Details, Details, Oh how I LOVE the Details! UPDATE 5/30

[ksl5f123]

Now that I have my daily plans done, I have turned my attention to making the kids welcome baskets. Here are the things that will be in DD6’s basket:

Starting at the upper left corner, it contains her clipboard for holding her autograph cards, glow bracelets, a backpack that you can color, Minnie, some princess tattoos, her lanyard with 6 pins, 10 lollipops with 3 of them decorated, a flashlight, a misting fan, a Minnie hat, and her photo album to put in pictures and the signed autograph cards.
It will also contain her Tiana shirt with hairbow.

I am going to add a little note from Tiana welcoming them to POR.

Here is a close-up of the Minnie, Mickey, and Winnie the Pooh lollipop covers. DD4 and I had a blast making these!

Here is what it looks like all put together.

It will also contain some Jibbitz for her new crocs, but I forgot to put them in the picture. She has a Mickey, Minnie, Winnie the Pooh, and Aurora ones.

 

[ksl5f123]

With all of the planning, I never got around to posting about our Tinkerbell party. It was awesome!!!! First, the movie is really cute. None of us had ever seen it before and we all really enjoyed it. DD4 was a little upset that the one fairy wearing purple (Vidia) isn’t very nice to Tinkerbell. She is obsessed with the color purple and loves anything purple, so she wanted to love Vidia.

Here is a picture of the table:

As you can see, I served almost all of the food in Tinkerbell cupcake wrappers. The menu was diced strawberries, diced cheese, corn, peas, diced grapes, piccolini, a couple of different appetizers (the pouch looking one contained southwestern style chicken and the little pie looking one contained Mediterranean vegetables), and mini cupcakes = TINY FOOD! There are four larger cupcakes in the middle of the little ones on which I used white icing to write "TINK". Everyone loved it.

The runner on the table is left over Tinkerbell fabric from dresses that I made from the girls. For the pixie dust, I used various sided gold star confetti. (Thanks for the reminder!) The flowers are azaleas from our garden that the girls picked before dinner.

 

[lexmas]

subbing, I'll get caught up when I get a minute!

 

[ksl5f123]

lexmas!!! Glad to have you along!

 

[ksl5f123]

I finished up our clothes shopping for the trip today. I got DH 3 pairs of shorts and some water shoes, sandles for me, water shoes for DD4, and pajamas for DS1. I spent about $80, but we will use everthing for more than just the trip. Hopefully, I will get it all washed up on Monday and add it to my ever expanding suitcase!

I also picked up the cute plush Buzz Lightyear that is currently $5 at Kohls. I intended him to be for DS1, but DD4 has kidnapped him.

We leave in 3 weeks!

 

[lexmas]

Oh my, that was a lot! I'm glad I'm here for the end stages of your planning, anyway!

I LOVE the flashbacks. I may need to do that myself!

The clothes are all so cute! Is it hard to make hairbows? You may have me planning... (is that bad considering DD doesn't have much hair yet? Certainly not enough for a hairbow!)

Did you ever figure out the DVD player thing? I have no suggestions, I was just wondering. We keep our kids rearfacing too, and I wouldn't want to turn them around either. But that's a long ride without anything to do!

I love the gift basket, it's adorable!

The meals are so cute too...really creative! I think DS would love something like that! But, knowing him, he would start expecting me to make all his food like that!

Can't wait to see what else you have left to do! You're getting close!

 

[ksl5f123]

Oh my, that was a lot! I'm glad I'm here for the end stages of your planning, anyway!

I am so glad to have you along!!

I LOVE the flashbacks. I may need to do that myself!

Thanks! They were really fun to write. I enjoyed thinking about how much WDW has changed and it really helped me to focus on what I want to do the same and differently this trip.

The clothes are all so cute! Is it hard to make hairbows? You may have me planning... (is that bad considering DD doesn't have much hair yet? Certainly not enough for a hairbow!)

The hairbows are really easy. It takes me about 15 minutes to make one. There is a great thread on the Family board about how to make them. You could always attach the bow to a headband for your DD.

Did you ever figure out the DVD player thing? I have no suggestions, I was just wondering. We keep our kids rearfacing too, and I wouldn't want to turn them around either. But that's a long ride without anything to do!

I am happy to hear that others leave their kids rear facing too. It is a real bone of contention between me and my mom. We have come up with a solution that we think will work. We are going to split the A/V cables coming out of the player and add a third screen for DS. We were able to pick up a 7" portable TV from JCPenney last week for $49 that has A/V input jacks. I am a little concerned because it is intended to pick up a tv signal through the air and clearly states that it does not work when in motion, but we are hoping that means that it can't get a signal when in motion but could display a signal from a DVD player. (boy, that was a long and confusing sentence - sorry)

I love the gift basket, it's adorable!

The meals are so cute too...really creative! I think DS would love something like that! But, knowing him, he would start expecting me to make all his food like that!

Thanks again! I am having a lot of fun making the gift baskets. The parties have been great fun. We all really look forward to them.

 

[ksl5f123]

It has been such a busy week! DD4 finished preschool on Wednesday. DD6 has 6 more days of 1st grade and we leave in 2 weeks!! We did some more shopping today. We picked up a camera bag for the new camera we got on Christmas! I couldn't imagine carrying the camera for our whole trip without a bag.

One of the things I have been working on this week is finishing up the kid's welcome baskets. I have already shown you DD6's. DD4's is similar except everything is purple and Snow White. Here are the different things:

And here is the basket all put together:

Here are the things for DS1. He has a Cars cup, a Buzz flashlight and a Mickey photoalbum/autograph book.

And here is what it looks like all put together:

Also this week, we had our Alice in Wonderland party (the animated version). For supper, we had a tea party with tea sandwiches, fruit, and apple tea (the same one they serve at Disneyworld! ) with un-birthday cake for dessert. Here is the picture of the table:

I am the only member of our family who had seen this movie before. Apparently, it wasn't thrilling for DH - he fell asleep about 1/2 way through. The girls watched it, but I think they were pretty confused. It is the only movie we have watched during our party nights that the girls haven't asked to watch again the next day. I think it is just a little too odd for them.

 

[lexmas]

The welcome baskets look great! I love all that snow white stuff...snow white is hard to come by!

Your DS's basket looks great too. My DS has that hat (well, one very similar to it) and he loves it. He wore it for 4 months straight after my dad died, slept with it and everything. So I've seen it often! I may be relieved to not be seeing it so much anymore, if you know what I mean. Of course, now he has a hat with spiderman eyes, which isn't much better!

Can't believe it's two weeks until you go! I bet you're excited! Are you packed, or do you at least have a packing list going? Care to share? (I love packing lists!)

 

[ksl5f123]

The welcome baskets look great! I love all that snow white stuff...snow white is hard to come by!

Thanks! It is hard to find Snow White stuff. I am not quite sure why. It seems that she is really popular with the youngest girls.

Are you packed, or do you at least have a packing list going? Care to share? (I love packing lists!)

I have about half of our stuff packed. I do have a master packing list. I will gladly share if I can figure out how! My list is an excel file that I use for all trips. I plug in the number of days at the top and it tells me what to bring (yes, I am a geek!)

 

[lexmas]

I have about half of our stuff packed. I do have a master packing list. I will gladly share if I can figure out how! My list is an excel file that I use for all trips. I plug in the number of days at the top and it tells me what to bring (yes, I am a geek!)

Okay, that's completely amazing! I don't think it would be possible to post that...if I PM you with my e-mail address will you e-mail it to me? Now I'm more intrigued than ever!

 

[ksl5f123]

9 days until we leave!!!!! Everything is going by so fast! We had our last party last night. We watched Robin Hood. I didn't take any pictures, but I decorated the table with a green table cloth and branches from the maple tree in our yard. For supper we had stew, corn (which DD6 insisted looked like gold), and strawberry shortcake. DD4 is re-watching the movie now, so she must have liked it.

Lexmas, I would be happy to email you the packing list. Here is just a list of "things" to bring with out the # of each.

Overnight bag - things we will need to bring into the hotels along the drive -
shirts, pants, underwear, diapers, diaper wipes, pajamas, dress, skirt, dress pants, dress shoes, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, contact solution, contact case, glasses, hairbrush, hairband/bow, medicine, razor, makeup bag, jewelry bag, shampoo, conditioner, soap

swim bag - swimsuit, swim diapers, sunscreen, beach towel, goggles, swim shoes, swim toys

Main suitcases - this is all of the stuff for while we are at the resort - shirts, shorts, underwear, socks, hairbands/bows, diapers, diaper wipes, pajamas, sunscreen, Crocs, Tide, bra, hat, nail clippers, baby wash, comb, GAD voucher, birth certificate, AAA card, camcorder?, camcorder recharger, video tape

Food - things to bring - oatmeal, poptarts, banana bread, muffins, apple juice boxes, Diet Coke, Crystal Light packets, Kool-Aid, Cinnamon toast Crunch, peanut butter, cookies, crackers, water
- things to buy at a grocery store in Orlando - bananas, grapes, apples, milk, bread, bagels, cheese, wine

park bags - autograph cards, clipboard, sunblock, umbrella, hat, camera, mister fan, Sharpie, cell phone, moleskin, poncho, stroller cover, ziplocs, extra clothes, flashlight, chapstick, pins, sunglasses, batteries, towels, diapers, diaper wipes, voucher book, planning notebook, tissues, washcloths, meal packs, earplugs

For the room - shoe organizer, clothes pins, pop-up hamper, lysol wipes, mousekeeping tips, write-on/wipe off boards, nightlight, oust/febreeze, wine bottle opener, wine bottle stopper, cups/plates/bowls, paper towels, plastic utensils, cell charger, camera charger, quarters, power strip, milk crate

In the car - DVD players, Leapsters, Leapster cartridges, car bingo, maps, surprises for kids, strollers, tube style lawn chairs, cooler, chess game

Other girls dresses for BBB, ADR invites, plush to decorate room, trip journal for DD6, glowsticks/bracelets, kid's welcome baskets

Anybody see any glaring omissions? I am always worried that I make these big long lists and then forget the simplest stuff!

 

[lexmas]

That is quite the list! I don't think I could tell you if you missed something, it's so much! I will PM you my e-mail anyway, because I need to see this in spreadsheet form!

Robin Hood sounds fun! I keep laughing about your DD thinking the corn looked like gold. So funny!

I can't believe you leave so soon. Are your kids going crazy with anticipation? (Are you? I would be! )

 

[ksl5f123]

OK, call me crazy, but with 8 days until departure I am considering changing our itinerary. Here is the current version with the possible changes in bold.

6/7 arrival day - Epcot - 5:20 at Tutto Italia - arrive at Epcot around 3 to see more of World Showcase
6/8 - AK - no change
6/9 - princess day - MK for BBB and CRT - Epcot for Akershus - no change
6/10 - DTD and AK or waterpark - no change
6/11 - Epcot FW - Seaworld
6/12 - MK - no change
6/13 - SWW and date night - no change
6/14 - 7 AM Chef Mickey - 9 AM to 11 AM - MK - hop to Epcot 12:15 Storytime - 5:55 Coral Reef - no MK, go straight to Epcot after CM, stay until after storytime, break at resort, return for dinner and evening stuff
6/15 - DHS - no change
6/16 - Seaworld - MK

What do you think? Am I crazy?

 

[lexmas]

I think that moving Seaworld to the middle of your trip is a great idea. You don't want to be wishing you were at WDW while you're at Sea World on your last day, and you won't feel that way in the middle.

I think the Epcot day seems a lot simpler this way, without all the jumping around.

I say go for it, I think the changes are great!

 

[TinksThree]

I'm with lexmas! The changes are "minor". Seaworld in the middle and ending the trip with MK sounds like a good plan!

I had to share your packing list with DH...he thought I was crazy having mine. It was great showing him I am not the only one!! We have most of the same things!

 

[ksl5f123]

Thanks for the input everyone!!! I needed that vote of confidence. The more I think about it the more I like the new plan.

I had to share your packing list with DH...he thought I was crazy having mine. It was great showing him I am not the only one!! We have most of the same things!

My DH thinks I am crazy too. If it were up to him we would throw some clothes and toothbrushes in a suitcase Friday night and be ready to go. But he always appreciates when he needs something mid-trip that he didn't expect needing that I have packed it!

 

[ksl5f123]

We are getting so close now! This weekend we have done a few things to get ready.

Yesterday, DH, DD6, and I all got haircuts. DH has very curly hair and in the Florida humidity it gets really BIG if he doesn't keep it short. DD6 wears bangs that were down into her eyes so we got her an all around trim. I used to color my hair (stopped about 2 years ago). Last year I cut 14" off of my hair, but still had about 2 inches at the bottom that were a different color from the rest. I got those cut off yesterday, so my hair is finally all one color again.

I have been doing a little more shopping (I can't seem to quit!). Yesterday,I picked up a battery operated clip-on fan for DS1's stroller ($9) and some light up toys ($5 each) that I stuck Buzz Lightyear stickers on at Walmart. I also picked up some really thin cotton fabric ($7.50) that I will use to line the girls' princess dresses to reduce the "itchiness". Today, I picked up another case of water at Walgreens ($2.50). I now have enough water for each of us to get a new bottle every day.

Last night, DD6 and I packed all of the stuff on my "for the room" list except for the money. I will need to go to the bank on Tuesday for quarters laundry and small bills for tips.

Hopefully tonight, if I can stay focused, I will finish my planning notebook. I have to finish the plans for the final two days and redo a couple of things that I have changed recently.

 

[lexmas]

Less than a week to go!

Sounds like your plans are all coming together.

Oh, how I know about not being able to stop buying all those little things for the trip! Oh well, it's the little things that make it all come together.

Hope you finished your planning notebook!

 

[TinksThree]

My DH thinks I am crazy too. If it were up to him we would throw some clothes and toothbrushes in a suitcase Friday night and be ready to go. But he always appreciates when he needs something mid-trip that he didn't expect needing that I have packed it!

Men!! That is exactly how mine is! He will pack as we are laoding the car!!

Hopefully tonight, if I can stay focused, I will finish my planning notebook. I have to finish the plans for the final two days and redo a couple of things that I have changed recently.

I am about to wrap up my planning book as well! I am laminating my plans soon! I am such a nerd but last year we rode Kali River and our plans were in my pocket...they were useless after that!! I saw someone that had laminated their's and thought that is what I will do next time!!

Can you believe it is only 5 days away!!