Leading up to vacation!

7 days! 7 Days! SEVEN DAYSSSSSS!!!!!

We are FINALLY headed to Disney World in seven magical days!

Today we are going to talk about leading up to the vacation and ways to stay calm and focus during the homestretch.

leading up to vacation (esp. these last few days) is one of the most exciting times. The anticipation builds. EVERYDAY we are watching Disney Movies, Disney YouTube, and doing some sort of activity. Alot of bloggers, I have researched, suggest Tinkerbell gifts. These are little magical happies that usually come from the wonderful world Dollar Tree or the magical bins at Target. I, do love some Tinkerbell gifts, However...I reserve them for special times (waiting in a long line, right before the parade, on the last morning) I prefer to lead up to vacation by helping the anticipation.

For example: We have 4 kids going on this trip 3 are old enough for Pirates League and Bippity Boppity Boutique...1 is not. Instead of that one missing out-we had an "adventure day" where they got to go to the pirate leage or bippity boppity boutique and go on a treasure hunt. They understood why we were doing it here and not there and were just as happy!

Another thing is we make "list". A list of rides we want to ride, A list of snacks we want to eat, A list of characters we want to meet.

One day-we worked on our penny press holders (take an empty mini M&M container and decorate the outside with stickers...stack 2 quarters and a penny all the way up)



The kids favorite thing is picking out what Disney movies they get to watch in the car. ;)

Whats some of the ways you lead up to your Disney Vacation? 

The one "off the wall" thing you need for Disney.

When people ask me, "what is the ONE thing I need for Disney" my response always gets a weird look.

The answer: Ziploc Bags.

After you book your trip-make your dining reservations-you need to head to the dollar store and pick up a few boxes of Ziploc bags in different sizes.

Here is some of the things we use them for:

1) packing. I pack everything in ziplocs-the kids outfits/labled for what day&what park, our cool kits, socks/undi*es, autograph books, you name it...it gets packed in a ziploc.

cool off kits-personal fans-wash cloths-misting fans

2) Snacks: I buy a big box of goldfish or trailmix and then divide it out into single servings. ALSO-i pack all our single servings in 1 big ziploc.

3)Keeping valuables dry during water rides. I have our camera, phones, etc in a ziploc in my backpack. That way they don't get ruined if I need them.

4)Dirties: On rainy days at the park, socks get wet. I always have a fresh pair in our "extra clothes ziploc" so we take the wet ones off and stick them in the dirties sack.

5) Trash in the car: I keep one gallon size in the kids travel box for trash. That way its not all over the car.

6) LEFTOVERS: When you go to a meal and there is a muffin or apple or something left over that you can use for snack later....pull out an empty ziploc and store it! You have paid for that food (Either in Dining Plan Points or Cash) so use it later. **DISCLAIMER: DO NOT go to an all-you-care to eat and load up ziplocs from the buffet....Not cool.**

We are just 8 days from our trip! I am so excited to share with you all the fun details that have gone into our planning! -Stay tuned!

Princess of the Day 2010

**flashback memory from our 2010 trip. This has been selected as our family's favorite Disney memory**


During our last trip we celebrated my 26 birthday and Madyson's 4th birthday

 (same day...22 years apart!)

We scheduled a very important breakfast at the most magical place in Walt Disney World,

Cinderella's Castle.

We had an extremely early reservation and we arrived EVEN earlier. We stood at the gate talking to the Cast Member telling him how special the day was and he agreed.

We were the FIRST people in Magic Kingdom! As soon as they let us in, Madyson took off running. I really wanted a family picture with us and the castle (without 2,000 people in the background) but what I got was a VERY excited little girl running.

As I chased her snapping picture after picture I realized that this was so much more special than a family photo. Tears streamed down my face. I could feel the excitement she had generating off of her little princess clad self.

Once she reached the castle she did turn for a smile

And then ran off to find, Cinderella! Not only did she(we) get to meet Cinderella...BOTH girls got to be Princess of the Day! They donned precious little stickers and got to led the other dining guest up the stairs to the dining room.

It was such a wonderful experience!

ITs almost here!

The excitement that surrounds our house right now is infectious! We are now 11 days from our Disney trip!

We have been busy prepping all 4 kids for this amazing adventure. Madyson is the only one out of the 4 with Disney Memories. Aubrie kate, only knows shes been to Disney but has no memory of it (so its like her first time!) Gavin, has never been and is getting very excited thanks to Madyson sharing all her knowledge with him! Then there is sweet Rachel...the baby of the bunch. She is going to be SO much fun on this trip! She has been getting so excited watching YouTube videos!

Todd and I are busy finishing packing. I have been doing a continuous post throughout this process and will share that real soon!

We are busy packing because next week, I will be helping the Byrds (our Bffs going with us for the 1st time) get packed.

In my opinion, packing is THE most crucial part to the whole planning process. I can't wait to share how we do it!

I will leave you with our new favorite youtube videos. This family is great!

autograph books

When you have little kids, autograph books are a great way to help them get over the fear of going up to meet the characters. There are SO many types of autograph paraphernalia!

1) the original Disney Parks Autograph Book

Source: disneystore.com via Anna on Pinterest

2) The DIY autograph book

Source: eastcoastmommyblog.blogspot.ca via Sarah on Pinterest

3) The Photo Mat! I love this idea to frame that special family photo!

Source: disneytripexpert.com via Sarah on Pinterest

4) The autograph Pillowcase

Source: etsy.com via Regina on Pinterest

Disney Characters will sign anything (as long as you aren't wearing it!) Make sure to bring a good marker for them to use! I like the click sharpies. That way you don't have to worry about keeping the top with the marker :)

We love collecting Disney Signatures! We have a big book we have been working on since our first trip and each year we are adding to it. This year though, we might bring along the photo mat! I think that is such a cute idea!

Do you and your family have a unique autographing idea?

A Disney A Day!

One of my favorite things to do leading up to our Disney Trip is to watch a Disney Movie a Day!

There are SO many wonderful Disney movies and with all the characters and rides having something to do with movies this is a great way for kids to "feel the magic" before the trip!

We own alot of Disney movies (thank you disney movie club) we also rent from the library the older movies and watch the few that netflix has!

Here is this years Disney a day movie list!

1. Robin Hood
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Toy Story 1
4. Toy Story 2
5. Toy Story 3
6. Mary Poppins
7. Snow White
8. Sword and the Stone
9. 101 Dalmations
10. Cinderella
11. Finding Nemo
12. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
13. A Bug's Life
14. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
15. Jungle Book
16. Lion King
17. BRAVE! (the new movie coming out June 22!)
18. Beauty and The Beast
19. Little Mermaid
20. Lilo & Stitch
21. Pinochio
22. Sleeping Beauty
23. Peter Pan
24. Tinkerbell
25. Mulan
26. Dumbo
27. Honey I Shrunk the Kids
28. Tangled
29. The Princess and The Frog
30. Tarzan

For the Car: Up!, The Incredibles, Bolt, Mosters Inc, Lady & The Tramp

 

You can use our Disney A Day Movie List or create your own!