Earmuffs in June? Update 7/5 Trip Report Link!

[teachermommy78]

I love the MAW gifts for your friend!

Also, the stuffed characters are too cute.

Thanks! We have a billion stuffed animals, and honestly can't believe I PURCHASED more to add to our collection. Sigh. But I think the kids will love them (while we're there at least!)

I can't believe you found a gift card with Hercules on it. That's amazing.

Cute stuffed animals for the kids. I'm sure they will love finding them in the room.

Kate, they have a ton of options for gift cards at Disney.com! Totally random movies! I was thrilled to find one. The little girl's 2 goals are to meet Hercules (that probably won't happen) and to defeat Emperor Zurg!

Love the shirt! What a nice gesture you did for such a special trip!

Love the plush animals!

Thanks! Someone else threw in $10 at the end, and I got another super cute shirt with Jessie on it.

I finally finished reading through all 16 pages today. I'm a bit late to the party, but look forward to hearing more! Your kids are adorable! Sophie was beautiful in her Belle dress after BBB. It's things like that where I wish I had a girl, but only for a little! My 4 year old DS loves princesses, so close enough I guess. He'd probably dress up as one if I let him, it's scary!

After reading PirateKate's TR and her experience trading vinylmations, I'm determined to try it on our next trip. I didn't know you could trade them! We've bought pins, but never bothered trading. I like this better.

I've wanted to have my boys try the Pirates League, but they don't seem interested.

I really want an iPad, but my birthday has come and gone and I still don't have one. Oh well, it was a big wish.

I know how you feel about weight loss. It's a never ending cycle for me. I work out and I'm strict during the week with eating, for the most part, but then the weekend comes, and there goes any progress I made.

Is Test Track on your list for Epcot? It's one of my son's favorites. Fast passes and child swaps are a great thing to take advantage of, assuming your youngest is not 40" yet.

I hope you get good news about the interviews and new job possibility!

1.) thanks for your compliments and for reading all the way through! I've done that on several TRs and PTRs. At the end you feel like you've read a novel! My boys enjoy being princesses as well! Sophie dresses up Finn in her Belle dress all the time and he LOVES it!!! I hope pirate league will be fun! The kids are excited, but they are adamant about being GOOD pirates with no scary stuff (but the swords are a MUST!)

2.) the vinylmations are so fun. However, I am determined to have the restraint Kate did and not spend too much on them. They boys each have a tradable one. Sophie will probably need to buy a new one to trade (she likes her ghost one and wants to keep it). I'll probably get a couple for myself.

3.) I don't think I ever shared our iPad saga. Scott is a tetris master. Like literally a genius with it. He's been joining local games and winning! You are then entered into drawings. He won one of the drawings and returned the item and used the credit toward a new iPad 2! THEN...HE WON another iPad 2!!!! I couldn't believe it. He also won an Xbox 360 system. We are never this lucky!!! Anyway, this iPad is going to go to my mom when the iPad 2 gets in and I'll get the iPad 2. We are seriously so great with budgeting money that it sometimes feels like there is no room for extras unless we save or use gift cards (which is how it should be, I suppose). I feel like we won the iPad lottery! iPads really are great. I would suggest asking for gift cards and just saving up. The first generations are much cheaper now (eBay?) and you may be able to get a great deal!

4.) weight loss. Ugh. I'm struggling. It's 99% mental for me right now. After this weekend Im starting fresh (again). I need to beat the weekend slump.

5.) yes, test track is on our list for sure! I wish Finn would be tall enough. I feel so bad for him. He is our roller coaster guy. We have seasons passes for six flags (we have one 40 minutes from us) and he's able to go on a few bigger coasters. I think he is 38 inches right now. Poor guy.

Continued good for the job!!!!

I LOVED the MAW gifts, that is so incredibly special and will make their dream trip that much better!!! You and your friends are very generous!!

Thank you so much! I am blessed to have Emma and her mommy as friends. We are having a big meet up in June in Chicago and I can't wait to meet all the moms I've been so close with online for the past 6 years!!!

 

[teachermommy78]

Less than TWO MONTHS!!!

 

[blessedmom4]

YEA for less than two months!!!!

How exciting that you get to meet your online friends in real life! LOVE IT!!!

Praying you all have a truly

 

[teachermommy78]

YEA for less than two months!!!!

How exciting that you get to meet your online friends in real life! LOVE IT!!!

Praying you all have a truly

I am so excited!

 

[teachermommy78]

I found out yesterday.* I didn't get it.* I'm pretty devastated.* I'm trying to move on.* There's something for me out there.* The candidate they chose has experience with both the reading and math programs the school uses.* She said that she would pass my name to some of her colleagues.* I also told her to keep me in mind for future positions, aiding included.* We'll see what happens.* Ho hum. I've applied to Des Plaines and Glenview districts (two districts near me). *A friend also works for the UNO charter schools (I think it's a Hispanic English immersion project) and that seems interesting. *Their ISAT and attendance scores beat CPS (chicago public schools).. *She said they are affiliated with CPS in someways. *A few things scare me. *1. It is a 40 minute commute into kind of crappy neighborhoods (though one school is in my neighborhood but you don't get to choose, I don't think). *The schools look gorgeous, however. *2. My friend said the turn around rate for teachers is huge. *She said the kids are phenomenal. *Behavior problems are minimal. *Work load on teachers is extreme. *She is, however, a first year teacher. *How many who are leaving are also first years? *Would I be more capable of the extra work if I'm not so stressed about that on top of teaching for the first time? *3. No contracts. *They hire and fire at will. *That is honestly not very comforting. *However, right on their webpage it states that they provide double professional development than CPS and that if a teacher is struggling, they institute mentor programs, etc to help the teacher succeed before other measures are taken. *Anyway, there are a million positions open right now in all grade levels. *It is a possibility. *I suppose it wouldn't hurt to apply, and if an interview came about, I could check it out. *American Girl is also a definite possibility. *I won't apply there until after school is out. *There is a visual merchandising opening as well as a personal shopper opening. *I don't want to do sales. *It would have to be a salaried position. *Also, if a museum/zoo position opened up in education, I would be very interested in that as well. *Science and industry has something, but it is soooooo far away. *This would be another area where I wouldn't apply until June. *I would be interested in a co-op for sure. *At this point, nothing is closed. *It would just have to pay the same or more than I'm getting now (which wouldn't be hard to do!). *Do you know of someplace that is hiring? I'm sort of hoping North Park may offer me an aide position that would move into a teaching position if one opened. *That would have to be part of the deal, though. *Or have good pay. *Did you know aides at CPS make more than me AND they get benefits? *That would be a possibility as well, but I don't like the stability factor there. *And I don't want to sub (unless the deal was great). *Sorry for the novel and for letting me vent. *I cried a lot, but am getting over it slowly, but surely. * It truly seemed like my dream job.

 

[teachermommy78]

Sorry for all the asterisks on that post! I copied and pasted from my mommy board.

 

[cadek]

So sorry to hear that you didn't get the job. Vent away, maybe it helps to get it all out.

Sounds like you need a vacation to plan to take your mind off it! I know a great place to go! Disney will make it all better, or at least ease the pain a little.

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

I'm so sorry to hear about the job! As cliche as it sounds, things will work out for you the way they're supposed to, just keep your chin up and know some good will come of this! Perhaps a better job?!

I'm glad you guys have a trip coming up! It will definitely help you get through it!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

So sorry you didn't get the job. I am sure things will work out and something better will come along.

It won't be long you will be in Disney and having so much fun! I know that always brightens my day.

 

[creativeamanda]

I'm so sorry you did not get the job. Everything happens for a reason and I know there is a good reason why you didn't get it.Best wishes in the rest of your looking.

 

[PirateKate]

So sorry to hear you didn't get the job. Is it too soon to say you still have a really good Disney trip coming right up? Things sometimes look up when you have a Disney trip to look forward to.

 

[Moira222]

sorry you didn't get the job

All things for a reason, right?

 

[shocky5]

Sorry you did not get the answer you were hoping for. I know you are a woman of faith and that's where you have to put this - it wasn't the answer you were praying for, or all of us were praying for you for that matter - so your perspective of moving beyond will all make sense when you 'land' where you were meant to be.

Personally... I think you should do a little more shopping for your trip, chin up, smile on, knowing a school is going to be very blessed to have you on board!!

Hang in there!!
Amy

 

[blessedmom4]

I hope you have ENJOYED your day!!!
About the job, that has been heavy on my heart since I read it. I know how much you wanted it, I HAVE to Believe God has another plan just on the horizon for you. I am sorry!

 

[teachermommy78]

Thank you for everyone's well wish about the job situation. I feel like a tool because I responded to everyone individually a couple weeks ago and apparently it didn't post. I am doing much better and feeling ok about my current school. Looking at positives and realizing it is a low stress teaching situation (maybe not low stress JOB situation). Anyway, I'm grateful to have a job and am excited for future possibilities! I have some big changes to my trip!!! Posting in the next post!

 

[teachermommy78]

With 1 month and 5 days until our trip, Scott started looking into other options and crunching some numbers. He proposed a change last night. He asked if I would be willing to change from Port Orleans Riverside and move to POP where one of our kids could be added onto my inlaws room so we wouldn't be over capacity. We would have done this at the beginning, but we were going to not be traveling at the exact same time as them. Now we are, so the number crunching began. When we looked at this option several weeks ago we figured that it would save us about $200. This wasn't a biggie since we'd be getting a nicer hotel, etc. But when the number crunch began, Scott discovered the following:

1. We could check into POP a day earlier and out a day later, thus adding 2 days of meal plan. We were planning on staying offsite day 1 and transferring to POP at the end for 2 days with no meal plan. This is saving us on OOP meals.

2. We can leave Chicago a day earlier (in the afternoon) and just get a hotel room for 2 nights on the road instead of 1. This will help the trip not be so stressful.

3. I get to add 2 more table services! Yahoo!

4. We add 1 day in the parks, making our time in the parks 10 days instead of 9.

5. We are STILL saving money!!! It's not much, maybe $100, but look at all we added! And that's taking account the extra night on road! My inlaws are saving close to $200 with the same plan.

6. We were supposed to be charged $50 for changing this close to the trip, but the CM that helped us plugged everything in and no charge was made! The CM was baffled, but pleasantly surprised!

I will update my itinerary on the next post.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Yay for more Disney time! Can't wait to hear about your plans. POP looks like so much fun.

 

[teachermommy78]

Yay for more Disney time! Can't wait to hear about your plans. POP looks like so much fun.

I am excited! I should say that I'm bummed we can't stay at POR, especially due to POP not having a waterside. However, there are only so many more years of traveling with my inlaws. Im sure we'll have more opportunities to stay at mods and deluxes as time goes on. I'm a Disney fan for life! I want to experience as much as possible, and during these days when money is tight and the kids are little, we need to get the best bang for the buck!

 

[cadek]

That's great that you were able to make those changes, not be charged, and save money! More dining, and more days in Disney! Now that you won't be switching from one place to another during your trip, you can just get to Pop, make it your home and relax! Well, you don't really relax in Disney, but relax as in you don't need to worry about packing, unpacking, spending time moving...

 

[anjalee6]

Yay for adding extra days even if it means moving to POP the whole time. I think you will be happy with more time in Disney with the family. Exciting!