Live TR ~ 9/7-9/17

[kcp1377]

Not a hijack at all! I welcome questions! On the boat to MK we could roll it right on. The smaller boats to the other resorts we had to fold it up. Even when folding it it was easy to get on and off (and we have a pretty big triple stroller). By all means let me know if you have any other questions. It's all fresh in my mind!

 

[kcp1377]

I also have some pictures of our site, but they are on my other computer... I'll try to post them tomorrow.

 

[angelmom27]

Finally have my internet back so I can really see those beautiful pics you took. The kids looked great in their costumes. I when you mentioned the group pic taking. I know that is a crazy fun time. I got lucky this past Easter the first one came out great. Usually its the 2nd or 3rd.

 

[mash]

Oh - and you'll all get a chuckle out of this. You know how they have the fantastic FW merchandise now? I had been wanting one of those FW blankets (they are like sweatshirts and will be so soft after a few washes) and was waiting until one of the last days to pick it up. On Thursday night I picked one up on our way back from the campfire. Brought it back, laid it on the back of the couch. The next morning we gave DS1 his birthday presents. That night after we went swimming and were driving home in our cart, DS1 looked at me and said "Thank you for a wonderful birthday. I especially love my new Fort Wilderness blanket." :cry: How could I tell him that it wasn't his blanket?! So that's the story of how I lost my FW blanket to my son. He slept in it the next 2 days and absolutely loves it. :lol:

HAHA! That is funny! I want that blanket so bad. Discussion of the blanket was featured in my trip report from July. Next time we are there I am going to buy it but I will be sure to tell my sons in advance that it's mine...although I might share it if they are nice to me...and tell me I'm the best mom ever...and that I look young...and the love me the most...

 

[kcp1377]

Haha - lucky you Angelmom! I haven't had a great shot of all 6 together yet. The boys are at that hard age where they literally run every single time I pull my camera out. Ahh - one day they'll be older and more cooperative (dare I hope?)

Mash - Ahh! Too funny! When he said that I opened my mouth to say "But It's not yours" and then looked at his totally content, happy face and couldn't. I just washed it and it's soooo soft. I really should have picked up a 2nd one.

 

[sbnewhampshire1]

Totaly enjoyed yourTR! As a mother of 5 myself, Safe travels home. where did you find the time!!It was wonderful.Have a great rest of your vaca and hope to meet up w/you on your next WDW vaca!

 

[MDKLHunter]

So I loved the trip report, we're making our first trip to the fort this spring. You mentioned the wonderful camping nachos, so I definitely need the recipe!

 

[Willa]

Oh - and a bit thank you to the person who posted the recipe for Campfire Nachos. They are so easy to make and something that we'd whip up when we got back to the site while we were making dinner. I bought a huge shaker of Taco seasoning from Sam's Club and it made the recipe really simple.

So I loved the trip report, we're making our first trip to the fort this spring. You mentioned the wonderful camping nachos, so I definitely need the recipe!

I'm the person who posted the Campsite Nachos, and since they are so simple I'll just describe them again here - you heat a can of black beans seasoned with fajita seasoning (or whatever you like). Arrange tortilla chips on a plate, sprinkle them with shredded cheese, and cover the cheese with the boiling hot beans, which will melt the cheese. Add toppings of your choice. I actually got this idea from the How To Do Everything podcast, when a listener sent in a question of how to impress his fellow Boy Scouts on a campout with his mad cooking skillz!

OP, I'm so glad your family enjoyed the nachos! I loved your TR, thanks for sharing it. I am a former homeschooling mom, although I only had one child, but we made it all the way through, got her into college, and she is now almost done with her Master's degree! Have fun during your homeschooling years, they slip by in a hurry.

 

[photogal06]

Loved your TR and your photos...they are gorgeous! So sorry the kids got sick on the way home. I had to LOL at the blanket story, because we have a similar story, except ours involved a super soft castle blanket that was a purchase with purchase deal a couple of years ago. I could have sworn I'd bought it for me, but dd was certain I'd bought it for her. Of course, it's been hers ever since (she is a blanket junkie!) I don't know how you had time to post on your trip, but it sure was fun to read!

 

[storyteller]

This was another fun TR to follow, enjoyed it.

 

[kcp1377]

Willa - Thanks for reposting that! It really was a great recipe. When we stopped for dinner I'd pop some of the beans on the stove and the kids would much on them (we would too) while dinner was cooking. I only put salsa on them but I'll bet they would be good with sour cream too... I'm trying my hand at making salsa tomorrow, which should be interesting... Hope to get some to can! Good to see a fellow HSer! I think one of the things I loved about going to Disney this time of year was that so many of the families were HSers! At our YES program 2 of the families were from our area (about 45 minutes from us) and HS, so we exchanged info so we can go on field trips together. The HS community is just so cool.

Photogal - Lots of blanket stealing going on with these kids, huh? I'm a big journaler (I have 2 blogs that I journal on - one is our family blog and the other is a travel blog) so every night before I went to sleep I'd take a few minutes to type up our day. Then it's just copying and posting. I really do love going back through old blog posts to see what we were doing years ago.

Thanks Storyteller!

 

[kcp1377]

Missed a few - sorry!!

MDKL - You will love the Fort! Have a wonderful trip! Spring will be here before you know it! If we didn't live so far away we'd go down more than once a year. As it is right now we're talking about waiting 2 years (so that K&G are 4.5 and Q is 2.5) to make the trip a bit less work (4 is an awesome age to go to the parks!) But I really want to go next year. Question is, do we go to Disney again or pick someplace else we want to go like Maine? We're headed to WI next spring, but no trips planned for next fall yet.

SB - I'd love to meet up with you next time! Our other secret to having time for things is early bedtime for the kids. On most nights the 3 youngest boys were in bed by 7pm and the older kids by 8pm. That gives us a few hours to relax. We'd go to bed and I'd type up our day quick. We are big believers in early bedtime (7pm and 8pm is actually on the late side for our kids, but it was vacation).

 

[cmr154]

I just got caught up! Sounds like a great trip! You're kids are so cute! I think it's awesome you guys get out and do stuff with the kids...i only have two and i think it's hard to keep up with them in the parks so my hats off to you!

 

[WalkingintheFog]

Great TR!
Unfortunately, I now want one of the Fort Blankets! I have a red & white polka dot blanket in my suitcase to bring, right next to my Minnie Mouse Ears Hat....does it get left home now????

Holy Stomache Flu! If there's anything worse than a kid w/ the stomache flu, it's several kids w/ the stomache flu! You guys are awesome: it looks like it didn't phase you a bit!

MNSSHP! Yes! It's great! I've gone 1x alone, and 2x with others. Still on the fence for it this trip, but bringing a pseudo-costume just in case! Nothing like free candy to bring out the kid in me!....bit of a sugar rush there...sorry!

Loved the sideways photo of DS1 as a pirate! Shiver me Timbers!

 

[kcp1377]

Thanks! Unfortunately we've been through stomach bugs before that were much worse than this so comparatively this didn't seem that bad except for the travel part.

And Holy Moly Walking - only 3days for you until you get there!! I'm so excited for your TR! Have a very safe trip if I don't "talk" to you before that.

And exciting news... DH agreed that we'll go back again next year!! Woo-hoo! Aside from the long drive it's such an awesome place for families. We can't think of another place we'd rather be. I had suggested Maine (since we do want to go back there) but DH said that's not quite what he had in mind for our big yearly vacation. We're so grateful that Disney has the Fort to make this trip so affordable for us. We priced out 8 person suites just for fun and almost had a heart attack. So not doable for us. Each trip would end up being about half the cost of our RV. Crazy!

Anyway, I knew you all would share in our excitement. We'll either go again at the beginning of Sept or beginning of Dec. Still not sure which...

 

[iuki]

Thanks! Unfortunately we've been through stomach bugs before that were much worse than this so comparatively this didn't seem that bad except for the travel part.

And Holy Moly Walking - only 3days for you until you get there!! I'm so excited for your TR! Have a very safe trip if I don't "talk" to you before that.

And exciting news... DH agreed that we'll go back again next year!! Woo-hoo! Aside from the long drive it's such an awesome place for families. We can't think of another place we'd rather be. I had suggested Maine (since we do want to go back there) but DH said that's not quite what he had in mind for our big yearly vacation. We're so grateful that Disney has the Fort to make this trip so affordable for us. We priced out 8 person suites just for fun and almost had a heart attack. So not doable for us. Each trip would end up being about half the cost of our RV. Crazy!

Anyway, I knew you all would share in our excitement. We'll either go again at the beginning of Sept or beginning of Dec. Still not sure which...

Believe it or not, it CAN get cold in Orlando in December. Last year it was a mild winter, but in 2010, everyone at the Christmas Party at MK were with ear muffs, gloves, blankets, and you name it - 28 degrees. This would not be fun if swimming in the pool is something your family really enjoy. If it were me, I'd prefer September, especially since road conditions can be hazardous during winter, enroute to FW.

 

[kcp1377]

Good point! And we've have salt on the roads to deal with plus winterizing that would have to be done... Sept it is!!

 

[SillyFamily]

Thank you for sharing your trip

 

[Cynt]

YOU ROCK!! I love parents w/ kids of 4 or more. Spoken from someone who is #2 of 7. No twins. Our get aways were usually camping trips and we loved it! Great memories of going to Cheney Lake. Now we're all adults and we travel together every couple of years. Our big family trip to Disney World is in June 2013. I'm super excited. So far the siblings w/ families refuse to drive. They said we wouldn't make it in a confined space for 18 hours. So all we know for sure so far is that we're driving.

Loved your trip report.