Early Jan 2011, first trip to the World!!

[999ghostslover]

Ha, ha, getting DH to wear a bracelet. That'll be the day. It's tough to get him to take medicine, but I think anything that could pass for jewelry would be a over his dead body with his ghost fighting you situation.

However, that's a great idea for DD. She loves jewelry & since DH won't consent to allowing her Dramamine unless she's actually throwing up, that's a great alternative.

You are so right about the mountains, or even just hills. Flat & boring does keep the sickness down.

They are actually more like gray sweatbands. Not too cute but not jewelry-like either.

 

[lexmas]

that picture with all the family. I love it so very much! SO funny!

I actually ended up with TONS of pictures without faces (or only the sides of faces) without even trying. It will be easier than you think.

That dress is so beautiful, I can't believe you did such an amazing job on it!

She is SO tall! I can't believe it!

Oh, and great job on the pennies!

I'm so happy to be caught up! I thought of you on my trip with the chip and dale campfire, and It's tough to be a bug!

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Sorry, I've not completed this report yet & things just kind of came to a grinding halt. We've had some major & minor life disruptions, but things are starting to get back on track. No deaths or serious illnesses thank goodness.

I'm glad I started the report, because I've kind of forgotten my plans. I'm going back through reading what I decided to do and trying to see what's left to do now.

Some tasks:
• Determine detailed plans for the Magic Kingdom days.
• Study the counter service restaurants & snack vendors to see what we'd like to strive for trying out on the dining plan.
• Start some packing lists.
• Detailed Driving Plan there & back.
• Hotel reservations (non-guaranteed) there & back.
• Figure out what DD will be wearing in which park which day. For example, do we have a suitable princess dress for the princess lunch or do I need to come up with something else...she has a snow white dress, but snow white isn't her favorite. We've got the buzz lightyear dress with matching thick tights, but it's short sleeve, so do I need to get a long sleeve undershirt? What other cute Disney outfits can I come up with between now & then.
• Study the park maps. Need to get familiar with how to get around & find good viewing spots for parades & fireworks.
• Still need to buy those ponchos.

Some tasks that I accomplished in November:
• Purchased a new pink stroller for DD. It will bear up to 55 pounds, only weights 11 pounds, has a shoulder strap for carrying & a small basket underneath for storing items. It has extra tall, adjustable handles so our backs won't ache. I’m in love.
• Got a great deal on a duel screen DVD player for the car. I know we don’t need a duel screen since we only have one kid. With the deal I got, it was cheaper than most single screens. It’s a 7” Coby with headrest mounts. I paid $80 for it, and got two free $20 DVDs with it.
• Decided not to extend our trip by one night, and to remove some of the out of pocket meals from out plans. We need to have something to look forward to on future trips, right? So we’re back to 5 nights. One day at each park, except Magic Kingdom which gets two days.
• Finished almost all of my Christmas shopping so I won’t be running around like a crazy person this month trying to buy things I can’t afford.

I think Grandma & Grandpa might join us. Grandma says they may go condo shopping that week & may join us a few days into the trip for some meals in a Disney resort, but outside of the parks. It really would put a major kink in our schedule & we might have to give up a popular reservation to eat with them at a less popular destination, but I think the joy it would bring them in seeing their Granddaughter in the middle of Disney World would be worth the inconvenience. Can you tell it’s Grandma & Grandpa from my side? What I may do is see if they’re up for some very early morning meals, at a food court or two, so we can make it to rope drop & not disrupt the schedule too much. They haven’t officially decided to come down, but the more it snows the more likely it becomes.

I'm really looking forward to this break. In November, we had to move my DD to a new daycare/pre-school (we didn't feel the one she'd been at for 3 years was safe any longer), and it's been a major trauma for her. She's doing better on many points & learning so much more, but she says she hates it & misses her old friends (even though we see her old friends after school and on weekends constantly). So we just need to make it for 2 1/2 more weeks until Christmas. Then she'll be off of school for the week between Christmas & New Years then off the first week of January for this trip. I hope when she gets back into the new school it'll be a fresh start & she'll be ready to accept that she's never going back to the old school. We've talked to her a lot about the new school & treated it like a graduation from her old school into a new better school. We've tried to explain that she's learned everything they have to teach at the old school & she needs to go to the new school to learn new things her old school can't teach. She's trying to be brave, but it's difficult for her.

DH has also been working very hard this semester in college. We've barley seen him during the week & on weekends we go out on playdates to give him extra study time. Next Spring will be his last semester & I know his time will be consumed by studying again by mid-January. Hopefully, this little vacation will give the three of us some much needed family time.

 

[lexmas]

So glad to see you on again! I've been thinking of you! If you want me to send you a PM about our experience with the campfire I can...because I would say it's almost 100% that I won't be at that point in my trip report before you leave!

It sounds like you're busy and you have some good plans! Definately buy those ponchos. We never do, and then we don't want to shell out the money in the park, so we just get wet. Well, we brought kids ponchos this time.

Sounds like a great stroller, and an amazing deal on the DVD player! Great that you have your shopping done! Our trip isn't until the end of January and all I can think while christmas shopping is, "we are spending SO much money in January!" haha.

It is interesting travelling with the grandparents, but it is amazing for them to spend that time with their grandchildren at disneyworld.

It sounds like you're starting to enter the "I need this vacation!" stage of planning! I'm sorry your DD is having such a hard time with changing daycares. Some kids just don't do so well with change. DS is one of them, he's rotten with change, and that's just the little things (like rearranging the furniture or something like that), so I can only imagine when it's time for him to go to school. It sounds like the giant distraction of the holidays and a trip, plus some dedicated time with Mommy and Daddy will be just what she needs! And at least it's your DH's last semester. That has to be great.

SO glad you're back on! Your trip is rapidly approaching!

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

So glad to see you on again! I've been thinking of you! If you want me to send you a PM about our experience with the campfire I can...because I would say it's almost 100% that I won't be at that point in my trip report before you leave!

It sounds like you're busy and you have some good plans! Definately buy those ponchos. We never do, and then we don't want to shell out the money in the park, so we just get wet. Well, we brought kids ponchos this time.

Sounds like a great stroller, and an amazing deal on the DVD player! Great that you have your shopping done! Our trip isn't until the end of January and all I can think while christmas shopping is, "we are spending SO much money in January!" haha.

It is interesting travelling with the grandparents, but it is amazing for them to spend that time with their grandchildren at disneyworld.

It sounds like you're starting to enter the "I need this vacation!" stage of planning! I'm sorry your DD is having such a hard time with changing daycares. Some kids just don't do so well with change. DS is one of them, he's rotten with change, and that's just the little things (like rearranging the furniture or something like that), so I can only imagine when it's time for him to go to school. It sounds like the giant distraction of the holidays and a trip, plus some dedicated time with Mommy and Daddy will be just what she needs! And at least it's your DH's last semester. That has to be great.

SO glad you're back on! Your trip is rapidly approaching!

I'm dying to hear how the campfire!! I have no idea how to do PM though...

Next Christmas we're going to adopt the three present rule. I think it's related to the three wise men/three gifts for baby Jesus. You give something to read, something to wear and something they want (toy). We've never given DD more than six gifts & Christmas morning takes forever & sometimes lasts a few days because there is so much to play with. We also try to buy educational toys that don't make too much noise or light up because the blinky noisemakers only hold her attention for a few minutes. If she gets 2 or 3 great toys, she doesn't want to open the other presents. She just wants to play. So next year, it'll be one big toy plus something to wear & something to read. I may then spread out & buy her a few toys during the year, where she normally only gets stuff on her birthday & Christmas.

The trouble with DD changing schools is that she's such a people person. Her old teachers said she was the ambassador to the classroom. When a new kid came in, she'd make sure they had toys & were included in all the play activities. Well they don't have a kid that's assuming that role at her new preschool. The kids are very reserved when I'm there & I have a feeling they are probably reserved when I'm gone too. This morning DD went to two different activities with different kids playing. Each time when she started playing the other kids walked away to do something else. It just broke my heart. I know in a few weeks they'll be used to her & she'll love it, but those few weeks are going to be difficult for her. We are blessed with an awesome playgroup of mommies & kiddos her age. All of the kids went to her old school at one time or another, some are still there. They've been jumping in for extra playdates with us, both to help us get out of the house so DH can study & to make sure DD is getting plenty of old friend time, while she builds her new friendships.

 

[lexmas]

haha well, I'll write it up for you when I get the chance, and then I'll post on your thread and tell you how to read it!

I am very jealous about 3 toys for christmas. DH won't go for that. He'll let me pick the toys, so at least I get to be really picky, but limiting the number isn't his thing. I did realize we're not like everyone else when I figured out that we don't have a single toy under our tree this year that takes batteries. That made me feel weird. Good, but weird! We let the kids open presents all day too. It drives my mom crazy that I let them play and take all day to open things, but I think christmas is very overwhelming.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

haha well, I'll write it up for you when I get the chance, and then I'll post on your thread and tell you how to read it!

I am very jealous about 3 toys for christmas. DH won't go for that. He'll let me pick the toys, so at least I get to be really picky, but limiting the number isn't his thing. I did realize we're not like everyone else when I figured out that we don't have a single toy under our tree this year that takes batteries. That made me feel weird. Good, but weird! We let the kids open presents all day too. It drives my mom crazy that I let them play and take all day to open things, but I think christmas is very overwhelming.

Hurray for weirdness!! The only thing DD is getting for Christmas that requires a power source is some Disney DVDs that came free with the portable DVD player I bought for our trip. Everything else is power source free, not because I'm picky - but because she likes the imaginative toys a lot better & never plays with a battery powered toy for more than a few minutes.

On Christmas day this year she'll be opening a Smurf set with a 2 story windmill, two pull back Smurf cars and 4 Smurfs. She's a huge Smurf fan. She's also getting 3 new books (we have so many books I had a hard time finding new ones in her age range with quality writing), a Melissa & Doug food cutting set, a tray of 6 fake cupcakes, a new teapot set (she really likes the kitchen oriented stuff), and a marble racer set (this is really for Daddy). We spent just under $100 for her things.

I had a rubbing crayon art set, but am going to send it back because it was very cheaply made. I may pick up another arts & crafts oriented present to replace it. Grandma will be in town for Christmas, so I have a feeling Grandma will more than double her present load. Plus she has a gift exchange with her playgroup buddies. We always seem to end up with a lot more than we anticipated.

Next year we're going to pick out one big quality toy - maybe a doll house with accessories. By next year, her walk in kitchen will be a little too small for her & we'll have the space for something new like that, plus I can probably pick up a nice old fashioned one at an estate sale this summer. Then we'll get her a set of books - something in an age appropriate series she'll enjoy, and a new outfit that's maybe a name brand sort of set we don't usually buy (which I can probably get at one of the local fall festivals or big seasonal consignment sales). The outfit will be a complete set, shoes to hair bow & maybe even an overcoat or sweater.

I'm getting tired of the little junky toys. She does a great job of picking them up, and keeping things clean, but our storage capacity is full on the little stuff & I want to move up to bigger, better & fewer.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Magic Kingdom - 01/02/11 - Sunday - CL 6.6
9:00 AM Dumbo the Flying Elephant
9:15 AM Peter Pan's Flight
9:30 AM The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
9:45 AM Mad Tea Party
10:00 AM FP Splash Mountain in Frontierland; train takes longer saves walking
10:20 AM Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
10:40 AM Tour Tom Sawyers Island
12:00 PM Walt Disney World Railroad Round Trip
12:20 PM Splash Mountain
12:40 PM Crystal Palace
1:40 PM Mickey's PhilharMagic Fastpasses
1:45 PM Haunted Mansion
2:00 PM Liberty Square Riverboat
2:20 PM Hall of Presidents
2:30 PM Move It! Shake It! Celebrate it Street Party - Find a seat
3:15 PM Mickey's PhilharMagic
3:30 PM Check into Hotel
5:45 PM Cinderella's Golden Carousel
6:05 PM It's a Small World
6:20 PM SpectroMagic Parade
8:00 PM Wishes

Ok, a couple of things going on here. It'll be the day we check in, so I'm planning to take the whole day in the park just because I don't know when the room will be ready. It's the only day we'll have a chance to see the SpectroMagic Parade. Splash Mountain will close after this day so it is a MUST DO. The activities from 2:00pm to 6:00 are expendable. So if the room is ready & we're ready for a break we'll cut those items out. I do know the timeline is unrealistic, but this is the dream plan. We have a second day at Magic Kingdom where we'll do some make-up of the things we end up cutting out along the way. I've already made up my mind of things along the way that will probably get cut, for example the Mad Tea Party, Hall of Presidents, gratuitous railroad rides, the Carousel etc.

 

[20thingamabobs]

Magic Kingdom - 01/02/11 - Sunday - CL 6.6
9:00 AM Dumbo the Flying Elephant
9:15 AM Peter Pan's Flight
9:30 AM The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
9:45 AM Mad Tea Party
10:00 AM FP Splash Mountain in Frontierland; train takes longer saves walking
10:20 AM Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
10:40 AM Tour Tom Sawyers Island
12:00 PM Walt Disney World Railroad Round Trip
12:20 PM Splash Mountain
12:40 PM Crystal Palace
1:40 PM Mickey's PhilharMagic Fastpasses
1:45 PM Haunted Mansion
2:00 PM Liberty Square Riverboat
2:20 PM Hall of Presidents
2:30 PM Move It! Shake It! Celebrate it Street Party - Find a seat
3:15 PM Mickey's PhilharMagic
3:30 PM Check into Hotel
5:45 PM Cinderella's Golden Carousel
6:05 PM It's a Small World
6:20 PM SpectroMagic Parade
8:00 PM Wishes

Ok, a couple of things going on here. It'll be the day we check in, so I'm planning to take the whole day in the park just because I don't know when the room will be ready. It's the only day we'll have a chance to see the SpectroMagic Parade. Splash Mountain will close after this day so it is a MUST DO. The activities from 2:00pm to 6:00 are expendable. So if the room is ready & we're ready for a break we'll cut those items out. I do know the timeline is unrealistic, but this is the dream plan. We have a second day at Magic Kingdom where we'll do some make-up of the things we end up cutting out along the way. I've already made up my mind of things along the way that will probably get cut, for example the Mad Tea Party, Hall of Presidents, gratuitous railroad rides, the Carousel etc.

Well, here's my two cents on your plan.. which sounds great! First, you may not need Fast Passes for Mickey's Philharmagic, in fact, most days they don't even bother opening them. So, you may be better off saving it for another ride. Second, when we just went a couple weeks ago, it was so cold that NO ONE was riding Splash Mountain so there was no more than a 10 min wait like all day. So, once again, may want to use the Fast Pass on something else. However, I do suggest still riding even if it's cold. We didn't get wet AT ALL. 100% Dry. My mom was worried so I asked the cast member and he said "it is a water ride so we can't make any promises but we take every measure to turn the chances down as low as possible". Finally, I don't know if you've ever seen Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! (but you should, it's a lot of fun) but you most likely won't need or want a seat. It's so interactive with all the dancing and character mingling that it's not meant to be sat and watched. We typically just walked to the edge of the sidewalk right as it was starting until the floats stopped, you watch for a few minutes while they introduce the concept, then you get to dance and mingle with the cast! It's really cute and fun!