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

Echo, echo, echo...cricket chirp...did I do something to offend all of my other readers? :lmao:

So I have an eBay woe story. I ordered my Crocband flip flops from eBay. Got them, ripped off the tags, tried them on, and really liked them!!! Until I realized they were navy and I had ordered black. I couldn't tell until I went into natural light. I contacted the seller (who had 10 pairs of black listed the day I ordered and NOW had "sold out" listed...hmmmmm). She was very nice, and apologetic. She told me to return them and she'd ship it my black ones (it was someone else's mistake, she said, but she mysteriously had my pair of black still there). I agreed, and asked if she would paypal me back for the shipping. She refused. She said eBay's policy states that the buyer is responsible for all shipping even on returns. I politely responded back saying that I understood, but that it is bad business to require a buyer to pay for return shipping on a mistake by the seller. I'm not returning for a frivolous reason...you wronged me, so make me whole. She wrote back a very short reply of, "I will only cover first class shipping.". OK, fine! I'm not asking for more! A better seller would have IMMEDIATELY put money back into my paypal for hassle alone whether or not I was even returning the item! Grrrr. I've yet to send them back. I don't know if I even will get the black in time if I do. And who's to say she would be timely in shipping the new ones considering the fact that I apparently annoyed her. I wanted black for when I wore black shirts or black shorts. My dark brown Tevas will work (or even the navy crocs). Who cares if I look a bit dorky. It's Disney. People walk around with giant mouse ears on their heads. :rotfl:

On Saturday I'm raffling off a $3,000 Disney trip for the kids' school! I'm putting a few $5 tickets in for myself! A little bit of pixie dust before the trip!

I started packing yesterday. I'm trying the "ziploc bag" packing tip on this trip. I have most of the outfits in bags with undies. I'm keeping a few outfits out, of course. It was in the 100's here the past 3 days, but for the rest of this week and next it is supposed to be 60s-70s. The kids have 5 more days of school left, so I plan to keep 4 summer outfits out that I can pack quickly. Sophie has 3 sundresses that Scott needs to adjust straps on. They are too long. He's our family seamstress :). I'm not going to label the bags or choose the outfits for specific days. I like options. But it will be so much easier to just grab a bag. I have 14 outfits for each kid and a few extra underwear and shirts. I'm going to have to do laundry. I'm sure they'll go through more than one outfit a day. As I'm folding, I plan to put the clothes right back into their baggies. I've also put everyone's swimming suits and floaties in a big laundry bag. I'll probably do the same with pjs. I've discovered I have virtually no summer pjs for Finn and Sophie. Sophie will have to just rotate a few big T-shirt. Not sure about finn. I really don't have money to buy more. He has 3 sets. He can probably rotate through them for 2 nights each, and then I'll do laundry. We bathe the kids before bed, so I don't think it should be too gross, especially with air conditioning.

I can't remember if I posted about the dollar store trip... I'll have to go back and read. If not, I'll post on that in the next update!

Thanks for reading!!! Yes, I'm taking to all my reader out there. :lmao:
 
As I went back and reread my post, I realized it sounded like I, myself, am raffling $3000 Disney trip. The school is! I'm just in charge of selling the tickets!!!
 
Love Sophie's new hair cut! Very cute and it will be very cool for Disney! So great that she donated to Locks of Love.

Too bad about the Crocs shoes. That makes me mad when people don't honor things the way they should. I still have to order Jeremy's. I keep forgetting it every day. I think I will head over and do it now before I forget.

Good luck with the trip raffle! Sending some pixie dust your way! :wizard:
 
Still here and still enjoying!;) I did the same thing with my DS clothes for our trip in '09. Worked out great for 2 reasons.:thumbsup2 1. Anyone could get him dressed and I knew the outfit would be up to my standards.:rotfl2: (Yes, I am a bit anal about his clothes!) 2. The empty ziplock bags ended up coming in handy more than a few times! :woohoo: I used them to bring wet washcloths with us to keep us cool and wash sticky hands, we put left over food in them in the fridge, put wet clothes in them after some rides, you get the idea!:dance3: I wish we all had 14 outfits.:confused3 We are going for 10 days this year and I have always had a strict no :laundy: policy on vacation. But I don't think I even have 10 pairs of shorts!:scared1: I am sure we all have enough Tshirts but our lower halves are the problem!:rotfl: Ugghhh. Maybe a pool/:laundy: afternoon will have to be worked into the schedule.:confused:

Kelly
 

Love Sophie's new hair cut! Very cute and it will be very cool for Disney! So great that she donated to Locks of Love.

Too bad about the Crocs shoes. That makes me mad when people don't honor things the way they should. I still have to order Jeremy's. I keep forgetting it every day. I think I will head over and do it now before I forget.

Good luck with the trip raffle! Sending some pixie dust your way! :wizard:

Thanks!!! She was so excited to donate it! Did your order jeremy's shoes? Go do that NOW! :rotfl:

Still here and still enjoying!;) I did the same thing with my DS clothes for our trip in '09. Worked out great for 2 reasons.:thumbsup2 1. Anyone could get him dressed and I knew the outfit would be up to my standards.:rotfl2: (Yes, I am a bit anal about his clothes!) 2. The empty ziplock bags ended up coming in handy more than a few times! :woohoo: I used them to bring wet washcloths with us to keep us cool and wash sticky hands, we put left over food in them in the fridge, put wet clothes in them after some rides, you get the idea!:dance3: I wish we all had 14 outfits.:confused3 We are going for 10 days this year and I have always had a strict no :laundy: policy on vacation. But I don't think I even have 10 pairs of shorts!:scared1: I am sure we all have enough Tshirts but our lower halves are the problem!:rotfl: Ugghhh. Maybe a pool/:laundy: afternoon will have to be worked into the schedule.:confused:

Kelly

I hear you on the shorts. I have 4 pairs of normal shorts and 1 pair of athletic shorts. I hate 2 of the 4 pairs, and 1 of the pairs is a bit snug. I need a couple pairs I think!
 
I agree that the ebay seller should pay for the return shipping. Ridiculous to say it wasn't her fault. Well it was someone working for her then! Some people just don't care. They make it bad for all of the honest sellers. Same goes for buyers. In general it amazes me how dishonest or inconsiderate some people can be. Somedays I think I care too much!

I've tried the ziploc bag packing for the kids before and it is great! Hard to do when you are packing for the unpredictable weather in January though! If you get all of the air out of the bags it can save you room too. Nice to just have an outfit ready to go, no need to try and get it together while you are there. My boys are in need of summer pj's too. I just bought myself a few pair of shorts that I'm happy with. Hopefully I'm as happy with them when I'm doing all that walking! Now shirts, I always pack way more than I ever need. I like options! Then coordinate the jewelry... :rolleyes1

I think the hardest part is packing all of the electronics and chargers! As soon as we leave home, I start mentally checking, what did I forget. Surely I forgot something!
 
I am sorry about your crocs being the wrong color. I agree. She should accommodate you in some way. That would just be good business. We are moving into the last few days of school. I can't wait to be able to start packing. I have a wedding this weekend and the 3 1/2 more days of school. I can't wait! Then my true Disney packing begins.
 
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I agree that the ebay seller should pay for the return shipping. Ridiculous to say it wasn't her fault. Well it was someone working for her then! Some people just don't care. They make it bad for all of the honest sellers. Same goes for buyers. In general it amazes me how dishonest or inconsiderate some people can be. Somedays I think I care too much!

I've tried the ziploc bag packing for the kids before and it is great! Hard to do when you are packing for the unpredictable weather in January though! If you get all of the air out of the bags it can save you room too. Nice to just have an outfit ready to go, no need to try and get it together while you are there. My boys are in need of summer pj's too. I just bought myself a few pair of shorts that I'm happy with. Hopefully I'm as happy with them when I'm doing all that walking! Now shirts, I always pack way more than I ever need. I like options! Then coordinate the jewelry... :rolleyes1

I think the hardest part is packing all of the electronics and chargers! As soon as we leave home, I start mentally checking, what did I forget. Surely I forgot something!

Packing for the colder weather would be pretty impossible in baggies. Im really loving it for the summer, though! I've already had to bust into ethan's bags. He ran out of undies!!! We have one pair of boxers that I've never put him in. He was soooooo excited. So I think boxers will be on his bday list!!! :laughing:

I am sorry about your crocs being the wrong color. I agree. She should accommodate you in some way. That would just be good business. We are moving into the last few days of school. I can't wait to be able to start packing. I have a wedding this weekend and the 3 1/2 more days of school. I can't wait! Then my true Disney packing begins.

You are almost done!!! My poor kiddos still have 2 days this week and 1 hour on Friday. They are so done. If they come home with homework tonight, I may just have to rebel and not make them do it. Grades were in on Saturday night at midnight, so rebelling would be ok this once! ;)
 
Sophie looks really cute with her short haircut. She has beautiful hair and I'm sure it will make some other little girl very happy. :goodvibes

I like the ziplock packing method, though I think I use a slightly different version. I like to stick one outfit for each of my boys in a bag together, labelled with the date. Of course, that probably won't work once the boys' clothes get too big to fit two in one baggie. :rotfl:
 
Sophie looks really cute with her short haircut. She has beautiful hair and I'm sure it will make some other little girl very happy. :goodvibes

I like the ziplock packing method, though I think I use a slightly different version. I like to stick one outfit for each of my boys in a bag together, labelled with the date. Of course, that probably won't work once the boys' clothes get too big to fit two in one baggie. :rotfl:

You could always get those giant baggies! :lmao: I'm liking soph's hair more and more each day. Thank you!!! I think it is really cute. It looks much better than before. We'd brush it out and 5 minutes later it looked ratty. If it was up it was ok.
 
On Sunday, the boys and I decided to play hooky from church. Sophie had a bday party to go to afterward, and Ethan had seen an advertisement for the Wild Kratts performing at a zoo near us. The Kratts brothers host the show (they are also known for hosting Zaboomafoo). He was so excited, I decided to take them on my own. We got there to a huge crown. I would estimate at least 2,000 in the grassy area. Well, we got there earlier, so there weren't as many, but we still ended up with a crummy spot. Anyway, here are some cute pics. They have nothing to do with my Disney trip, but was at a standstill today, so this is what you get!!!

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This is Ethan so thrilled to finally see them on stage!
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Here is Chris (I think) running through the crowd, right past us! That blue blur in the background is Ethan.
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Finn's new crocs! And you can sort of see mine, too.
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The boys painted their faces at the play zoo. Well, actually, I quickly painted their faces. Along with about 17 million other kids/parents trying to reach and do the same thing at the same time! They are in a fisher price tent where you can try all the toys. Worked for me!
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I am still here, I promise, it has just been a bit wild around here this past month. I can't believe you are leaving in just over a week, how wonderful!!! Love your baggies, I use them for everything. Have an amazing trip if I forget to say it next week! :goodvibes:flower3::goodvibes LOVE the new pics!!!
 
I am still here, I promise, it has just been a bit wild around here this past month. I can't believe you are leaving in just over a week, how wonderful!!! Love your baggies, I use them for everything. Have an amazing trip if I forget to say it next week! :goodvibes:flower3::goodvibes LOVE the new pics!!!

thanks sooo much!! I need to check into your PTR to see how Princess Lisa is doing! :lovestruc

Great pictures from the zoo! It looks like you had a great day.
thanks so much!!!
 
Still here! Busy with baseball and finishing up another round of class!

All of your pictures you have posted are so cute! I just know you are going to have an amazing trip! 1 week! I can't believe it! I think you were the one I told months ago that when you went on your vacation, I would just be reaching the time frame you were in at that time (back in January, maybe?) :goodvibes Gives me hope that mine will be here someday soon, too!

Wanted to mention - we've done the ziploc baggies with clothes and I love it! Will never do it any other way - even when my kids are too big for me to pack for them! :lmao: Love the grab a bag idea and put it on. :goodvibes
 
I'm back and caught up --- I was about 3 weeks behind! sheesh!

The gas station coupon idea is a good one - I run into that with Katie all the time. grr. Here is what we found really funny at WDW with Katie: she had been earning "Disney Dollars" since December - she had about $70 in DD plus another $50 in her own cash from Christmas (we would not let her bring more of her gift cash than what she had earned doing chores). So as we shopped for things, if she wanted something, it came out of her money. The first two days she was on a shopping spree - then she realized she was spending her own money.:idea: After that everytime she wanted something she'd ask "Who's paying for this - my money or your money?" If the answer was her money, she'd wait. If it was "our money" then she wanted it. :rotfl2:After a while we had to just tell her that her DD would "expire" at the end of the trip - that if she wanted something, she should get it, but just use a little more thought than buying everything in sight. But it did help us keep on track with budgeting spending money.

Sophie's new hair cut is so cute! I can never get Katie to wait long enough to grow her hair for Locks of Love - she goes long in the fall/winter, but always wants it cut by May or June. Just not enough time!

I love the ziploc bag idea - I've seen others here do that as well. Too bad it would never work with my little fashion diva - maybe when she was younger and less opinionated:rotfl:

I did plan a laundry stop on our trip -- put some powdered soap pre-measured into ziplocs, took my book & my coffee downstairs & let Joe deal with homework drama. :laughing:

Looks like you all had a great time at 6 Flags & the zoo.
Now that you are less than a week away i'll have to go back & check out your daily plans - unless you are going to recap?
 
The zoo looks like it was a lot of fun. I had never heard of the Kratt brothers or Zoboomafoo, but it looks like they put on a good show. Nice work on the pirate faces. pirate:
 
:goodvibes I had to majorly back track becuase I could not remember at all anything from your agenda - and now I know why. You posted them while I was at WDW so when I caught up, I didn't go back far enough!;)

So how many people are ultimately going at the same time as you -- you started with like 30 but now I think are down to your family & your in laws, right?

I'm going to just stick in comments in a different color ...
Cool! I went and double checked my ADRs so I could be sure of the times:

6-23 Akershus 6:50 pm
6-24 Primetime 4:00 pm
6-25 Ohana 5:00 pm
6-26 Boma 4:00 pm
6-27 Garden Grill 4:00 pm
6-28 SciFi 11:00 am
6-29 LeCellier 11:50 am
6-30 Kona 7:30 am, Whispering Canyon 5:00 pm
7-1 Pirate's League 9:00 am, Liberty Tree Tavern 11:30 am

And I would definitely be up for a tentative meet! We have so many variables going on with the large group. I'm hoping my inlaws may take the kids a few nights and maybe Scott and I can sneak away to a park. Or definitely if we are going to be in the same area at the same time. I just don't want to hold up a whole group. The best would probably be to exchange cell numbers. Are you going to have email access while there? So many of our evenings are questionable so we could be in the same park more often than my itinerary suggests. I can send you an email sporadically to see if we match up. I would love to meet you if possible!

Are you doing regular dining plan, right? one TS per day - that's what your list looks like. Here's what I learned: the trick to early dinner plans is to stick with light or early lunch and not snack in between. We did dinner times like you ahve above and at the beginning of the week they were perfect by by late week we wanted ot hang in the pool longer mid day and seemed to have to rush out so that we could make dinner. One night we ditched dinner ressies all together...i think we ended up just having a snack or a CS and then had a bonus sit down breakfast the next day.


Onto the changes! YAHOO!

Originally we were going to leave on June 22 early in the morning.

NOW:

June 21- depart Chicago early afternoon. Drive as far as we can manage.

June 22- drive all day and hopefully get reasonably close. We would like to be within 3-4 hours of WDW

June 23- wake up super early with the hope of entering WDW mid morning! May try to check in, otherwise we'll do so later. Head to EPCOT. We made a 7:00 ADR at Akershus. I'm excited for this one! We are keeping it a secret. The boys may not be thrilled, but Sophie will be!this is our favorite princess/breakfast in the parks. food is super yummy and you are going to be there so early its awesome to see the park this early.

June 24- DHS, Primetime Cafe ADR, possibly MK in the evening.

June 25- MK Ohana ADR (dinner)

June 26- AK Boma ADR (new!!!)

June 27- EPCOT Garden Grill ADR

June 28- DHS Sci Fi ADR

June 29- EPCOT Le Cellier

June 30- AM mommy/daughter breakfast at Kona, AK, Whispering Canyon ADR

July 1- MK, Pirate's league, Liberty Tree ADR

July 2- ??? Fill in day

July 3- head home

I'm glad I found your schedule - I hope it all works out for you!!!

Are you getting a big double stroller while you are in the parks? Esp for the Epcot days (so much walking) might be nice if the kids can ride a little. nice because less complaining, not so nice because they are not tired when mom and dad are tired!:rotfl:

THREE DAYS (its wee hours of the am here) :banana::banana::banana::banana:
are you all packed or frantically doing :laundy:?
 
:rotfl:Apparently I unsubscribed to my own thread. I had no idea I had repsonses! :lmao:

:goodvibes I had to majorly back track becuase I could not remember at all anything from your agenda - and now I know why. You posted them while I was at WDW so when I caught up, I didn't go back far enough!;)

So how many people are ultimately going at the same time as you -- you started with like 30 but now I think are down to your family & your in laws, right?

I'm going to just stick in comments in a different color ...


Are you doing regular dining plan, right? one TS per day - that's what your list looks like. Here's what I learned: the trick to early dinner plans is to stick with light or early lunch and not snack in between. We did dinner times like you ahve above and at the beginning of the week they were perfect by by late week we wanted ot hang in the pool longer mid day and seemed to have to rush out so that we could make dinner. One night we ditched dinner ressies all together...i think we ended up just having a snack or a CS and then had a bonus sit down breakfast the next day.




I'm glad I found your schedule - I hope it all works out for you!!!

Are you getting a big double stroller while you are in the parks? Esp for the Epcot days (so much walking) might be nice if the kids can ride a little. nice because less complaining, not so nice because they are not tired when mom and dad are tired!:rotfl:

THREE DAYS (its wee hours of the am here) :banana::banana::banana::banana:
are you all packed or frantically doing :laundy:?

There are 21 of us as a final count! I'm thinking/ hoping for low key. We'll see how that pans out!

We are doing regular dining. My boys have the tendency to flat out conk out by 7 sometimes, and will not nap midday. Early dinners were a must. I am worried that they will be smack dab in the middle of our plans, but we'll have to figure it out! Thanks for the advice!

Our Akershus ADR is for dinner, actually. I'm hoping it's yummy! Scott won't "do" breakfast ADRS. We aren't big breakfast eaters and he feels it is a waste. Sophie and I are paying OOP for our kona breakfast day.

We have two single umbrella strollers (Maclaren, and Peg Perego, so they are nice umbrellas!).

I think that was all your questions!!! Thanks so much for checking in!!!

The zoo looks like it was a lot of fun. I had never heard of the Kratt brothers or Zoboomafoo, but it looks like they put on a good show. Nice work on the pirate faces. pirate:

The Kratts brothers are on PBS. I bet the boys would enjoy it (well, maybe not Landon so much at this point). Weren't my pirate faces ARRRRRtistic? I totally could get a job at Disney. :lmao:


Still here! Busy with baseball and finishing up another round of class!

All of your pictures you have posted are so cute! I just know you are going to have an amazing trip! 1 week! I can't believe it! I think you were the one I told months ago that when you went on your vacation, I would just be reaching the time frame you were in at that time (back in January, maybe?) :goodvibes Gives me hope that mine will be here someday soon, too!

Wanted to mention - we've done the ziploc baggies with clothes and I love it! Will never do it any other way - even when my kids are too big for me to pack for them! :lmao: Love the grab a bag idea and put it on. :goodvibes

Thank you so much!!! It went by sooo fast. It's sad, really. When you have your trip I'll be insanely jealous!!! I'm excited to try out the baggies!
 





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