So today marks 30 days until we LEAVE for Disney World. We won't actually get there until the next day but HEY....WE'RE HEADED FOR DISNEY!!!
Today DS got to pull the first Mickey Head from our countdown calendar....
Under #30 was a picture of T-Rex cafe'!! He was super excited.
I asked him what his favorite thing was about eating there last year. He said it was the show they do with the meteor and all the dinosaurs start screaming. I asked him what he was most excited about this time at T-Rex. He said "MOOOMMM.....EVERYTHING, OF COURSE!!"
Today while DS was at school I started my craziness of pre-trip preparing. I made lists, phone calls, and trips to certain businesses to get ready for DS's birthday party which is RIGHT AFTER WE GET HOME!!
Yes, that's right....I get to plan an entire party BEFORE I leave for my trip. Let the craziness begin!!
I'll explain more on that later. For now, I'd like to show you the 2 NEW SHIRTS I got today!
I was at JC Penney with a friend and they had a great sale going on. I was able to snag a cute sweater and a hoodie. 50% OFF, BABY!!
Let us now reflect on this trip and how it came to be. Last year we took what we thought was our last trip in February. DS is now in Kindergarten and we figured he would not be able to be pulled from school for vacation. That is until I got desperate because I saw Winkers plan a trip for Feb, and Jordan plan a trip for Feb, and then Rosie plan a trip for Feb, and then they came out with a buy 4 GET 3 FREE deal!!!
Everytime one of the things mentioned above happened, DH could hear me yelling at my computer...."OH COME ON!!!!!!"....."YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!" Toward the end he would just yell back...."who's going NOW??"
The 3 free deal was the last straw. I took a chance and talked to DS's teacher and asked her how she felt about parents taking kids out for vacation. She was COMPLETELY SUPPORTIVE!!!!
WHAT???!!!! Needless to say, I was in shock. I really wasn't expecting that. Actually, today she told me that I will be the 4th person this year to go to WDW from DS's class.
She is totally fine with it and said she'd give me his school work for that week.......my idea....she wasn't even going to worry about it since he is doing so good.
I went straight home that day and booked our trip. So,when I thought it was completely impossible for us to go on a trip this February due to DS being in school and DH's work schedule not working out for us, a window opened. Suddenly it was all possible. Almost completely out of nowhere! It is meant to be. It just is.
What's going on with me for the next 30 days?? ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN THE CRAZINESS OF MY WORLD.........
Here is a quick list of what I have going on:
1. Trip planning (shopping, packing, planning, making garden grocer order, making our dog a reservation for doggie camp, re-checking our reservations & ADR's)
2. Field Trip!! Coming up, we have a field trip at school. They are going to a "safety day" seminar at our civic center. I will help chaparone.
3. Planning DS's birthday party as mentioned above. I was able to confirm with our usual cake bakery that they do not use batter or icing with anything peanut in them. They also take care to not use the same tools.
I have also reserved a bouncer/slide combo thing for our back yard. The prices to rent those are COMPLETELY UNFAIR!!
DS has chosen his theme (Hot Wheels) so on pay day I need to go buy all the stuff like table cloths, plates, napkins, cups, & treat bags for the guests. I think I'm going to get a pinata too since he's been asking for one since his last birthday.
4. Appreciation Week at School. As I've mentioned before, I'm part room mom for DS's class this year. I actually have a co-room mom but she owns a retail store here in town and is usually very busy. I'm still not quite sure why she signed up for room mom at all.
She is in NY at market right now. She will come back for a week and then she will go to Dallas for market. This is not helping me. As usual I will take matters into my own hands. I have a parent who said she and her husband would love to cook for our teacher's meal. Maybe I should stop here and tell you that appreciation is an entire week long. One day is custodian appreciation, then secretary appreciation, then parent appreciation, then student appreciation, and finally teacher appreciation. One of my room mom papers says the teacher day is on that monday and one says it's on that friday. Well.....we won't be her on that Friday because that's when we are leaving for WDW.
I'm still trying to get this straight before I totally freak out. Ok, so back to the parents who said they will cook. I swear I think they are a God send. I'm so glad for this!! Now I still need to get a gift card for our custodian, a gift card for our teachers aide, a desert for the teachers luncheon, and oversee the dinner being cooked for the teacher and her family. Yes, you read that right. For teacher appreciation day we cook an entire dinner for the teacher and her family so that she has a "night off". It's nice. I don't mind it one bit. Especially for the teacher he has this year. She is WONDERFUL. The one last year....not so much.
5. Valentine's Day DS will not be at school for the class Valentine party. Which means I will also not be there to plan the party out! So, I am planning and buying Valentine's and treats for the kids NOW.
I will leave all of this with the teacher the day before we leave so she has it all. She is going to set DS's Valentines and treats that he gets from other kids aside for when he comes back.
6. Mardi Gras DS will also be missing the Mardi Gras celebration at his school. I'm sort of disappointed about this one but he doesn't seem to mind. I guess that means I should just get over it.
Kindergarten parents make parade "floats" for the kindergarten kids out of wagons. The street in front of the school is closed off and pre-k gets to come out and stand on the sidewalk to watch the parade. Kindergarteners dress up and ride in their "float" which is pulled by the 8th graders. Kindergarten kids get to throw beads and candy to the pre-k kids just like a real parade. How fun!! See why I"m sort of disappointed??? Oh well, anyway...... there is not much for me as room mom to do for this. I will have been gone for about a week by the time this happens. My "co-room mom" is going to HAVE TO step up and get the cake and things for the party. But I would like to get a pretty brooch or something for the teacher and the aide from DS for Mardi Gras. So really, I don't have to do much for this one......except spend more money.
When people said sending your kid to a private school was expensive, I thought they meant the tuition!! Ok actually that is not cheap either.
But it's all the extra stuff!! It seems like it is a constant thing. Money money money!!
As you can see, the next 30 days are going to be crazy! I hope I can get it all done and still keep a little of my sanity by the time we leave for WDW.
Yes, I CAVED!!!! 
the travel size aisle. Target is one of my vices too 
I too have resisted the urge to keep away.....well for the most part. 
