Hi All,
Sorry to be MIA, but I have been going quite nuts trying to get ready for the Med cruise. John sent me a reminder that I was a bad thread starter, so I apologize. Things I have learned from this cruise:
1 - If you have not already applied for your passport for next year, do it now! They say 10 weeks, but we have determined that those are not actual earth weeks, they are more like Saturn or Jupiter weeks. We had friends who waited 13 weeks and got the wifes but no husbands, and had to spend two days in Los Angeles at the passport office. Jeannine waited 12 weeks, still no passport and had to contact her congressman to get it. Start now, perhaps in 52 weeks you might get it without congressional interceedance. And no, I am not kidding!!
2 - Visiting the Disney outlet stores will cause you to buy too many clothes that you will want to add to your packing list and wear on the cruise. This messes up your color coordinating and packing list, Not to mention puts you over 40lbs a bag for checked luggage. DO NOT buy MORE Disney clothes!!
3 - Trying to limit a female to 3 pairs of packed shoes and one pair on her feet for a two week cruise is harder than not buying more Disney clothes
4 - Start looking now for small travel size items to put in your carryon bag. They go quickly and what was there today is out of stock tomorrow. Especially travel size laundry detergent. Apparently no companies in the US are making laundry tablets anymore. Check out your local Walmart/Target for the following: All Super concentrated. Travel shampoo size bottle will do two loads. Tide super concentrated in a bigger bottle, but still travel sized will do 4 loads (I think, check for yourself). People on the Med cruise are scrambling to find these now. Get them now when you see them!!!
5 - Sunscreen is limited and expensive this time of year. When it goes on sale this summer pick up some or on clearance after summer.
6 - Pick up those extra memory cards for the cameras when they go on sale through out the year. Or shop for a vertual photo album, which is a travel size box that you can download your memory cards into and clear them out without having to have a laptop!!
That is all the big stuff I can think of right now! Miss you guys and will be back online soon. We are going to try and post live from the cruise if we have enough minutes and can actually get on. We are NOT bringing our laptops so that we don't have to deal with them on the flight back.
Sorry to be MIA, but I have been going quite nuts trying to get ready for the Med cruise. John sent me a reminder that I was a bad thread starter, so I apologize. Things I have learned from this cruise:
1 - If you have not already applied for your passport for next year, do it now! They say 10 weeks, but we have determined that those are not actual earth weeks, they are more like Saturn or Jupiter weeks. We had friends who waited 13 weeks and got the wifes but no husbands, and had to spend two days in Los Angeles at the passport office. Jeannine waited 12 weeks, still no passport and had to contact her congressman to get it. Start now, perhaps in 52 weeks you might get it without congressional interceedance. And no, I am not kidding!!
2 - Visiting the Disney outlet stores will cause you to buy too many clothes that you will want to add to your packing list and wear on the cruise. This messes up your color coordinating and packing list, Not to mention puts you over 40lbs a bag for checked luggage. DO NOT buy MORE Disney clothes!!
3 - Trying to limit a female to 3 pairs of packed shoes and one pair on her feet for a two week cruise is harder than not buying more Disney clothes
4 - Start looking now for small travel size items to put in your carryon bag. They go quickly and what was there today is out of stock tomorrow. Especially travel size laundry detergent. Apparently no companies in the US are making laundry tablets anymore. Check out your local Walmart/Target for the following: All Super concentrated. Travel shampoo size bottle will do two loads. Tide super concentrated in a bigger bottle, but still travel sized will do 4 loads (I think, check for yourself). People on the Med cruise are scrambling to find these now. Get them now when you see them!!!
5 - Sunscreen is limited and expensive this time of year. When it goes on sale this summer pick up some or on clearance after summer.
6 - Pick up those extra memory cards for the cameras when they go on sale through out the year. Or shop for a vertual photo album, which is a travel size box that you can download your memory cards into and clear them out without having to have a laptop!!
That is all the big stuff I can think of right now! Miss you guys and will be back online soon. We are going to try and post live from the cruise if we have enough minutes and can actually get on. We are NOT bringing our laptops so that we don't have to deal with them on the flight back.
I still have quite a ways to go. Just got home from my son's 7th birthday party. This mom really pushed my buttons: the party was at a place called Build-a-Bear where each child makes a teddy bear. It costs around $25/child. My son wanted to invite his class so I allowed him to do so, and we didn't invite his cousins figuring we would celebrate with them this week-end. Anyway, so he has about 20 kids in his class so it isn't cheap. Many of the children in his grade have brothers/sisters in my older son's class (3rd grade). One Mom came with her two sons, the one that was invited and then the older brother. The older brother went straight up to the personnel and asked for a name tag. I looked very surprised and the mom said "oh, I wasn't sure if he was invited or not. I figure your older son would want his friends." I said no, siblings weren't invited with the exception of one family (the mom that is going through her second round of chemo). I explained I was helping them out to give them a break but if her son stays it could be hard as other families might then have their siblings stay. She said something like "well I will just stay so you will have extra parents." I told her supervision wasn't the issue as the people in the store do it, and I said it is just that I already have over 20 kids coming. She then just changed the subject. By then, her child already had his name tag and was talking to the other children. ARGG. What do you guys think? I really got very flustered by the whole thing. I figure she must have been just completely oblivous to the fact it cost money per child. I know one child more doesn't sound like much but sure enough another family came and before I could say anything, their older sibling was getting his bear. I'm sure it was because they saw the other child there. It was so very frustating!
after not being on the boards for awhile. I'm getting nervous about the Star testing for next year - my school is saying the testing is for 1 1/2 weeks and I thought is was just for one week?? Very confusing. The testing starts next week and they are sending out all the warnings that everyone needs to be in town and all appointments need to be canceled. I'm nervous to bring up the trip but there is just NO WAY we aren't going!!! Can't wait to start booking hotel, air, etc!
