you!
What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month...
.jpg "caravan sonnet")
Believing that this next month will see tons of answers to big prayers that we have been praying, crying out to the Lord for in miraculous ways!
What Amazon Purchase I loved this Month...
.jpg "whats up wednesday (august 2023 edition)")
I honestly still don't have words.
I have to write a review but it was one of the most powerful things I have ever watched. If you haven't watched it yet, set aside the time and do so. It will inspire you to your core.
Finally, after taking a couple of years away, I am back active on Pinterest. Are y'all on Pinterest still? If so, leave your name below and I would love to follow along! You can find me HERE!
Happy Wednesday friends!
Happy Tuesday friends! I am so excited to share more about our trip to Florida and our amazing cruise that we took last month! Today I am specifically excited to share about Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort!
After blogging for more than a decade I am still surprised sometimes about what I have not written about here on the blog, and this resort is one of those things. I have referenced it in many different posts and yet, because it has incredibly precious memories held with this place, I was sure that I had written about it several times. Imagine my surprise when I realized that was not true! So today I am excited to share about our stay!
A couple of quick things:
1. Coronado Holds Deeply Personal Full Circle moments for Me.
As I mentioned above, this resort has special memories tied with it for me. As I shared in this post HERE, during my last senior trip (before I got sick) we stayed at Coronado Springs Resort. That resort has held many full circle moments for me. In 2018 when I was returning, I stood on the same bridge at Coronado Springs resort that I had in 2012, touching a beautiful gift that had been given to me (along with a gorgeous luggage tag for traveling adventures), crying because I knew I was saying goodbye to the life that I knew and loved. At the time I had no idea that I was extremely sick with Advanced Late Stage Lyme, Cancer and a few additional health issues, that the journey of healing would take so many years, or the way that healing and restoration would encompass every single area of my life. Returning back and standing in the same spot I cried again, just like I had in 2012 and 2018 ...a bit from grief over so much time lost in this health journey, but more because of being so grateful for where things are at now. Returning back to this hotel has been a sweet full circle moment. I remember the girl standing there in 2012, fearful of what was to come, the woman in 2018 healing and yet still unsure of so many things to now being humbly grateful for where I have been brought.
FCS Class of 2012, thank you. I love and miss y'all. I remember the night these gifts were given and one of you sweetly hugging me whispering, "isn't it wonderful to know that no matter where we all go and where life will take us, that God is there Ms.V?" Oh yes dear one. Oh yes.
2. Coronado Springs is a Resort that I recommend to stay at if you are struggling with a Chronic Illness.
You can read all about why HERE, but I whole-heartedly (non sponsored!) stand by this!
So in saying ALL of that... when my sister surprised us with staying at this resort for a few days before our cruise it was a beautiful gift beyond words. So let me share just a few things about the resort!
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is considered a "moderate Disney resort" and yet, I believe that it lends itself to being one of the more luxury ones with its tranquil nature, the beautiful architecture and the ambience that makes you feel like you have entered into a different country. Some of the benefits of this resort is that it has free parking at the hotel (some resorts do not have this), free shuttle service to the parks (buses is the mode of transportation), several swimming pools, free wifi, and delicious dining onsite.
The atmosphere (as mentioned above) is simply beautiful and the flowers, lighting, and architecture do give a feel that you have entered into an oasis. The Spanish influence throughout the property (whether staying in the main hotel or in a villa) are beautifully decorated and give a glimpse of another world feel.
The walking paths are abundant at this hotel - as you can see from the picture above taken from our room, and lead around the resort and around the beautiful lake. The lake is also the home of the Three Bridges Bar and Grille (which I wrote about HERE!).
One of the best things is that this resort is perfect for a romantic getaway, a girls weekend, or a family vacation.
Our view from our room was beautiful in the daytime... and in the evening!
We arrived at the resort in the evening and after checking in, we met my sister and then as I shared before we went and grabbed dinner. After dinner we slowly walked along the beautiful pathways back to our room and it was so gorgeous. We had such a wonderful night of sleep and then were excited to go out for our day of exploring Disney Springs. Each time we walked through the property we knew that there were a lot of people staying there, but y'all we hardly ran into anyone. It felt like we had the entire place to ourselves in many ways making it even more lovely.
I mention that last point because I think often times you go to Disney and in many ways you can escape for a bit in the "disney bubble" which is sweet. This resort definitely adds to that feel and ability to truly just relax and enjoy your time- no matter what you are doing while you are in Orlando.
Our stay at Coronado Springs was absolutely wonderful. Even a couple of weeks later I continue to talk about how restful and rejuvenating the property is and how welcoming everyone on staff was. You could tell that there is a closeness and a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is throughout the community. It truly welcomes you in and is wonderful and I can't wait to go back again in the future!
I truly hope that y'all have the opportunity to go and stay at Coronado Springs. You will truly enjoy it!
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