ANOTHER Adventure in Autism (4/15) A Taste of What's to Come...

[KathyRN137]

Pre-Trip # 12:

Ninety-Nine Numbers of Cheer on the Wall, Ninety-Nine Numbers of Cheer!!

Hooray! We’ve passed one more milestone in the WDW Trip-Countdown! According to the family activity calendar on the wall in my kitchen, we are now officially out of the triple digits. We can do the double-digit dance!! Come on, dance with me!!




You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
only seven..... uh, hold it. Stop the music.

It's been more than a little while since I was seventeen!

Oh well! I'm not going to let that stop me!! We're at 99 days!!





When you’re done with all the planning and it’s too soon to start packing, the days leading up to WDW always drag a bit. That’s why I’m feeling so good about reaching double digits today! Otherwise, things are really pretty mundane around here, Disney-wise.


Still waiting for my lime green Crocs…Tricia and I were driving home from her soccer camp this morning and we saw the UPS guy turn his truck up our street. She bet me $0.50 that he was going to stop at our house, but he didn’t.

Hey! That reminds me, I never did get that $0.50!

Billy’s got one more week of ESYP (Extended School Year Program) and then both he and Tricia are “off” for the entire month of August, and until school starts back up again after Labor Day. Eddie, my 17 yr old stepson in N.C. will come up for a nice visit during the middle two weeks in August. If the weather cooperates, we'll all get to spend some time down the shore.

(That's "at the Jersey shore" for those of you from out of state!)

Hopefully with all the activity around here, the time will seem to pass more quickly.

After lurking a bit on the DIS’ Creative Boards, I’ve been toying with the idea of making up some custom t-shirts using Disney clip art and some iron-on transfers from the craft store. I’ve never done it before, though, and I’m not very computer-savy. I’d love to make matching shirts for us and for my sister’s family (as a surprise), but I’m a bit chicken. Perhaps I’ll just order some from Zazzle(?) Have any of you ever done custom shirts?

I do enjoy the matching / coordinating shirts idea! On our first trip, I bought different plain, solid-colored t-shirts for the four of us and we all wore the same “color of the day” at WDW. Not only did it make it easy for everyone to stay together, it looked nice in pictures and made it a snap to choose an outfit for each day. The kids have long grown out of those, however.

Then last year (our first “Jersey Week”), I had special shirts made up at a kiosk in the mall. They were red with, “Jersey Mom,” “Jersey Dad,” “Jersey Boy,” “Jersey Girl,” and last but not least, “Jersey Aunt,” embroidered on the front. They looked really nice and we received a lot of compliments and smiles when we wore them! I’m hoping that Billy can still wear his…he’s growing like a weed!


Here I am on the balcony at OKW in my "Jersey Mom" shirt!

Don't you just love what that Florida humidity does to our hair, ladies?!!


Last year I also ordered coordinating baseball shirts from Disney Shopping online; everyone had royal blue sleeves but each person chose his or her own special Disney character for the front. I know these will still fit the kids because they were not available in children’s sizes and so I had to order them both in Adult Small.

Speaking of ordering things, where are those Crocs?? I hope they come soon. I’ve got lots more double-digit dancing to do today and I could use a comfy pair of shoes….


Kathy

 

[mrsksomeday]

YAY for Kathy and her family!! Where are those Crocs anyway? I want a review from you about them? Are you going to get any jibbitz? So many questions, I love reading your updates. Have a great day.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Yay for double digits!

 

[jcc0621]

Double Digits -----Yeah!

I made a couple of shirts for our trip this year and it is not as difficult as it looks. You can get the transfer paper at Staples, etc. The instructions are on the package and are pretty easy to follow. I mostly made them for DS becasue we are celebrating his 4th birthday while we are the there. I got some great designs from the DISeigns board The women over there are VERY creative, which I am not! If I get a chance I will take some pics and post them for you.

Hey I am from South Philly, not Jersey but we call it the shore too--does that count. I was just down da shore this past weekend - Wildwood

 

[blue_river]

After lurking a bit on the DIS’ Creative Boards, I’ve been toying with the idea of making up some custom t-shirts

I have my custom "GAT" shirts ready to go

and four POTC3 shirts I won't let the girls wear them yet


For the Double Digits

 

[KathyRN137]

Thank you all for dancing with me!!

mrsksomeday: I began looking at all the Jibbitz and soon realized I'd spend more on all the little doo-dads than on the Crocs themselves! I'm waiting to see "if the shoe fits...", then I'll decide if I want to get Jibbitz.

Goofster: Thank you for pointing that out!

Praisehisname: Still waiting.... Come on, UPS guy!

mvazul: Yay! True white coming soon! Thanks!

Marion: From now on, I will only acknowlege a certain someone's posts if he sends them in clear zip-lock bags. ::cop:

jcc0621: I don't know how to print the designs out...I think I'll need special software...perhaps I'll just Zazzle...yeesh, I'm such a technophobe!

DisneyMomFanatic: Like any of us need help dreaming of Disney!!

blue: Have you posted pix of your shirts on your report? Please do!

SwansLoveDisney: Thanks for the dance!

And thank you all for posting!

Kathy

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Congrats on double digits!

I love making the shirts. I think it is my favorite pre-Disney activity. I love having fun on my trusty photoshop program.

If you need any help or would like me to make a design for you, just ask!

 

[katdocnorf]

After our family trip (Me Ex-Husband, DS3 (now 10) and ex-inlaws) in '99, I made T-shirts for everyone as part of a Christmas Present. I used Iron-On's I bought from OfficeMax. We had our picture taken at Studio M in Downtown Disney. I used the Picture and put a caption underneath 'Disney Family Vacation 1999'. Then at Office Depot I had a bunch of the pictures I had turned into calendars and gave those for presents also. Of course now everyone pretty much has the photo software to make a calendar and binding machines come alot smaller and cheaper too.

But for the iron-ons it is very easy to do. Just use the iron on like a piece of paper. Put it into your printer and print what you want onto it then iron it onto the shirt. Just make sure it is in the right direction to come out correctly.

 

[blue_river]

blue: Have you posted pix of your shirts on your report? Please do!

Yes I have! They are posted on page 7!!

 

[Goofster57]

Hooray! We’ve passed one more milestone in the WDW Trip-Countdown!

Congratulations, I got tingly all over and I'm not even going.

I do enjoy the matching / coordinating shirts idea!

My family does this, but for some reason mine is always different then theirs.

 

[blue_river]

My family does this, but for some reason mine is always different then theirs.

Are they trying to tell you something?

 

[Goofster57]

Are they trying to tell you something?

If they are I sure don't know what it is

 

[blue_river]

If they are I sure don't know what it is

Probably better not knowing

 

[Marion]

If they are I sure don't know what it is

It just means that you're 'special' to them

 

[jcc0621]

jcc0621: I don't know how to print the designs out...I think I'll need special software...perhaps I'll just Zazzle...yeesh, I'm such a technophobe!


Kathy[/B]

Kathy,

If you PM your address I have a freebie T-shirt maker software I can send you. It is a very basic program and really easy to use. It's worth a shot. If can get some pretty cheap t-shirts at Michael's and the paper from any office supply/computer store. I find Zazzle to be a little pricey. Let me know if you want it

Janet

 

[KathyRN137]

Pre-Trip #13: How the Lime Turned Into a Lemon!


It was almost noon and I was rummaging through the mail on the dining room table, looking for my missing car keys, when the doorbell rang. Aimee, our Lab/Golden Retriever Mix, came running down the stairs, the tags on her collar jingling.

She stopped at the front door, sat down, and barked once at the deliveryman who had interrupted her nap. She knew, of course, that he had already retreated back to his truck, but she growled gently at the closed door just to let me know that she was on the job. I waited until the Fed-Ex truck rumbled away down the street. She looked up expectantly; tail wagging.

“Good girl, Aimee!” I patted her head and opened the door. There on the ground was a small brown box with a large crocodile emblem on it. Oooh, my Crocs were here! I bent and picked up the box. It was as light as a feather! Aimee gave it a sniff, but upon ascertaining that there was nothing edible inside, quickly lost interest and went off to the kitchen in search of her water dish.

“Well, let’s see how ugly they are!” Ed laughed as he came around the corner. “You’ll just have to wait and see,” I retorted. “I have to go pick Tricia up from camp.”

I couldn’t resist handing him the package. “Feel how light they are!” I said. He took the box, shook it, and put it down on the table. He turned and headed back to what he was doing on the computer. “Hurry back,” he said over his shoulder. That big faker; he couldn’t wait to see them, either!

The missing keys were found hanging on a hook in the kitchen, right where they were supposed to be (but rarely are!) It figures that the package would come just as I was headed out the door!

Upon returning home, I dashed inside and quickly opened the box. There they were, in all their lime-green glory! Crocs Caymans. They were the ugliest shoes I had ever seen in my life..... and I couldn’t wait to try them on! The Lime-Force was powerful in these shoes-full-o-holes, and I knew then that I had gone completely over to the DIS-Side.


I plopped the shoes down on the floor and slid my right foot in first, followed by my left. Hmmm. Comfy, yet rather a loose fit. I took a few steps….no, I definitely needed the support of the strap on the back. I made the quick adjustment and resumed walking around the living room. That felt better, but what was this? My second toe felt a bit cramped in the front. I reached down and wiggled the strap a bit. The heels looked like they fitted well, but I still felt that little bit of pressure on that one toe on each foot. Hmmm. That’s strange; I had ordered my usual size. I walked into the bedroom to show them to Ed.

“How do they feel?” he asked with a surprising amount of seriousness. He looked down at my feet. How he kept a straight face when he first saw me in those big green shoes I’ll never know!

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “They feel good, but just a little snug up front.” I examined the portholes in the front end of the shoes. A bit of pink polish peeped out from the center holes.

“Oh, no! I can see my toe poking out the front!” I could not hide my disappointment. “They don’t fit.” My shoulders slumped. I had really been hoping that they would. Drat! My limes had turned out to be lemons.

“Just order the next size up,” said Ed with a shrug. I sighed. It would’ve been a great suggestion if the Crocs came in half sizes. They already felt very roomy on the sides; a full size larger and my foot would be sliding around inside of them for sure. It would be a perfect formula for blisters and would defeat the purpose entirely, wouldn’t it? Crocs are the official non-blister-causing, ergonomic shoes of the DISboards….but for this DISer, perhaps they were not meant to be. Reluctantly, I took them off.

Ed held them up and pulled on the strap. “Maybe they’ll stretch,” he offered. I must have given him a look that said I was unimpressed, because he handed them back and said, “Wear them for a few days and if they still don’t feel right you can always just keep them by the door for when you need to slip something on quick.” And with that, he went back to his work.

I was troubled by the ill-fitting Crocs, but my thoughts soon turned to other things. I was in the middle of a big project up in the boys’ room. I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out their closets and toy boxes while Tricia worked on hers. I am a packrat and every so often I need to force myself to purge closets and storage areas in our house. Eight lawn bags full of busted-up toys, games and puzzles with pieces missing, and clothes that had been outgrown and in poor condition went out to the curb. Two lawn bags full of outgrown clothes in good condition went into my van, bound for my sister and her two little boys later this week.

After dinner I sat thinking about the Crocs. I hated the thought of returning them, but I didn’t want to waste the money and keep them if they didn’t fit just right. I didn’t really want to exchange for one of the sandal styles since we were going to WDW in November. I decided to visit the Crocs website to double-check whether or not half-sizes were available and I found this helpful info:


The Perfect Crocs™ Fit
Crocs™ should not fit like other shoes:
· They should fit very loosely.
· The sides of your foot should not really touch the sides of the shoe
· Your toes should never make contact with the front of the shoe.
· Once you have centered your foot on the foot-bed:
· You should have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space in front of your toes, behind your heel and when you lift the strap you should be able to comfortably get your finger between the strap and heel.
· In other words the fit should be "loose".
· I know that this goes against everything that you have ever been used to in a shoe, but these are the parameters that the shoe was designed to be worn under.

**********************************​

Guess I should have looked at this before I ordered them, huh?

Okay, my decision is made. I will put vanity aside and exchange the lime-green Cayman’s for the next size up. Sigh. Oh, well, hopefully I’ll be able to wear the symbol of my DIS-pride soon.


But just in case, I went ahead and ordered this:

https://secure.cherrylanekeepsakes.com/optionphotos/16154-2b.jpg

​

Kathy

 

[katdocnorf]

Cool pack... I LIKE.....

Thanks for Croc info. Now if the rest of us that have hesitate ordering them because of looks, decide to order them, we now know this info and will order 1 size bigger than normal.

BUT I HAVE A BIG FOOT......That would mean I would have to order an 11. NNNNOOOOOOO. I hate getting a shoe in a size 10, but an 11.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Kathy! Firist - thanks for the PM welcoming me to the board!! Second - I had the same problem with the crocs at first. Luckily I bought them at Dicks Sporting Goods so I could try some on. I wear a 7 1/2 normally. But the regular crocs are sized 6-7 or 8-9. I felt like a clown inthe 8-9, but the 6-7 was definitely too small. So I went with the Mary Jane style (in boring black) because they come in single sizes. I got an 8. But I do have to say that I think they might be a little too loose. I walked around in them for about 4 hours at a local fair yesterday and my toes were rubbing on the little toe grip part - I think I would have had blisters if I had worn them much longer... Maybe I need to go for the dork look and wear socks!

 

[Marion]

The Lime-Force was powerful in these shoes-full-o-holes, and I knew then that I had gone completely over to the DIS-Side.

Best line ever....

You do realize pictures will be required of you in all your lime green glory?

 

[Goofster57]

It just means that you're 'special' to them

"Special" is usually not the word my better half uses.