10/4/08-Buccaneers Take the West! Cruiser List in Post #1

[yensidtlaw]

Just wanted to say hi and share one of the magnets i've made for our cruise:

Ian

 

[momm2four]

Wow! I love the magnet! Very creative.

Hi Kim! Hope your boys are doing well. Sorry you're so busy, but it sounds like it'll soon be over. Mine is getting ready to go into full speed ahead. I go back to work on Friday, then the kids start on the 12th. Ben and Jake started football practice which is EVERY weeknight from 5-7:30 until school starts, then it's 3-5:30 after school. Add in homework and two more kids in elementary, plus their soccer, and we just have a PARTY going on.. lol.

Catch up with everyone later on today...70 more days!!!

Lori P.

 

[dvanhazel]

Ian, very cool door magnet! Do I see in your siggy that you are getting married right before the cruise...is this cruise your official honeymoon? Congratulations!

 

[MommaluvsDis]

I'm so excited! My DH just said that we can spend two, maybe three nights at WDW when we disembark. THat will ease the pain of getting off the ship a little. I'm leaning towards the cabins at Fort Wilderness since they will sleep 6. Anyone stayed there before?

I wanted to go to MNSSHP, but I can only do that if we stay three nights. anyone else going on the 13th?

Lori P.

Lori,

The cabins are so much fun! Steve and I did them for the first time last year and have 4 nights after the cruise for this year. We're also going to MNSSHP on the 13th.

 

[momm2four]

Trying to post a pic of the fish extender I made. Think it turned out pretty good for not sewing a single stitch. Not the best picture cause it's taken with my phone so it's a little fuzzy, but you get the general idea. The boys requested no bows on theirs. I'll post a pic. of that one tomorrow.

Lori P.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Oh, what a cute FE!

 

[mollygirl13]

Bumping us up. Found us on page 2 and that will not do!!!

 

[kimmcbee]

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Has been very productive as far as cruise concerned. Working on FE gifts, and have planned out family t shirts to wear. Just have to order them, and then get the kids to wear them on Sat after they realize what we are really doing on vacation this year.
Took my last test this weekend for summer semester, now to the term paper that is due on Friday. Guess I need to get typing that, but this is more fun.
Talk to you all soon
Kim

Lori--FE looks great

 

[yensidtlaw]

Ian, very cool door magnet! Do I see in your siggy that you are getting married right before the cruise...is this cruise your official honeymoon? Congratulations!

Yes we are getting married September 30th at SeaBreeze Point on the Boardwalk. This cruise, our first ever, is our Honeymoon. Seemed like the perfect Honeymoon following a Disney Wedding.

 

[JanDave]

Ian - congratulations on your upcoming marriage!!! I've never spent time with anyone on their honeymoon! You'll have 150+ DIS friends with you! How exciting!

Ian - also love your door magnet.

Lori - Your FE is great! I bought mine from another DISer on Ebay.

Kim - Glad to hear that your summer school is almost over, just the term paper to prepare. What is the subject?

Have a great week everyone. One day closer to stepping onto the gangplank. Also, 48 days until I cruise the Wonder with my 4 little Musketeers.

Jan

 

[mollygirl13]

Lori-what a great fish exender!! You did such a fantastic job on it.


yensidtlaw-Congratualtions on the upcoming wedding. As a former Disney Bride (1999) I can honestly tell you that your Disney Wedding will be beautiful and romantic and everything you imagined it to be. I wish you much love and happiness! Can't wait to hear all about it when we meet.

 

[wareagle]

Good Morning Everyone,

We have had a change in plans for the days before the cruise. We are now staying at WDW for 2 nights before the cruise. We are going to be able to go to the parks on Friday for the day. The kids are thrilled. It will be cheaper to just pay for parking at the port instead of parking at the Raddison. We already have tickets for the parks, so we are using DVC points to stay for the two nights. The kids are excited. I'm disapointed that we will not be able to meet those staying at the Radisson on Friday, but look forward to our meeting on Saturday.

We also have booked the Cozumel Highlights and Mayan Ruins tour. We are excited about this. I don't think we are going to book anything for Grand Cayman. If we do, it may be the Pirate Encounter.

I'm enjoying my last few days of freedom before starting back. I am meeting a friend for lunch today. The boys are having friends over tonight. Today also is the start of football practice for DS10. He is excited about playing. He is the heaviest boy on the team. Last year, he lost about 10 pounds playing ball.

My uncle is still on the respirator. They were able to lower his oxygen levels from 100 % to 65% last night. They are waiting on results of the tests on his throat. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Welcome back, Mrs. Gumdrop!

Kari, how is your spider bite?

Lori, your FE looks great!

Ian, congrats on your marriage. Your door magnet looks great.

Have a great Monday everyone.

Gena

 

[karibritt01]

Lori... love the FE. Can't wait to see the boys one.

Gena... enjoy your last days of freedom. My kids started back today, and it is amazing how much quieter my house is! Glad to hear you will get to go to the park before the cruise. If you decide to book Pirate Encounter in Grand Caymen, we are on the 9:30 one.

I spent my weekend searching out school supplies for the kids. $110!!! I get so disgusted when asked to supply things like Germ-X, cleaning supplies, Kleenex, etc. Parents also have to supply the dry erase markers, red pens for grading, and copy paper. And our teachers are very unreasonable with their specifics. It is just ridiculous!!! But enough of my complaining...

I am trying to catch up on laundry today since the kids are gone.

 

[momofapirate]

Kari-
Just spent $140 for the generic school lists, and we all know when we get the teacher lists, there will be a few extras on it as well. I don't care what a teacher puts on her list, because it really irritates me that a lot of my kids teachers are paying for a lot of the classroom supplies out of their own pocket, what other work environment would require employees to furnish their own office supplies? What does drive me crazy is the letter by letter specificness. I have been to 4 different stores today looking for child-size blunt end Fiskar scissors NO OTHER BRANDS . I think the main reason is that especially in our elementary school is that everything is communal. The teachers are putting all the supplies in boxes, so that when they have an art project that requires scissors, she puts the bin of scissors down and each child just grabs a pair. I don't know, but I do know my daughter doesn't have the assertiveness she should, and she was bringing home class work and when I asked her why she didn't do it in class, she said that she was too late to the pencil box. Sure enough the next day at school, I had to help in the classroom and I counted 5 kids all using the pencils that had her name on them, and she had not a single one. This is her fault for not being timely and getting her supplies when told to, but they need to tell parents that the stuff you buy for your kids are not for them, but the class as a whole .
It seems like the teachers could by grade level decide what each student needs and buy exactly what they want in bulk and have it drop shipped to the school. Charge each kid an extra $25 and I could be done with it.
DD is at cheerleading camp and she is painfully bad at it, and blissfully unaware!! She is just this big mess of awkward elbows and arms, but a huge grin! It literally makes me pee!
DS is home with me this week and driving me crazy, because sissy is gone.
Hubby is in Italy, so single mom again.
Gena- We will miss you at the Radisson, but lucky you and I'm happy for you.
Ian- How cool and what a fabulous honeymoon! We went on a cruise for our honeymoon too 15 years ago on a cruiseline that is now defunct.
I have got to get crackin' on that FE. Got the stuff, anyone feel like coming over for a glass of wine and an FE making party? Thought I'd just put it out there!
Toodles!
G

 

[karibritt01]

Our teachers don't supply anything out of pocket *that I know of*. I would hate for that to be happening. We live in Raleigh, and have one of the larger school systems in the country. The income level in this area is overall pretty high because of Research Triangle Park, which is a HUGE "work district" with global companies such as IBM, Glaxo, SAS, etc. (Not that I see any of it! ) 58% of our taxes go towards the school system... so I just want to know WHERE?! When we have to supply basic cleaning supplies, pay a fuel charge for field trips, purchase agendas and workbooks, etc.

The waste is what gets me. We have to buy 4 boxes of 24 count Crayola crayons at the beginning of the year. They put a box of each kids crayons in a zipper bag to use for the quarter, then send it home and start a new box the next quarter. We have an entire shoe box of crayons that are barely used! And we always have to buy spiral notebooks and composition books. They will use the 1st 20-30 pages, and that is it. But they write all over the cover, and use just enough that they can't be re-used. Avery had to have 4 spirals, wide ruled, solid color, non-preforated pages... took me 3 stores to find them!

I guess the real issue for me is mis-used funds. Wynn works at the engineering firm that does most of the schools in NC. They built a high school here 2 years ago with a $200,000 rotunda in the entry!! But they don't have the funds to buy Germ-X!

OK... off my soapbox... I promise!

 

[momm2four]

Thanks for all the compliments on the FE guys! I'm just glad that I can check making them off my list.

Kari, I feel your pain. I have to buy things for my four boys from their lists and then I have to buy stuff I'll use in my classroom. I only get $100 to buy stuff for my classroom for the year, so after buying cartridges for my printer and a box of transparencies my BEP money is gone, and the rest comes from my pocket.

What kills me about these lists is that they are put out at the end of the year or before school starts, and then the next year, you have new teachers there who didn't even have input on the list, or your child may be buying things that a teacher who isn't even at that school anymore requested.

I remember looking everywhere for a certain kind of pencil one year and mentioned that I couldn't find it to my friend who taught that grade. She said, "Oh, don't worry about it, the teacher who wanted that went to another school, you don't need that." I felt for all the other parents who didn't know that, who kept looking for that mystery pencil.

Oh well, shouldn't complain, I really do enjoy what I do (most of the time).

Ian, what a wonderful honeymoon! I wish you guys all the best

Lori P.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Ian and Charlotte,

Congratulations and how wonderful that you'll be celebrating your marriage on the ship!

 

[kimmcbee]

Ok term paper is typed, almost complete, just a few things to add. submit tomorrow night I hope. then on to better things like plannigna cruise!!
Paper was on Mount Vesuvius and the famous eruption.

Getting boys ready to go back to school. we have tax free weekend this weekend, wish I had the supply list the teachers are wanting. will make a guess based on the last few years.

Off to bed. talk to you all soon.
Kim

 

[MommaluvsDis]

My younger son, Austin, did his Science Fair project on Pompeii and the eruption of Mt Vesuvius and won first place at the parish level! I would love to go to Pompeii!

I'm turning my font color to red now. I thought it would be a good idea if we all post a few tips.

1. Your onboard tips will total $76.25 per person regardless of age.

2. A plastic front shoe holder is great for organizing toiletries.

3. Parking at the port is now $15 per day, paid before you board the ship.

4. You're going to be closer to the equator and the sun is brutal!! Sunscreen is your best friend!

5. Have plenty of batteries, film, disposable cameras, etc. A disposable camera on the ship is $20!!!

6. Don't sweat formal night. Dress nicely and you'll be fine.

7. Adults, every afternoon some very nice snacks (sweets) are free at the Cove Cafe. Help yourself.

I'll stop now so that someone else can post!

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Forgot to say:

Can you tell I'm back home from our trip?!?!?!?