All I Want for Christmas is...A WDW Vacation!! UPDATE pg 35 - Leaving today!!

[Charleston Princess]

Thank you everyone for the nice thoughts - I really appreciate it!

I talked to my dad last night and.....it looks like I will owe $0 to the IRS! It looks like what I didn't do was add my HSA contributions to my income, but on another line of my return, I could have deducted that same amount, so it's getting taken care of. Whew! I am very relieved. Today is so far a much better day - thank you everyone for the hugs, that means a lot to me!

Woo hoo!!! I am so glad, Katie! I know you must feel like a weight has been lifted!

 

[BippityBoo]

Yay! I am so happy for you! Just catching up on your TR and saw what happened! Taxes are crazy! So glad you dont owe anything...I REALLY cant wait for your trip So happy this did not put a damper on your plans

 

[DWGal210]

Woo hoo!!! I am so glad, Katie! I know you must feel like a weight has been lifted!

Thanks, Jackie! I do feel that way - when I woke up today I didn't have a headache, so that is a good thing!

Yay! I am so happy for you! Just catching up on your TR and saw what happened! Taxes are crazy! So glad you dont owe anything...I REALLY cant wait for your trip So happy this did not put a damper on your plans

Thank you Katie! You're so sweet! I am glad too - I was getting worried about having $$ for the extras but now things are looking up again. In about 7 weeks we get to make ADRs, so that is the next "to do" on the list!

 

[ladybugmom]

Thank you everyone for the nice thoughts - I really appreciate it!

I talked to my dad last night and.....it looks like I will owe $0 to the IRS! It looks like what I didn't do was add my HSA contributions to my income, but on another line of my return, I could have deducted that same amount, so it's getting taken care of. Whew! I am very relieved. Today is so far a much better day - thank you everyone for the hugs, that means a lot to me!

Whoo hooo Katie!! That's awesome!! I'm so happy for you and I know you are sooo relieved!!

 

[DWGal210]

Thanks again, everyone, for the kind words. I really do appreciate it SO MUCH!

Now back to business....

I've decided that I want to make some gift bags for the kids for our trip and I need some ideas, since I know you are all very creative people and I could use the help!

The ages of the kids are:

My sister, 18, so not really a kid anymore but I want to make one for her.
Cousin, boy, aged 16l he actually turns 16 about a week before we leave!
Cousin, boy, aged 14
Cousin, girl (also my goddaughter), aged 9
Cousin, boy, aged 3

Do you have any good ideas for what I could include?! I was thinking I would give them to them at the airport so they would have something to do on the plane, plus then I wouldn't have to pack them and use valuable luggage space.

I would ideally not want to spend more than say $75 total for all 5 bags, so that's like $15 per person. Any ideas for what I should include? I saw these bags on the Disney Store online and though they were so cute - $7 for 2 of them. Kinda expensive for the bag, but I thought I would get 2 sets green and 1 set pink. The pink has Tinkerbell in the corner.

So I was thinking.....please add to this list with your suggestions....
* Coloring book for the little guy
* Perhaps a Disney t-shirt that I can find on sale on the Disney store when they bring in their fall stuff.
* A lanyard for their park tickets

And that's where I run out of steam...any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DWGal210]

OK, so those bags I posed a pic of...they are laundry bags. So probably would not work for a carry-on and gift bag. Should have read it better!

 

[annnewjerz]

I think your idea to give everyone a little gift bag is great!!

Here are some things that I think would be inexpensive that I might do if I were making them:

- Snacks, more specifically, Mickey head rice krispie treats. I bet they would be easy AND cheap to make yourself at home. You could make the ears out of two flattened balls of cereal or find a Mickey head cookie cutter, I'm sure they sell such a thing somewhere. You could even dunk them in chocolate if you felt so inclined. They may not be as tasty as the real ones in WDW, but I can't think of anything I'd rather snack on on the plane to Disney.

- Disney pencil/pen with a little booklet of Disney crossword puzzles and word searches. If you are able, you can either make some yourself or I'm sure you can Google "Disney Crossword Puzzle" and find some that you can print out.

- Coloring books. Honestly, I'm 25 and I like to color---if you can find really cheap coloring books and crayons from the Dollar Store, it'd be a good thing to keep busy with.

- Walmart.com has some mp3 players (albeit pink ones) for under $10 and some black ones for under $15. Sure, they will probably break after a few weeks, but if you are someone who has a collection of Disney music you could buy an mp3 player for each kid and load it with your favorite Disney songs.

- Pins. I don't know if you are willing to bid on ones from E-bay, but there are alot of reputable sellers out there and you can get a pin and lanyard for each kid to start their pin trading collection.

- Disney PJs! At the Disney Outlet website (and maybe elsewhere online) they have a bunch of Disney PJ separates. From sleep shirts for $5.99 to pants for $10. I'm sure I have seen Disney clothing elsewhere (maybe at Walmart?) so maybe check there too.

- Disney shirts. There are a bunch on the Disney Outlet website in the "$5.99 or less" category.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but here at worl the Disney site takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to load, so it's best that I stay off of it

 

[BippityBoo]

That is so nice of you to make bags for the kids!! I would love to have someone like you in my family---and my kids would too!

I really like all of your ideas. I agree that there needs to be some candy or snacks..super cheap to buy in bulk and distribute throughout all of the bags. Just a little tip is that when flying, kids can eat starburst to help keep their ears from popping. The older kids probably know how to "de-pop" their ears, but it helps for the younger ones. They can chew the starburst and it sort of does it for them! On that note---I usually dont like too much sugar when the kids are suppose to be sitting for a long time So, make sure to do goldfish/peanut butter crackers/etc.

Journals are a great idea so they can journal a/b the trip. My daughter is 6 and her grandmother gave her one for our beach trip. She wrote after each experience...great keepsake!

LOVE the PJ idea So cute! They can all take a pic together one night in them!

I will brainstorm more and let you know!

 

[DWGal210]

I think your idea to give everyone a little gift bag is great!!

Here are some things that I think would be inexpensive that I might do if I were making them:

- Snacks, more specifically, Mickey head rice krispie treats. I bet they would be easy AND cheap to make yourself at home. You could make the ears out of two flattened balls of cereal or find a Mickey head cookie cutter, I'm sure they sell such a thing somewhere. You could even dunk them in chocolate if you felt so inclined. They may not be as tasty as the real ones in WDW, but I can't think of anything I'd rather snack on on the plane to Disney.

OOH, great idea!! And yes, I bet they would be super easy to make. I would think a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter would be easy enough to find - just make a large pan of krispie treats, cut them out and dip! Awesome idea!!

- Disney pencil/pen with a little booklet of Disney crossword puzzles and word searches. If you are able, you can either make some yourself or I'm sure you can Google "Disney Crossword Puzzle" and find some that you can print out.

I will search online - I never thought about looking online for color pages but I bet I could find some. I seem to recall a DIS thread at one point that had pictures to color; I'll have to look again today.

- Coloring books. Honestly, I'm 25 and I like to color---if you can find really cheap coloring books and crayons from the Dollar Store, it'd be a good thing to keep busy with.

I am with you on the coloring books. Sometimes in winter if the weather is really icky and I don't want to go outside, I'll color at home and watch a movie.

- Walmart.com has some mp3 players (albeit pink ones) for under $10 and some black ones for under $15. Sure, they will probably break after a few weeks, but if you are someone who has a collection of Disney music you could buy an mp3 player for each kid and load it with your favorite Disney songs.

NEAT! I should definately check those out. I think the older 3 kids have MP3 players already, but maybe I could swipe them for a day without them noticing and load some songs on there.

- Pins. I don't know if you are willing to bid on ones from E-bay, but there are alot of reputable sellers out there and you can get a pin and lanyard for each kid to start their pin trading collection.

I think the pin thing is so cool. I haven't done pins before but I think they are neat. Myself, I would probably pin them to my Disney Baggallini instead of a lanyard, but they are so cool. I do Ebay and feel comfortable doing it, I'll have to check and see what people are selling. Have you had any luck with the ones that say they'll send you 10 assorted pins? Do you like what you get in those sets?

- Disney PJs! At the Disney Outlet website (and maybe elsewhere online) they have a bunch of Disney PJ separates. From sleep shirts for $5.99 to pants for $10. I'm sure I have seen Disney clothing elsewhere (maybe at Walmart?) so maybe check there too.

- Disney shirts. There are a bunch on the Disney Outlet website in the "$5.99 or less" category.

I never thought about PJs...how cool would that be?! Sweet! I'll have to look today at the Disney outlet and see what they have too.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but here at worl the Disney site takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to load, so it's best that I stay off of it

Thank you so much!! I appreciate your ideas so much!!

 

[DWGal210]

That is so nice of you to make bags for the kids!! I would love to have someone like you in my family---and my kids would too!

I really like all of your ideas. I agree that there needs to be some candy or snacks..super cheap to buy in bulk and distribute throughout all of the bags. Just a little tip is that when flying, kids can eat starburst to help keep their ears from popping. The older kids probably know how to "de-pop" their ears, but it helps for the younger ones. They can chew the starburst and it sort of does it for them! On that note---I usually dont like too much sugar when the kids are suppose to be sitting for a long time So, make sure to do goldfish/peanut butter crackers/etc.

Journals are a great idea so they can journal a/b the trip. My daughter is 6 and her grandmother gave her one for our beach trip. She wrote after each experience...great keepsake!

LOVE the PJ idea So cute! They can all take a pic together one night in them!

I will brainstorm more and let you know!

Oh thank you Katie! You are so sweet! I do like to spoil the kids - I don't have any of my own yet, and it's fun for me to do things for them.

I like the candy and snack ideas - and you're right about the goldfish and crackers; I never thought about the sugar quotient but you're absolutely right - we wouldn't want anyone sugar-crashing just as we were getting to Disney!

I LOVE your journal idea - I have made some for other DISers (journals/autograph books) and I bet the older kids would like them. I don't know if the 3-year-old would be as excited. And since I already have the supplies for those at home, I wouldn't be spending any extra $$$, which would be great!

Take care and have a wonderful day!

 

[Charleston Princess]

What about glow sticks and glow jewelry for nighttime parades and fireworks? You can usually find those at the Dollar Store or Walmart.

Also, what about party favors for New Year's Eve? Like those mardi gras like beads -- I bet Oriental Trading Company has something like that.

 

[annnewjerz]

What about glow sticks and glow jewelry for nighttime parades and fireworks? You can usually find those at the Dollar Store or Walmart.

Also, what about party favors for New Year's Eve? Like those mardi gras like beads -- I bet Oriental Trading Company has something like that.

I love the idea of some New Year's Eve stuff. Little noise makers or something that you can find at a local party store.

One word of caution about the glow-toys. I think they are a great idea also, so much fun!!! I bought a truck load for 4th of July from the Dollar Store for next to nothing but if you are planning to take them in your carry-on I think that would be a problem. They contain some sort of either liquid of gel and I can see TSA giving you a hard time about it not being allowed unless it's in your quart-sized ziploc and less than 3oz. I'm sure the kids would be hugely disappointed if they got awesome glow-sticks and then had to toss them when going through security

 

[DWGal210]

What about glow sticks and glow jewelry for nighttime parades and fireworks? You can usually find those at the Dollar Store or Walmart.

Also, what about party favors for New Year's Eve? Like those mardi gras like beads -- I bet Oriental Trading Company has something like that.

I like it - awesome ideas! I never thought about NYE stuff, but that Oriental Trading Company has some great stuff, don't they?! I will look - thank you for the great ideas!

 

[DWGal210]

I love the idea of some New Year's Eve stuff. Little noise makers or something that you can find at a local party store.

One word of caution about the glow-toys. I think they are a great idea also, so much fun!!! I bought a truck load for 4th of July from the Dollar Store for next to nothing but if you are planning to take them in your carry-on I think that would be a problem. They contain some sort of either liquid of gel and I can see TSA giving you a hard time about it not being allowed unless it's in your quart-sized ziploc and less than 3oz. I'm sure the kids would be hugely disappointed if they got awesome glow-sticks and then had to toss them when going through security

Good point about the TSA rules...I wonder if in that case, it would be safer to mail a package down and have it sent to our room. That might be a good idea, anyway, so I won't have to pack all that in my suitcase and can have more room for other things.

Thanks again!

 

[ladybugmom]

You MUST make them some autograph books/journals like you made for my girls!! You are sooo talented and they would LOVE them!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Those bags are a wonderful idea! Have you considered making some T-Shirts yourself? On the creative board they have some wonderful people doing designs. Perhaps matching t-shirts would not be appreciated so much by the teenagers, but if it was only similar without being the same, it could still be fun!

And great to hear that the tax issue appears to be sorted out!

 

[DWGal210]

You MUST make them some autograph books/journals like you made for my girls!! You are sooo talented and they would LOVE them!!

Oh thank you! You are making me blush, you're so sweet! I think I will make some of those journals...I have the supplies already, it would just be a matter of asking their mom what characters the kids like!

 

[DWGal210]

Those bags are a wonderful idea! Have you considered making some T-Shirts yourself? On the creative board they have some wonderful people doing designs. Perhaps matching t-shirts would not be appreciated so much by the teenagers, but if it was only similar without being the same, it could still be fun!

And great to hear that the tax issue appears to be sorted out!

T-shirts are a fun idea! I thought what we would do, maybe just the kids when my aunt and uncle had their dinner alone, was go to DTD to the T-Shirt Shop and each make our own shirts. Then I can make sure the teenagers like their shirts and it's something they will actually wear.

 

[DWGal210]

Thanks again for the input, everyone!

I went to Oriental Trader and they have a dozen tote bags I can buy for about $20, which is great! I figured each person would get a tote bag in a different color (so there are no fights about what bag belongs to what person ) and so now on to filling them! I looked online a few places, trying to find Disney totes but they were more than I wanted to spend. Does anyone know where I can get some inexpensive ones?

I think this weekend, I am going to start making the journals / autograph books. I can do those way in advance and then have them ready to go.

I also started looking and pins on Ebay and I think I have found yet another thing to be hooked on! They are so much fun! I think I'll buy a set that has the 10-12 various ones in there, and then put 2-3 in each kid's bag. Then they can start their collections!

I am also on the look-out for cute Alice in Wonderland things, since my sister's name is Alice. There are a few darling shirts and things like that on Ebay; perhaps in her bag, she'll get an Alice shirt.

 

[annnewjerz]

Thanks again for the input, everyone!

I went to Oriental Trader and they have a dozen tote bags I can buy for about $20, which is great! I figured each person would get a tote bag in a different color (so there are no fights about what bag belongs to what person ) and so now on to filling them! I looked online a few places, trying to find Disney totes but they were more than I wanted to spend. Does anyone know where I can get some inexpensive ones?

I think this weekend, I am going to start making the journals / autograph books. I can do those way in advance and then have them ready to go.

I also started looking and pins on Ebay and I think I have found yet another thing to be hooked on! They are so much fun! I think I'll buy a set that has the 10-12 various ones in there, and then put 2-3 in each kid's bag. Then they can start their collections!

I am also on the look-out for cute Alice in Wonderland things, since my sister's name is Alice. There are a few darling shirts and things like that on Ebay; perhaps in her bag, she'll get an Alice shirt.

So fun! I love the idea of getting Alice in Wonderland things for your sister.

There are a lot of people on e-bay selling unofficial "scrapper" pins (I've gotten a few) so I would check out the Disney Collections board on the DIS. There are a few threads that have lists of reputable e-bay sellers and sellers that people have received scrapper pins from.

Have fun and happy shopping!!

Edited to add: Just did a quick search for Disney totes and didn't find any super cheap ones, but if you are getting canvas totes from Oriental Trader, maybe just think about getting some of that iron-on fabric stuff (no, that's not the technical term) and cut out a Mickey-head and iron it onto the tote. Sounds like you are creative, you can fiture something out!!

AND, if all else fails check out your local Disney store. I saw some Disney totes (looked like the kind of tote they sell to "go green" and re-use as a shopping bag for your visit to the store) and they were like $2.99 each. I almost picked one up for us to use at MNSSHP for candy, but decided against it for the time being.