Just finalized my packing list. O M GEE, it's long! There is so much more stuff to take when you have a toddler. Thank goodness we are just 3 hours away.
Made a huge dent in preparations over the weekend, so I feel a LOT less stressed. I just need to finish up our park touring plans and finalize ADRs. (Don't worry, I am not holding on to anything popular at all).
TWENTY DAYS!!!!
We still have to pack yet. I just finished printing out the menus so that we can kind of figure out what we want to eat before-hand and have a ballpark figure for the tip. All of our Mousekeeping envelopes have been printed out. My mom surprised me the other day by asking if I can print out envelopes for her
! I think the only thing I need to do prior to packing is getting my LGMH done.
Wow!! Roll Callers in the single digits!! I'm so excited
After tomorrow I can officially say that we're in the single digits as well. DS10 was jumping up and down this morning b/c we can officially say we are going next week! We can't wait! My mom is starting to feel it as well. She's been asking me a few questions and even said to me that she is glad that I'm doing all of the planning and having fun with it. She said that I'm taking after my father (who passed away 4 years ago) in that department
.
Can I just say how much I love your house stories? We bought a house a few months ago and we've had to replace every door lock and a bunch of other little things, plus painting etc. But whenever I read your stories, it doesn't seem overwhelming anymore. You are a true trooper.
Thanks. Your's will probably feel like a piece of cake after you read this
My FIL bought this house back in 1954 and is only the second owner since it was built (so it's probably a little over 100 years old by now). But there are so many repairs that are needed that it's overwhelming. The house needs a new roof, new windows, new doors (inside and those leading to outside), new flooring, new paint through-out. New sheet rock is needed in the kitchen, bathroom and in all three bedrooms due to leaks in the roof(thankfully our room isn't as bad as the other two bedrooms).
The kitchen still has the wooden cabinets from the 1970's (I think, although it could be from the 60's), formica (sp?) counter tops, linolium flooring on the lower half of the walls (don't ask, I was told that was the Italian way of doing things back then), out dated wallpaper from the 1970's on the upper half of the walls. Brown industrial type floor tiles left over from the 1950's. It needs a complete gut job as does the bathroom.
My FIL and his father decided to put down press board on the floor in the bathroom and then lay a linolium on top of it. This was back when they didn't know you are not supposed to use that in a bathroom due to the moisture
So there has been what DH calls a "pothole"
in the bathroom floor that's been there since I've know him and before that (DH and I have been together for 25 years total - married for 13).
The main floor as well as upstairs are sunken in b/c the original owner (who built the house) put bricks in the walls upstairs
. When DH was 12, his mother decided to take those bricks out and take down the walls as an incentive for his father to rennovate upstairs (which he didn't do for 20 years until after he said we could move in with him). The floor now slopes in towards the center. The house really has no insulation. There are sheets of styrofoam inside the walls so it's cold to the touch during the winter months
Because of the drafts from the windows and the kitchen, we blow through heating oil every other month. My FIL says going through it like that is normal
Maybe for him, but that is not how is supposed to be and you can't tell him otherwise. He had a hard life growing up and still thinks that this is how it's supposed to be even though times have changed and he doesn't need to be. But he's 84. He still thinks he can do the things he used to when he was younger.
That's pretty much it.
I got this email today, just some more info on the surprise for the kids. I've been working with some pretty awesome CM's on this - I have a massive thank you letter to write.
a surprise update: this is the idea Carl, from AoA has for Daddy's introduction.
"We do a dance mob occasionally where we dance to a Little Mermaid song in the lobby. (You can see it on you tube if you search for Art of Animation dance). At the end of the dance we walk toward a selected guest in the lobby and end with raising our hands and yelling "hey". It is great fun and a lot is going on during the dance to keep the kids attention. If your husband comes from the back with a large poster of Ariel in front of him at the end of the song (guided by one of us to where you are sitting) then at the end when we say "hey" he can drop the sign and be right in front of you."
How awesome is this???
Very awesome! I've seen a few videos with service men and women surprising their family on
YouTube. I always tear up watching them. It's so heartwarming to see the kids run up to their father or mother and just cry and hug them. Do you have any plans of posting it on YouTube? Tell your DH thanks for his service
remember my friends I posted about way back on probably part two of this thread who were going this week and and only had 1 TS reservation?? Well I helped her out got them a few more TS ressies including a Hoop Dee Do, Mama Melrose Fantasmic package, and a Garden Grill CP - package. Pretty good considering we started in October.
But they were able to ride most everything without wait.
But she said we slept til NOON!!
and excited to share my excitement with you all!!
does anyone else listen to some Disney podcasts? I'm listening to WDW Today's recent episode about holiday dining (and have the DFB holiday podcast queued up).
