A trip report??? Um, no. Well....alright, I'll give it a shot...

[mommaU4]

Okay can you tell I'm just a tad undecided about writing a trip report?

It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not very good at it. I mean, what would I title it. "My Disneyland Trip?"

There's some real originality for ya. And it should be a frightening clue of things to come. Bring on the pots of coffee, if you plan to keep reading. You'll need it......

So maybe a little background is in order. My name is Beth. Hi. I am a SAHM of 4 kids. Sorry, it just hits me sometimes.

I pretty much grew up in the So Cal area. Then in 2004 we packed up and moved the whole family to northern MI where I was born, to be closer to my family and escape the rat race of the big city.

It was very nice there, really pretty. But unfortunately, it snows!! And while having a white Christmas is actually kind of cool, a white Easter wasn't as impressive.

So, we decided to move again. Living costs in CA were now out of our reach, sooooo... we ended up in Vegas baby!! We've been here all of 3 months and so far so good.

One of the best things about living here is we are only a 4 hour drive from Disneyland!!!
I love Disneyland. I grew up going there. First as a child with my parents, then with my husband while we were dating, and finally with each one of my kids. It's like home to me.

And now we get to go back!! Not only that, we are going to buy annual passes!! Car repairs and college savings be damned!

We're going to Disneyland!!!!

More to come. I know, you can barely stand the suspense.

 

[mommaU4]

Okay now that I've stopped jumping up and down with excitement, I suppose I should introduce you to the rest of the family.

This is me. I'm Beth, in case you are like my kids and forget things 2 minutes after they were told something. I am a SAHM, I like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, I'm not into yoga, and I have half a brain. (I had a whole one, but with 4 kids, well, I lost it somewhere along the way.)

This is my son Adam. He's 12, and is starting to think he's too cool for Disney. It's sad, I know.
The picture was taken over the summer at Wall Drug in South Dakota. We didn't have the heart to tell him she wasn't real.

This is my daughter Noelle, age 10. Luckily for me she's still into Disney. Or maybe she's only humoring me. But that's ok, I'll take it.

Next up is my daughter Lindsey. She is 7 and a twin. Fraternal, thank goodness. If they were identical I have no doubt they'd be playing tricks on poor old mom and then I wouldn't even have half a brain left.

Mmmm....cupcakes. Sorry. Okay focus.

This is Hannah. And she's....you guessed it, 7.

And last, but most definitely not least, we have dear old dad. He's my very own prince and has been ever since I was 16 years old. He's not a huge Disney fan, which is to say he's not obsessed like I am. But he agreed to go for the annual passes anyways. Now that's true love.

There ya have it. Just one big happy family. Okay so maybe we are a little dysfunctional at times, but really, who isn't.

 

[mommaU4]

Well, now that you know the players, here's the plot.

The plans thus far are to head to Disneyland on Friday, October 26. It's Nevada Day around here. What is Nevada Day? I don't really know but there's no school that day so I like it already.


(note to self: Google Nevada Day and learn a little something for a change)

Hopefully we can get on the road early since it is a 4 hour drive. Early in this family is a relative term. If we are on the road by 8 then that's quite an accomplishment.

Friday will be spent at Disneyland all day. No real touring plans. I'm not sure how the crowds will be so we'll just play it by ear. If a line for something is too long, we'll skip it and do it another time. No worries, be happy, Hakuna Matata, and all that other good stuff.

Then on Saturday we will spend the day at California Adventure. Same course of action. Just wingin it!!

Sunday we are heading home so I'm not sure if we'll have time for a park or not. Maybe we'll just do Downtown Disney.

This trip will be a quickie. But with passes there will be more to come. We are already planning to go back in December for the Christmas decorations. And then the hubby and I are going to take a solo trip in January to take the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour.

I plan to take lots of pictures. As opposed to the many previous vacations where I've carried both the video camera and digital camera ALL OVER THE PARK and come home with......nothing.

So I promise to take tons of pics, of Disneyland, of California Adventure, of the characters, of our hotel, our food, the kids, total strangers, etc.
I like a TR with lots of pics and little talk. Plus, the less I talk the more interesting this TR will be.

Anyways, I suppose that's all for now. We have less then a week to go!! I'm starting to get really excited now. Still have a little planning to do, things to buy, packing, etc.

So if anyone is bored enough to actually read this, I'll keep you updated as we go along.
Thanks for reading!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Good start!


Off topic question, what's the ladies' only thread you have memorialized in your signature?

 

[mommaU4]

Good start!


Off topic question, what's the ladies' only thread you have memorialized in your signature?

Thanks!

That thread was our chat/planning thread that we had on the DIS Meets board. As you can see it was quite long! We had it there for a little over a year, then it was closed and we had to move to the Community Board.

Basically it all formed from a Ladies Only Trip that I planned last year (Sept. '06). It was ladies only, no men and no kids. We all meet on the DIS, none of us knew each other ahead of time, and we planned a trip to WDW. There was about 45 or so of us.

It was a blast. I love going to Disney with my kids, but there is something so different and fun about being there and being able to shop without anyone saying how bored they are, eat without having to cut up anyone else's meat, and drink without worrying about setting a bad example. LOL
We had a ton of fun and after the trip we came back and about a dozen or so ladies kept on chatting. That's what that thread was.

They are going back again in just a little while but because of the move we made to Vegas, and the trips we are taking to Disneyland, I won't be going this year.

Hmmm, maybe I need to organize a Ladies Only Disneyland Trip!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Wow, sounds like a fun time!

Too bad the thread was closed, though...they really need a *journal* section of these boards, so that trip reports can turn into blather without it being a problem.


So back to your trip. This Friday, yes? Exciting!

 

[mommaU4]

Wow, sounds like a fun time!


So back to your trip. This Friday, yes? Exciting!

It was fun!! And yes, our family trip is this Friday. Just 5 little days.

So I woke up this morning and decided it would be fun to do something "Disney-ish" each of the 5 remaining days leading up to our trip.

The first thing I thought of being a Sunday morning and all, was a big family breakfast complete with Mickey pancakes. Sounds easy enough right?
WRONG!

I am not a cook. I have many talents, cooking is NOT one of them.

Since my husband works nights, and it's just me and the kids, we've had many a dinner consisting of Kix with strawberries. They are used to it by now. And luckily for me, they actually like it. (whew!)

But feeling adventurous I decided to give it a try. I made Mickey pancakes that really look nothing like Mickey.
They look more like Mickey's half brother who's gone astray and is now only spoken of in hushed tones with the children out of the room. Or a Frankenstein Mickey.

I also made scrambled eggs, vegetarian sausage, potatoes, and strawberries with banana and whip cream w/ sprinkles over top.

Here's what they looked like. Don't laugh!

The kids were really happy with them. Then again whip cream, sprinkles and powdered sugar will make just about anything appealing.

I did warn them not to get used to it. It's back to bread and water tomorrow.

So that worked well for day 1. Now I just need to think of something "Disney-ish" for days 2-5.

 

[ZPT1022]

Awwww......your Mickey pancakes are cute. They're better than mine and I don't even do the decorations. Heck, my kids are lucky if I flip them and they stay in one piece


One day you could make chocolate chip cookie bars and cut them with a Mickey cookie cutter once they cool.

ummmm....... yeah, that's really all I've got besides silly things like watch the planning video, look at pics online, and wear Mickey ears around the house.

 

[BecBennett]

They look more like Mickey's half brother who's gone astray and is now only spoken of in hushed tones with the children out of the room.

lol. I love that

I can't cook either, luckily my boyfriend loves it! So I get to sit and watch and just enjoy whatever comes my way!

I'm getting excited for you! Friday is sooo close! Well compared to my trip anyway. *see sig*

I can't wait to hear more, and make sure you keep your promise and show lots and lots of photos!

 

[mommaU4]

Awwww......your Mickey pancakes are cute. They're better than mine and I don't even do the decorations. Heck, my kids are lucky if I flip them and they stay in one piece


One day you could make chocolate chip cookie bars and cut them with a Mickey cookie cutter once they cool.

ummmm....... yeah, that's really all I've got besides silly things like watch the planning video, look at pics online, and wear Mickey ears around the house.

Thanks! For the nose I used a strawberry, the mouth was of course the whip cream, and the eyes were M&M's. I had to sample a few of the eyes, you know to make sure they were okay.

I like the idea of using the Mickey cookie cutter. Well, except that I don't own one. But I'm sure I can go pick one up.

We have a Disney outlet, actually two of them, here in Vegas so I'm hoping to make a quick trip over there tomorrow and see what I can dig up.

 

[mommaU4]

lol. I love that

I can't cook either, luckily my boyfriend loves it! So I get to sit and watch and just enjoy whatever comes my way!

I'm getting excited for you! Friday is sooo close! Well compared to my trip anyway. *see sig*

I can't wait to hear more, and make sure you keep your promise and show lots and lots of photos!

A man who cooks! You really did hit the jackpot.

Friday is getting really close! I'm getting excited, but nervous too. I always do that. I'm just hoping we can make it these few days with no one getting sick.

I gave my kids some Airborne the other day. Oh my, you should have seen their faces!! That stuff is really nasty and the whole time I was just cracking up. I know, shame on me for being so amused at my children's "suffering". But in my defense it WAS really funny, and of course I took some too to be fair.

And your trip will be here before you know it!

Thanks for reading.....

 

[jordansmomma]

I can't wait to hear more. Our first trip to DL will be 12/23-29, I know crazy huh!! with a day at Seaworld also. hmm I may need a few drink to keep my sanity

 

[mommaU4]

I can't wait to hear more. Our first trip to DL will be 12/23-29, I know crazy huh!! with a day at Seaworld also. hmm I may need a few drink to keep my sanity

"A drink"?!?!?! How about several!!

Yikes. But you know, being at Disneyland even when it's busy is better then not being there at all, right?
And you know it'll be crowded so you can just plan accordingly and take lots of breaks to keep everyone's stress level down.

You know it won't be hot (well, hopefully) so that's good. I don't know about you but I can handle the heat OR the crowds, NOT both.

Plus what a magical time to be there!! All the Christmas decorations will be up, the whole park will just be over flowing with all things Christmas. How fun!

And I love Sea World!! We used to go there alot as well, but it's been awhile. You are going to have a blast no matter what.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think the pancakes turned out well, too. Surprisingly like the pancakes we got last year at Riverbelle. Not that you can get those this year since it's being refurbed, sigh.

jordansmomma, if you guys like small animals, be sure to check out the Pets Rule show at SeaWorld. Very cute show.

mommaU4, how about some candy corn, to get in the mood for the decorations?

 

[mommaU4]

I think the pancakes turned out well, too. Surprisingly like the pancakes we got last year at Riverbelle. Not that you can get those this year since it's being refurbed, sigh.

mommaU4, how about some candy corn, to get in the mood for the decorations?

Thanks! The kids sure gobbled them up quick enough. lol

I saw that the Riverbelle will be closed. Too bad, I like it there. Oh well, good thing I made them at home. Saved myself a few bucks.

Thanks for the tip on the candy corn too. I think I actually have some here!

 

[mommaU4]

Okay well, today is Monday. Day 2 of my goal to do something Disney-ish each day leading up to the trip.

I didn't make it out to the Disney store today. Had some grocery shopping to do. I don't know what's wrong with this family. I keep buying food and they keep eating it!! Then I just have to buy more. It appears we are trapped in a vicious cycle.

Anyways, I did have some shirts on hand that I bought months ago back in MI. for them to wear when we went to Disneyland. At the time, I didn't know when that would be. I just knew we would at some point.

And now that time has come!! (well, almost)

So I went and dug them out of my closet and gave them the shirts. They liked them.

These are the ones for Noelle and Adam. Her's is white with Mickey's all over it, and one Minnie. His is a POTC shirt.

These Tinkerbell ones are for the twins.

Since we are going while it's Halloweentime at the parks, I went to Target recently and bought each of them Halloween tees to wear one day as well. They each picked out their own.

So I guess that counts as our Disney themed treat for the day, even though they don't get to wear their tees for a few more days.

I also printed out some Disney coloring pages for the girls to do. They are coloring them as I type and we plan to hang them up over their beds. I asked Adam if he wanted to color too and he looked at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted another head.

OH!! I almost forgot. I already have Thursday's Disney treat taken care of. (Am I good or what? )

I called and arranged for the twins to receive Enchanted Phone Calls. Hannah will receive a Happy Halloween call that night from Ariel. And then Lindsey will receive a Good Night call from Sleeping Beauty.

Crap. I don't have anything for Adam and Noelle for that day yet..... Okay well, so I'm not as good as I thought. But I'm working on it.

 

[mommaU4]

So much for wingin it....

I just made my first Priority Seating reservation after I swore to myself I wasn't going to go that route. I give in to temptation way too easily.

I would actually love to do a character breakfast, but after forking out all that money for 6 (yes SIX) annual passes, I told myself we'd do cheap meals this time. Strictly counter service. Maybe even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or two.

I just couldn't see paying well over $100 for a breakfast to meet characters that quite frankly my kids are outgrowing. I think I'd enjoy it more then they would.

They'd be asking the whole time, "When can we go on another ride???" Which would then force me to threaten them with bodily harm if they didn't be quiet and enjoy their meal, and let's face it, that's just not very magical now is it?
So no character meals for us just yet.

BUT I do love the Rainforest Cafe, and while we have one here in Vegas, it's not the same. So I called and made reservations to eat there for one lunch. Just one. A little tiny lunch. I think we can manage that.

 

[PooohBear]

It was fun!! And yes, our family trip is this Friday. Just 5 little days.

So I woke up this morning and decided it would be fun to do something "Disney-ish" each of the 5 remaining days leading up to our trip.

The first thing I thought of being a Sunday morning and all, was a big family breakfast complete with Mickey pancakes. Sounds easy enough right?
WRONG!

I am not a cook. I have many talents, cooking is NOT one of them.

Since my husband works nights, and it's just me and the kids, we've had many a dinner consisting of Kix with strawberries. They are used to it by now. And luckily for me, they actually like it. (whew!)

But feeling adventurous I decided to give it a try. I made Mickey pancakes that really look nothing like Mickey.
They look more like Mickey's half brother who's gone astray and is now only spoken of in hushed tones with the children out of the room. Or a Frankenstein Mickey.

I also made scrambled eggs, vegetarian sausage, potatoes, and strawberries with banana and whip cream w/ sprinkles over top.

Here's what they looked like. Don't laugh!

The kids were really happy with them. Then again whip cream, sprinkles and powdered sugar will make just about anything appealing.

I did warn them not to get used to it. It's back to bread and water tomorrow.

So that worked well for day 1. Now I just need to think of something "Disney-ish" for days 2-5.

Beth those pancakes are too cute !!!! and they don't look like frankenstein either

Okay well, today is Monday. Day 2 of my goal to do something Disney-ish each day leading up to the trip.

I didn't make it out to the Disney store today. Had some grocery shopping to do. I don't know what's wrong with this family. I keep buying food and they keep eating it!! Then I just have to buy more. It appears we are trapped in a vicious cycle.

Anyways, I did have some shirts on hand that I bought months ago back in MI. for them to wear when we went to Disneyland. At the time, I didn't know when that would be. I just knew we would at some point.

And now that time has come!! (well, almost)

So I went and dug them out of my closet and gave them the shirts. They liked them.

These are the ones for Noelle and Adam. Her's is white with Mickey's all over it, and one Minnie. His is a POTC shirt.

These Tinkerbell ones are for the twins.

Since we are going while it's Halloweentime at the parks, I went to Target recently and bought each of them Halloween tees to wear one day as well. They each picked out their own.

So I guess that counts as our Disney themed treat for the day, even though they don't get to wear their tees for a few more days.

I also printed out some Disney coloring pages for the girls to do. They are coloring them as I type and we plan to hang them up over their beds. I asked Adam if he wanted to color too and he looked at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted another head.

OH!! I almost forgot. I already have Thursday's Disney treat taken care of. (Am I good or what? )

I called and arranged for the twins to receive Enchanted Phone Calls. Hannah will receive a Happy Halloween call that night from Ariel. And then Lindsey will receive a Good Night call from Sleeping Beauty.

Crap. I don't have anything for Adam and Noelle for that day yet..... Okay well, so I'm not as good as I thought. But I'm working on it.

Those shirts are really cute, I especially like Noelle's Mickey one, i've never seen one like that before !


How did you get an enchanted phone call ?? can you arrange for Donald to give me a buzz

 

[bumbershoot]

Sounds like maybe YOU should go to a character breakfast and leave the others at the hotel.

 

[jordansmomma]

So what character breakfast are you doing???
I cant wait for Lilo and Stitch in December, on Christmas morning.
ahh RFC, I went there in April when I was in Vegas, it was so good!! LOUD but yummy!! and AC!!