American Girl Dolls, is there anything that screams big money excitement more than this? They're iconic and many little girls go through the craze, including mine. I was taking my firt non-work related trip away from my daughter in 2015 and it unfortunately happened to mean I would be gone for her birthday. As I have mentioned before, 2015 was quite a stressful year and I felt guilty about missing her birthday, but every now and then moms have to make a balanced life decision. We celebrated her birthday a little early instead with a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina's American Girl doll store. At the time, I was even able to save some money by purchasing gift cards at a discounted rate ahead of time from Costco. I have heard that they have since discontinued carrying these gift cards.
She was able to shop around and spend her pre-determined amount of money, which included a new doll, accessories, and clothes. So maybe I wasn't the only one to send her gift certificates that year. I made reservations for the cafe well ahead of time and notified them that we both have to eat gluten free. They assured me they would be able to accommodate us. Somebody was super excited!
My girl enjoyed a burger with gluten free bun and fruit for her celebration. I had a salad and gluten free pizza. Such a magical time when she also enjoyed the tea set to feed her AG doll. Sticking to the all things pink theme (which I happen to not so secretly love), we loved the pink lemonade. (The menu at the time we visited for gluten free was somewhat limited, but we felt blessed we could enjoy it anyway. It appears they have significantly expanded the gluten free options in the last year, showing it is becoming more common.)
And then they brought out the gluten free cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday. Did I mention the reason I was missing her birthday a week later involved wearing a bikini all week in the Caribbean?! Um, thank goodness for my amazing nutrition program that keeps things in balance to enjoy treats like this and still be confident a week later!
We absolutely enjoyed the day. My girl loved feeling like a super special rockstar and getting to celebrate the same as so many of her friends had. Being gluten free is a lifestyle, not a life sentence. Wishing you the very best moments with your kiddos in celebrating each milestone!
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