The Crowe's are flying to Disney World! - Sept 4th -10th!!

[disneydarling07]

This is the part of the vacation planning that I don't like...so fired up, planning, spreadsheets, ADR's, FP's, airlines ressies, hotels, shopping, lists, ...and then you hit that wall where all you can do is sit and watch the calendar sllllllooooowwwwlllllyyyyy go by......

Yesterday, we organized our Transportation cards. Hopefully, we will be able to collect a few more. Not trying to get the entire collection, but there are 1 or 2 that we would like to see.



Even the days at work are dragging....anyone going to watch the Solar Eclipse??

17 days to go...is it really too soon to start packing???

 

[disneydarling07]

I love shopping for groceries at Target and Walmart! I always manage to find a surprise! I know this is organic and I usually don't do organic, but it had Mickeys! Can't hurt to try it! They had a few other things also, but I'll wait to try these first. Now the kids are just rolling their eyes at me..lol.

So I have my checklist of all these "other" things I need to bring on the trip. I always make sure to bring lots of zip locks in many sizes. They are great for leftovers, keeping maps and stuff dry, even your phone, little trinkets we find along the way that we don't want to get lost in the bottom of the backpack...and I found these at Target. Made my day!



Yesterday I reserved our spot at the parking garage for the week. It's less than a mile from the airport. We drop off the car, hop on the shuttle and away we go. Curbside check in, grab a quick bite or a cup of coffee and wait for the boarding to begin. The only downside is that dropping off the car is going to be about 3:00AM....zzzzz......

Birthday party for my niece today, so my mind will be occupied most of the time. I'm getting anxious!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

Woohooo!!! Glow sticks!! Must have glow sticks!!!

I finally bought the Memory Maker yesterday! I knew I was going to get it, it was just a matter of when. I don't know why I waited so long. Being a scrapbooker, lots of pictures are a must! I've been looking thru Pinterest for some unique ideas on taking photos. My DD loves using instagram and is trying to get me to try it. I need to buy a new back up drive for my laptop before we go too. We download any pictures from our phones onto the laptop and then save them to a CD. This way I still have some on my phone, instagram, Facebook or wherever, on the laptop and on a CD ....just in case....yes, I am paranoid about losing pictures. ESPECIALLY Disney pictures!

We have our Cub Scout Fishing Derby all day today, so the day should go by fast. For breakfast, we are having ....

Mickey waffles!!!



Have a magical day!!

 

[disneydarling07]

EEKK!!! Officially 2 weeks away!!!

We spent a lot of time yesterday searching and searching for the RIGHT charging cords for these cameras. I guess that's the downside of always using your phone to take pictures. But with these, we have options to use on the water rides and in the pools. One is water resistant and the other is waterproof. It took a bit for me to get the difference. One is good for rainy days and the other can actually go in the pool underwater. Good thing I figured out the difference! lol



Today I will be fine tuning the itinerary and make sure we don't need to make any changes. Then it will all be printed out and put in my little notebook.

Pics tomorrow...

Have a magical day!!

 

[disneydarling07]

Going over a final checklist of things we want to accomplish in the parks! It feels so overwhelming, but I know it's going to be fun!

I put it all in a cute notebook...and then forgot the notebook in my desk at work. Sigh...I feel lost without it! Yesterday I got another package in the mail with more scrapbook stuff. I cannot wait to start downloading pictures.

Last night I made some Mickey cookies. I tried to use the sprinkles but apparently these sprinkles are not meant to be baked...lol. Didn't matter..they scarfed them all down !



Crazy busy week at work and with the kids....keeping my mind busy!

Have a magical day!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

So today I am hoping to finalize all of our Bucket list items. This trip we are planning on doing LOTS of scavenger hunts.
The first one I want to share is the Mickey shaped treat list. Im hoping we get thru this one...without sugar overload or tummy aches!

#1 - Ice Cream Kitchen Sink - I've wanted this for YEARS! So happy to see they have a smaller cheaper version!



#2 - Mickey Ice Cream Bar


#3 - Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich


#4 - Mickey Pretzel


#5 - Mickey Waffle - We have had these at home, but it's not the same!


#6 - Mickey Cookie - Mine do not compare!


#7 - Mickey Cake Pop


#8 - Mickey Rice Krispy Treat

 

[disneydarling07]

Part 2 of the Mickey shaped scavenger hunt:

#9 - Mickey Bread - So cute!!!!


#10 - Mickey Churros


#11 - Mickey Taffy Apple


#12 - Mickey Chicken Nuggets - They used to sell these at Target, but I can't seem to find them anywhere.


#13 - Mickey Veggie Chips - We have these as a snack all the time at home.


#14 - Mickey Cheese Snacks



#15 - Mickey Lollipops


#16 - Mickey Pasta - to keep the fun going at home. I'd like to buy a few packages of these.


#17 - Mickey Sprinkles - I've seen the black, red and white ones. But I'd love to find the other colors too.

 

[disneydarling07]

I remembered to bring my little notebook home last night!! ...and then had no time to work on it...lol.

I finished up the treat scavenger hunt list, the pressed penny list, and I have my daily itinerary finished.
Today i will be working on Magic Shots. There are so many opportunities for some really cool pictures! I want them all!!!
I know this will be next to impossible to do, but hey, it's worth a shot...or rather a Magic Shot!

I'm redesigning my pressed penny book to include everything other than the Daily Itinerary. This way we only have one little book to carry around. The Itinerary book is a notebook with perforated pages that I can just take out day by day. I'd rather carry a little card than a second notebook.

I am an early riser ....very early! This is when I write my notes about the trip for the scrapbook. I'm getting ready for my Trip Report. I love reading everyone's experiences! It helps build up the excitement and I learn a few tips and tricks along the way.
So I will be decorating a composition book for all of my notes!

So many more little projects that I can work on to help pass the time!!

Yesterday was a a surprise mail day!!! A little book arrived with all of our vacation information!!



I wasn't expecting this and I was so happy!!! I love Mickey mail and personalized Mickey Mail is the BEST!!!!!

Have a magical day!!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

Getting closer and closer...baby steps! Speaking of baby steps...I bought a new pair of shoes a week or two ago and decided I should wear them now to break them in before the trip. I'm glad I did! We had a lot of walking to do around the school last night. I wore no-show socks and after a while, they slipped down low enough that the back of the shoes started rubbing on my heel. Ouch! Glad I wasn't going to be stuck in them a lllll day!! I kept fixing the socks, but couldn't wait to get home and get the shoes off. The shoes are comfortable, but now I know I need to get better socks to wear with them.
On another note, I glanced down at my shoes while sitting in a long, boring meeting and realized these shoes kinda remind me of Spaceship Earth in Epcot!



It might be stretch on the imagination, but I'm sure Figment would agree with me!

Have a magical day!

 

[disneydarling07]

I think I'm stressing out already....I had such a headache yesterday. ugh!! So needless to say, I accomplished NOTHING!

I'll be going over the budget today. Making sure our bills are all paid so we know what we can spend on the trip.

I have a "shopping list" for our must haves while we are in the World. I kinda can't wait for our day at Disney Springs!

I would love to figure out a few places to stop for a quick bite to eat in each park, but not knowing what anyone is going to be in the mood for really makes it hard. Since we are only doing 1 ADR, we are wide open to try and do anything. I know for sure I want the Fish and Chips from the United Kingdom in Epcot.
In Hollywood, we are eating the Sci-Fi Diner.
MK will be Casey's of course!
But these are only 1 meal in each park...I need to figure out a second. It's really hard when DH doesn't care for Italian or Mexican. And I certainly don't want to eat burgers and hot dogs the whole trip!

Speaking of food, I need to finalize our grocery list for the Garden Grocer delivery.

I wish I had more pictures to share! Down to 10 days and I feel like I have soooo much more to work on!

Off to finish up this long day at work...

Have a Magical Day!!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

TIME FOR THE SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!





LET THE PACKING BEGIN!!! A few things to take care of today and then it's off to the closets!!

I finished up our little notebook that we will be taking in the parks. I love that it has easily removable pages so I can just take the page or the whole notebook. And there is plenty of room to add little notes along the way.




Going to work on the journal notebook today! Everyone will be out for a while so I will have plenty of alone time to get this done!

I am so excited!!!

There are already pictures posted of the Halloween Party and I was able to find a copy of the map so I know what to expect and we can start planning a strategy for the party.

Off to the eye doctor now...of course, a week before vacation and I manage to break my glasses...sigh....oh well. Better to be able to see everything while in Disney!!

Have a Magical Day!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

Yes...the sleepness nights have begun... the nightmares of getting all the way to Orlando and realizing I forgot the magic bands at home. Delayed flights that will totally throw off my plans and mess up all of my spreadsheets. The rain being too heavy to do anything. ugh!!!!

So today we have our town's annual parade, DS has his first Fall baseball game and then it's time for Family Vacation talk!!!

Tonight I have planned:

Order pizza - TOP priority for such an important meeting -

Go over all of our Daily Park plans and Fast Passes -

Make sure everyone is happy with our dining plans (we only have 1 ADR booked)
I printed out quite a few menus from quick service places so we can try to narrow done what we like and don't like. -

Who will be in charge of which scavenger hunt. Since we are doing multiples in each park, it would help to have multiple "captains" for each one.
Try to figure out which days we are sleeping in an which days are Rope Drop. I prefer Rope Drop every time! But...others just don't like getting up too early. DD is excited to get up with me though. She is on the Cross Country team at school and is looking forward to getting up and running a mile or two along the paths at the Poly. I wish I was a runner...I'd be right there next to her. But I will be walking the paths watching her. -

I started packing my clothes last night. I have to plan out what to wear in each park. Not every Disney shirt goes with all of the parks..lol. It stinks when I have so many cute shirts and not enough days in Disney! That's just wrong on so many levels...DH said I should purge my closet!

We will double check the non-perishable we are bringing. Which means a trip to the grocery store will on the today's agenda.

Make sure our house sitters have what they need, the mail will be collected and the cars will be taken care of.

So I had to re-do our book for the Pressed Pennies and switched it up to a Scavenger Hunt book. I didn't want to carry around a dozen little books, so they are all in one and we can pass it around.



I also finished decorating my journal! I used a composition notebook. I write down what we did each day while I enjoy my morning coffee...and impatiently wait for everyone else to get ready. I have to say I cannot wait till I can have coffee and my journal down by the beach at the Poly!

Since I am a scrapbooker and I take HUNDREDS if not Gazillions of pictures - and then DH has his own camera - and DD has her own camera - I do get a little OCD when it comes to getting just the right picture printed for the scrapbook. My scrapbooks for each trip are crazy huge! Each trip consists of at least 6-8 books.
So this journal is also for keeping track of what pictures I want to print, which ones are printed and which are already scrapbooked.


https://www.facebook.com/pg/Wendys-Scrapbook-202324335876/photos/?tab=album&album_id=303759230876

https://www.pinterest.com/disneydarling07/disney-scrapbook-trip-2012/

https://www.pinterest.com/disneydarling07/disney-scrapbook-vacation-2015/



Friday night was the 1st Halloween Party and I couldn't wait to hear about it! It was crazy crowded but like someone pointed out, a lot of the bloggers had to be there first so they could report back to their followers (like me) who were anxiously awaiting reports! I was able to find a copy of the 2017 map. So tonight, we will be going over that to see what our game plan will be for the party. the kids say they are too old to worry about characters, but when i mentioned we could get a picture with all 7 Dwarfs at the same time, they started to get a little excited....lol




And finally, our 2nd set of luggage tags came yesterday! I'm hoping to finish packing the bin / suitcase of non-perishables and close and seal it before we are tempting to start snacking on them early..lol. Yes, that does happen in this house...



Have a Magical Day!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

Great night for talking over vacation plans!! We all had some great suggestions for how to handle getting things packed. It was very productive. I think the thing that surprised me the most was EVERYONE was totally onboard with getting up EARLY and doing Rope Drop! Since our FP aren't booked until mid afternoon, I thought for sure they would take this opportunity to sleep in. They were pretty excited about getting up early to see what we could accomplish before we had to use our FP! Pretty exciting! They are really getting motivated and I love it!

I am including 2-3 disposable underwater cameras for DS. We did this for him on our cruise and he had a blast! I know all there is going to be are just goofy pictures of him making faces underwater, but he has a blast!

We went over the non-perishable list and have everything in a bin, but I need to buy one that is not see thru.



The list includes:
microwave popcorn
cereal bowls
beef snacks
fruit snacks
pringles
granola bars
nuts
nutella cups
peanut butter cups
tuna pouches
goldfish crackers
and a few other things I can't remember right now...lol

probably a bit too much but we do tend to snack a lot while we wind down at the end of the day. The excitement is nonstop, so we munch while we talk about how the day went and strategize for the next day.


We also got ready to pack our water park bag - which will just be our swimsuits and sunblock.

I found this bag at Five Below and it's sooooo pretty and fun! The best part is that it is insulated and it zips closed. And it was only $5!

Tonight is my hair appointment so I don't have a gray streak in the pictures...lol.

Then it's finishing up the last of the laundry so we can start packing clothes. I was a little disappointed that DS said he couldn't pack because the stuff he wanted was in the hamper....sigh...
I've had my stuff laid out for 2 weeks....no touching!!! There are plenty of other things to wear!!!

Oh well...it will get done tonight....hopefully....
Have a Magical Day!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

well, like i said, we had our meeting last night and of course everyone had other suggestions. Which is fine...a few made sense. But now I have to update all my spreadsheets. Oh well..that will keep me busy for the next 7 days!

So here are our current plans:

9/4
3:00am -leave for airport
3:30am -drop off car
5:30am - flight leaves
9:00am - arrive in Orlando
10:00am - arrive at resort
11:00am - Blizzard Beach /Winter Summerland Golf
3:00pm - head back to resort
5:00pm - Hollywood Studios
8:40pm - dinner at Sci Fi Diner

9/5
9:00am - Epcot
1:00pm - resort for nap / swimming
3:00pm - back to Epcot till close

9/6
9:00am - Animal Kingdom
11:00am - Typhoon Lagoon
3:00pm - resort for nap /swimming
5:00pm - Back to Animal Kingdom till close

9/7
9:00am - Magic Kingdom
12:00pm - resort for nap / swimming
3:30pm - Back to Magic Kingdom
7:00pm - MNSSHP till midnight

9/8
9:00am - Hollywood Studios
12:00pm - Fantasia Golf Course
4:30pm - Back to Hollywood Studios till close

9/9
9:00am - Magic Kingdom
Break / nap / swimming whenever we feel the need
3:00pm - Back to the Magic Kingdom till close

9/10
11:00am - checkout
12:00pm - Disney Springs
5:00pm - back to resort
6:00pm - Magical Express to the airport
9:00pm - flight back home
11:30pm - arrive in Chicago
12:00am - arrive home
5:30am - get up for work / school!!

Now...this is all fine and dandy. They all wanted resort swimming / nap time built into the itinerary somewhere and I accommodated them. The funny thing is, we have been to Disney enough to know that once we enter the park and start having fun, they will not leave!! LOL! They always think my plans are so tight and they will be exhausted. We ARE exhausted of course, but it's not all my planning. The days seem to go by so quickly while we are there and there never seems like a good time to go "take a nap"! My kids are 15 and 10 BTW...lol. When I mention that maybe we should go back and take a break, DH starts on how much park time we will waste traveling back and forth...lol. They are so funny! But at least it's all factored in there if we do need it.
The return times back to the parks are non-negotiable due to our FP's. That is solid.
We only have the 1 ADR so meals will be whenever we get hungry.

Off to update the spreadsheets!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

Going over the packing list and making sure we have all the essentials! I love our local Dollar Store!!

I was able to find these tissues - great for wiping glasses when you get off the water rides!

Band- aids - because you know someone is going to end up with blisters...

And I love this little tin that holds Q-tips. I use these for scrapbooking sometimes too. And the tins are re-usable. So stinking cute!!

6 days left!!!

We went over the weekly menu for home so I knew what I needed to get from the grocery store. I certainly don't want to come home to a surprise in the refrigerator....so I am monitoring the milk and bread and anything else that might "grow" while we are gone. Easy meals so not a lot of cooking and making a mess.

Tomorrow DH has his friends over and after they leave, the suitcases come down. That's when it is going to feel REAL! I do not mind tripping over suitcases if it means a Disney trip is close!

Off to work! so glad yesterday flew by so quickly! I work for a family owned business and it's pretty laid back. Today should be easy too. the owner has a new puppy that she is bringing in today! So we will be playing all day! I can't wait to see how cute this guy is!

Have a Magical Day!!

 

[disneydarling07]

I had a wonderful conversation with my boss yesterday. I reminded her that I will on vacation next week. She asked where I was going and when I told her Disney World, she got super excited! She's been there before with her grandkids and LOVED it....of course! We had a wonderful talk for about a half hour. I couldn't believe how excited she was for me....and jealous that we were going to be at the Poly for a week...lol. They go over Easter break and couldn't get into the Poly. They stayed at the Contemporary. That's where we will be staying next time.

So last night the kids were making their own dinner and I happened to walk in and find this on their plate....lol.



I cracked up, ran for my phone and they just stood there rolling their eyes. I think they might get some therapy for me. They really are super excited, they just don't see all the things that I do. I think the eye roll was their disappointment that they didn't call it out first.

Off to work!! Everyone is counting down along with me. I love it!!

Have a Magical Day!

 

[disneydarling07]

Today is the day the suitcases come out!!! It's getting real!! 2 more days of work! And there is so much to do at work, thankfully the next 2 days will fly by! I love ticking the "lasts" of my list. The "last" soccer practice before we leave....the "last" baseball practice...the "last" cub scout meeting...ahhhh!!!!!
The excitement building with everyone else is awesome! They cannot wait till we get back and they see pictures! My DD insists that I get hooked up with Instagram to post pictures. I guess that will be today's task...

4 more days!!!!!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

The last day of work!!! The last marching band performance!! The last load of laundry!!! It's so real!!!



Luggage came down last night!! Everyone inspected their suitcases to make sure they are all up to standard. ( and that there were no surprises ....ew).
We still had our tags on them from our last trip....awww....



We still had our tags on them from the last Disney cruise....

All ready to start packing!! I can't say I'm happy about it being 3 DAYS before we leave but I'll manage...lol.
We were so excited, we starting packing stuff last night. It helped that DS and I already had our clothes in the ziplock bags.

Our waterproof pouches came yesterday too! I tested them out and they work great! I can text, take pictures/video and make phone calls all through the pouch. This will really come in handy on the water rides...and rain...but that's a four letter word we won't talk about...
Irma is also a four letter word I don't want to hear right now...keeping fingers crossed...



Off to work!! I thought about wearing a Disney shirt today, but opted out. I'll save those for the weekend!

Have a Magical Day! TGIF!!!!!

 

[disneydarling07]

DS was playing around with souvenirs from previous trips. I remember when DH just HAD to have these fun Mickey hands. A few of our favorite memories of these hands are when we are leaving Port Canaveral on the Disney cruise and the whole crew was on the dock waving good bye to us. (I'm starting to tear up!)

Another memory that I cannot wait for is when we do Rope Drop at the Magic Kingdom. Many Cast members line up down Main Street and wish us a good morning and to have a Magical Day (uh oh..here come the water works!)
It's an amazing feeling to have so many happy, smiling faces first thing in the morning! And looking beyond the Cast Members and seeing the Castle - yes, I am one of "those" that will cry at the sight of the Castle! I own! I am proud of it! I love Disney!
I have my Mickey tissues packed because I know there are going to be so many of my favorite moments that will make me cry. The music on the some of the rides will set me off.

On one trip, we were in the Magic Kingdom and Wishes was just about to start. DH and DS ran to the restroom, DD went to find a bench to sit on. i was standing there all by myself and the music for Wishes started. I started out smiling and 10 seconds later, i was crying like a baby. it was the last day of our trip. i was so emotional! A few minutes later, I realized that I was standing by myself, crying probably looking like a total dork. I gathered myself together and when I looked around, there were probably about 4 other Moms standing there doing the same thing! I started giggling and one of them saw me. We kinda looked at each other and started laughing at ourselves. It really is an amazing feeling being there.

Yesterday, I said goodbye to my boss. She asked if I was packed with my Mickey ears. I said yes! All my ears, my Mickey t-shirts and backpack. She laughed so hard! Then she gave me the biggest hug and sincerely wished us a good trip. I had to walk away before I started sobbing! I have no idea why this is so emotional for me! maybe it's being overwhelmed with excitement and this is the only way I can release some stress...??

Anyway...I've been on Pinterest all week checking out ideas for the scrapbook! Not only do I have page ideas, I have ideas on cool pictures to take! I cannot wait to share! i received the final mail delivery (before vacation) with Mickey stuff...this package was filled with Disney scrapbook stickers. These are a few of my favorites...mainly because the Halloween stickers are impossible to find. I almost fell off my chair when I found these



I just dropped DD off at her last cross country meet before we leave. Now I have to wake up DS for his last baseball game. The rest of the day will be spent packing and packing. I know there will be a list of things I will need to run out for.

Have a Magical Day! 2 more sleeps....

 

[disneydarling07]

WOW! I can't believe we are so close!!
We worked on all of our checklists yesterday and made final shopping lists. It amazes me how the day totally got away from us! Before we knew it, it was time for bed. We spent so much time talking about past vacations and things we would love to see again. We pulled out more souvenirs and talked about when and where we got them. It was a fun night!
The ears in this picture are my DS's when we went to the Harmony Barber Shop and he got his first haircut. These are his first ears ever! And I still have the lock of hair that gave me.

The plans have been set in stone. i have my binder that I will leave in the resort room but consult every morning to make sure we hav sour goals set.



DH pulled out his pin collection to take pictures of so we don't duplicate any. He is a Graphic Artist, so he LOVES all of the "drawing/ artist" pins.






At the last minute I realized that I had all my pennies and quarters ready for pressed pennies, but forgot the container to put them in after they are pressed! I used a large Tic Tac container and lots of washi tape.



Off to get some coffee!!!