Hicks on Holiday 2 - Done Brung the Kin Folk-Sept. 07 w/pics UPDATE 12/10/08 pg 41

[DisneyMom5]

Originally Posted by whogirl'smom

Wow, your family sounds like my family; always somebody to worry about. Glad to hear that your mom is better, though! I already have our matching t-shirts folded and ready to pack and we don't leave for 6 weeks, so I'm with you on packing early! Can't wait for your trip to begin!!!!

I've noticed I'm not the only obsessive packer on this board.
It's like a support group for obsessive planners and packers, but instead of curing us it feeds the obsession. Well, I'm not complaining!

Originally Posted by eeyore45

Sarah I was wondering if you had an update for us, you have so much spare time after all!!!

Now about that shopping list...

I'm stressing over one child not wanting to get on a plane - so I have nothing packed and dont even know where to begin!!

I do hope all your worries will subside and you're magical vacation goes off without a hitch!!

I've been feeling for you and your plane dilemma. Hoping she relaxes enough to get you down there! I bet if you loaded her in our van with the 10 of us, the plane would look better and better.

[SueM in MN]

Originally Posted by DisneyMom5

She is keeping the knee elevated and icing it, so we are holding out hope it will be close to 100% when we go. Looking into a GAC card for her as standing for long times is hard on her.

If standing for long times is hard for her, she should look into renting either a wheelchair or an ECV. A GAC (Guest Assistance Card) is a tool to let CMs know what the person's needs are and may not really help her at all if standing is her main problem. A GAC would not give her anywhere to sit and there are many attractions where there is no seating while you are waiting (none of the shows or tours have seating in line unless you bring it with you).
In most cases, people with endurance needs/concerns are given the suggestion to rent an ECV or wheelchair because someone who is concerned about the lines is also going to have problems getting from place to place and waiting in other lines where the GAC is not used.

There is more information about Guest Assistance Cards and wheelchairs/ECVs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the disABILITIES Board.

[DisneyMom5]

Originally Posted by SueM in MN

If standing for long times is hard for her, she should look into renting either a wheelchair or an ECV. A GAC (Guest Assistance Card) is a tool to let CMs know what the person's needs are and may not really help her at all if standing is her main problem. A GAC would not give her anywhere to sit and there are many attractions where there is no seating while you are waiting (none of the shows or tours have seating in line unless you bring it with you).
In most cases, people with endurance needs/concerns are given the suggestion to rent an ECV or wheelchair because someone who is concerned about the lines is also going to have problems getting from place to place and waiting in other lines where the GAC is not used.

There is more information about Guest Assistance Cards and wheelchairs/ECVs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the disABILITIES Board.

Thanks Sue! I didn't read this thread first when I got online and posted a question about just that on the disABILITIES board. Thanks for the info.

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the update, Sarah! I hope everyone is feeling better soon, so you can all enjoy the trip. You are definitely not the only obsessive packer around....I've had some things packed for our December trip since June....We're really not gonna wear our Mickey Santa hats and Christmas sweaters between now and then, are we???

[DisneyMom5]

Originally Posted by Piglets Mommy

Thanks for the update, Sarah! I hope everyone is feeling better soon, so you can all enjoy the trip. You are definitely not the only obsessive packer around....I've had some things packed for our December trip since June....We're really not gonna wear our Mickey Santa hats and Christmas sweaters between now and then, are we???

LOL
Well I should hope not on the Christmas stuff.

I want to pack more, but I've been dealing with all the stuff that goes along with having a relative in the hosp. Sigh
Oh well, two more weeks...

[1rockinmamato2]

Giving you a bump and telling you how jealous I am that your trip is coming up so soon!

Not much longer for you now!

[DisneyMom5]

Originally Posted by 1rockinmamato2

Giving you a bump and telling you how jealous I am that your trip is coming up so soon!

Not much longer for you now!

Thanks, we are getting excited!

It would be a lot more fun waiting if we weren't dealing with my MIL being ill. It will take a miracle for her to go with us at this point, though I'm not ruling that out.

I am getting more of the packing/planning/shopping stuff done. Don't want to wait to the very last minute.
And we went ahead and booked a flight for my SIL and her kids, because no matter what the ILs are not driving down now. So at least that's taken care of. She will leave a day after us, and arrive several hours before us. LOL

12 more days until we leave Michigan.

[annie1995]

Hey we will be at POP almost the same times!!!! Loving your report!!!!

[DisneyMom5]

Originally Posted by annie1995

Hey we will be at POP almost the same times!!!! Loving your report!!!!

Are you in the Pop Glow party group on the 22nd?

I have an 8 yo ds also.

Welcome to my report!

[annie1995]

Originally Posted by DisneyMom5

Are you in the Pop Glow party group on the 22nd?

I have an 8 yo ds also.

Welcome to my report!

Yup, we are gonna try and make it!!!! I see you are from Michigan!!! We are too!!!! Hope to see you there!!!

[DisneyMom5]

Originally Posted by annie1995

Yup, we are gonna try and make it!!!! I see you are from Michigan!!! We are too!!!! Hope to see you there!!!

Well, without getting too specific, where are you at?

We are in the SW section of the mitten. Very close to Indiana.

We'll have to compare notes at the party.

[DisneyMom5]

It's the final countdown...doo do doo doo....
(hard to do 80's rock with only words)

Well...the time has come...to start that final countdown from 10 to WDW!

In 10 days, God willing, we will be leaving for WDW.

Actually it's 9 days, 7 hours, and 35 minutes. But whose counting?

Our crew has been reduced by three from our original 16. As I mentioned earlier, BIL could not get the time off of work. Now MIL and FIL have cancelled due to MIL's illness. We are bummed.
We are also thankful that her condition is stable enough that at this point we feel comfortable in still going.

We are waiting with baited breath to find out if my mom can still go, as she has had some health issues the past week also. I guess we should have tried this year's ago, when we all were a bit younger!

Also, SIL decided to fly, so although she will be leaving a day after we do, she will arrive in Orlando approximately 4 hours before we do. Lucky girl!
She is only staying the first week, and then she has to get her kids back to school.
(Again, may I expound upon the virtues of homeschooling, and the flexibility it lends to travel? But I digres....)

So our new cast of characters are:
Me (Sarah) - Mom and trip planner

DH (John, aka Ninja Boy, aka Indiana Jones) - hubby and trip payer.

Disney Girl - My 13yo dd.

The Chef - My 11yo ds.

Danger Boy - My ds, 8.

The Inquisitor- My 6yo ds.

Princess K - 4yo dd.

Bitsy - DD, 3yo.

Babycakes - DD1, this is her first trip.

Mom - My mom, who has never gone on any such excursion before, and will be with us for the whole 14 days (11 nights at WDW.)
IF she gets back up to speed where health issues are concerned!
(These parents are giving ME heart attacks!)

SIL - Hmmm, I haven't come up with a good nickname. Maybe she'll earn one on the trip.
She's the one that fell down and hurt her knee a couple of weeks ago.
She's feeling much better, and if we need to get her a wheelchair some days, we'll do it.

Nephew - Almost 9 yo. I'll call him Stitch, because that is his favorite character.

And last but not least, Niece - 10.5 yo. I'll call her Pocohontas. That's her fav too.

So there ya go. Suitcases are almost packed, new camera purchase, photopass pre-purchased, SIL's flight booked, LGMH pilferred from Home Depot....

Thanks for sticking with us this far!

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the update! So sorry to hear your MIL won't make the trip. she and your Mom are in my prayers for continued recovery.

[DisneyMom5]

Laundry Quandry...

Since we have discussed laundry before, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of what it takes to get ready for a trip like this.

Yesterday I managed to do 4 loads of laundry, and today I am doing at least one. (We have to be gone most of the afternoon.)

While packing the other day, I started to do the math:

45 pairs of socks
45 pairs of underwear
32 pairs of shorts
4 pairs of pants (Daddy doesn't do shorts.)
36 t-shirts
18 pairs of pjs
9 bathing suits
9 pairs of sandals
And that's with doing laundry at Pop. Whew.

With my mom's stuff we will have 4 large suitcases, and 2 carry-ons.
7 backpacks and 2 tote bags of travel activities. (the kids each get to pack their own, plus I bring stuff.)
Hard sided cooler for in the van
Small soft sided cooler for in the parks
1 back pack/diaper bag for in the parks.
2 Fanny packs and one purse for in the parks
Several cameras
several pillows

We DON'T have personal gaming systems, mp3 players, or a dvd system.
We feel if the books and games we bring along are not entertaining enough, they can always look out the window, because that picture changes all the time.

We're planning on leaving at 4 am on Saturday. John is used to going to work at that time, so we might as well get up and get moving. We're hoping to get to our first's night stop by supper time.

Then dinner, hit the pool, get some sleep, up by 6 am, and we're off for a short 8-10 hour drive to WDW!!!

I'll probably check in once more before we leave.
Off to pack more!

[teresajoy]

Originally Posted by DisneyMom5

Then our world came to a stop.

On a windy Memorial day, '04, our youngest son was hit by a tree branch, and suffered a brain injury.
I am sure I some of you have read about it before, but suffice it to say we spent over two months in the hospital with him that summer.

I realize it is a sacrifice to spend money on vacation.
We don’t put as much money into our house as some people would.
We don’t have all the latest technological advances.
We don’t eat a lot of steak (can you see why we love the free DDP so much?)

But we have decided we want to do fun things with our children now, rather than waiting til they are grown and wishing we had.
[Again with the soapbox–does she never stop?]

I was just trying to catch up with your pretrippy, and I knew this part was coming, and I started crying before I started reading. Geesh, I keep trying to write something, but nothing really conveys my feelings, so let just put another hug here, and know I'm crying and hugging my babies!