Mickey and The Promise of Cheesy Dorito Fingers- Oct 2012 PTR Update 10/06

[lbuzz52]

Sounds like a great way to spend Mother's Day

I'm hopefully getting together with my parents for dinner tomorrow, but plans are kind of up in the air as of now. I spent a good chunk of today with my future mother-in-laws (biological and step mother) so that was nice...we went wedding dress shopping

oh, that sounds fun! did you find anything you like? what sort of dresses are you looking at? i didn't get to do that- we chose to more or less elope. but i always thought that sounds fun.

We're spending this rainy Mother's Day at home. Laundry waits for no one, LOL, Mother's Day or not!

hope you had a nice day! i wish i could say the laundry waited at my house, but it didn't. my husband had to work, so i did choose to serve sandwiches for lunch adn pizza for dinner, both on paper plates

I don't know how I missed this but I did...

We have a ferry system and buses, but that's it for public transportation here. It's not ideal, but it works well most of the time. Unfortunately the weekend service is less than desirable, but I can still get where I need to go, which is great, it just takes longer.

about skiing...I've seen people well into their 60's at the ski hill, so I don't think you're ever really too old to learn. Snowboarding though, that's a whole different ball game

As much as I'd love to move to a warm climate, I really don't think my body would deal very well with it

I'm just the opposite. a couple of inches here and everything shuts down. i think the cold would be a shock to my system. we have just the yucky buses, nothing else.

 

[lbuzz52]

While at my parents this weekend, we were talking about my cousins who recently came down to visit. Before they left, they mentioned that they should move down here. i didn't think anything of it, i figured it was just the usual "we should get together soon, its been to long" type of talk. she and my sister apparently have been discussing local rental houses. i think she would melt here compared to her Michigan climate.

anyway, we started talking about when my parents about when they left Michigan. I had just always assumed it was to come to school- my dad finished up his schooling at the college here. But he said it was actually to get away from winter.

then mom said- "we were actually going to Florida but we decided to stop here because we knew people"

are you kidding me- i could have grown up in Florida

i jokingly told her i was no longer speaking to her, she told me to blame my dad LOL. I placated myself with the thought that i then would not have met Chris or had my babies.

 

[amandaw]

My mom has an Arcadia, basically the same thing, right? i really like her's but don't want a twin car

Yeah, they are basically the same thing.

Good luck in finding the right car for you!

 

[lbuzz52]

Before I get too far into what we will do each day, i do want to share a goal with you. I've realized that even with as many days as we have spent in the park, there are TONS of things we have yet to experience. So my goal for this trip is to do at least one new thing every day.


Tuesday, October 10th

This morning, i will get up at the crack of dawn like always, and take Maya to school. James and Chris will hopefully stay in bed. Chris will have worked the night before and been up late. I should be home by 730, even after a starbucks run. The next hour or so will be a combination of trying to stay quiet and let them sleep and not caring how loud i am while i try to get any last minute things done. and i know that there will be last minute things. I am always packing right before we leave, whether i started weeks before or not.

This packing will be even more stressful than usual because the trip is a surprise. that means finding somewhere to stash things and packing only late at night.

I have not finalized the flight yet. Our town is blessed with the distinction of the most expensive flights in America. So i will be patient. But my goal flight leaves at 1:30 and arrives at MCO at 440.

So until mid morning, i will be scrambling around. At some point, we will have to get Maya from school early. She'll miss a couple hours to catch this flight.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO TO SURPRISE THEM!

Chris really wants to tell them what is going on at school, but i'm not sure about that. I'm just not sure how detailed i am going to be with the school.

So, at the airport by 12:15.

And just a couple short hours later ...... we'll make our way to the faux monorail, fill the entire elevator with just us and our carryons, and stop in "our" bathroom (because let's face it, i'm gonna do my best to hold it instead of using the onboard lav the size of a file drawer)

soon we will see this magical site:

Okay, i got nowhere with this, but i need to stop here. My computer is acting wierd and i'm afraid i'm going to lose the post.


in the meantime, i'd love any and all thoughts or suggestions for creative ways to surprise my muchkins!

 

[lbuzz52]

Yeah, they are basically the same thing.

Good luck in finding the right car for you!

thank you

 

[PixieMama]

I'm sure if you search YouTube videos for "surprise Disney trip" you'd find a ton of ideas. I recall seeing a video (it may have even been posted here on the DIS) where they picked the kids up from school and somehow rigged a Mickey balloon to come out of the car when the kids opened the door. Maybe tape the balloon to the interior window with a sign saying "Surprise! We're going to Disney World!"

Or you could tell them the night before... similar idea, place a Mickey helium balloon inside the suitcase with the sign. Then when they open the case, the balloon pops up!

 

[pinkxray]

Sorry to hear about the car situation. I hope you find something soon.

My first car was a honda civic and I LOVED it. I kept it for 10 years and never had a problem with it. It was just too small once Caitlin got bigger. However as soon as she is older and I have no more car seats, I will probably get another. And maybe get her a used one when she can drive.

I have a Pathfinder now and it's okay. I got it used when I got out of school in 2010 since I hadn't been working for 2 years. It was great for the first year and now I just had to fix some steering problem and rear suspension problem. It only has 82000 so I hope I can get another year or two out of it so I can save for my next car.

I really, really want a Toyota Rav4 but am going to wait until I can buy it new. We were talking about getting it this summer but I think I am going to wait until my car gets closer to 100,000 and I can save more. DH is all about getting cars a few years old b/c they lose value when they drive off the lot. But now that I just had to get work done on the used car, he is more for getting a new car.



I love the idea of a surprise trip. I was going to do it last year but ended up telling Caitlin a month before so that we could do a countdown calendar. Plus she is the type where you wouldn't get the great youtube reactions. I could tell her right now that we are leaving for Disney and she would just say something like "Oh great, now my ears are going to hurt on the plane." Or "But I was going to make something great in art today" and then I will just be mad.


Good luck with finding better airfare. Our return flight is a bit higher than I'd like in Oct so I'm waiting that one out too.

 

[amandaw]

Good luck with the surprise! I wish I had some ideas/suggestions. I've never really thought about how I would do something like that because I know I could never keep a secret like that! I really wish I could though....I think it's so fun when people surprise their kids!

 

[drlaurafsu]

Just waving hi! Our trips overlap a bit so I've been catching up on what you are doing. We'll be there from Sunday Oct 7th until Sunday Oct 14th and are staying at POFQ.

I am thinking about doing a PTR so I have been reading up on a few to see what they are all about. My DH thinks I am nuts for all the planning I've been doing (Its DS's birthday while we are there - he'll be 6) so its nice to see others are just as "crazy!"

 

[luvmy2babies]

For any trip during the school year other than a spring break trip to the beach, I tend to make it a surprise for her. She’d drive her teacher up the wall otherwise and not really be focused on school. During her 1st grade year I got notes home every day during the week leading up to her birthday party about her not staying on task.

She knows about our upcoming trip, but it’s well after school is over. Surprise trips are fun. Thankfully I have a good size walk-in closet that when clean can house the bags laid out open for packing. Hard part was shopping, so I ended up doing quite a bit online.

Our first trip to Disney World was a surprise. What a whirlwind that was compared to the process of planning for this one. I booked it at the end of August when I found out my daughter had the entire week of Thanksgiving off from school. I told her the day before we left. She went on a play date and when she got home, I had her walk into the family room with her eyes covered. When she opened her eyes this is what she saw.

After the loud squeal, I handed her the card on the display to read. It was a note “from” princess Tiana telling her what a wonderful little girl she was and how much I loved her and that I felt we needed a vacation so I was bringing her and her brother to see her and all of her friends that week. It ended with the bags are packed and the plane leaves tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet you.

It took her a minute. I asked her if she knew where she was going. She asked if it started with a D. I said yes and the party was on. She tossed the card into the air and yelled, “Disney World, here we come!” Then she hugged me and thanked me over and over. Then she hugged her baby brother and said, “We’re going to Disney voo voo (nickname she gave him)” and danced around the room singing “We’re going to Disney, we’re going to Disney!” Her brother was just 10 months old and oblivious to what the excitement was about, but did clap and rock to her singing.



Our last trip to Orlando was also a surprise. I planned a short get-away for fall break. It was just supposed to be 3 days at Sea World, but we ended up at Magic Kingdom the last day of the trip. This time I picked her up at school and we went from there to the airport. Hardest parts were getting the bags in the back of the van without her noticing and getting her princess Tiana (as a little girl) doll into the van. I wasn’t going to have time to return home after working a few hours. Fortunately I was able to hid the bags pretty well and since I have to get to work pretty early, it was still a bit dark when we left home. The light of day was just beginning to reveal the shape of the large suitcase when I got back in the van after leaving her in before school care. As to Tiana, it was . Every Friday they have Friday fun day where they can take out a toy in the afternoon. Since it was fall break, they moved it to Wedesday. At the last minute, she changed her mind about what toy she wanted to take. I quickly suggested she take Tiana and she agreed.

We had a 5:05pm flight. I picked her up at 2:00, an hour before dismissal, but most instruction is over. As we were walking to the van, she said she realized it was only 4 days, but she wished we could take a trip for fall break. I told her I did too so I did plan something. She asked what and I told her I put a sign on her window and when she closed her door (we have a mini-van so it’s a sliding door) there would be a sign telling her where we were going. She was nervous so moved slower instead of faster as I thought she might. She eventually got in and closed the door to see this sign I downloaded from the design forum.

More loud squealing. You never have to wonder how that child is feeling. Glad I picked her up first.

 

[lbuzz52]

I'm sure if you search YouTube videos for "surprise Disney trip" you'd find a ton of ideas. I recall seeing a video (it may have even been posted here on the DIS) where they picked the kids up from school and somehow rigged a Mickey balloon to come out of the car when the kids opened the door. Maybe tape the balloon to the interior window with a sign saying "Surprise! We're going to Disney World!"

Or you could tell them the night before... similar idea, place a Mickey helium balloon inside the suitcase with the sign. Then when they open the case, the balloon pops up!

i know exactly which video you are talking about- well, at least a similar one. i love the balloon idea. thanks for suggesting the youtube videos. i have two hangups right now with it- one, she won't be able to make it through half a school day on task if she knows and two, james will be with us, so i need to ensure they know at the same time.

Sorry to hear about the car situation. I hope you find something soon.

My first car was a honda civic and I LOVED it. I kept it for 10 years and never had a problem with it. It was just too small once Caitlin got bigger. However as soon as she is older and I have no more car seats, I will probably get another. And maybe get her a used one when she can drive.

i've had my Maxima for 10 years now. Its been really good to me, for the most part, considering i don't treat it very well when it comes to preventative maintenance. Its got 167000 on it now. I've been hesitant to replace it because i know it and i like the size, and i love having no payment. however, its getting old, there are so many additional safety features in newer cars, and i feel like we are outgrowing it.


I have a Pathfinder now and it's okay. I got it used when I got out of school in 2010 since I hadn't been working for 2 years. It was great for the first year and now I just had to fix some steering problem and rear suspension problem. It only has 82000 so I hope I can get another year or two out of it so I can save for my next car.

I really, really want a Toyota Rav4 but am going to wait until I can buy it new. We were talking about getting it this summer but I think I am going to wait until my car gets closer to 100,000 and I can save more. DH is all about getting cars a few years old b/c they lose value when they drive off the lot. But now that I just had to get work done on the used car, he is more for getting a new car.

i was completely against a new car- however, with all the research i've done on used cars, the thought of a warranty really appeals. Every car type seems to have at the very least random issues here and there. but when i replace my car next i'll probably still go used because the new ones i like are definitely over the budget with Chris about to get a note.

I love the idea of a surprise trip. I was going to do it last year but ended up telling Caitlin a month before so that we could do a countdown calendar. Plus she is the type where you wouldn't get the great youtube reactions. I could tell her right now that we are leaving for Disney and she would just say something like "Oh great, now my ears are going to hurt on the plane." Or "But I was going to make something great in art today" and then I will just be mad.

you know, i wish i wasn't doing a surprise. its really hard to keep my mouth shut. but, she has asked to be surprised our next trip, and when we go after this trip, she will be old enough to really help planning. i hope to get a rise out of her, but you never know.


Good luck with finding better airfare. Our return flight is a bit higher than I'd like in Oct so I'm waiting that one out too.

got plenty of time still!

Good luck with the surprise! I wish I had some ideas/suggestions. I've never really thought about how I would do something like that because I know I could never keep a secret like that! I really wish I could though....I think it's so fun when people surprise their kids!

its REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to keep this a secret
i'm still not convinced i'll make it until October!

Just waving hi! Our trips overlap a bit so I've been catching up on what you are doing. We'll be there from Sunday Oct 7th until Sunday Oct 14th and are staying at POFQ.

I am thinking about doing a PTR so I have been reading up on a few to see what they are all about. My DH thinks I am nuts for all the planning I've been doing (Its DS's birthday while we are there - he'll be 6) so its nice to see others are just as "crazy!"

than you for reading! I'm sure i'll venture over to POFQ so keep an eye out for us! I you had a PTR, i'd know what your schedule was and what you looked like so i could keep an eye out for you too

seriously though, they are a lot of fun. i know my husband, extended family, friends, etc get sick of hearing Disney Disney Disney so it is great to chat with others that have your same obsession. Plus, the people here on the DIS are so helpful. Its alse good practice for a TR. but, if you decide not to do one, i'd still be intersted in hearing your plans since you will be so close!

P.S. Disney planning is not nuts- its smart!

 

[lbuzz52]

For any trip during the school year other than a spring break trip to the beach, I tend to make it a surprise for her. She’d drive her teacher up the wall otherwise and not really be focused on school. During her 1st grade year I got notes home every day during the week leading up to her birthday party about her not staying on task.

i think this is very smart thinking. i have not decided yet if i will tell her teacher where we are going or not. in our district, teachers do not have to allow make up work for unexcused absenses, which it would be. we actually pick teachers at her school. well, sort of- you choose your top four in order. Then you write about your childs learning style, and their current teacher does the same. Anyway, if i get my top choice, she is very education oriented so i'm not sure what i will do when it comes to that.

She knows about our upcoming trip, but it’s well after school is over. Surprise trips are fun. Thankfully I have a good size walk-in closet that when clean can house the bags laid out open for packing. Hard part was shopping, so I ended up doing quite a bit online.

i can't say the same. i'm not really happy with the layout of my house when it comes to sneaking around for gifts or surprises.

Our first trip to Disney World was a surprise. What a whirlwind that was compared to the process of planning for this one. I booked it at the end of August when I found out my daughter had the entire week of Thanksgiving off from school. I told her the day before we left. She went on a play date and when she got home, I had her walk into the family room with her eyes covered. When she opened her eyes this is what she saw.

After the loud squeal, I handed her the card on the display to read. It was a note “from” princess Tiana telling her what a wonderful little girl she was and how much I loved her and that I felt we needed a vacation so I was bringing her and her brother to see her and all of her friends that week. It ended with the bags are packed and the plane leaves tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet you.

It took her a minute. I asked her if she knew where she was going. She asked if it started with a D. I said yes and the party was on. She tossed the card into the air and yelled, “Disney World, here we come!” Then she hugged me and thanked me over and over. Then she hugged her baby brother and said, “We’re going to Disney voo voo (nickname she gave him)” and danced around the room singing “We’re going to Disney, we’re going to Disney!” Her brother was just 10 months old and oblivious to what the excitement was about, but did clap and rock to her singing.



Our last trip to Orlando was also a surprise. I planned a short get-away for fall break. It was just supposed to be 3 days at Sea World, but we ended up at Magic Kingdom the last day of the trip. This time I picked her up at school and we went from there to the airport. Hardest parts were getting the bags in the back of the van without her noticing and getting her princess Tiana (as a little girl) doll into the van. I wasn’t going to have time to return home after working a few hours. Fortunately I was able to hid the bags pretty well and since I have to get to work pretty early, it was still a bit dark when we left home. The light of day was just beginning to reveal the shape of the large suitcase when I got back in the van after leaving her in before school care. As to Tiana, it was . Every Friday they have Friday fun day where they can take out a toy in the afternoon. Since it was fall break, they moved it to Wedesday. At the last minute, she changed her mind about what toy she wanted to take. I quickly suggested she take Tiana and she agreed.

We had a 5:05pm flight. I picked her up at 2:00, an hour before dismissal, but most instruction is over. As we were walking to the van, she said she realized it was only 4 days, but she wished we could take a trip for fall break. I told her I did too so I did plan something. She asked what and I told her I put a sign on her window and when she closed her door (we have a mini-van so it’s a sliding door) there would be a sign telling her where we were going. She was nervous so moved slower instead of faster as I thought she might. She eventually got in and closed the door to see this sign I downloaded from the design forum.

More loud squealing. You never have to wonder how that child is feeling. Glad I picked her up first.

you are good with the surprises. and your daughter gives the best responses. i just hope Maya is as cheerful when she finds out! James will react exactly how she does!

 

[Chelley00]

Our last trip was a surprise trip. My mom arrived on our doorstep (surprise #1 as she lives over 3 hours away and the kids had no idea she was coming) and handed them "Mail" from Mickey Mouse that said something about how Granny had never been to Disney and it him very sad and they needed to go get in the car right now because they were going to Disney World.

Be prepared for a less than freaked out reaction. Honestly we were expecting the squeals and jumping up and down like you see on YouTube, and what we got instead was open mouth shock

 

[drlaurafsu]

I'm sure i'll venture over to POFQ so keep an eye out for us! I you had a PTR, i'd know what your schedule was and what you looked like so i could keep an eye out for you too

Ok...so you convinced me. I haven't added pics yet but I did start some of the details here...Oct 2012 PTR. Will try to add photos over the next couple of days.

 

[lbuzz52]

Our last trip was a surprise trip. My mom arrived on our doorstep (surprise #1 as she lives over 3 hours away and the kids had no idea she was coming) and handed them "Mail" from Mickey Mouse that said something about how Granny had never been to Disney and it him very sad and they needed to go get in the car right now because they were going to Disney World.

Be prepared for a less than freaked out reaction. Honestly we were expecting the squeals and jumping up and down like you see on YouTube, and what we got instead was open mouth shock

that sounds like such a cute way to surprise them!

when we told Maya about our very first WDW trip, she had been to DL for one day before. I gave her a goody bag filled with Disney related items and explained where we were going. she looked confused and asked for food.

yet when i surprise her with something tiny like playing in the water sprinkler she will scream at the top of her lungs and announce that i am the best mom ever.

so basically, i have no idea what sort of reaction i will get out of her. i don't think that i would try if she had not asked to be surprised. i do hope it turns out good though!

Ok...so you convinced me. I haven't added pics yet but I did start some of the details here...Oct 2012 PTR. Will try to add photos over the next couple of days.

joined in! there are a lot of october dis'ers it seems.

 

[drlaurafsu]

joined in! there are a lot of october dis'ers it seems.

Probably because everyone knows what a great time of year it is to go! Smaller crowds. Slightly lower temps. Less likelihood of hurricanes. MNSSHP. What more can you ask for!

I just love that DS's school gets out for a week so we don't have to pull him out. It will be a great time to travel over the years.

 

[lbuzz52]

Probably because everyone knows what a great time of year it is to go! Smaller crowds. Slightly lower temps. Less likelihood of hurricanes. MNSSHP. What more can you ask for!

I just love that DS's school gets out for a week so we don't have to pull him out. It will be a great time to travel over the years.

our local school boards are merging, and i am hoping that the system chooses the schedule of the other system as the one to keep. they get out a few days after us, but have a full week for fall break. i agree, i love October events at WDW!

 

[lbuzz52]

Today is such a bittersweet day. Its the last day of school, the last day that Maya is officially a kindergartener. It amazes me how much she has grown up this year, and i only know that there is more to come. I'm extremely proud of her, but also sad of how quickly they mature.

i wanted to share this picture of all four grandbabies on my side. I thought it was rather successful to have all 4 facing the camera

i took a vacation day yesterday. there was just so much to do. First, i took Maya to school. then we took James to his school. then i came home and cleaned out my car. It had collected so much and there was hardly enough room to fit another adult in there. then i went to eat lunch at Maya's school- well, breakfast, becuase i can't get myself to eat lunch at 1030 am so i just brought pancakes! i didn't find out until after i was there that it was delayed due to the 5th grade graduation. Meanwhile Chris was waiting at my work for me- he didn't get the message that i would be running late until he was already on the way. We had to return his rental car and he ended up having to wait on me for like 45 minutes.

Next, we went and signed our names a million times so that Chris could get his new car! We got all the paperwork done as far as the dealership was concerned- right before it was time to pick the kids up from school.

After that we headed downtown. We had just agreed on a price that morning, so we had to go to the credit union to finalize the loan paperwork and get a big fat check. Then back to the dealership to trade the check for the keys!!


We ended up with an 06 Honda Pilot. It has average mileage and just one owner before us. It got a clean bill of health when we took it to the pre-buy inspection. I was so glad because there were only three in town for sale in our price range within the last month. there are tons around town, but it seems that no one is letting them go! They have the top safety ratings, and seem to be generally reliable. Plus, i installed two carseats and still fit in between them! Its great that you could carry three and still keep the third row down if you needed to. And its pretty roomy in between the rows as well.

From the outside it looks somewhat small (stock photos, not ours)

but its a pretty decent size inside.


Finally we went home to drop off my car. It was dinnertime by this point and we were both too hot and sticky to care to cook. Good ole (Americanized) Mexican to the rescue! After a quick trip to target to pick up a teacher gift i forgot, we were finally home just in time to watch the season finally of Grey's Anatomy.


I got to drive the new car for the evening outings. Its a little wider then the old explorer, which is a good thing. Its also much larger overall than i am used to, but not so much that i would have a hard time driving or parking it.

I'm so excited for Chris. He always puts others first so i'm glad we were able to find something nice that he really likes and fits our needs.


I'm sorry that the pictures are all different sizes. i used to have it set up to automatically set them to a particular size, but it seems that stopped when they changed the site up. Does anyone remember how to do that?


Also, does anyone have any ideas why the DIS seems to turn random words in my posts into clickable links? i've noticed it on other threads as well.

 

[silverhaze269]

oh, that sounds fun! did you find anything you like? what sort of dresses are you looking at? i didn't get to do that- we chose to more or less elope. but i always thought that sounds fun. .

We both ended up getting our dresses last weekend! We're both really happy with them Mine had to be ordered in though, because I needed it in a smaller size, but my fiance's was perfect.

I can't believe I had so much to catch up on!

Your first day sounds fantastic It's making me wish I were there right now!

And the thought of a surprise is exciting I always wanted to get surprised with a trip to Disney World...well, I still do There are lots of fun things you could do though...have you given it much more thought?

Also, congrats on the new car! Looks like it's going to work out great for you guys, and there'll be enough room so you won't all be , which is always a good thing

 

[buckeev]

They DO grow up SOOOO fast! They are just adorable...I feel like their "godfather"...
Nice grab on the Honda, one of the most dependable makes out there...now time to get shopping for your Lexus...or SL...

Still trying to get our "plan A" trip worked out...rooms are booked, a few meals too...but if stinking' US/IOA don't get THEIR act together and get the "Minions Ride" opened, I'll hafta scratch the early June date, and see what I can throw together for later in the month. Hate that..cuz I got an awesome flight for Gage and I...June 6-only $60 bucks!-but there's nothing even close to that now for later.
Also have car rental, one way even, for a great rate.