Turning into a Gustav Report! - We're home!

[coteau_chick]

I loved the pictures you can keep them coming. I am having fun.

To get back to the topic of screaming at our kids. I told my friend that when I die the kids will probbaly engrave "Don't make a mess!" on my tombstone I must say that in my sleep I have been cleaning my house today. It has been quite a challange. Grace followed me and got into sooooooooooo much. She broke up a bunch of dried flowers and scattered them. She got into my mop bucket. She fell and cut her lip. It was quite a day.

 

[DisneyTiger]

On our last trip it took forever to get to typhoon lagoon and downtown disney on the bus. I would plan on it taking a while to get to typhoon lagoon. You might want to spend more time there. You could relax and let the kids swim and play in the water. We really did like it but the water was a little too cold in Feb. for us to let Grace swim. I have never been to CM. Are you on the dinning plan?

I think we'll skip CM. I have done it once before and it's fun. Everyone raves about it but I have to say I've been to better character breakfasts. My fav was the one at the Polynesian. The food was awesome. I just love all of that hawaiian music too.

We are on the dining plan. Here is a list of the places we are eating:

-Sci Fi - lunch
-San Angel Inn - dinnner
-Ohana - dinner
-Chef Mickey's??? - breakfast
-Cape May Cafe Character breakfast on DD's birthday
-1900 Park Fare - dinner on DD's birthday
-Play n' Dine breakfast
-Whispering Canyon - dinner
-Afternoon Tea with DD
-Hoopty Doo Review - dinner

(I think I already posted that before but oh well)

We will be there for 8 nights. I added up the cost for all of these meals and it was over $600! The dining plan was not much more than that and we get all of our meals. Such a deal!

We may just take a cab to TL. I love to be in the sun and the kids love the water. We'll see. This will be one of those, "roll with it" kind of decisions.

 

[Fall1]

Just wanted to say that I would go to TL at opening - it gets so busy as the day goes on and you can get so much done from opening til lunch!

 

[kathleen27]

I tell my DD not to come get me unless there is blood, choking, or broken bones involved. They are bathed and fed. I'm done.

All this time I've been leaving out choking.

I tell them unless they are "gushing" blood or have broken bones.

I am still having second thoughts about BBB. I don't know what I'm going to do. I think I am going to ask for the Cinderella dress from the Disney store as a birthday present for her. I just can't justify spending $100+ at BBB. Anyone know how much the dress is in the store? And then, will it be comfortable enough for her to wear all day? Uhhhhh, decisions decisions.

We had such a good experience, arrived early and were seen immediately, but I've read reviews of huge wait times.
We did not buy the dress, I offered to buy DD a more "grown up" dress, since she doesn't play dress up much anymore, but she decided she wanted to be comfortable because we would be riding rides.
She's always loved getting her hair done though.
Anything you don't do this trip is something to try next time or the time after.

The pictures are great!!!
I don't think I've seen a picture with Flik before.

 

[jake&samsmom]

Hi! Keep the photos coming I like the way you're very detailed about your planning. A first visit to the World is really very special, and the kids are very lucky that their Mom is putting so much thought and work to make it even more memorable.

I have a little comment about the strollers. We own a Maclaren Quest and used it during our October trip. It is a single seater only, and the boys took turns sitting in it (not advisable for wee ones like yours ).

Anyhow, when we attended MNSSHP, stoller rental was free, so we got a WDW double stroller. I immediately noticed how easy it was to push those ugly plastic blue MK double strollers as compared to my Maclaren one. It took less pushing effort to manuever and turn those things. They were so much lighter on the arms and back.

I piled our folded Maclaren stroller on top of the WDW stroller roof, and used it later in the night when one of the boys fell asleep on the way to the bus.

I know the stroller rental price has increased tremendously since, but if its within the budget, I would recommend those WDW double strollers. Just bring along you own for leaving the park, and a stroller blankie to line the seats.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hi! Keep the photos coming I like the way you're very detailed about your planning. A first visit to the World is really very special, and the kids are very lucky that their Mom is putting so much thought and work to make it even more memorable.

I have a little comment about the strollers. We own a Maclaren Quest and used it during our October trip. It is a single seater only, and the boys took turns sitting in it (not advisable for wee ones like yours ).

Anyhow, when we attended MNSSHP, stoller rental was free, so we got a WDW double stroller. I immediately noticed how easy it was to push those ugly plastic blue MK double strollers as compared to my Maclaren one. It took less pushing effort to manuever and turn those things. They were so much lighter on the arms and back.

I piled our folded Maclaren stroller on top of the WDW stroller roof, and used it later in the night when one of the boys fell asleep on the way to the bus.

I know the stroller rental price has increased tremendously since, but if its within the budget, I would recommend those WDW double strollers. Just bring along you own for leaving the park, and a stroller blankie to line the seats.

I have heard that the strollers are free at MNSSHP. We may have to try them out! Thanks for the tip!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hello all. Wow, I am a bad pre trip poster! I am sorry that I haven't been posting anything. Disney has actually been (gasp) put on the back burner for the last few days! I have been back and forth from the hospital visiting my new, tiny nephew. My in-laws are in town and staying with us so seems like we're always doing something. Anyway.........

I think I am going to take a trip to the Disney store tomorrow. I need a dose of the magic. I want to get a few suprises for the kids and maybe some matching tee's.

I've been going over my schedule in my head and having second thoughts. The reason for this is my kids. We've been running around like crazy these past few days and it's taken it's toll on the kids. I think it's forshadowing what our trip is going to be like. Today, we went to the hospital and then tried to take the kids out for a late lunch. They began melting down in the car and we had to turn around and take them home and put them down for a nap. I was scared. Just kept picturing that melt down happening on a WDW bus! So, I think I am going to clear one of day of our trip and just hang at the hotel. We'll swim and rest. I think that would be wise. I'm getting nervous! Excited and nervous! I just keep telling myself that they will be different kids when they see all of the "magic" happening around them. Kind of like, "please stop crying and you can have this huge Mickey head sucker!" I think that should do the trick. Alright, gotta run. Get this...my DH is sitting here and wants to get in on the DIS! Wow, what a lucky girl am I

 

[coteau_chick]

Hello all. Wow, I am a bad pre trip poster! I am sorry that I haven't been posting anything. Disney has actually been (gasp) put on the back burner for the last few days! I have been back and forth from the hospital visiting my new, tiny nephew. My in-laws are in town and staying with us so seems like we're always doing something. Anyway.........

I think I am going to take a trip to the Disney store tomorrow. I need a dose of the magic. I want to get a few suprises for the kids and maybe some matching tee's.

I've been going over my schedule in my head and having second thoughts. The reason for this is my kids. We've been running around like crazy these past few days and it's taken it's toll on the kids. I think it's forshadowing what our trip is going to be like. Today, we went to the hospital and then tried to take the kids out for a late lunch. They began melting down in the car and we had to turn around and take them home and put them down for a nap. I was scared. Just kept picturing that melt down happening on a WDW bus! So, I think I am going to clear one of day of our trip and just hang at the hotel. We'll swim and rest. I think that would be wise. I'm getting nervous! Excited and nervous! I just keep telling myself that they will be different kids when they see all of the "magic" happening around them. Kind of like, "please stop crying and you can have this huge Mickey head sucker!" I think that should do the trick. Alright, gotta run. Get this...my DH is sitting here and wants to get in on the DIS! Wow, what a lucky girl am I

I haven't been around lately either because we were on a camping trip. We just got home.

I think the idea about having a day to rest on your trip is wise. I am sure you will still have meltdowns anyway. Kids are just like that. My two oldest ones did it to me at the p&p party. Remember me telling Brennan not to cry because his eyeliner would run. Courtney was also quite a stinker that night. That was also the night Grace grabbed a handful of hot spaghetti. It can get stressful, but when you look back on the memories of you children's first trip to disney none of that will matter.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Ok people, so here's the deal. I am an extremely bad pre trippie! While I have become increasingly more addicted to the DIS over the last few weeks, I have failed to update my pre trip report. I just feel like there hasn't been much to report. I have recently been suffering from a sever case of insomnia (see present time - 1:48am ). I went to the doctor this past Tuesday and he asked me a battery of questions trying to figure out why I can't fall asleep. Marriage problems? No. Family problems? Nope. Money problems? Could always use more but, nah, not it. He was baffled. Said it was just a classic case of insomnia. What I failed to mention to him is my previously posted self diagnosis of "Dis-omnia". It's all I can think about, especially when I lay down at night and try to clear my head. Yeah, not happening. I am just soooooooo excited and now that our trip is a mere 43, check that since it is now officially tomorrow, 42 days away, I REALLY can't think of anything else. And a new obsessive thought that I've been having is how I'm going to deal with the Disney depression after it's all over. We plan on going back in March or 2010 for my DS's 3rd birthday. I've already, way way in the back of my mind, started planning that trip. Guess I'm preparing myself for when I get home to have something else to obsess about!

Side note: the doctor prescribed me some little pills to help me sleep. Well, I may as well be popping M&M's cause the obviously ain't working, hence the almost 2am post!

So I recently posted a response to a thread on resort hopping that I was quite proud of. The posted was asking if resort hopping would be a fun thing to do. It just so happens that my DH and I did that exact thing on our last trip to the World. Here's the post...

DH and I flew into Orlando last year on Thanksgiving Day. Rather than fighting the crowds at the parks, we decided to go bar hopping around the resorts and check out the decorations. This took a lot of thought and strategic planning. Check it out:

-Arrive at CBR around 10:30am

-Bus to DTD

-Bus to OKW

-Lunch at Goods to Go - yum and a drink at The Gurgling Suitecase

-Bus to DTD

-Bus to Yacht Club

-Walk to Boardwalk - stopped at Big River Grille for a beer and then at Boardwalk Bakery for a snack

-You can tell that the drinks were starting to catch up to us!

-Walk to Beach Club - DH had a drink at Hurricane Hannah's. I took a break!

-Snack at Beaches n' Cream

-Bus to Epcot

-Bus to Wilderness Lodge

-Drink by the geiser

-Bus to MK

-Monorail to Poly

-Drinks on the beach (one of those is water!)

-Walk to Wedding Pavillion

-Walk to Grand Floridian

-I had a really cool martini here with a glowing ice cube!

-Monorail to Contemporary

-Thanksgiving Dinner at California Grill while watching Wishes - the best steak EVER!!!

-Monorail to Epcot - got to ride in the front because there were no crowds!

-Bus to CBR


WHEW!!! Now, I know that sounds like an INSANE day but it was sooooooo much fun. We started at around 10:30am and didn't get to our room until about 10:30 that night! I promise we didn't get too crazy. We had lots of time in between drinks and sometimes just had a snack and a coke. This really is one of my fondest memories at WDW that we will probably never be able to do again. Just to prove that we didn't get too crazy, we woke up bright and early the next day to do this...

Alright, so there's my little trip down memory lane. It was so much fun. I highly recommend it.

Up next...

-Finally picked out some comfy tennis shoes! (riveting I know)
-My trip to Home Depot and the guilty pleasure of LGMH's
-My Disney goodie bag for the kiddos

Thanks for reading, if anyone is still out there. Night all, well, all but me

 

[DisneyTiger]

Coteau_Chick, if you're still there, here is a graphic for you. I tried to PM it to you but I don't know if it worked. Anyway, a wonderful person on the DISign boards did this for me and I just knew you would love it!!!

GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2.5 weeks til kickoff in death valley!

 

[DisneyTiger]

It seems I have lost my following but I understand. I just going to keep on keepin' on because this is good for me. I need an outlet. I did not get to sleep last night until about 5am! And guess who knocked on my door around 6:20am?? DD of course. I was less than thrilled can I tell you. The morning was fuzzy. I do remember putting her in the bed with me and turning on Playhouse Disney. I figured Mickey could babysit for a bit while I got a few more minutes of sleep.

So for my trip to Home Depot. We actually had a legitimate reason for going. We're redoing DS's room in a safari theme and needed paint. As I walked towards the paint section, I have to say that I got a bit of a rush! I walked up to the Mickey heads and was suprised to see tons of Alien Green! Why I was suprised I'm not sure. I guess in my own little world, everyone is on the DIS thus causing a shortage of the LGMHs. Not so. I looked over my shoulder at the twenty something little guy at the paint counter. "Surely he's onto me!" I thought. But I'm quick on my feet. I began asking my kids if they liked the color and said that we should take some home to check them in the light! Yeah right, do people really paint their rooms that color??? Anyway, I took about 20 and there were plenty left over. I also swiped a collection of other colors because I plan on making a "Happy Birthday" sign for DD to hang on our door. Here's my loot...

Time has gotten away from me. I have a Jenny Craig appointment in 15 minutes. Get to go weigh myself. I'm supposed to reach a milestone today. Wish me luck!!! More later.

 

[kathleen27]

Still here!

Your resort hopping day sounds like a lot of fun!!!

Yeah!!! for Mickey heads. Its fun to collect them!

Just kept picturing that melt down happening on a WDW bus! So, I think I am going to clear one of day of our trip and just hang at the hotel. We'll swim and rest. I think that would be wise. I'm getting nervous! Excited and nervous! I just keep telling myself that they will be different kids when they see all of the "magic" happening around them. Kind of like, "please stop crying and you can have this huge Mickey head sucker!" I think that should do the trick.

They will have a great time, but there will be moments.

Things that have worked for my DD when immediate intervention was necessary...snack (popcorn and ice cream are her favorites), sitting on Dad's shoulders to watch the stage show at the castle (when she was small enough to still do this), playing at a playground or water fountain (Ariel's grotto).

My DD definately STILL needs her pool time!!!
There is also a lot of standing still (like in lines) and kids need some run around or playground time. No matter where we have traveled, my kids always asked to go to the playground.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Still here!

Your resort hopping day sounds like a lot of fun!!!

Yeah!!! for Mickey heads. Its fun to collect them!



They will have a great time, but there will be moments.

Things that have worked for my DD when immediate intervention was necessary...snack (popcorn and ice cream are her favorites), sitting on Dad's shoulders to watch the stage show at the castle (when she was small enough to still do this), playing at a playground or water fountain (Ariel's grotto).

My DD definately STILL needs her pool time!!!
There is also a lot of standing still (like in lines) and kids need some run around or playground time. No matter where we have traveled, my kids always asked to go to the playground.

YAY, thanks for sticking around! I know that we're going to have our moments but I know it's totally going to be worth it. Did you put your DD's bathing suit on under her clothes to play in the fountains? I want to let our kids play but that just seems like it would be really hot. Not sure what I will do about that

 

[coteau_chick]

Hey I am still here too. I wasn't checking on my email because three out of five of us here had a stomach virus, myself included. Now dh just came down with it tonight. Little Grace is the only one who didn't get it so far. I pray that she doesn't get it.

I was wondering what happened to you.

I love the design. Thank you.

I bought Grace a little LSU jersey the other day. I will let her wear it on game days. Dh is going to the first game of the season. He usually takes Brennan to at least two a year.

I loved your post about resort bar hopping. The pictures were funny.

I know what you mean about not being able to sleep. I had the same thing before our last trip. I started getting sad about when it was going to be over before it even began. I think you understand what I am talking about.

I found a website that has a dvd called "All of Disney World on DVD." It is a dvd set of most of the rides at all four parks for I think 29 dollars. I am trying to decide if I should order it. I don't want to get the kids bored with disney world.

How is your little nephew doing?

I am glad you came back to your pre trip report. I missed you.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hey I am still here too. I wasn't checking on my email because three out of five of us here had a stomach virus, myself included. Now dh just came down with it tonight. Little Grace is the only one who didn't get it so far. I pray that she doesn't get it.

I was wondering what happened to you.

I love the design. Thank you.

I bought Grace a little LSU jersey the other day. I will let her wear it on game days. Dh is going to the first game of the season. He usually takes Brennan to at least two a year.

I loved your post about resort bar hopping. The pictures were funny.

I know what you mean about not being able to sleep. I had the same thing before our last trip. I started getting sad about when it was going to be over before it even began. I think you understand what I am talking about.

I found a website that has a dvd called "All of Disney World on DVD." It is a dvd set of most of the rides at all four parks for I think 29 dollars. I am trying to decide if I should order it. I don't want to get the kids bored with disney world.

How is your little nephew doing?

I am glad you came back to your pre trip report. I missed you.

I am sooooo sorry that y'all have been sick There is nothing worse than the stomach flu. I hope Grace gets lucky and avoids it. Glad you are feeling better

Can't wait for football season! We are not going to the first game. It's going to be sooooo hot! We'll probably tail gate but not stay for the game. We have tickets to most of them. Can't wait!!

I actually slept last night. Well, from 2 to 7 which is a record for me these days! It felt great, sad.

That DVD sounds really cool. I just might have to get it! There is never too much Disney for me. My family may get a bit sick of it!

The baby is doing really well. He's been off the vent for a while now and is eating like a champ. He's up to 3.11lbs! He was born at 2.3 so that's awesome. They got to hold him for the first time last weekend. We are actually having a shower for mom tomorrow. So weird since he's in the hospital but she's dealing with it. Doing really well! Alrighty, I have to go make a cheese ball for the shower. Yay. I will post something tomorrow. I'm so glad you're still around!!!

 

[coteau_chick]

I sent you a pm with the link for the dvd. Let me know when you get it because I didn't get your pm with the disney lsu tiger.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Another 2 am post. Wow, has anyone experienced insomnia like this? It's crazy. And it's really starting to effect me. I have been doing Jenny Craig for a while now and am officially down 36lbs I have about 64 left to go and I know I can do it. Anyway, sleep definitely aids in weight loss and the fact that I haven't been getting much caught up with me on my last weigh in. In one week, I did not gain or lose one ounce! How is that possible? I'm not complaining. Could have gone up I guess! But I really stuck to my diet and nothin'! Oh well, next week.

Ok, so one exciting thing happened to me today. These came in the mail...

Yep, they're my personalized maps from disney.com. For anyone who doesn't know about these, they're free! You just put in the attractions that you want to see and they print it out and mail it to you. Not that I need a map of the parks at this point but they come in such a cool little envelope and are printed on really nice heavy duty paper. They will be great for scrapbooking.

I also started trying to make my iron on transfers. My first attempt didn't go so well. First, I printed it on the wrong side of the transfer paper, then tried to put it on backwards and seared it to my iron, then I got it on right but left the iron on too long. My crisp white image was now a burnt brown color and it smelled a little too. Like burnt hair. So on my 5th or 6th try, I got this...

I was quite proud and made DH take a pic of me just so I could post it on the DIS. He thinks I'm crazy but oh well. I have since added some colored Mickey heads. I will have to post that pic soon.

Alrighty, I know that in a PP I said I was going to go through the kids loot for our trip. Promise to do that soon. I really need to go through it myself because I've been throwing things in it here and there and honestly can't remember what all is in there. Like tonight, I went to Walmart for some groceries and saw that they had glow sticks and necklaces on clearance. I grabbed a handfull and threw them in the bag. I'm pretty sure I have done that a few other times throughout the past few months. I'm sure I have a ton of glow objects for them to use. They'll be lit up so bright kids will think they're a part of Spectromagic

Ok, really going to try to get some sleep now. Wish me luck!

 

[coteau_chick]

I looooooooooooove your bag. Just wait you will get lots of compliments. Good job with the weight loss. That is awesome. I hope you finally got to sleep.

 

[DisneyTiger]

It's official...the ticker reads 39 days as of today!!!!!!!!!!!

I am beyond excited. I really think I am beyond the uber planning stage and now I'm just onto thinking about everything and how much fun we're going to have. I am so excited about staying at BCV. I find myself looking at pics of the resort more and more each day, especially the pool! Speaking of, does anyone know what the deal was with the BC employee Raouf? I came upon a thread last night about trying to get his job back at the BC??? I am just curious because I know if we meet him, it's going to drive me crazy not knowing what the story is.

I was getting all of my Disney books together recently to show to a friend who is planning a trip. How funny is this....

Ya think I have enough? And there are actually two missing. My dining guide and my Disney Guide - the lost journals. The one on top is my fav book. It's my bible. I still thumb through that every day or so to brush up on things. This is it if anyone is looking for a good book about Disney with kids...


http://www.amazon.com/Fodors-Walt-D...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219019031&sr=8-1

I also ordered a double Rayshade for my stroller. I was reluctant to do this. See my other thread... http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=26978701#post26978701

Alrighty, I am off to photo my kid's loot. More later

 

[DisneyTiger]

Just got done going through the loot bag and boy, it was like Christmas! I've been collecting things for so long that I really forgot what was in there. Here is my photo journey through my Disney goodie bag

Here is the bag that has been shoved in the back of my pantry. I started out with a small PF Changs take out bag but had to upgrade to the big daddy. It's overflowing!

First off, my glowing parafernalia. I grab a packet of these things ever time I see them. I see now that we will be lit up like a Christmas tree!!

Next up is my first aid kit and bottle koozies to keep the sippy cups cold. They will hang on the stroller. There is also a pack of sticky notes to put over the auto flush toilet sensors. Nothing worse than traumatizing a potty training toddler with a huge flush before they're off the pot!

Here are my Target $1 section finds. Princess and Cars lunch bags to put snacks in for the parks. A princess wallet for DD to keep her Disney money. A zipper pouch for pressed pennies and any other treasures my kids want to save.

Cheap dollar store toys for the plane ride or waiting in line. I'm going to try and get a few more of these. Nothing makes a kid happier for a few minutes than a brand new toy!

If found please return to...
Here are my ID tags for the kids and Shanrene ID bracelets. Also picked up two of those, for lack of a better word, kid leashes. I swore that I would never use one of these things but I think they're going to come in handy. Do you think I'm worried about losing my kids or what!!!

Disposable sippy cups, disposable bibs, and to go tea mixers. Cheaper than drinks in the parks!!

A few of my stroller accessories. The graco rain shield (hope we won't need this) and stroller fan. I also have a tiny little screwdriver to change the batteries on the fan. This is something that I would normally not think of. Yay me!

Plane ride entertainment. Gel clings for the window - the kids love to play with these. And a "Word World" DVD. For anyone who has not seen this show on PBS, it's awesome. I like watching it too. My kids are absolutely mesmerized by it so hopefully it will work on the plane as good as it works in my living room! It's the only way I can shower or cook dinner!

And last but not least, birthday cards for my DD. Just to repeat, we will be celebrating her 3rd birthday while we're there. I have been collecting cards wtih different characters on them and plan on signing them as the character. My DH had the great idea of "finding" them around the park on the day of her birthday. Too cute. Also, a Mickey gift bag. I am going to leave her a little Bday present on her bed after we leave the room on her birthday that way it will be there waiting for her when we get back. It will be from Mickey, of course!

Alright, that's it but I'm sure I will be making additions to the bag up until the day of our trip! This was fun. Hope it wasn't too boring for you