Island Hopping: A WDW PTR for Sept. 2012-- Link to TR! 10/10

[starann]

WOW, that is quite the list, but yes, I too have a WDW box. It has some disney character for the window (and the kdis to play with), spray fans, notebooks, crayons (although they are now melted as our attic get HOT) and I forget what else. I really need to start thinking about it and seeing what we need (although our trip is 1 year away). We fly so I have to keep it 'light' but I still end up bringing enough junk!!!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Hi there! I followed your previous TR and your kiddos are too cute for words! Bummer that you all got sick though last trip though! I am crazy militant when we are there and carry no less than three packs of Wet Ones while at Disney. I thought I did a good job until the time my youngest licked, yes licked, down the railing of It's a Small World. My stomach still turns just thinking about it. I considered wiping her little mouth out with a wipe but technically you're not supposed to you know, ingest them.

Looks like your Sept. trip is shaping up nicely. Love the coordinated outfits too! I have three girls and when they were really young, I dressed them exactly alike all. the. time! Until my nearly ten year old finally begged me to stop. That was a sad, sad day. Anyhow, I love your organizational tub! I'm a big fan of lists too. Honestly, one of my favorite things to do is plan a Disney trip and all that it entails.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! I just laughed so loud when I read that that I startled Sawyer! I could totally see Brynn doing that. She mouths and licks just about everything. In fact, I just ordered her a special necklace she can chew on in hopes that she'll stop putting everything else in her mouth! Hope it works! And "it's a small world" is her favorite ride, so of all places, she'd probably lick that one!
The day they stop letting me dress them alike is going to be so sad. So far, none of my family members seem to care how I dress them, including my husband. I like that the girls dress alike just in case one goes missing--I can point and say, "She's dressed just like this!"
I love lists. Love. Checking something off gives me a natural high, I think!

WOW, that is quite the list, but yes, I too have a WDW box. It has some disney character for the window (and the kdis to play with), spray fans, notebooks, crayons (although they are now melted as our attic get HOT) and I forget what else. I really need to start thinking about it and seeing what we need (although our trip is 1 year away). We fly so I have to keep it 'light' but I still end up bringing enough junk!!!!

Thank you for reminding me that I need the window cling things! Maybe I can find them at Dollar Tree or Walgreens. I definitely need to get more things to keep the kids busy. So far I just have the bubbles. If we ever start flying instead of driving, I'm going to have to get one of those Owner's Lockers tubs to keep down there!

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

That Disney bin is a great idea! I can imagine it definitely cuts down on the last minute stressing. I feel like I always forget something vital, no matter how much I overpack. We may have to start doing something similar!

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh, hello. You are a genius. That's basically all I have to say.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

That Disney bin is a great idea! I can imagine it definitely cuts down on the last minute stressing. I feel like I always forget something vital, no matter how much I overpack. We may have to start doing something similar!

I'm telling you, you won't regret it. Not to say I don't forget things, but it helps me so much...because, if you haven't noticed, I'm scatter-brained. That whole saying about, "She'd forget her head if it wasn't attached,"....yeah, they made that up just for me.

Oh, hello. You are a genius. That's basically all I have to say.

Um...could I please have that written, signed, and made into a huge plaque to hang in my house so my entire family could see it on a regular basis? Mmkay, thanks.

 

[inkedupmomma]

sorry, a little late! Cute outfits! i wish I had the time to plan themed outfits! well buy or make them I suppose. the closest I get is a disney shirt for every day of the trip!

and we also have a "bin". I have one i keep with my every year stuff (ears, glow necklaces, fans, etc..) and ten I have one i keep for stuff i see throughout the year

Great minds!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

sorry, a little late! Cute outfits! i wish I had the time to plan themed outfits! well buy or make them I suppose. the closest I get is a disney shirt for every day of the trip!

and we also have a "bin". I have one i keep with my every year stuff (ears, glow necklaces, fans, etc..) and ten I have one i keep for stuff i see throughout the year

Great minds!!

Okay, first and foremost: JENN. Did I miss something!?!? You and Bob are getting married!?!?!?!?!?!?! How did I miss that? I mean, not that I didn't know it was going to happen... Congratulations! So excited!

You know what, I just went and checked, and your TR is showing up at the bottom of my subscribed list, like it hasn't been updated, but it HAS. I haven't been reading along lately because I thought it hadn't been updated! Did you tell about getting engaged in there and I missed it because of a wonky Dis!?! So sorry! Now I've got to go catch up!

Yes, we are great minds with great names.

 

[inkedupmomma]

Okay, first and foremost: JENN. Did I miss something!?!? You and Bob are getting married!?!?!?!?!?!?! How did I miss that? I mean, not that I didn't know it was going to happen... Congratulations! So excited!

Yes, we are great minds with great names.

OMG, yes you DID! and YES WE ARE

He proposed this Past Easter Sunday at his moms house with all of our families there! I posted about it on my never ending TR

I'm SOO excited and sweet him even said lets do a disney family moon

I'm trying to get through my Sept TR in order to start a PTR!!

Loving your PTR and so excited your trip is so soon!

 

[inkedupmomma]

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44761441&postcount=204

The link to the proposal

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44761441&postcount=204

The link to the proposal

AHHHHH!!! I love it! So happy!

Sorry the dis told me you weren't updating! I'm going to go back and read everything I've missed. I'm going to delete my subscription and try to re-subscribe and see if it starts showing up as updated. I wouldn't be missing out on your TR for anything!!!

 

[KTgE]

Happy Monday! If you want to read about the craziness of my day and Be Our Guest check my PTR...Oh. My. Gosh. Insane. Really, beyond crazy. Anyways, back to your PTR!

Love your outfits! Andy is not in to matching or even remotely matching...IEX in May we were headed to Epcot and heaven for bid we both wear an Epcot shirt to Epcot. So, I don't even try. Now, as far as the kids go I do try and do something related each day to what park we happen to be visiting. I had to get Avi-Kate a bunch of new shirts the other day because all the Disney onesies she wore this spring are now pack away...she's in that whole growing like a weed stage. Like Sawyer, AG has a crazy amount of DHS related shirts even though it's not our all time favorite park by any means either.

Disney stash...love it! We also have an ongoing stash that I add to as I come across things. I find that this method is really great if you happen to be a bargain shopper/hunter. I tend to pick up little items here and there when I find them really cheap and toss 'em in the box.

 

[inkedupmomma]

AHHHHH!!! I love it! So happy!

Sorry the dis told me you weren't updating! I'm going to go back and read everything I've missed. I'm going to delete my subscription and try to re-subscribe and see if it starts showing up as updated. I wouldn't be missing out on your TR for anything!!!

AWe, you're sweet I didn't update for a long while.. been banging them out though! Although, I have NO note son my last 2 days there..and my memory is like duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I'll make it sound good though lol

 

[lledman]

love your outfits/shirts. Having a Disney box is a great idea.

 

[Dancegrl624]

I LOVE our Disney box! It usually resides in the basement, but I bring it up into our closet when our trip is approaching. I desperately need a larger one....mine is fairly small. I have many of the same items in ours that you have in yours. By reading your list you reminded me of some things I need to pick up! I need to get my act together....4 weeks from tomorrow!

 

[LifeIsDis]

I love all of the outifts!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

LOL I thought I was being prepared by picking up cheap ponchos before our trip!!! You are VERY impressive!!!!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Just when you think I've got things settled, I go and change things up again! Really, I'm starting to feel like Sara (Stingbean&Wingnut), but slightly less cool!

First change: Julia does NOT want to skip a day of school. She started acting all nervous when we would talk to her about leaving right when we wake up in the morning, and we finally pulled it out of her that she really doesn't want to miss, and I quote, "instructional learning time." I paused a moment to question whether or not she really is my child, and then I told her that we most definitely do not have to leave that early. She can go to school until 11, be counted present, get her instructional learning time, and feel better about leaving.
Honestly, this kind of stinks. Brandon's not too happy about not getting an early start because he thinks the mornings in a van pass by quicker than the afternoons (and I have to agree that they seem to). Plus, we'll be getting there three hours later with some cranky kids in tow. HOWEVER, I would never want any negative feelings at the beginning of a trip, and I refuse to make my child anxious, so 11am it is.
Because of this, I think I'm scrapping my grocery store trip that I had planned for that evening and instead finding more room to pack as much food and water as possible in our van. It'll be a heavier load going down, but I'm just fine with stopping in the food court for some milk and being done with it. SEE? SEE HOW I'M GOING WITH THE FLOW???

Second change: I started thinking last night about the Thursday of our trip when we'll be checking into the Poly first thing in the morning. It'll be an Epcot day, and we will have most likely covered a good bit of Epcot on Sunday. You know how we LOVE all things Hawaiian...and we won't be rushed that morning since we knew we'd have to change hotels and all...and we HAVE to eat breakfast anyway...

SO I BOOKED US A KONA BREAKFAST for 8:50!! This will be a new place for us, and we are both SOOOOOOOO excited! The kids eat breakfast well, and this will probably fill us up enough so we can just snack around the world all day. The only problem is that we can't decide what to have!! Any input?? The Samoan looks great, but Tonga Toast is famous! Brandon will almost definitely go with the Big Kahuna, and (duh) we'll get a press pot of kona coffee, but you have to HELP ME DECIDE! Because, as we know, food is extremely important and can set the tone for the day. If you've been there, chime in with your menu choices, please!

So, what have I accomplished since the last post? Almost nothing, honestly. We've been terribly busy, and I don't see it stopping before the trip. I have a pile of things in my room that need to be packed, but there's no organization yet. In fact, I haven't even made Brandon drag out the huge black suitcase yet, which is unheard of with only 2.5 weeks to go eek: just caught my breath there when I typed that!!); I usually have started packing a month out!
I did start printing things out, so that's something, right?? I printed all our touring plans, which seem to get less and less defined since I'm in the "go with the flow" mindset due to necessity. I printed the confirmation from Kingdom Strollers and double-checked our confirmation via email. I ordered and received a new Disney Visa Rewards card, but I've yet to call and confirm that I got it, and I also added some more points since then that I need to add to it. I called the Poly and added a request for top floor with a balcony, but no specific longhouse--I'll let the tiki gods decide that for me!

Have I spent more money? YOU BET! I bought a new car seat for Brynn because she was about half a pound away from the forty pound limit for the five-point harness, which I insist my kids have as long as possible. I'm kind of a car seat freak--Julia and Brynn are still in a five point harness, and Sawyer's still rear-facing and will be until he hits that limit (did you know that kids are 500% safer when they're rear-facing??). I got Brynn the same seat that Julia has, which is a Graco Nautilus. It allows you to be in the harness until 65 pounds. There are some that let you go higher than that, but not in my price range! After that, it turns into a plain booster. Brynn's old car seat will go to Brandon's car as an emergency booster.

Yeah, that wasn't off-topic or anything...anyway, my kid's safer for the trip!

Back to money I've spent...I got some gently used Princess dresses for the girls, and an Alice dress to replace the one Julia outgrew. Brandon got a new lens hood and some sort of lens cleaner...not my area, but I know it cost money. I've also been working on picking up more odds and ends. I had to buy more iron-on transfers; Brandon wants to make us Island Hoppers shirts as a nod to both Magnum, P.I. and this trip, and now I'm going to have to do that because it sounds too awesome NOT to do! We also ended up having to buy a new printer because ours decided not to work at all ever again period.

Brandon's been busy downloading movies for the trip down, and he needs to transfer them to the ipod, which we'll hook into the car DVD player.

If you're not my Facebook friend (and again I say "why the heck NOT?!") then you don't know this already, but I have embarked on creating a Hidden Mickey book for Julia, complete with handy boxes she can check-off as she sees them. I've only listed ones I know we'll be around and am leaving out the ones that would really frustrate her. I honestly didn't know how many hours I'd put into this, and so far it's a TON, but it will be worth it. In the same vein, I'm going to make a book for Brynn with pictures of the rides we'll be visiting so she can have a book to check-off, too!

Speaking of Brynn and reading, SHE'S READING! I put the video up on my FB (ahem!) but can't get it to work on here yet, so sorry! People really underestimate kids on the Autism Spectrum! Yes, she has Asperger's, but she's one of the smartest 4 year olds I know!

Okay, back to what I need to do...this list keeps getting longer, as do the gray hairs I'm getting over trying to get things done! I need to:

finish making t-shirts
finish the books for both girls
find van activities
gather up and activate all gift cards
get change for pressed pennies and toll booths
print out character times and schedules of shows
fix mousekeeping envelopes
get the groceries we'll be taking with us
pack (yeah, no biggie, right?)
go to the dollar store for more cheap ponchos and random odds and ends
wax eyebrows
get a pedicure to celebrate getting it done...if that actually happens

Brandon's rented a new lens and has to pick it up on September 12, so you should be getting some really great photos in the TR!! (You'd BETTER see some great photos for the cost of renting the dang thing!) Also on that day is when Brynn has her special needs pre-school evaluation. We're really hoping the school systems offers to give her occupational/physical therapy so we won't have to pay someone privately. Fingers crossed!

WHEW! That was a lot of rambling! So, to recap...2.5 weeks, barely anything done, freaking out, and need Kona recommendations...got that!?

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

love your outfits/shirts. Having a Disney box is a great idea.

Thanks! It's kind of a life saver at times. Helps me not stress out *too* much!

I LOVE our Disney box! It usually resides in the basement, but I bring it up into our closet when our trip is approaching. I desperately need a larger one....mine is fairly small. I have many of the same items in ours that you have in yours. By reading your list you reminded me of some things I need to pick up! I need to get my act together....4 weeks from tomorrow!

Ours usually resides in the back of our close, but now it's in the middle of my bedroom floor so that I'll remember to get busy...so far, no luck!

I love all of the outifts!

Thank you!

LOL I thought I was being prepared by picking up cheap ponchos before our trip!!! You are VERY impressive!!!!!

If I didn't have kids, that's exactly how I'd be! Unfortunately, I have to try to tame the chaos that is children. (Try. Usually don't succeed.)

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

You have to love a kid who wants to learn! Totally worth leaving later! Sounds like your preparations are going well...I love checking things off my (completely ridiculous if you ask my BF) list!

As for Kona, it's my absolute favorite place in all of WDW to have breakfast! Tonga Toast is very good, but heavy and SO MUCH FOOD. It's not my first choice. The omelettes are very good, too, but my gotta have it, can't get enough, give me MORE are the Macadamia nut pancakes. Light, fluffy, deliciousness on a plate! I get the pineapple chutney stuff (or whatever it's called) on the side and sometimes don't eat it at all.

Wow, I really waxed rhapsodic up there. Yep, Kona is THAT good!

 

[danimaroo]

I feel like there are 9 bajillion things I could comment on, but the first thing I must say is... WE NEED TO BE FACEBOOK FRIENDS! I'm not even sure how this hasn't happened yet, but I sent you a PM because um, dur, no brainer!

Also, that's so impressive that Brynn is already reading! I want to see video, so basically another reason we should already be FB friends!

I am going to be keeping an eye on people's responses about Kona. We are eating there for the first time during our trip for breakfast, and I'm soooo excited! I've been pretty convinced I'm going for the Tonga toast, but there are SO many options I just don't know!

We need a new printer, too! Ours kind of broke.. well, it prints SOME stuff but really, we just need a new one! Another thing to add to my list of crap we need.

I AM SO JEALOUS, 2.5 weeks. That is so so close!