Its been how many years??? 4 years and finally going back...with a toddler & tween...

[Mrs.viv07]

Table of contents
intro-just keep on reading
why we are going
surprises, DIY and more
Itinerary...so far
finished shirts..well some of them anyway
my planning bibble
Suprising Darren...is it possible?
its crunch time with 10 days to go...final goodies
final plans...i hope
packing it up

First let me give you a brief intro to our cast of players for this trip:

My wonderful hubby of almost 8 years aka Michael.

Me(Vivian) and the scrooge aka Darren 11( we call him that because he is rarely happy w/o a video game in front of him)

monkey aka Gabriel he is my cuddly but super independent and stubborn as all love- 2

my parents

Us all together

how this trip got started:
I saw the free dining commercial last month while laying in bed. i nudged hubby and said,"since tickets to italy are incredibly expensive right now why don't we go back to the magic?" i was of course not kidding but figured he would say no way. to my suprise he said to figure out the numbers and do what you do best...BUt keep under the price of what the tix for italy would have been.....WHAT!!!! i think i went online the second he walked out the door the next day.
i got the numbers squared away and called him to give him the toal. he was suprised and said...well we have 3 weeks to play with, add whatever else you want.....so bam both universal parks, seaworld and legoland are now part of our itinerary.
next was pricing out the drive down. we had just dodged a HUGE expense with our car, which broke down and needed a whole new transmision $$$$ but i got a call form the dealer it was under warranty till dec this year. phew.
so of course our first thought was, is the car gonna make it from NY to Florida? plus gas expenses and an hotel i think i priced it out to about $800 total. then i remembered my friend talking about the auto train. i did some research and the difference between driving all the way VS some partial driving was about $150. so auto train it is. we have booked a roomete on the way down and a family bedroom on the way back. We would have to leave NY by 7am to make it to virginia by 12-1pm with plenty of time. it think its about 5hours to get there assuming there is no traffic or we don't get lost or a plane lands on the highway like last time we drove down and got detoured for this very reason.
I have to tell you in case you haven't already figured it out i'm OCD about many things but planning trips i'm at its worst. like spreadsheets, planners, lists, laminating, did i mention lists? yeah im slightly obsessed.

so that is it for my intro. I'll leave you with what i have been doing:
-budgeting money for tickets to other parks, additional hotel for 2 nights.
- making packing lists for the train, car , us, WDW with a toddler (a first for me since D was 6 the first time he went)
- stuff to buy at the dollar store for the parks hotel ect
- little surprises for the boys
- stuff to make myself:
in that category is:
*trying tie dye mickey shirts for the boys, Hubs refuses to wear tie dye
*stencil character shirts for the boys
*autograph book for G
*name fill, character initial t-shirts for all of us
*stroller tags
*custom outfits for G
* itinerary for 16 days

that's all i can remember for now....stay tuned....

 

[Mrs.viv07]

This year has been a tryng year for us. after we had G we decided we wanted 2 more kids, honestly i've always wanted a big family, life had other plans for me. I had D when i had just turned 21, we got married when he was 4 and had planned a trip for his 6th birthday so we figured we would wait till then to start trying. After a year of trying, finding a cyst that had to be removed, finding questionable pap results and treatment for it We found out we were finally pregnant in dec of 2007. right before his 7th b-day disney January trip. we had a great time and 2 weeks after that trip we had our first u/s. baby looked perfect. 2 weeks later i was bleeding and found out our baby's heart was no longer beating. i went on to have 4 more losses all with-in a 14 month period. Mid march 2009 i get a midnight call that my mom, who mind you was living in Costa Rica at the time, had dropped in the kitchen floor, she was in the hospital with a ruptured aneurysm in the aorta. they were trying to keep her alive through the night until the surgical team could be assembled and she would be in surgery at 7am. I couldn't get a flight out till wednesday her surgery was tuesday. it was the longest day ever and finally the phone rang to tell me she had made it but the next 2 weeks would be critical. We flew down and boy was it it a shock to see her hooked up to all those tubes and machines, and i'm in nursing school, but when its your family nothing prepares you. The boys came home and i stayed with her for a month until she was back home.
I came home almost at the end of April, and late May i found out i was expecting. The pregncy was considered high risk because i have MTHFR a type o blood clotting disorder. I had to be on daily blood thinner shots for the duration of the preganacy and 6 weeks after as well.
Our second son Gabriel was born Jan 19 2010

Darren was/is such an awesome big brother.

My mom who was still in Costa Rica waiting on immigration status change finally met her newest grandson in Jan 2011 when we flew to spend vaction there for 2 weeks.
Darren had a blast playing with all his cousins

we finally got a real vacation

and time with mom

Fast forward to this year and my mom's papers were finally approved and so we made plans for her to come for mothers day and then go with D to spend his summer vacation in Costa Rica. everything was great until i called her one day to check in on her and she sounded off. finally i got it out of her that she had gone to ER and they told her she had another small leak in her lower aorta this time and they would not do anything to repair it. basically the Dr there told her to fly here spend time with us and enjoy her life. that we should let her do anything she wants. a death sentence basically. I refused to believe that and got to work contacting the mayo clinic and all sorts of specialist i could find. I found an amazing doctor in NYC who was willing to see here the day after she arrived. So we did and he was not happy with the results of test he saw the following week, admitted her on friday and surgery was done monday. it was a very long 7 hour surgery and she was in CCU for 2 weeks post surgery and another 3 weeks in a rehab center to help her regain her strength. she came home last week and other than the pain from the incision which the Dr. toldu s is one of the worst since they cut through your ribs were millions of nerves are and while you may heal quickly nerves take longer and makes it so much worse. She just had a follow up and everything looks great , a change in her pain med have helped also and we are hoping that by september she will be so much better to make the trip with us.
if you made it this far give yourself a pat on the back. i know its a lot to take in.
but that brings me to reason why we are taking this trip. there have been 2 really close instances where i could have lost my mother. being an only child, my parents are everything to me.
And for once i would like to do something for them.
Oh and i love disney so anything is a good excuse for me to go, but bringing my 2 boys along for the ride will be priceless.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

I figured i could start showing you some of my to-do/done projects i have started.
I think i had mentioned this trip is a complete surprise for our boys. Darren thinks we are taking the auto train to washington, i'm hoping he is either to distracted or too tired to realize we pass washington on our way to virginia.
Anyway i'm planning on buying them each a toy to unwrap on the train and when he opens his under it i'm hoping to put these 2 things for him to find

this one personalized w/ our actual date and their names.

customized autograph book. here

freezer paper shirts - i have to tell you i was a bit intimidated on doing these since i had never done them had no clue what i was doing and just really wanted it to work. its time consuming but completely worth it once i was finished, and to be honest to do all 8 of them from dyeing to washing and drying cutting the stencil, ironing and finally painting them was about a week, but only because i had to do it during naps or after the boys were sleeping. don't forget this whole trip is a surprise for my oldest.

the following of course could never have happened without the amazing Dissigners here.
stroller tags

~

name fill t-shirt

initial t-shirt.
hubby

mine

Darren

Gabriel

i printed 4 of these in wallet size one i'm going to attach with zip ties to the baby's belt hoop, and the other our oldest can keep in his pocket in case he gets separated, freaks and forgets our numbers

pillow case for the train for my little monkey

lastly for the car(at some point

that is all i have for nowi want to make the pressed penny container, and some other little things here and there.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

I will be the first to admit that for me planning is almost as exciting as getting there. I think i mentioned i have a spreadsheet of what our days will look like. I'm a very visual person so being able to see it all in one place rather than clicking around keeps my mind at ease. I do this in everyday life too though i'm one of the very feww who actually still uses a pocket calender. which has my weekly payments, budget, phone numbers, you get the idea. yes its backed up in my outlook calendar but being able to just use a pencil and paper is more satisfying to me.
Ok so on to more important things. what our days are going to look like.
We will be taking the auto train on a friday. i'm thinking if we leave by 6:30 am we should have more than enough time to make i to Virginia. (google says its about 5 hour drive) get breakfast at cracker barrel, in case of accidents, planes on the highway, detours, accidents in the car whatever, and arrive at the station just about 12:30-1pm, which i was told is about the time they start to check in the cars. Then we relax till its time to board. Train leaves at 4pm and we should arrive in Fl about 9:30am What is time consuming here is waiting for your car to be un-loaded from the train, best case scenario we are among the first and will be on our way within 15-20 minutes. Worst case we sit for an hour. then its another hour drive to orland where we would check in at ASMo.
Day 1: initially we were going to rush over to HS but after adding another day to our trip and not really knowing how we would sleep on the train i decided to make this an easy day...sort off. assuming we arrive by noon, we would have lunch at the hotel and then unpack shower whatever. I'm still on the fence about booking a photo session for all of us at the poly around 5pm or if i should do it a different day. e have dinner ressies at Bongos at 7pm. and we can walk DTD after then call it a night.

Day 2:Hollywood studios - D is dying to do all the loopy rides he was to scared or too short to do last time...we'll see. we have dinner at 50s prime time at 4 pm which i'm hoping is more than enough time to be able to see fantasmic.

Day 3: Ohana breakfast at 8am, then its off to Legoland. D has no idea this park is in Fl so it will be a complete surprise to him. the park is only open from 10-5pm and i believe its about 30-40 minutes from ASMo. trying to decide if we should go back to the room to shower and change then head DTD for dinner at T-rex

Day 4:Magic kingdom - so excited about this day. can't wait to see the look on G's face. lunch at tony's then the parade, then an early dinner from casey's QS then back to the hotel to get ready for MNSSHP. We are going to be Jack & Sally from a nightmare before christmas. I was going to try and make the costumes but i copped out and bought Jack's suit an accessories. I will be painting hubby's face though. As for sally, I will be making her dress since in my head it seems easy enough. Just have to decide if i should do a wig or spray my hair.
I still need to pick the boy's costumes...any ideas for something they could do with their age gap? 11 & 2

Day 5:Epcot - marrakesh for lunch, QS at lotus in china at some point for early dinner, then iluminations.

Day 6:Universal studios - haven't decided which park we will do first but their hours are 9-8. we will probably stay till about 6 or 7 since we have dinner at WCC at 8pm

Day 7: Epcot- boulangerie QS in france, dinner ressie at San Angel Inn at 4pm.

on a side note i'm trying to figure out how we can do the wine and food festival since MH & I are HUE foodies. any ideas?

Day 8:Animal kingdom - tusker house late lunch at 1pm. flame tree BBQ QS to maybe take with us or around 5:30pm. hang out in the room for a bit and praying G will go to sleep without any problems, since we are hoping to do universal's horror nights that go from 7-2amseriously when do those tickets go for sale?

Day 9:Extra day to do whatever WDW park we want - so no plans other than rainforest DTD at 8:30 pm

Day 10: Magic kingdom - crystal palace lunch at 11am, this was the only other day they are doing spectromagic and G would love it., we were hoping to do columbia house QS for dinner in between spectro and wishes or maybe right before once we find a spot and settle in.

Day 11: check out of ASMo and into whatever other hotel we choose for 2 nights. this day will be doing seaworld which is open from 9-6. should be enough to see most of it and then i made a ressie at 5pm at Victoria & Albert to surprise hubby with a date night for just the 2 of us.

Day 12: This is the day we would do the other universal park. no dinner ressie's made but i'm sure we would just eat at the park for lunch and maybe pick up pizza for dinner at the room.

Day 13:our last day in florida. Pack up the car and have the boys play in the pool with my parents while we do that. We have to leave by noon the latest to make the hour drive to the station to get the train back to Virginia.

Day 14: arrive in virginia around 9:30 and dive to DC to sight see, then make the 5 hour dive back home.

so that is it in a nutshell. any suggestions? I have a list of what rides are appropriate for each age, but i'm seriously considering doing toruing plans. are they worth it? should we just wing it as we have always done. don't forget we have a 21/2 y/o with us who is pretty easy going. he has no problems sleeping in the stroller, and sitting though dinner as long as ****s are readily available for him he is pretty happy.

coming up nect post will be my packing lists......

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Ok i know its been a while, but i'm a sucker for piling projects on and to-do list and its never ending and oh so time consuming.
i finally finished some shirts. still have more things to work on and as i (hopefully) finish them all in time i will post more about them. I think my biggest time consuming one is i decided to make G a quiet book for the road trip... what the heck was i thinking!!!! my sewing table is full of felt scraps and pieces and patterns. Oh my goodness. Well for now here is what i have done.

my parents and ours. for some reason i just realized i don't have a pic of the one that says grandpa. but i assure you its made and has been delivered.
its hard to tell but the bow and the letters all have glitter on them that thankfully has held on pretty well.

This next shirt i'm super proud of and i can't wait to wear it. its a simple tank top from ON. i found a picture of mickey that i liked and using the freezer paper method and different paint colors i got this. his short have been glitter-fied. hey something HAD to be sparkly.

Also i wanted a little back pack for G and i couldn't find anything within a price point that if he lost i wouldn't be upset over. nothing jumped out so i made my own. complete with my first trip mickey head on it.

my shirt in case i forget my name as hubby said when he saw it.

D's yoda shirt. and yes i dyed the shirt that blue it actually came out looking like minimal tie dye.i guess either i suck at dyeing shirts or it was all part of the plan?

and his 2 name shirts. i'm going to see how to convince him to wear the lego one when we go to legoland without really telling him. maybe wrap it up as a gift the morning of?

and little man's 2 name shirts

so that is it for now. well for the shirts anyway.
i have some bags packed with my list i promise next post will be my compiled list of bags for the park, train, ect.
yes i've started packing.... oh and did i mention we are in DOUBLE digits!!!!!

 

[ljcrochet]

What is the freezer method of t-shirt making? I have 40 some odd days before my trip.

 

[Disneychix]

Wow, you have done so much durig nap times I usually just nap with my kids!

Everythng looks great! I can't believe you made all those shirts. You have been busy!

Lots of prayers for your mom (and you too!) I also have MTHFR-found out I had it with my 2nd after the 1st was born at 29 weeks due to toxemia. He is big an strong now though! What a pain MTHFR is hun? But well worth the end result

 

[Mrs.viv07]

What is the freezer method of t-shirt making? I have 40 some odd days before my trip.

Hi thanks for reading. I used This tutorial To guide me along. The possibilities are endless. And for the record I ran my freezer paper right through the printer with no issues.also I used the tulip brand paint only, did several coats and it's been fine. I also use newspaper or even a plastic bag in between to prevent the paint from bleeding to the back

Here is another more detailed tutorial

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Wow, you have done so much durig nap times I usually just nap with my kids!

Everythng looks great! I can't believe you made all those shirts. You have been busy!

Lots of prayers for your mom (and you too!) I also have MTHFR-found out I had it with my 2nd after the 1st was born at 29 weeks due to toxemia. He is big an strong now though! What a pain MTHFR is hun? But well worth the end result

Thanks for reading and for the prayers for mom" she is doing so much better. The nerve damage meds they started her on seem to be finally kicking in as the Dr did mentioned they take some weeks for the full effect to work. She still sore but is more to being herself. god bless her it's honestly been a miracle.
Most of the time I wanna nap and truly I try but then I lay there and think of all the things I could be doing I do this at night as well. No wonder I crash half way through the day.
I'm so glad your story worked out to have such an awesome ending.
MTHFR has been a pain indeed, doing lovenox shots daily for 40+ weeks is not fun and I'm not even afraid of needles but yikes. And yes the end results are God sent. Our journey continues as we push our luck for #3 but if it's meant to be then we will be blessed when the time is right. For now I'm enjoying making stuff for Disney. Did I mention that I added making a quiet book for the road trip. Yup I'm coo coo

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Wow ok it's been a while since my last update. We are at 50 days and counting. Eeeek!!!!
This will be a short update however since I'm in the middle of making dinner. Lol priorities right...
Anyway I'm going to try a link if it doesn't work I'll repost once I get upstairs to the main computer hub.
http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa231/mrsviv07/Quiet book/

I'm not sure I have mentioned it or not but we are trying the auto train this year, and honestly I'm quite exited about it. The only drawback is we have to drive about 5 hours to get to VA so I've been searching for things to donor the boys while in the car.
One of the ideas I came across and have been contemplating for quite some time now is making G a quiet book.
Well here it is almost complete...hey at least all the pages are done. I just have to add grommets and then bind the pages and do the cover and it will be ready to go. g has already played with some pages and he loves it. Even my 11 usually grumpy y/o says he wants one.
So what do you think?
Oh and here is my pinterest Disney here we come page of things I'm doing for this surprise trip.
http://pinterest.com/mrsviv07/disney-here-we-come/
In other updates my parents decided not to come after all since mom doesn't feel she will make it through or be fully recovered by September to do long days at the parks. Sadsies but her health is obviously my main concern. We just had to rearrange our itinerary a bit and now have the added expense of getting a kids nite out sitter but whatever it's do-able. The only thing I had to cancel and I'm upset about was our Victoria and Alberta ADR I was planning on suprising hubs with. Now I have an excuse to go back.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Another quick DIY post

my own version of disney TOMS for about $10

and DIY sparkly minnie ears

 

[Mrs.viv07]

I'm goping to bombard you with pic of my homemade planner/binder/passporter whatever you want to call it. normally i just do spreadsheets and keep everything in a folder and it stays in the room and i bring a small daily spread shett each day with ADR info and whatnot.
this year i wanted something more
so i made my own.
i found this planner that is meant for grocery trips and list and customized it to my liking. i removed the binder clips that came with it and added my own.
so here you go. next update i will be posting my verison of mickey's grand welcome and also how we(I) plan on telling our odest that we are going.
keep tuned...no with further ado...my planning bible.
cover page

tittle page

Not sure if you can tell but i labeled each day with 1 2 3 4 ect.

Each day start with something similar to this, followed by the park map, then touring plans or cheat cheat or both

 

[Mrs.viv07]

this is what we will be putting on the car AFTER we tell DS the awesome news.

and the back cover page

now about how we will be telling DS
He has been asking for an ipad when that was quickly shot down then he asked for the iphone...uhm yeah thats a big no as well. then he went for the ipod tough so he could play and listen to music. i briefly considered it but he is not at all carefull with anything of his. think $60 xbox games spewed all over the floor. so we nixed that idea as well and he gave up.
Until my dad gave me his since he didn't use it. D has no idea i've had it since may. since i knew we were going to WDW and doing MNSSHP. i bribbed him and told him i would buy him if he dressed up as whatever i wanted for halloween.he agreed. at the time my idea was toy story character barbie ken woody and buzz. Hubs put a stop to that saying he was not wearing "that getup" oy!
His favorite character is jack skellington so he got that and i'm in the process of making sally's dress.
now the boys i coulnd't think of anything, star wars? keep toy story?
well as i was browising pinterest i came across the UP costume and it hit me. D could be the old grumpy guy(he plays the part really well in everyday life)
and monkey would be the boy scout., i wouldn't have to splurge on costumes since they are made up with things they already own, button down white shirt handmade bow tie, dress pants and suspenders for D, and tan shorts yellow polo and handmade sash with pins and bandana, and a hat. done and done. i'm thinking once we get there we can purchase a couple of balloons
to tie on D/ but not sure we will do them at all other than for photos.
but i digress
back to the ipod thing. so yes call me what you want i bribbed my kid.
now here is my plan.
first you should now we will be leaving our house around 5 am to drive from NY to VA for the auto train. i have goody bags (later post) that i'm giving them once they are more awake/cranky to keep them entertained. we'll stop for breakfast somewhere( would love to find a cracker barrel on route) then once we get near the train station we will check in then go our to have lunch. it is then that i plan to let the cat out of the bag......

 

[THMx123]

Oh my goodness! You're so creative. When my wife and I take the kids, we just take them.... I like your method better...builds the excitement before the trip.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Ok so i'm not going to keep you in suspense on how we ate telling D.
if you have been reading you nkow that at this point we will be having lunch somewhere. once we are done, i'm going to find an excuse to hang outside by the car...i pray its nice and not raining otherwise i'm gonna have to come up with a new game plan of maybe telling him once we are in the train?

anyway assuming its nice and we can sit outside by the car i'm going to tell him i have something for him but the gifts MUST be opened in order. so his first gift will be

first clue here is this book is all around MK but D is so oblivious he probably won't notice.

second gift

there will be a brand new pair of headphones since he keeps stealing mine and i doubt he wants to walk around with pink earphones.

AT this point i'll start talking to him about audio books and if he's ever used one...just a way to casue a distraction in his iond in case he is catching on to whats coming...be it the ipod or Disney.(im so mean)

third gift.

this is one of those popper streamer things they sell at party city that are so lame. i took it apart filled it with TONS of disney confetti and recovered it...this one he will hate me for!

fourth gift
first let me explain this part will be attached to ipod so he won't really see it unless he peels it off. but i wanted to show you what it says.

this is what it will look like when he opens this box.

so what do you think? i can't wait to video tape his expression!

 

[Mrs.viv07]

Oh my goodness! You're so creative. When my wife and I take the kids, we just take them.... I like your method better...builds the excitement before the trip.

lol for me anyway...the boys have no idea...they think we are taking the train to washington DC for the weekend, not going to disney for 13 days!

 

[Mrs.viv07]

So i left off with my DIY planner. well i've added some more slots for the auto train, the photo session we are doing and for legoland.
Now i needed something to put it into.
I already had a VB hipster from 2007 i think, but i wanted to challenge myself and try to make myself one.
well here it is.
I love how it came out and that i was able to use the colors i wanted.

sorry its sideways i couldn't turn it in photobucket

The inside

oh and it red with mini white polka dots. the outside is also red and turquoise, my lighting wasn't the best.
and for comparison with my old VB

moving on....
Here is the auto train outfit i made for G.
seersucker flat front pants and train applique t-shirt. I can't take credit for the hat though i found it at the dollar section in target.

I also finished putting the grommet in the quiet book pages and sewing the cover.
here are the boys playing with it...

yeah its like 20 pages when it was only supposed to be 10. i kept finding really cute pages and kept adding. hey at least they will be busy

These are the final shirts i was working on and i am now finally done with them.
my glitter-fied tigger tank

Minnie & Mickey mouse AKA red day

Daisy & Donal AKA Blue day

still not sure if i'll use this shirt, i made it into a tank but i guess i'll play it by ear.

another set.

tinkerbell....

...with a surprise

I saw someone else do this and wanted to give it a try. to make the "flags" even i added Costa Rica in there since well i was born there.
front:

back:

for the boys

i HAD to make this one. its his favorite character and totally adorable:

and lastly.
I picked his tote up at ikea for $1.99 last yellow one and i figured i could make it into and autograph tote.
this is where Hubby drew the line and said i had really lost it for this trip.

so that is it but i will leave you with a teaser....any guesses as to what MY costume is gonna be for MNSSHP?
.
.
.
.
.
here is a hint

 

[Mrs.viv07]

I changed some things around because well i had to. I knew there were a couple of places D wanted to go back and eat at. well 2 specifically but again this is a surprise so anything he has seen he thinks is for a January 2013 trip.
so this is what i hope our trip will look like. i'm restraining myself from adding anything else...food wise.
i tried to keep a mix of tried and true oldies and some new places. we shall see how it goes.

Sep 22 - arrival day
rainforest cafe for lunch,
blizzard beach
spirit of aloha

sep 23 - HS
hollywood and vine breakfast
sci-fi (D's request)
50's prime time (d's request)

sep 24 - Universal
ohana breakfast
t-rex dinner

sep 25 - MK
QS breakfast
sanaa lunch
back to room to change/nap
MNSSHP

sep 26 - seaworld
QS breakfast
bongos dinner

sep 27 - AK
tusker house breakfast
QS lunch
yak & yeti dinner
halloween horror nights in universal

sep 28 - typhoon lagoon (d's request)
afternoon photo session
WCC dinner

sep 29 - MK
QS breakfast
i had crystal palace for breakfast but decided to cancel since the boys also have a barber shop appointment and between the 2 our morning will be gone.
QS lunch
QS dinner

sep 30 - universal day 2

Oct 1 - epcot
QS breakfast
QS lunch boulangerie
Via napoli dinner

Oct 2 - Epcot
QS breakfast
teppan Edo lunch
QS dinner lotus blossom (although i think with all the goodies from F&W we won't need to do QS meals on either epcot day)

oct 3 - legoland
and we have an extra day at the park so we will probably go back to MK for the night.

oct 4 - last day
all i really have planned was breakfast at cape may. i'm still trying to decide if i should cancel that and maybe spend the morning at a park. not sure if its worth it or what.
I do know we HAVE to leave by noon the latest to make the drive to sanford for the auto train back home.

so that is it. thoughts?

 

[Disneychix]

You are so talented! Great job! I hope your family has a magical holiday!!

We might cross paths on Oct 1st. That looks about the only day.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

I wanted to show you how i have managed to pack us up. mind you this has been done in one day after many list ans sleepless nights of what to take.
D has been with my mom since sunday night since there is no school. Great for me because i was able to get this all done!
Now all that is left to pack is hubby's clothes and then the car thursday when i get home from last minute errands.
so not too bad huh?

starting from the open one, that is all my stuff plus halloween costumes for all of us. you can see mine on the flap...any guesses yet?
going clockwise is the boys clothes.
in fornt of that is where i have my gifts and all the little things i need from my version of the grand welcome. its small enough that i can sneak away with it to go get the room ready.
in front of that the DSW paper bag holds all of the daily treat bags for each morning. with just a little something for each of the boys.
then the blue bag is our train bag (see list below)
on top iof that the red backpack holds the boys jammies, pillows,blankies and crocs for the night on the train
the blue VB bag is our overnight train bag with sweats and a change of clothes for the next day for us all. it also holds a mini toiletry kit and medical bag.(see below)
behind that is our pool/water park bag, with swimsuits, toys, ect
and the only bag missing here is another small duffel for hubby's clothes and shoes.

this is my park bag and all it will hold

i'm in love with this mini pill holder for the day.

hubby's park bag with all its things plus he will be carrying the dslr as well.
still debating wether i should bring our regular size video camera or if the flip will be enough since i can upload each night any video we take.

this is that blue thing which a small first aid kit for the boys.

oh and if you are wondering i shamelessly stole then re-configured to our family,
Wiloughby1 packing lists, kits and more.
here is my breakdown and yes i know i'm crazy.

on the stroller
• diaper bag:
o Diaper Kit (quick change kit)- 3 Diapers, Wipes, lotion, changing pad
o Change of clothes kit- outfits for each kid in ziploc
o Rain kit- ponchos for all, stroller covers, small umbrella, small hand towel, Ziplocs
o Water play kit (splash pads) kids swimwear, chamois towel, swim diapers, spray sunscreen
o Cinch backpack - hats, glow sticks, light-up toys, layers we remove
o Mini food kit – disposable placemats, utensils and sippy cup
• Mini Cooler- Bobbles, frozen juice boxes, snacks, Misty mates,clip fan

• Bagalinni (Michael)- sunscreen, chapstick, first aid kit, drink lids, sanitizer, Wet Ones, , canon camera & lens, extra batteries for all cams (in ziploc) index card with ADRs

• Hipster (me)- tix in a planner,zip pouch with Id, CC, Cash, Flip/pink camera, autograph book & Epcot passport,cell phone (w/touring plan & ADR), pressed penny coin tubes, big Ziploc for whole bag in rain.

Mini first aid kit - : 2 each--> advil Claritin, kids Tylenol, Imodium, tums

VB Toiletry Kit: (this was in the open suitcase)

o Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash/soap
o Kids Shampoo/detangler/Body Wash/lotion
o Shaving supplies
o Toothbrushes/toothpaste for everyone
o Hair brush/hair product/pony tails
o deodorant/ lotion & body spray
o Sunscreen and aloe
o feminine supplies
o diaper cream

Makeup Kit:

o face wipes
o cleaner
o lotion
o tinted moisturizer/BB Cream
o eyeshadow pallete
o mascara
o eyeliner
o blush/bronzer
o lipgloss/lipstick

Family Medicine Kit :

o acetaminophen/ibuprofen : kids/adults
o benadryl kids/adults
o Tylenol and cough drops
o immodium and pepto
o eye drops
o gas-x
o moleskin/Neosporin & band-aids
o Sal andrews (like alka seltzer from Costa Rica)
o Tums
o store bought First-Aid kit
o Thermometer
o Chapstick
o Hand sanitizer
o Bio freeze & ACE bandage

Mini-toiletry Kitextra from my stash)

o Toothbrushes & toothpaste
o Lotion
o baby wash we can all use
o 2 washcloths
o hand sanitizer
o pony tails & hairbrush
o mini febreeze/clorox wipes
o mini Lysol spray

The Pool Bag:

o 3 Beach Towels
o Spray sunscreen
o swim diapers
o take-and-toss sippy cups
o inflatable pool toys & other small toys
o Wet ones
o drink lids for popsicles
o zippered pouch cash and room key
** add when we head out:
o a few snacks in Glad Ware
o juice boxes
o my diaper kit
o Bobbles
o underwear/diaper , t-shirt & shorts for Boys & MH, underwear & sundress for me. Plastic bag for wet clothes.

FOR THE TRAIN

The “Supply” Bag- in ikea tote

o half roll of paper towels
o tub of Wet Ones
o travel tissues
o 1 ziploc containing
o bags for trash
o ziplocs for “accidents”
o toilet seat liners
o diapers (1 for every hour or so)
o 1 travel wipes
o Diaper kit
o Target dollar section toys
o take-and-toss sippy cups
o no-spill snack up
o Snacks (goldfish, chips, ect)
o blue Ikea bag to carry forgotten bags


Vera Bradley weekender bag
o Family Medical Kit
o makeup kit
o mini-toiletry kit
o cinch backpack for boys :
o pajamas & crocs
o blanket/pillow
o underwear/diaper
o arrival outfit

Electronics Backpack-ikea backpack

o laptop (pre-loaded with movies)
o Flip
o Cameras
o ALL chargers and cords (cameras, cell phones, computer, ipad)
o Spare batteries (AA/AAA)
o iPods/ipad
o Headphones
o Power strip
o spare car keys
o monster night lights
o movies in the case


ON toy bag

G:-Coloring Book –Crayons -new books about trains -toy trains -mini-flashlight - Pez dispenser
-new Disney mini-plush toys -magna-doodle-light up toy -new mini-plush -plastic slinky
D: DS, nook, games ect

Cooler

o boxes whole milk
o juice
o fruit cups
o uncrustables
o yougurt cups
o Bobbles with Water


Mom’s Bag hipster

o wallet w/ID /CC/Debit/insurance
o planner with Tix
o Cash for tolls,w/ones and quarters
o general cash
o ID bracelets for kids
o Phone
o chapstick
o sunglasses for me
o hand sanitizer
o car keys



Things staying in the car:
summer table cloth with plastic on one side and flannel on the other
Vera Bradley duffel for me & Michael clothes
WDW suitcase for Darren & Gabriel
mini suitcase Grand
Pool Bag
Diaper bag w/ kits
stroller

Things going in the train cabin:
1 ON tote w/toys & Darren’s game bag
1 ikea supplies tote bag
1 backpack with electronics
1 ups cooler
1 VB travel bag

the day before
No bag goes into the car with a note still attached.
Pack car. Account for every bag:
 4 suitcases (clothes) WDW/mini suitcase/VB duffel/moms suitcase
 1 Diaper Bag w/ kits
 1 stroller
 pool bag
 2 totes : ON & Ikea
 1 electronics backpack
Pack UPS cooler, then stick back in fridge (soda, juice box, snacks, milk and fruit cups)
shower before bed

morning of trip
5:00am
start waking boys.
Get kids dressed in preselected outfits
get cooler from fridge
leave house by 5:30am

oh and i forgot to show you my completed nuggets that will be with the daily treat bags.

these are not even half of them. i just can't find the other pic.