A Northern Family's Southern Getaway -Take 2 Jan 2010 PTR Updated 1/15 SNACKS

[Northern Disney Girl]

Today is my day for packing frenzy. I want to take too much, simple because I am worried the weather will change at any time!
Once I know what I am taking I then want to be sure all is laundered and clean!
Only to help matters I developed a cold last night!
Positive note, it should be gone before Disney and not during!

I took a break to check the weather forcast - and that rain they were calling for is now gone... hard to tell the weather I think until we get there. I am a cold person to begin with, so I am packing for all extremes

Better get back to it!

Glad you saw Wall - E , we love that movie as well ! Hope you are able to get more packing done today!

Kim...are you feeling any better about your packing? Drakes, how bout you? I am thinking of you both!! Just try to do what you can and then take breaks...that is what I had to do...I did my food/toiletry suitcase first...then the morning we left I just put my blowdryer and my makeup bag in there and it was ready to go....
I also did the kids one at a time--suitcase, then they helped me with the backpack. I did my stuff and my carry-on last...Mike did his own because we don't agree on how to pack! So, he does his own bags...we just decided to go ahead and pack what we needed even if we had to pay for it...it's just too hard to try to cram it all in the carry-ons!!!!

Thanks for the encouragement Ladies!

I am starting to make headway! Progress, FINALLY!!!

We sat down yesterday and sorted out ALL THE STUFF that needed doing this week and the packing that needed to be done!

My brilliant husband came up with the idea of putting each job/chore/item on a piece of paper and pinned onto a pinboard so that we could remove each item as it was done!

It has given me perspective and lets me see that it is possible to do all that needs doing and that I won't go stark raving mad over the next 6 days!

So far, I have mine and the girls travel clothes picked out for our drive to Minneapolis on Sunday, and our over night bag for Minneapolis is almost 75% packed!

I have most of their travel amusement stuff collected but can't pack it yet as they are using their school bags as carry on and those won't be available until they are finished school on Friday!

Our toiletries bag is somewhat packed but toothbrushes/toothpaste, deodorant etc will have to be added at the last minute as we will ned to use those things on Sunday morning!

There are still many piles of clothes all over the place because I want to wait until at least Thursday or Friday to do the final packing of our Florida clothes to have a more accurate idea of what the weather will be like! It is changing drastically every day so it is really hard to tell!

I shall keep plugging away at it! A little bit at a time! Lots of breaks in between so I don't get overwhelmed!

 

[Monny2AE]

Hang in there Kim. And remember that if you forget anything there is a Walmart nearby Disney.

I got most of my stuff packed this weekend. Except for the last minute toiletries- gotta brush our teeth between now and Thursday night I don't have to worry about airline restrictions though. I can see why that would stress you! Weight limits, security restrictions, etc.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

as far as toothpaste, toothbrushes, and deoderant...i just buy the travel ones at Wal-Mart...then when we are done I either put them in the travel bin or just throw them away....you are only suppose to keep toothbrushes for 3 months anyway, and if we aren't going anywhere soon I just throw them out!! Sure makes packing easier!!

 

[MAGGIED]

Wow... what a great PTR... sorry I am just jumping on board... just in time for your trip... you will love POFQ... it was the first resort we stayed at when we brought our children.. DD was in 5th grade and DS in 2nd grade...they loved it... and DH loved the beignets... he made his way to the bakery every morning!!! Have a wonderful time... take tons of photos to share!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Thanks for all the encouragement Ladies!!!

You are all such amazing women! I do apologize for not doing a super job at keeping up with the plans that I had for this PTR!!! Life was just too busy the last few weeks!

Well, we are down to 2 more sleeps before we leave our house and 3 before we fly off to see our favourite Mouse and his gang!

My mom and dad are taking the girls for a few hours tomorrow so Ken and I can do all that needs doing. Cleaning, Laundry, packing, loading of the van etc. We are hoping to peel out of here at about 7am EST on Sunday morning!

I am watching the weather like a hawk. There apparently is a snowstorm a-comin'! If we think it might be a problem, we just very well might leave here earlier or maybe even tomorrow night! We could get to Duluth and stay in a really cheap hotel for the night and then drive the rest of the way to Minneapolis on Sunday! We will see what happens!

I am hoping to post on here one last time before we leave so please come back to check!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Just in case you don't get to check in with us before you leave.....have a fantastic time and tell Mickey I said hi!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Down by us in the cities it shouldn't be bad on Sunday, just cloudy with a bit of snow (less than an inch). Saturday looks like freezing rain around, so it might be messy down our way.

Hope the weather doesn't mess up your driving too much!! Just be careful!
You have my cell #, right?
I can't wait to see you!

Safe journey!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

In-case I don't get back on here I just wanted to say -- have a great trip Kim! Travel safe, have a fun Snowbird meet, and have a magical Disney journey.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Girl, I know you are soooo excited!!!! BE CAREFUL!! I think you should go at least a 1/2 day early so you can drive slower! We will miss you!!!! That's great that your parents can kid-watch for a bit and give you some time!! My kids are so amped that they are just following me around asking 1 million questions and I can't get done as fast as I would like when Disney packing Have a blast!!!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Just in case you don't get to check in with us before you leave.....have a fantastic time and tell Mickey I said hi!

Thanks Lisa! I will indeed give our fave mouse a big ole hug from me JUST FOR YOU!!!

Down by us in the cities it shouldn't be bad on Sunday, just cloudy with a bit of snow (less than an inch). Saturday looks like freezing rain around, so it might be messy down our way.

Hope the weather doesn't mess up your driving too much!! Just be careful!
You have my cell #, right?
I can't wait to see you!

Safe journey!

Thanks Sheree! Yes I have your cell# and your home too! I am so excited about meeting up with you and your family!

In-case I don't get back on here I just wanted to say -- have a great trip Kim! Travel safe, have a fun Snowbird meet, and have a magical Disney journey.

Thanks so much Shelly! I know we will have a super fabulous time!
No cooking, cleaning or laundry for 9 whole days!

Girl, I know you are soooo excited!!!! BE CAREFUL!! I think you should go at least a 1/2 day early so you can drive slower! We will miss you!!!! That's great that your parents can kid-watch for a bit and give you some time!! My kids are so amped that they are just following me around asking 1 million questions and I can't get done as fast as I would like when Disney packing Have a blast!!!!

Shawna, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful friend who is so concerned for me! I know that we will be all right! The weather isn't so bad, gosh, it hasn't even started raining or snowing YET!!!

We plan to leave here about 7am EST tomorrow so if we can get to Duluth by about 10am CST we can afford a bit of a longer lunch break! We should be able to make it to Bloomington by about 2ish! Sheree's family is supposed to meet us at MOA at about 4 for a while!

Maybe Sheree would be kind enough to pop on here after our meet and let y'all know how we are doing!


WE ARE PACKED AND READY TO GO!!!!!!!!!

The van is cleaned and ready to be loaded as soon as we get the girls to bed. The clothes are laid out for the morning and all that is left to do is wash up the supper dishes and feed the Cat!

Thanks for sticking with me throught this sometimes crazy PTR! I appreciate all of your friendship!

Catch ya on the flipside!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Of course, I would be happy to let everyone know you made it here safe and sound and tell a little about our meet!!

It's been raining here all day, now a bit of snow. I don't think it will amount to much. Supposed to get a few inches up north tomorrow, so be careful driving. Only a light accumulation around here. I think it's just going to be sloppy!

Get a good night's sleep!

See you tomorrow!!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I am hoping that you and your little fam are allllll sleeping do any of you sleep the night before Disney? I don't!!! Ha!!!Which is probably why I have a headache the day we get there every year!!!Can't believe your trip time is already here!! Seems like yesterday you were all amped up because you and Ken figured you could swing it again financially....that is always such a great feeling!


HAVE FUN!!!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

My and Kim's DISmeet is in a bit of jeopardy this morning.
My kids woke up sick.
I sure don't want to give them any germs on their way to WDW!!

So they will not be getting to meet Kim and family. I may still go, especially because I don't have a way to contact her. I gave her my numbers, but I don't want to sit here and have her wonder why I'm late. I'm hoping she hops on the boards somehow. I pm'ed her.

Anyone have a cell # for her??? PM me if you do!
Thanks!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Oh No!!! Poor ya'll!! i know the girls are all gonna be so disappointed! Maybe they can meet up on the way back through!!! I hope your girls get better soon!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Never mind! Bummer for the kids (they're doing okay), but Kim just called and I'm off to meet her!!

I'll take pictures and post later!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Have fun Sheree! I hope the girls feel better soon.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hi all - just wanted to let you know that Kim and family made it to Minneapolis today. They drove about 8 hours from their home and we got a call from Kim around 2:30. Since my kiddos were on the sick side (Sarah was feeling better by then), I went to meet them by myself.

We met at the Mall of America at Lego land, so her kids could play while we visited. Let me tell you, they are the NICEST family!!! Her kids were so sweet and polite and they had little gifts for my girls. Very thoughtful! By the way Kim, I'd love a pair of those Olympic mittens, can you send me some??

Anyway, I did not get a picture of their whole family - Ken was the photographer. Here are the pics he took with my camera.

Natalie was sort of hiding behind Wall-E!! They had just been to the Disney store!

I wore my Canada shirt in their honor. The girls were so cute and excited about their trip. I told them to say hi to Mickey for me (Natalie said she would!) They are super nice and polite. The whole family is fabulous! (No they didn't bribe me to say that on their PTR!)
We visited for around a half hour, and I had to get home and check on my kids and watch the Vikings game. (It's not over yet!) But we made plans to try to meet up again on their way back from WDW!! Hopefully we can all go this time and have dinner together! Then I will get to hear all about their trip first! Our daughters are going to exchange Girl Scout cookies. They have Girl Guides in Canada and their cookies are different and they don't have as many. We are in the ordering stages here, so I said I'd make sure they get some from us!!
It was a great visit, even though it was too short!
They are off on an early morning flight tomorrow.
My kids are feeling much better and eating a bit of BRAT food. So far so good. Whew!

TTFN!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Great pictures Sheree! Thanks for posting them.

Kim- I hope you guys have a safe trip down to Orlando. I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

I must say, I'm a bit jealous. First, Sheree and Shawna are at WDW at the same time and get to meet up. Now, Sheree and Kim get to meet up at the MOA! These are all the Snowbirds I got to meet last January. I feel so left out.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Sheree~~ Great pics!! Thanks ken! ha!!!
Meghan, don't feel left out...we do miss u though!!! Boy...that MOA suuuuure looks tempting!!!! I goooooot to get up there! I know they are soooo excited...I am guessing (kim and family) are either in the air or at MCO by now

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Thanks for the update Sheree! Looks like a fun time. YAY for the Snowbirds! Wish I could have been there too!