A toddler, preschooler and Disney - Oh My! Pretrip Report

[Trinity524]

I hope you don't think I was being obnoxious mentioning the cake! I just didn't know if you were aware that CM will probably do something for free. Of course, if grandma is footing the bill, then bring on the cake! And trust me, my kids are the only grandkids on both sides (well, my brother and SIL just had a baby a few weeks ago, but until then...), so I totally understand spoiling!!! And if the cake is important to him, then you definitely need it-I get that. I don't think my ODS would be thrilled with just a cupcake either, I know.

Yep, I want magic all the way. I couldn't tell if Griffin (my ODS) was getting excited, so I asked him today and he was very cute in showing me HOW excited he is. So now I am extra psyched! You should definitely think about T-Rex. I think it might be a requirement for all "boys only" households, lol! And it looks really cool! Too bad you can't squeeze that one in on his birthday. They have the Extinction dessert that has cake and ice cream and smokes like a volcano, and feeds a group for $15. Stick a candle in that and tell him it's a dinosaur themed birthday!

Can't wait to keep reading about your plans!

Now you guys have me thinking!!! LOL

 

[Macduffy]

In 29 days I will be in Disney!!! I'm actually freaking out a little because my To Do list is soooooo long and we are in the middle of a heat wave and spending all day and night in our pool! I had to check last night before bed to see if the boys were growing webbed feet or gills

So because of the heat I have not done a single "Disney" thing. Including Theme nights Hopefully things will slow down soon I can be motivated to do things.

*knock knock* Opportunity is that you?

DH's nephew has a birthday party on Saturday (it's in our home town about 2 hrs away) but we were planning on staying the night to visit with family. Last night I had a brilliant idea - why doesn't DH take the boys for the weekend and I can stay home and tackle my list???!!!

Now I love my husband dearly and he is a terrific father BUT he isn't comfortable taking the kids - well - anywhere without me! LOL He gets nervous if YDS gets fussy or if DS3 doesn't listen. Not that I'm super mom by any means but I am constantly taking the boys - well - EVERYWHERE with me. I've gone for the day, weekend, week all by my lonesome. I've taken them to my doctors appointments, countless playdates and parties, the pool, beach etc. all by myself. So I don't think I'm asking much to get him to take them for a couple days to a place where he has tons of support and help.

He said he would but I could sense both fear and disappointment (mostly fear). I'm not sure if he will, I have a feeling I will be guilted into going but we will see.

Below are some random pictures of some summertime fun with the kids (places I've taken them without hubby LOL!)

First is my little girl - Sophie. Our 3 year old PERFECT Golden Lab. I love her sooo much! She loves to swim in the river and even comes up with a fish now and then!

 

[jana616]

I SOOO feel you on the taking the kids anywhere thing. I think as SAHMs we just have to take them with us places, there's no other choice (well, not go anywhere, but yuck to that!). But dads get all nervous and feel like they have no idea what they're doing with them...anyway, I totally get it.
I think it is entirely reasonable for your DH to take them without you. Especially when all of his family will be there to help. Can he try to time the drives so that they are in the car when they might sleep? That would make the drive seem a lot less scary. Or do you have a portable DVD player he could use? Those are a godsend for longer drives. I'd tell him to "man up" and take them for some wonderful father-sons bonding time. Mommies need that every so often, especially when we're freakinging out about upcoming trips and whittling down to do lists!

Your summer sounds like it's been fun! We had such a cool summer (like record-setting cool), but it's finally warmed up here a lot, right in time for school to start back up! And your dog is beautiful! I love the pic of you and your son!

 

[crocko]

Something funny from my perspective.

I like taking the kids out by myself and have learned to appreciate the hard work that it is.
It really must be uncommon, though....many times I've gotten comments about how I'm doing a good job and how tough it must be.
I always appreciate the comments, but am also thinking...."Dude...my wife does this EVERYDAY...I would be surprised if she gets ANY comments."

Oh well.
Anyway, yay for 29 days!!!!

 

[Macduffy]

Something funny from my perspective.

I like taking the kids out by myself and have learned to appreciate the hard work that it is.
It really must be uncommon, though....many times I've gotten comments about how I'm doing a good job and how tough it must be.
I always appreciate the comments, but am also thinking...."Dude...my wife does this EVERYDAY...I would be surprised if she gets ANY comments."

Oh well.
Anyway, yay for 29 days!!!!

Ha ha - I always look at dads out solo with their kids and think "wow, what a great dad!" again - not that DH isn't - he's just scared and I don't blame him. It is hard work but SO important to socialize young kids!

If I can get him to take them this weekend he'll be laughin' for the next 18 years

Wish I had two countdowns to Disney on the go!

 

[crocko]

Wish I had two countdowns to Disney on the go!

Get annual passes....they make it "easier" to go back often.

 

[jagmom]

I left my dh home with our 2 kids, 3 year old ds and 22 month old dd for 6 days. He survived. Despite popular opinion, moms don't have special powers over kids. Dads are just as capable.

 

[Macduffy]

I left my dh home with our 2 kids, 3 year old ds and 22 month old dd for 6 days. He survived. Despite popular opinion, moms don't have special powers over kids. Dads are just as capable.

SO True! DH always says "I'm not as good as you are" and while I love the complement it's just not true! He thinks I'm a very relaxed parent but I tell him it was born out of necessity Funny thing is - if he started taking the boys out without me all the time I'd be on here complaining about THAT

 

[jagmom]

if he started taking the boys out without me all the time I'd be on here complaining about THAT

 

[lilmissie]

Very interested in your PTR and hopefully TR to follow. We are doing our first trip in October with DS3, DS3, DS2 and getting very nervous/excited. One thing, you had mentioned you've been looking at cakes, getting ready to plan for DS3's bday. Can you send me a link or something to them. We'll be celebrating DS3's bday while there as well and I'd love to get them a cake.

 

[Macduffy]

I had full 24 hours to myself!!!! Which meant 24 full hours to obsess over our Disney Trip
I hate to say it but I was happy to see my boys drive out of that driveway! I don't remember EVER having a day for just me - no kids, husband, friends, family JUST me!

I got a lot of stuff done on my To Do list.

I burnt a DVD for each of the boys with their favorite shows (Transformers, Word World, Little Einsteins etc.). I made Disney like DVD covers.

I put together their Plane bags too! I included some old Happy Meal Toys (they are quiet and I don't care if they lose them), sticker book, story book, mini slinky, treat lunch box, their DVD and a travel magna doodle. I'm keeping them hidden until we are actually on the plane b/c I need every minute of "interest" on my side

I ordered my transfer paper from amymickey.com and picked out my t-shirt DISign from Natalie's photobucket/4shared. I LOVE her stuff and so happy she shares all her hard work and creativity with the DIS board member!!! I bought the shirts at Zellers for $4 each - Children's Place was $6.50 and Michael's didn't make them small enough. I'm not sure if I'll make T's for DH and I. I'll ask him tonight

I also made our invites, treat tags, sucker holders, chocolate bar wrappers and updated my Planner. - still have to make them though. Thank god for Photoshop

I feel sooooo great about all the things I got done!!!

In Non Disney related news - my dog Sophie has gone into heat! We are leaving in 26 days and she just started her cycle. I'm FREAKING out that she won't be finished when we are leaving and I have no where to bring her. we still haven't figured out what to do with our cat suffering from Kidney Failure

I will all work out I know but in the mean time I'm adding things to the To Do list as fast as I'm taking them off

Should I call to confirm my ADR's? I also looked at doing T-Rex instead of Planet Hollywood thanks to Jana see what I mean about adding more things to do!?

 

[jana616]

I am SOOO happy for you that your DH took the kids and you got some time to yourself. We need that so badly. Good for you! It sounds like you were super productive. I love the DVD idea. I have no idea how to do that, but my boys would love something like that. That ought to buy you all kinds of quiet time on the plane.

I can't believe your dig is in heat! That's some bad timing, huh? Hopefully she'll finish soon!

I think with the ages of your boys they would love T-Rex. If you decide to do it, call them directly-they have lots more openings than the ADR line does. And I so hear you on the to do list getting bigger not smaller. I just thought of two things to do as I am typing! Good luck, and you'll get it all done!

 

[posh*tots* resale]

Oh Oh....

So went to a local weight loss business to meet with a weightloss coach. I want to loose some weight for Disney (20 lbs). Anyway, I told the coach I had to bring my son with me and asked if that would be a problem. She said not at all. I packed toys, a sippy, crackers and more toys. Oh my god.... he was OUT OF CONTROL the whole appointment! He tore everything apart was running all of the place and threw a huge temper tamtrum in her office. I was mortified but all I could think about was Disney. How the heck am I going to cope in MK or DHS with these "throw myself on the floor and kick and scream until I get what I want" episodes.

I sure hope I didn't get in over my head taking a then 20 month old with us. I've gotten a lot of slack from friends about taking him. They think DH and I are crazy to take the boys (4 and 20 months) to WDW because they are too young to remember it. We try to explain that Disney isn't going to be a once in a lifetime trip for us and that we plan on going back every chance we get (we live in Atlantic Canada) but people still think we're nuts.

Is anyone else taking young kids to Disney getting slack? DS#1 thinks that Mickey Mouse is REAL and that he lives in the Castle with his friends - how freaking cool is that? I want him to experience that even if he may not remember - I will and that's all that really matter rights? LOL

Here are the boys wearing mine and DH's mickey ears last night. Ben's are sideways of course. Should we bring our old ears or get new ones on the trip? I don't really want to pack them up and take them....

Hello Again!! We brought our kids on their 1st DISNEY trip back in 2007. My son was 3yrs 2 mos and our daughter was 20 months at the time. Umm...it was a bit chaotic but it was our own faults. We went COMMANDO & didn't factor in midday breaks. It was way too hot for them to be out all day. This time around they are 5 yrs 2 mos and 3 yrs 8 mos old. Even though they are older this time around, we are STILL going back to the resort for a midday break to escape the heat & chaos of the parks. Our kids were quite behaved during dinner. Granted, we didn't make dinner last 2 hours. We were in/out in an hour. I always packed a "travel toy bag" that they played with in the restaurants. This time around they are packing their Leapsters & V-Smiles hand held games to keep them busy. GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[pixie_mtl]

Oh my! Ton voyage approche!! 22 more days to go

I really enjoyend reading your pre-trip report. What a great idea of holding theme nights with the boys! I also love the rings chain idea.

The first time time I took my daughter to Disney she was 3.5 and I celebrated her 4 bday there. This was last year; she had a blast! I wouldn't worry much about how the kids behave... they'll see how the other kids do in the park and will follow along. I'm sure you'll have an amazing time.

Vivement la suite!

 

[Macduffy]

Oh my! Ton voyage approche!! 22 more days to go

I really enjoyend reading your pre-trip report. What a great idea of holding theme nights with the boys! I also love the rings chain idea.

The first time time I took my daughter to Disney she was 3.5 and I celebrated her 4 bday there. This was last year; she had a blast! I wouldn't worry much about how the kids behave... they'll see how the other kids do in the park and will follow along. I'm sure you'll have an amazing time.

Vivement la suite!

Thanks! I needed that... whether he will remember this trip or not the excitement and "magic" he'll experience NOW is worth all the negative comments I've been getting about the kids being too young.

The youngest has been getting better - his tantrums are shorter and more controlled now LOL and older DS is good as long as he's not too tired

 

[pixie_mtl]

Thanks! I needed that... whether he will remember this trip or not the excitement and "magic" he'll experience NOW is worth all the negative comments I've been getting about the kids being too young.

The youngest has been getting better - his tantrums are shorter and more controlled now LOL and older DS is good as long as he's not too tired

People think that Disney is unaccessible mainly because they think is too pricey when in fact it cost less than a trip to Cuba with Club med. I think these negative comments means more like "how can YOU afford to get there and not me" You shouldn't have to justify why you are taking vacation to one place rather than another one. Vacation is not about memory is about sharing time with your family and live and experience new things. People go to Cuba with babies... do they think about how much the baby is going to remember COME ON

Disney has been in the business for so many years... Even when you look at the Disney planning-dvd one section is made entirely for the 5 and under. And Disney starts its packages to include child as of 3... So if they didn't know what they were doing they'd be out of business a long time ago. The fact that these people are so negative is just ignorance on the subject. Go on! Enjoy! You only get one life to live!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I cant believe I didnt notice your ptr sooner. I am joining in better late than never. I am going to disney 9-20/9-26. Staying at all star sports. We will be at MK the night we arrive which I believe is the night you are going after chef mickeys right? We will also be at AK 9/22 we have res. for tusker at 1010am. What time are yours?

We also got alot of comments that the kids are too young to spend money on this trip. They are 4 (5 in nov) and almost 2 1/2. My reply is "the trip is for us to see the magic through their eyes and what do you care your not paying for it". We also plan to go multiple times to disney through out their childhood so at some point they will remember it. Whats the difference between disney or the beach right.

I am also glad to read that YDS is calming a little. I remember those months when I felt like my yds was out of control but closer to the 2nd bday they usually start to settle down and understand more. You should be fine. Just plan for all the temper tantrums/meltdowns/and crying and you might be pleasantly suprised.

I also love the disney nights you did. I know they all werent your idea but you did an awesome job of carrying them out. I wish I would of thought of that sooner.

I know what you mean too about people thinking your nuts. It all starts as a simple plan and before you know it your this crazy person that is constantly talking, thinking, and dreaming disney. At least there is more like us! We are not alone.

 

[Macduffy]

Well the summer is almost over and I go back to work on Monday. Working 9 months out of the year is a really nice balace for our family. The boys get the experiences of Preschool but I get the summer (the best time of year) with them!!!

I'm embarrassed to admit that this year I am so excited to go back to work to get some time to work on my Disney Stuff. As SAHM's know - time to yourself is limited if it even exists at all!

Ben, DS, has started to get really interested in Dinosaurs and he keeps asking me if he will see one at Disney. SO... I went online to see if I could get an ADR at T Rex for our DTD day. Not a single reservation was available on the WDW site. I was disappointed but Jana16 suggested I call directly - I did and got a spot for 5 at 4:30!!!!!! I'm so happy I called them directly instead of going through WDW Dining. I started showing him pictures on the computer yesterday. Now I have to cancel my Planet Hollywood ADR.

So we are about 3 weeks out and I'm starting to throw things together but money is getting SO tight. Getting the boys ready for preschool, fall clothes, and all the Disney pretrip stuff is taking a toll on the bank account!

It's funny - when you book the trip you think about costs like airfare, hotel, food, tickets, souvenir money etc. You DON'T think about ink cartridges, card stock, binding, t-shirts, transfer paper, Theme Night supplies, luggage, plane bags for the kids, gift cards for people looking after pets etc. etc. etc.... the list just keeps getting longer and longer and the budget is so out the window. Ah well... the tight purse strings will be worth it in the end!

Speaking of pretrip stuff... I have two boxes I'm going to put the boys "plane bags" in and I'm going to wrap it up in packaging paper and put some cute Mickey Stamps on them and get our neighbor (who the kids don't know) to knock on the door with their special "Mickey Mouse Delivery". They'll be so excited I can't wait!

 

[Macduffy]

Our tusker's ADR is for 9:10 so we'll probably be leaving as you are being seated LOL! If see a toddler running around all crazy like and hear some yelling ""Logan!!!" That's me LOL!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

thats so funny. I am trying to get an earlier reservation since we normally eat breakfast by 830am. We are early risers. Well let me say I have to be an early riser because my ds2 likes to yell "ding dong" at our bedroom door at 6 am. So with luck maybe we will see you there. I will be yelling the one yelling "nicholas". LOL.