What do you mean we have to do "DISNEY TRAINING"? ***8/5 UPDATE***

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Hi! I’ll admit it … I’m a lurker. I found the DIS prior to our trip last September and got a TON of wonderful information and ideas. I rarely posted as I didn’t know a lot of answers to people’s questions but I soaked up all the info I could. There are some truly wonderful people on these boards and the kindness here never ceases to amaze me!!!

I fell in love with Miss Cammie’s (CampbellScott) TR (not in a weird, stalkerish way .. just her sense of humor and her story telling) and have been hooked on TRs and PTRs ever since. I especially love reading the WISH trips … I’ve shed at least one tear for each one I’ve read but usually it’s more than that. Disney really does some wonderful things for kids. It truly is a magical place.

For me, reading the TRs is a way to keep the magic alive until we get back to Disney in person. Well, it just so happens that we’re going back to Disney this September … and we’re bringing some friends with us!

Introductions to the Cast:
ME(37): aka: Donna, Duck, Momma, Edison. I’m the OCD Disney planner of the family. I wouldn’t qualify myself as being gaga over all things Disney but I love everything about Disney vacations! I work full-time in the IT Dept of a retail chain. Yep, self professed geek . I love to scrapbook (although never have enough time to sit down for any length of time to get things done), have fun and enjoy my family.

DH (39 … and holding): aka Jon, (Jonathan - when in trouble) Edison, Dadda. He’s far from a Disney lover but I wouldn’t qualify him as a complete hater, either. He works at a local bank as an IT geek (yes, 2 in one family) in charge of web applications and security. He’s one of the most anal-retentive people I know but he also loves to laugh and have a good time. He is not quiet by any means and given the choice, is usually a “glass is ½ empty” kind of person. He’s only going on this trip because our friends are coming, too … otherwise he was content to wait a few (or 20) years.

DD(5): aka Olivia, Olo, Princess Pokey-hontas. She can be the pokiest, whiniest, “that’s not fair” spouting girl you could ever meet. But she also has a gigantic heart, an amazing memory and she’s extremely sweet. She’s a bit of a tom-boy and a terrific big sister, too. She loves all things rainbow, noggin.com, the Disney Channel and Cinderella is her favorite princess. She hates to be the center of attention and makes us very proud … especially when she’s not whining.

And, last but not least for our family …

DD(3): aka Gabrielle, Gabby, Gabster, Yo Gabba Gabba. She’s the baby of the family. She was slightly delayed in walking (18 months) and talking (26+ months) and is definitely making up for lost time. We joke now that we ever went through birth-to-3 for delayed speech … she talks and sings ALL the time and is pretty happy go lucky. She melts our hearts about 100 times a day. This girl loves dogs (no fear, big or small), Snow White, jewelry & dresses and is 100% a Momma’s girl!


As I mentioned, we went to Disney last September and although it was dang hot, we had a good time. Although, Jon thought the kids were much too young. I find myself asking if there’s such a thing as “too young for Disney”. Me thinks not. Anyhoo… Gabby was not prepared for the heat, the crowds or the walking. I carried her on my hip for most of the time she was not in the stroller. My chiropractor is still thanking me for that.

This year Gabby’s been warned that she will not be carried. Her response to this was quite logical … “how ‘bout a stroller, Mom?” Good idea. Why didn’t we think of that?!

I did say we were bringing friends along, didn’t I? Yep, I did (I do talk to myself at times ... don't be afraid ... I usually answer myself, too). We’re going with 2 other families; both of which are families of 5. And, possibly another friend with her 2 daughters for part of the trip.

More to come on our friends and our agenda in the next installment.

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Thought I'd add a few pics of the family so you have an idea of who we are...

This is DH (he's the one on the left)

This is Olivia with her favorite Princess

This is Gabby at Illuminations

And moi ... enjoying a fufu drink at Cinderella's Gala Feast

And here's one of all of us at a fountain in Epcot

Up next ... our traveling parnters in crime.

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

So, I mentioned that we’re going with some friends. Well, here’s the scoop on them and how it came to be that we’re all going to Disney together.

Jon and I have a GREAT group of friends. The girls are all friends, the guys are all friends and we’re all friends together. We do a LOT with this group and our friendships go waaayyyy back. Jon went to high school with a lot of them and I met many of them in college. So, it was inevitable that I’d meet Jon through my friends (he didn’t go to college at the same time as I did). We’ve all been through thick and thin together … stood up in each other’s weddings, were there for births of children (well, not in the room), offer creative (if not sarcastic) advice on family dramas, etc, etc and are still the best of friends.

Last year, one of the families (seasoned Disney trippers) went to Disney a week before we did. In fact, I called them when we were on ME on our way to the hotel as they were en route back to WI. This year, we originally booked our trip for the same week as last year – Sept 20 – 27th. You see, Olivia is starting kindergarten this year and I wanted to go as late as possible so she’d have a longer period of time to adjust to school …. And still get free dining. FAMILY #2 also booked for the same week that they went last year – Sept 13 – 20th so when they found out that we were going, they switched their reservations and we were able to get their ADRs switched up so we were all cool.

Fast forward a few weeks and in talking with another friend, she was asking how much our trip was and mentioned that they’d like to go next year. We clued her in on the free dining and all and VOILA … she talked to her hubby and FAMILY #3 is in. Fortunately we were able to get their ADRs really close to ours, too.

Fast forward 2 months and another friend (she’s divorced) decided to try to book the same time as us for her and her 2 girls and couldn’t match up the reservations. So, if she still comes, her trip will overlap ours by a few days.

Yeah! The more the merrier!!! Now, we’re great friends but also realize that we will not be spending every waking moment together … we’d still like to be friends after the trip, ya know.

So here’s the rest of the cast …

FAMILY #2
Carrie (soon to be 37): She’s a part-time elementary ed teacher, a great mom and has a great sense of humor. She’s not quite as anal as Jon. I’ve known her since college and Jon has known her since high school. She’s our pre-school chauffeur. Since Jon and I both work, she graciously offered to take our kids to pre-school since they’re in the same classes. We LOVE her even more for this.

Eric (38): aka Chuck. He’s an engineer working for a financial institution. He’s a fun guy, a great dad and he loves to push Carrie’s buttons. He’s like me … definitely not anal. He’s the Disney planner of their family. I met him through Carrie and Jon was friends with him in high school.

Madeline (7): aka Maddie. She’s the oldest of their bunch. Extremely smart and tries to get away with as much as she can. She’s a great kid though … and she LOVES Disney. She’s a thrill-seeker, too.

Colin (6): aka Cowboy, Sally. He’s a great kid albeit the typical “middle boy”. For a long time, Colin’s nickname was “Sally” because he loved to wear his sister’s necklaces, chap stick, etc. Not that there’s anything wrong with that …. He’s a good natured kid and in the same grade as Olivia. They were pre-school pals but will now go to different elementary schools.

Gretchen (3) aka Gretchie, G, The Beast. She’s a cutie patootie. Petite and sometimes sweet but often referred to as The Beast for pinching and/or biting. She tries to keep up with her older siblings. Very much like Madeline in personality. She and Gabby will go to 3-year old pre-school together this year.

(continued)

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

FAMILY #3
Forgot to mention that this is Family #3’s first trip to Disney. Kelly went with her family as a child but Steve never did …

Kelly (37): Kelly is Carrie’s cousin. Although they did holidays and stuff together as kids, they didn’t become super good friends till college. I also met her in college and Jon also went to high school with her and her older brother. Kelly is a CFP and works in the trust department of a local bank. We love Kelly and she often finds herself at the butt end of jokes especially when it comes to driving and directions.

Steve (soon to be 38): Steve’s a great guy. He and Kelly started dating in high school where they worked together at McD’s. He works 3rd shift so him and Kelly don’t see each other that often during the week but they make things work, especially with their kids. To me, Steve’s job is much like Chandler’s from Friends. I know he has a job and even know where it is but I’m not 100% sure what he does … isn’t that strange. It’s some kind of machinery type place … I think.

Payton (6): The oldest daughter … a real “mom-like” personality to her siblings. She’s a great girl … friendly, outgoing and she loves sports.

Abigail (4, turns 5 the day we get home from our trip) aka Abby: Another sweetie pie but much more quiet and reserved. She’s extremely tall for her age, too. She loves all things princess. It’s funny that she and Payton look so different. Many people think that Olivia and Payton are sisters. Abby definitely takes after her Kelly’s side.

Ben (1) aka Baby Ben: He’s such a happy boy and has the bluest of blue eyes. He just turned 1 this summer and is not quite walking yet … but he’s close. He’s still on a 2-nap a day schedule that Kelly and Steve are trying to break him of before we leave. Last fall when he was only a few months old, he had to have surgery on his head because his skull was fusing together too fast. So, ever since then he’s had to wear a helmet on his head. They’re not sure if he’ll still need it by the time we leave or not.

And, if our other friend comes …

Renee (34?): Also, cousins to both Carrie and Kelly. I’ve only gotten to know her within the last year or so. She’s a sweetheart. A CPA at an international firm … very driven! She got divorced about a year ago and I give her a TON of credit for doing the job she does and being a single mom … I know that’s not easy!

Hailey (almost 5): She’s the older of Renee’s 2 girls. She’s testing her limits with newly divorced parents. Admittedly, I do not know Hailey and her sister as well as the other kids.

Ashley (3): Hailey’s little sis.

Renee took the girls to Disney last year with her mom. I didn’t hear the whole story but from what I did hear, her mom left part way through the trip. Renee said it was hard to be with the girls by herself (then 4 and 2) so she was excited when she heard about all of us going to Disney. I really hope she’s able to go, even if it’s only for part of the time that we’ll be there.

Up next …. Our agenda … finally! And possibly some pictures of everyone else (if I can find some).

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

We have decided (against Jon’s better judgement) to drive to Disney. With stops, it will probably be a 22 hour trip. Family #2 and Family #3 are also driving. We are going to coordinate when we leave but realize with potty breaks for 8 kids and 6 adults that we probably won’t stay together the whole time. Thank goodness for cell phones. We’re thinking about bringing walkie talkies, too. Anyone know what kind of range you can get with those?

There are a few plusses to driving
1) can drive to SeaWorld – which I’d really like to go to this year. I think the kids will love it!
2) Can drive to the parks .. if we want
3) No $50 cab fare to get to Walgreens to pick up Olivia’s inhaler. Good grief
4) Can bring a cooler since the Values don’t have an included fridge. Nice to have cold water!
5) Can stop at wallyworld if we need anything.

***Definitely open to suggestions for kids activities in the car***. We have a DVD player and Olivia loves her Leapster game but other than that, we haven’t had a need for long-term car entertainment.

So, we are leaving the afternoon of Sept 19th and arriving sometime on the afternoon of the 20th to ASMu. We’ll be there until the 27th when we make the return trek north.

We have the following ADRs:

Chef Mickey’s – breakfast
1900 Park Fare –breakfast
O’Hana – breakfast
1900 Park Fare – dinner (and mine & Jon’s anniversary)
CRT – lunch
Akershus – breakfast

As you can see … very heavy on the character meals. Our kids will be in heaven. We would never pay OOP for that many character meals but since they’re free … why not make the kiddos happy?!

Some might say that breakfast is a waste of dining credits but it frees up the rest of the day for us. Oh, that and Carrie has celiac disease so breakfast foods are easier for her to know what’s OK to eat.

More to come...

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

hullloooo ... I see some lurkers out there. Come out, come out where ever you are.

 

[Alysa]

What a cute family! You'll have a blast with all your friends there! We have always wanted to take a trip like this but could never get schedules to work out! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Hooray!!!!


I have a reader!!!!! Thanks and welcome!!!!!

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

So, how did my PTR get it’s title?

Wellllllll ….

Both of the girls LOVE to complain when we do a lot of walking. Even in the grocery store!

So, I told them they will have to be able to walk a LOT at Disney or they wouldn’t be able to come with us. How rude, right?! (SIDE NOTE: little do they know that we will be bringing not 1 but 2 strollers. Olivia could probably handle the walking but with the heat/humiditiy she’d never last and would begin the whining. I’m all about keeping the peace but they will have to still walk some and stand in lines).

To whip them into shape, I tell them every night that it’s time for “Disney Training”. Our “training” usually consists of walks or bike rides in our neighborhood. Sometimes it even includes walking to get ice cream … just like Disney, eh?!

The kids get a kick out of it.

Jon thinks I’m a whack-job but he joins us when he can.

Every day we pretend we’re walking/riding to a different attraction in Disney. So far we’ve “seen” Dumbo, the castle, Tower of Terror, Test Track, Snow White and MANY others. We talk about our favorite Disney things and what we’re going to do on this trip.

So far, Gabby wants to see Snow White (her favorite and we only saw her in a parade last year) and kiss Pluto on the nose (Pluto’s a dog and she loves her some dogs!)

Olivia is all about the thrill – she wants to go on Tower of Terror and Test Track right away!

Me .. I have a list of “must do” things that I’ll hit on a little later.

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

We started out “Disney Training” by telling the kids that they couldn’t go to Disney unless they could walk really far. Got me to thinkin’ … what other lies, or perhaps “mis-truths” have we told our kids about this trip?!?!

WARNING … THIS MAY BORDER ON TMI FOR SOME PEOPLE!!!

Skip to mis-truth #3 if you don’t care to read about Gabby’s toileting habits….


Mis-truth #2: Up until about 2 weeks ago, Gabby would not go #2 on the toilet. She always asked for diaper, even though she was potty-trained. She’s had a lot of constipation issues since she was a baby and has been on meds for it ever since. BUT, she knew when she had to go and would ask for diaper and then would promptly asked to be changed when she was done.

Soooooo…. We told her no Disney for her unless she could poop in the toilet.

We had almost 3 months of trying to get her sit and do her thing when low and behold she finally accomplished what seemed like the impossible. And as soon as she was done, she stood up and said “I go to Disney now”. So sweet and innocent that one.

Mis-truth #3: Since we are driving this year, we told the kids that the airplanes no longer fly to Disney because the gas is too expensive. They are very disappointed as they loved flying last year … especially the cookies on Midwest.

Mis-truth #4: Olivia has her first loose tooth and we told her that the Tooth Fairy was best friends with Not sure that this qualifies as a mis-truth but we’ll throw it in for good measure. This will give us an easy explanation as to why she will receive Disney Dollars from TF.

Mis-truth #5: We also told Olivia she’d have to keep her room clean or no Disney for her. Can you tell we like bribes and threats?!?! Actually, she’s been doing great and we’ve started giving her an allowance so she takes it much more seriously now.

Well that’s all that I can think of now … I feel like I’ve just been to confession.

 

[Alysa]

To whip them into shape, I tell them every night that it’s time for “Disney Training”. Our “training” usually consists of walks or bike rides in our neighborhood. Sometimes it even includes walking to get ice cream … just like Disney, eh?!…
Every day we pretend we’re walking/riding to a different attraction in Disney. So far we’ve “seen” Dumbo, the castle, Tower of Terror, Test Track, Snow White and MANY others. We talk about our favorite Disney things and what we’re going to do on this trip.

What a GREAT idea! I love it! Good for you! Even if you are bringing strollers that is still a huge amount of walking for kids who are not used to it. Well done!

At our house we say "kids who whine do not go to Disney". Now anyone who has been there knows that this is not true, but we will continue to say it anyway!

 

[Nostalgia]

I found the link to your (pre)trip report while reading MissCammie's. I've just subscribed! I'm looking forward to reading about the planning and execution of this multi-family trip. Based on what I've read about your personalities, I'm sure there will be plenty of hilarious happenings in store!

 

[1lear]

Great PTR. I'm all for whatever works for getting kids to do what they need to do. Can't wait to read more.

Lisa

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Hi Nostalgia and 1lear and welcome to my PTR!

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

This past weekend, Jon and the other dads were all up north at a cabin so the girls and I had our own kind of fun. We finally saw Kung Fu Panda. It was cute – Gabby giggled a lot.

The other moms and I took all the kids swimming at a local pool. Yes, I did get wet … very wet. And I almost lost my sunglasses …very uncool. Then we all had dinner and a sleep over at Family #2’s house. The kids had a great time but Olivia had the beginnings of a cold and woke up coughing a lot during the night. She was pretty miserable all day yesterday and woke up crying with a sore throat at 1:47 AM this morning. No rest for the momma that’s for sure.

We also did some Disney craft shopping this weekend. We have a few projects lined up…

Disney countdown calendar
We made our trip to HD and shamelessly took MANY samples of Disney paint although I think I mis-calculated and may need to head back for more. Also bought Disney stickers from Michaels and Target.


Autograph books
From Michaels we also got stickers, paper and modge-podge. Not sure how they’ll turn out but we’ll give them a try. My idea is to add some primary and pastel 4x6 papers with a nice cover with the girls’ names names and some character stickers and then have them bound together somehow. After the trip I want to make mini scrap books for the kids with their autographs and pictures of them with the characters

Of course, this means Gabby has to actually have her picture taken with the characters. She says she will this year but time will tell…


Tie Dye shirts
Last year I found a really detailed link on the Dis for making Mickey tie-dye shirts so I gave it a try and they turned out OK so all 4 of us had matching tie-dye shirts to wear to MK.

Jon felt very strongly that it was very un-manly 1) to wear tie dye and 2) to wear matching shirts. The girls LOVE them and still want to wear them all the time. Olivia calls it her “colorful Mickey” shirt.

This year our friends decided to un-manly with us and make tie dye shirts, too. Eric, was none too thrilled about this prospect since we all used to make fun of people wearing matching shirts. I guess it is kinda silly but we’re doing it anyways. We’re gonna have a dying party some time soon. I just have to make new ones for the kids since ours still fit.

Here’s us in our “matchy-matchy VERY un-manly” shirts from last year….

All 4 of us

Jon wondering how he got to be so un-manly

Jon & Olivia at the MK bus stop

 

[1hero2princesses]

I haven't really read any trip reports and just started reading yours. Very fun. I will definitely follow along. Makes it tempting to write my own. My husband thinks I have completely lost my mind with my obsession with this vacation and Disney. We walk too! I usually only take 1 kid at a time (they are 4, 3 and 1) but I walk 3 or 4 times a week.

 

[1hero2princesses]

I just realized from your signature we will probably be there at the same time. Funny this is the first trip report I happened to read!

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

I just realized from your signature we will probably be there at the same time. Funny this is the first trip report I happened to read!

Hello and welcome aboard. Maybe we'll see you while we're there!

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

It turns out that Renee and her girls aren't going to be joining us. I had a feeling that would happen. Their travel dates were different than ours and at a different resort. She felt like it would be too hard to coordinate especially her being solo with the young'ens.

But, the rest of us just made our final payments. Woo-hooooo ... until we get the credit card bill!

 

[PrincessOliviasMom]

Olivia lost her first tooth yesterday. Did you know that the Tooth Fairy is best friends with Tinkerbell? She is, ya know?! The TF brought Disney $$$ and left them under her pillow. How cool is that?

You should see that big smile with a gap in the bottom! Gotta love it.