Princesses, Fanny Packs and the Almighty Dollar - We're going to Disney World again!

[SC_TwiMom]

Hello all! I have been lurking this site for ages and I am excited to finally be posting a pretrip report for our trip coming up May 1-6th at The Contemporary!!!! So excited. We are travelling with my parents (who are also footing the bill for this excursion. I'm so psyched that they will get to share this trip with their grandchildren (ages 2 and 5). First up, since it's Monday and we could all use a little pick me up, here you go:

You're welcome for that . Okay, so now that everyone has had their "Rob fix" on with the introductions.

Me - I am a 31 year old stay at home mom to two adorable kids. DD is 2.5 and DS is 5.5. I am married to a wonderful man who totally takes my Twilight and Disney obsessions in stride with minimal teasing. I have been travelling to Disney World since I was a child, and have been hooked for years. Had a Disney honeymoon in 2003 and took the kids for their first trip back in October of 2008. I am an RN who will be going back to grad school in August to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I love all things Twilight and even dabble in the fanfiction community under the pen name SCMom. I have a little story out there that combines my love of Twilight with my love of Disney:

I would love it if you would check it out. It is available at both www.fanfiction.net and www.twilighted.net. So, I'm also an aspiring writer.

I'm the family photographer, so I'm not in many pictures, but here I am with my kids and the Mad Hatter in 2008:

DH 32 - My husband is wonderfully laid back and fun. He's a machinist who loves hunting, fishing and camping. He has read the Twilight series and even took me to see the midnight showing of New Moon. He's a fabulous daddy who loves his family and takes great care of his family. His favorite Disney ride is Splash Mountain. Here he is with some of my son's friends at a birthday

DS 5.5 - My son is a sweet little cuddle bug who loves Disney as much as I do. He loves to watch the Disney planning DVD over and over again. He loves pirates, drawing, reading and skateboarding. He is so much fun. Here he is:

He got to participate in the Pirate tutorial on our last trip and still talks about it:

DD 2.5 - My daughter is a princess who can hold her own in a group of rough boys. She is a little wild woman who never ceases to amaze us. Her favorite princess is Tiana and she loves playing with her dollhouse, drawing and reading. This will be such a grweat trip for her since she was really too young to get the thorough experience last time. Here she is at her princess birthday

DGF - The kids lovingly refer to my dad as "Glandaddy" He is super fun and loves Disney. His favorite resort is the Contemporary as he has fond memories of bringing my brother and I there as kids. He is a Citadel grad and here he is with my DD before a football game. Go Bulldogs!

DGM - My mom is the sweetest woman on earth and my kids call her NaNa (with a soft a sound). She is a super grandma and has always helped out so much. I don't know what I would do without her, she's the best. She loves Disney and totally "gets" the magic. Her favorite ride is Pirates. She is a dog groomer and LOVES dogs. She does not "get" Twilight, but I'll let that slide . Unfortunately I have no pics of her on my computer right now, so those will have to wait.

So, that's our cast of characters for this little trip. I will update the plans later tonight when the kids are sleeping. Hope to get some readers to share this journey. I promise to throw in lots of pics like this one for your viewing pleasure:

Happy Monday! BTW, sorry most of my pics are so small. I'll try to work on that.

 

[SC_TwiMom]

So, where were we? I introduced you to the cast that will be partaking of the Disney magic and told you that we would be staying at the CR from May 1st-6th. Now can I talk to you about my real life a bit? Specifically that it seems we have left the honeymoon period of home ownership and have plunged head first into the "what have I done?",expensive couple's counseling, dividing up the assets period. I mean seriously, we bought our house in 2003 and have had narry a complaint, until 2 weeks ago when everything started falling apart. The heater's compressor is fried, the kitchen sink/dishwasher is clogged, the oven door is locked and will not open no matter how nicely I ask, The toilet in the downstairs half bath must be plungered to flush everytime my 5 year old forgets not to use it, and to top it all off both of my husband's cars are sick. Whew, but we ARE going to Disney, so we are keeping our chins up and the laughter flowing. I believe a certain cheeseburger loving singer once said that's the one way to avoid insanity. I absolutely love that I am married to a man who can still laugh in the face of stress.

So, I'll start off with our dining plans, because food is fun

Saturday May 1st
Dinner at O'Hana - 5:25pm
I've heard lots of good things about this and I think it is just the thing to start our visit off to a festive start. Really looking forward to trying the bread pudding and watching the kids learn to hula. Anyone been? Is this a good idea?

Sunday May 2nd
MK day
Breakfast either at O'Hana at 7:25 or Chef Mickey's at 7:45. Thoughts? My family our huge Lilo and Stitch fans so I thought O'Hana would be good for that, but we love the classic characters too. Is the food better at one over the other? Need advice on this one.
Lunch at Cindarella's Royal Table at 12:45pm. This one is for the daughter. She loves the princesses, so this will be great. What should we order? The Major Domo thing sounded great. I heard someone mention a choc slipper dessert that can be ordered in advance. Anyone done this?
C/S for dinner

Monday May 3rd
Breakfast in room (my DS is dying to order room service )
DHS in AM
Lunch at Sci Fi Diner at 12:30. I think my son will really like the atmosphere. We used to eat here when I was a kid, so it will be somewhat nostalgic. Any advice on what to order?
AK in Afternoon
Dinner at Boma at 7:00pm. This is one I am really looking forward to trying. I've heard so many good things. And I really want to check out the AKL, and of course, give the zebra domes a try. I've never had one!

Tuesday May 4th
Breakfast at Resort
Epcot day
Lunch at Le Cellier at 1:30. So glad I was able to get this ADR! Really want to try the chedder cheese soup and the chocolate moose
World showcase in afternoon. Then we want to stop by the BC to go to
Beaches and Cream to try our hand at the kitchen sink. Sounds like alot of fun.
Not sure what we'll do tonight. Possible date night for me and the hubby

Wednesday May 5th
Breakfast at Resort
MK day
C/S lunch
My parents will be leaving shortly after lunch, unless I can convince them to stay. We'll see.
Dinner at 1900 Park Fare w/ Cinderella 6:25pm. We ate here for breakfast on our last trip and really liked it, so we wanted to give it a try for dinner. Any thoughts?

Thursday May 6th
Departure Day
We will eat a quick breakfast and basically run around and do everything we really liked. We will leave in the late afternoon, drive for a few hours. Stay the night in GA, and then continue on to SC.

Okay, so that is our tentative plan. I will be adding to it frequently I'm sure. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

 

[scooby9932]

Yay! I found you!

My daughter & I both love the Twilight series! We started reading it when the 1st book came out & were fans long before anyone was talking about it. I'll have to check out the fan fiction site - sounds like fun!

Your family is adorable! Your trip sounds like so much fun & it's great that you all get to go as a big family.

I haven't eaten at many of the Table Service restaurants, but have been for lunch at the Sci-Fi and dinner at 1900 Park Fare. The SciFi Diner is cool - a bit pricey for the fare offered -but the atmosphere is so much fun. It really helps if you have a fun waiter. We did & really enjoyed our lunch there. I believe Somer & I both had the turkey sandwich and cherry cokes.

1900 Park Fare was excellent! We went last year as a surprise for my DD who loves Cinderella & Prince Charming. The stepmother & sisters are a hoot! And Cindy & her prince were both really sweet & spent a good bit of time talking to my DD. The food was excellent. I think it was well worth the price & time it took for this one. Somer was so tickled to meet her very 1st true love - she giggled & blushed the whole time. Quite adorable for a 20 year old to get so excited. Your little princess should have a great time.

I can't wait to hear more about your plans!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Love Twilight!!!! Can't wait to read more about your plans!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Excited to read more!! We are leaving the day you are arriving! My kiddos are 5 and 1(will be 2 for our trip)! Your ADR's look great! I haven't eaten at any of the places you have listed except Beaches n' Cream, they have amazing onion rings and ice cream!!!

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Hurray! I have readers It's kinda funny. Over on the fanfic site we search for reviews and over here it seems so similsr - checking for readers and replys. I love it Okay, so I have to type this up now because my hubby has instituted a temporary "no computer" rule when he is home, and I really need to do some writing tonight when everyone is asleep.

We watched The Proposal the other night. Anyone else seen it? So funny,and Ryan Reynolds is such a cutie. We're watching Post Grad tonight if it would ever finish downloading from iTunes.

Another side note (I'm full of those today huh?) go to youtube and type Twilight - Ginger Kids into the search. This is laugh out loud funny. At least I think so. I used to love South Park and this one episode in paricular. As a redhead I appreciate it even more I think. There are also some other really funny parodies on there.

Oh, and I NEED to throw in a Rob pic, right? Of course. So here you go

Nice Okay, now for my fanfic disclaimer. Read all ratings carefully before reading any fanfic. I don't want anyone to be inadvertently shocked and offended. They're are some great stories out there. I specifically recommend Boycott's and Barflies by vjgm (soon to be published by omnific publishing), and Wide Awake by angstgoddess003. Okay, don't say you haven't been warned .

Dawn, thanks so much for the kind words about my family. I hope you are doing well and that today is a good day Thanks for the info on 1900 Park Fare. I am now more excited about that then CRT. Sounds great. I'm sure we'll love it. Glad you found me. Welcome to all of my readers. Speak up. Say hello or give me advice, random thoughts, etc. I'll chat about just about anything.

No real plan updates for today other then that my kids both talked about dinosaurs nonstop today, so maybe a trip to T-rex cafe? We'll see. Thanks again for your posts and comments!

MWAH! More to come!

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Love Twilight!!!! Can't wait to read more about your plans!!!

WELCOME!!!! So glad you are hear. Your avi is all kinds od adorable I'm excited to read your report as well. More plans to come...

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Excited to read more!! We are leaving the day you are arriving! My kiddos are 5 and 1(will be 2 for our trip)! Your ADR's look great! I haven't eaten at any of the places you have listed except Beaches n' Cream, they have amazing onion rings and ice cream!!!

WELCOME!!!!! I'm excited you are here. How cool that our kids are about the same age. I'm going to head over to read your TR today. We're looking forward to Beaches n' Cream. My husband will be psyched that they have good onion rings

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Hey guises! I actually got some writing done last night! Yay me! I heard a quote somewhere that went like this: "The key to sucess as a writer is 3% talent 97% not being distracted by the internet." So true so true. Anyway, kids both went to bed at 8:00 last night and my husband was sleeping so the house was quiet and no one needed anything from me. I just sat down with my notebook and wrote and wrote while watching The Proposal again. Good night.

So, a writing night means I didn't scour the net for trip stuff, so no more plans at the moment. I know, I know, that's the whole point here, but that's how it goes. How is everyone doing? I'm loving everyone's trip reports.

Well, DD is sick so I am off to the pediatrician. I'll write more later!

 

[scooby9932]

Hey guises! I actually got some writing done last night! Yay me! I heard a quote somewhere that went like this: "The key to sucess as a writer is 3% talent 97% not being distracted by the internet." So true so true. Anyway, kids both went to bed at 8:00 last night and my husband was sleeping so the house was quiet and no one needed anything from me. I just sat down with my notebook and wrote and wrote while watching The Proposal again. Good night.

So, a writing night means I didn't scour the net for trip stuff, so no more plans at the moment. I know, I know, that's the whole point here, but that's how it goes. How is everyone doing? I'm loving everyone's trip reports.

Well, DD is sick so I am off to the pediatrician. I'll write more later!

Woot! for a writing night & no internet distractions. I love to write myself, but the discipline part is so true. We live far out in the boonies, so the only internet available is dial-up, so that's not my distraction. It's usually one of my other hobbies, or lately, sleep. Hard to write when you're sleeping!

I'm sorry to hear your DD is sick. Hopefully the ped will have something to make her feel better real soon.

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Happy Sunday everyone!! Hope everyone has had a great weekend. I feel all kinds of invigorated after a Friday night girls night out with a good friend. We went to this great resturant called Which Wich. OMG I had the BEST French Dip with fried onion straws and motz cheese. Yum. Then we headed next door to see New Moon, again. We giggled about Edward's tweed old man sport coats, Jacobs abs (yum), and poor Jaspers odd wig. He's such a beautiful guy, I just don't get why they did that to him. Here's proof:

And now....

Huh? I don't get it.

Anyway, Saturday I took the kids to a new Dinosaur exhibit at our local museum. They had these huge audioanimatronic dinosaurs, fossils, and a movie. My son announced that he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up. Cool! Sounds like a fun job. Study hard son So, I'm now trying to find some wiggle room in my schedule to fit in a meal at T-Rex cafe. I'm thinking he would love it. Do they serve B/L/D? Anyone been before?

My DD has been sick with an upper respiratory infection so she's not been in the best mood, but she did like the dinosaurs, especially the babies.

My DS has also been lamenting the fact that Spongebob doesn't live at WDW. We may have to figure out a way to add on a one night stay at that Nickelodeon hotel so we can meet "the little yellow guy." It looks like a neat place with the water park and all. My DD would also love to meet Blue and Dora. Anyone been there? Thoughts?

So, that's where we are with the planning. I've been a writing machine this weekend so this post will have to be short. My eyes are burning.

Anyone do anything fun over the weekend? Let me know.

I'll update more this week!

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Okay, so it's been quite awhile since I updated, but I now have lots of new info to share. First, last night I checked my email and noticed a reservation email from Disney. Now, my dad was making the reservations, and up until now I thought we were staying at the Contemporary, and I was excited about that. I open the email and it said.....POLY!!! I immediately started jumping up and down and called my Dad to squeal a hundred thank you's. Seriously, this is my dream hotel and I am so excited to be staying here. It is just so beautiful! So, that's my news. We also had to change dates due to some conflicts, so our new dates are:

Sat. May 15th - May 19th (my parents leave on the 19th, and my family wants to book a few extra days somewhere cheap, so I'll let you know how that goes).

The exciting thing is - May 16th is my birthday! I get to be at Disney World for my birthday and I couldn't be happier. This is really shaping up to be a magical vacation.

So, here are our new plans and ADR's:

Sat May 15th
Depart Columbia SC at 7:30am
Meet the folks in Orangeburg at 9:00am and eat breakfast
Drive 4 hours, then stop for lunch
Drive 2 more hours and arrive at the world around 3:00pm!!!!
Check into the Poly. Explore, swim, dress for dinner
5:25 ADR at O'hana's (never eaten here and very excited.
After dinner hop a monrail to MK and see Spectromagic at 9pm
Race to monorail after Spectromagic and watch fireworks from monrail/poly beach (how cool )
Bed

Sun May 16th -Happy 32nd birthday to me!!!
Breakfast ADR at 7:30 am at Kona Cafe - macadamia pineapple pancakes!!
Hope a monorail to MK - should arrive before rope drop.
Ride ride ride
11:00 am ressie for DS at Pirate League - he is so excited for this!
Lunch at CS and ride some more.
Around 2:00pm back to poly for rest, pool, dress for dinner
Monorail to Epcot
5:20 pm ADR at Princess Dinner at Askerhaus! Yay!
On the way to dinner we will stop by to get a return time for a KimPossible mission.
After dinner explore WS/mission, then say goodbye to parents and kids for me and hubby's alone time at the parks!!

Have a few adult beverages in WS, then hop a bus to Hollywood Studios from evening EMH. Woot!!!
Ride ToT as many times as possible, TSM, Rockin Roller coaster, star tours, etc. Then head back to the hotel.

Mon May 17th
Breakfast ADR at O'hana's at 7:30am to say hey to two of our favorites - Lilo and Stitch. Also, I LOVE Mickey waffles!!!!
Drive our car to Hollywood studios
TSM, Star Tours, hopefully meet Phineas and Ferb, try to do jedi training.
12:00 ADR at Sci Fi Diner
We may take a break and then come back for more!
I love Hollywood studios.
Evening at Downtown Disney. Wolfgang Puck Express, World of Disney and Goofy's Candy Company!

Tuesday May 18th
Wake up and head to Epcot for rope drop. Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space, etc. Stop for Beverly pictures
Lunch at CS or at hotel, then off to Animal Kingdom for evening EMH til 8pm.
Back to hotel for swimming, watch Electric Boat Parade and Wishes from the beach.

Wed. May 19th
Check out of poly
MK with parents. Do everything we loved one more time.
Parents leave. We head to cheap offsite accomodations for at least 2, if not 3 more nights. I'll write more on that when we figure it out!

I'll post later on preparation plans, crafts, etc. Saturday will be our double digit day!

Thanks for reading and celebrating with me. I'll write more tonight!

 

[scooby9932]

Okay, so it's been quite awhile since I updated, but I now have lots of new info to share. First, last night I checked my email and noticed a reservation email from Disney. Now, my dad was making the reservations, and up until now I thought we were staying at the Contemporary, and I was excited about that. I open the email and it said.....POLY!!! I immediately started jumping up and down and called my Dad to squeal a hundred thank you's. Seriously, this is my dream hotel and I am so excited to be staying here. It is just so beautiful! So, that's my news. We also had to change dates due to some conflicts, so our new dates are:

Yay for the Poly! We stayed there last year & it's really beautiful. Plus it's so close to the TTC that using the monorail system is great!

Sat. May 15th - May 19th (my parents leave on the 19th, and my family wants to book a few extra days somewhere cheap, so I'll let you know how that goes).

The exciting thing is - May 16th is my birthday! I get to be at Disney World for my birthday and I couldn't be happier. This is really shaping up to be a magical vacation.

I hope you have the Happiest Birthday ever! Silly me - of course you will - you'll be in Disney! Woot!

So, here are our new plans and ADR's:

Sat May 15th
Depart Columbia SC at 7:30am
Meet the folks in Orangeburg at 9:00am and eat breakfast
Drive 4 hours, then stop for lunch
Drive 2 more hours and arrive at the world around 3:00pm!!!!
Check into the Poly. Explore, swim, dress for dinner
5:25 ADR at O'hana's (never eaten here and very excited.
After dinner hop a monrail to MK and see Spectromagic at 9pm
Race to monorail after Spectromagic and watch fireworks from monrail/poly beach (how cool )
Bed

Sun May 16th -Happy 32nd birthday to me!!!
Breakfast ADR at 7:30 am at Kona Cafe - macadamia pineapple pancakes!!
Hope a monorail to MK - should arrive before rope drop.
Ride ride ride
11:00 am ressie for DS at Pirate League - he is so excited for this!
Lunch at CS and ride some more.
Around 2:00pm back to poly for rest, pool, dress for dinner
Monorail to Epcot
5:20 pm ADR at Princess Dinner at Askerhaus! Yay!
On the way to dinner we will stop by to get a return time for a KimPossible mission.
After dinner explore WS/mission, then say goodbye to parents and kids for me and hubby's alone time at the parks!!

Have a few adult beverages in WS, then hop a bus to Hollywood Studios from evening EMH. Woot!!!
Ride ToT as many times as possible, TSM, Rockin Roller coaster, star tours, etc. Then head back to the hotel.

Mon May 17th
Breakfast ADR at O'hana's at 7:30am to say hey to two of our favorites - Lilo and Stitch. Also, I LOVE Mickey waffles!!!!
Drive our car to Hollywood studios
TSM, Star Tours, hopefully meet Phineas and Ferb, try to do jedi training.
12:00 ADR at Sci Fi Diner
We may take a break and then come back for more!
I love Hollywood studios.
Evening at Downtown Disney. Wolfgang Puck Express, World of Disney and Goofy's Candy Company!

Tuesday May 18th
Wake up and head to Epcot for rope drop. Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space, etc. Stop for Beverly pictures
Lunch at CS or at hotel, then off to Animal Kingdom for evening EMH til 8pm.
Back to hotel for swimming, watch Electric Boat Parade and Wishes from the beach.

Wed. May 19th
Check out of poly
MK with parents. Do everything we loved one more time.
Parents leave. We head to cheap offsite accomodations for at least 2, if not 3 more nights. I'll write more on that when we figure it out!

I'll post later on preparation plans, crafts, etc. Saturday will be our double digit day!

Thanks for reading and celebrating with me. I'll write more tonight!

Wow- you're so close to the world! I would love to live a day's drive from WDW!

Your plans sound great! But wait - What, no love for AK? It's a must do for us. But then I can't say anything as I don't go to DHS as I can't ride the thrill rides & I don't much like the other shows/rides there. That's what is so great about Disney - there's something for everyone!

 

[Cory's Gal]

I am so Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeealous!!! Poly is my dream resort!! I am so happy for you all though and I expect to see LOTS of pictures!!!

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Okay, so it's been awhile, so here's a little Recap and an update:

So, if you've been following along you know that our plans have changed a bit since the first post of the PTR, so I'll just take a moment to bring us up to speed:

May 15th-19th at the POLY!

Cast:

Me: 31 year old SAHM
DH: 32 year old Machinist and avid sportsman - also the love of my life
DS: 5 year old, loves Phineas and Ferb, pirates, Star Wars. My Disney partner in crime
DD: 2.5 years old. Loves to try mommy's patience and get into mischief. Also, very sweet. Loves Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid and Cinderella
DGF: My dad. Lovingly called "glandaddy" by DD and DS. Thinks 4 nights in Disney is a long trip Oh well, he's paying so can't really complain right? Loves golf and mafia movies.
DGM: My mom. Lovingly called "nana" by DD and DS. Favorite ride is Haunted Mansion, but doesn't really ride much. Says most rides make her "head feel funny." Dog groomer who is the sweetest person on earth. I'm so lucky to have her in my life.

We originally were going to try to stay a few more nights, but finances are nausiatingly tight, so we're gonna cram as much magic as we can into our four night trip. If the tax refund fairy pays us a visit, we may revisit this topic...

Tentative Schedule and ADRs

Sat May 15
Arrive at Poly around 3:00pm and check in
Check out hotel/swim
Dinner at 'Ohana at 5:20pm (never been, so really excited)
Hop a monrail to MK after dinner
Maybe ride Splash Mnt, POTC, IASW, Peter Pan and Haunted Mansion (our faves list)
Spectromagic at 9pm (watch from Liberty Square)
Fantasyland during Wishes (I want to ride Dumbo during fireworks)
Back to hotel and to bed

Sun May 16th
Happy Birthday to Me!
Breakfast at Kona Cafe at 7:45 (macadamia pineapple pancakes for me)
Get to MK in time for the opening show (never seen before)
Fantasyland: Dumbo, Peter Pan, Philharmagic, IASW (must do list)
Go meet some fairies (at Toontown at 9:45am)
Barnstormer, Donald's Boat, ride the train to Frontierland?
BTMR and Splash Mnt (ride and get FP for later)
Haunted Mansion
POTC, Jungle Cruise
11:00 appointment at Pirate League for DS
Lunch at Pecos Bills
Tommorowland and use FP from earlier
Back to hotel for a swim/rest
4:00pm Head to Epcot
Pick up KimPossible FP on our way to WS (maybe ride SE if no wait)
Report to Norway for ADR for Princess Dinner
After dinner, do our mission and then explore a little. Part ways about 8:00pm.
Kids and grandparents to hotel, DH and I to HS for evening EMH! My favorite park
Dessert ADR at Hollywood Brown Derby for creme brulee (My favorite!)
Try to ride Tot and Rockin' Roller Coaster as much as possible
Park closes at Midnight, so off to hotel and bed

Mon May 17th
Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch at 'Ohana at 7:30 am
Drive to HS - be there at rope drop (hopefully last nights EMH will = lower crowds today?)
Head to TSMM, hopefully ride standby, get fast passes for later.
Head over to Star Tours and try our luck at lining up for the first Jedi Training Academy at 9:55. Ride Star Tours, and then break out another surprise! Build your own Light Sabers for all three of the boys They will love this.
Try to see either the Voyage of the Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast
Try to convince DS to ride ToT
Get my dad to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster (Get FP for later)
Lunch at Sci Fi Diner
Lights Motors Action at 1:20pm (the girls may sit this one out)
A quick romp in Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground
Get a spot for Block Party Bash
Now, here's where we're iffy. Do we try to go to EMH at AK or just call it a day and do DD tonight and eat at WPE? I'm leaning towards DD.
If DD: Let DD stuff a box of pony stuff and hit Goofy's Candy Company and World of Disney
Back to hotel/ bed

Tues May 18th
Wake up and head to AK? Get there for rope drop. Head for the safari, ride. Then wander around, passes for EE. Festival of the Lion King. Lots of wandering today. Defintely hit the Boneyard, and Kali on the way out. Lunch at QS. Leave around 2pm for a rest/swim.
Head to Epcot tonight. Hopefully stay to see Illuminations. Must do's include: Test Track, Soarin', SE, Mission Space. Then on to WS to wonder a bit, then find a spot for Illuminations. Try to see the candy lady as well.

Wed May 19th
Check out of Poly
Head to MK early and just play it by ear. We'll probably stay late and stay in a motel on the way home to SC. This really doesn't seem like enough time. We really wanted to do water parks, enjoy the resort, etc. Maybe we can come up with the money to extend our trip a bit. The last time my Dad was at Disney was 1993, so he considers 2 days to be a short trip.


Anyway, those are the plans. Please feel free to offer any tips on how toget the most out of 4 days.

I also plan to make cute shirts using some designs from this site, personlized autograph books, journals for the kids, etc.

Oh, and hopefully I can get my DD, mother and I pearls at pick a pearl. I want to order matching pearl cages on ebay so we all have the same one. That's our alternative to Build Your Own Light Saber

So, that's it. I guess it's a bit heavy on the recap and light on the update, but it helped me to type it all up. I know we can't see everything, but it's hard not to want to try, ya know?

Hope everyone is having a great day!!~

 

[SC_TwiMom]

Okay readers, It's been forever since I updated this thing. I will try to be better about that from now on. Here is my news:
1. Tues. March 2 - I was driving my kids to preschool in my trusty white minivan. Kids were screaming in the backseat about god knows what. I turn around to give them the "mommy is about to have an anyerism (sp?), so shut it" look. I turn back around and have time to tap my breaks before slamming into the minivan in front of me at 35 MPH. The kids are crying, I'm checking them for injuries and generally trying to calm them down. I think my son was actually crying because the television mounted to the ceiling came crashing down - he loved that tv . I then go into nurse mode. I grab my stethoscope off the rearview mirror and run to the car that I hit. One guy, about 25 years old. No injuries. Good. There's that at least Anyway, long story short my car now resides in a scrap yard. We don't have collision insurance and it would have cost $3000 to fix it. Yikes. So I'm driving the hubby's Camry and he's driving his truck for now. I'm so thankful for no injuries. Could have been alot worse. Here's the car:

2. Wed. March 3rd: I wake up with fever, body aches and stuffy nose. Ugh. Guess what today is? Yep, GRE day. Joy. I am not about to spend the money for a makeup test, so I trudge off to the university. 3 hours later I trudge out. My scores? A respectible 620 verbal and a not so impressive 540 on math. Who remembers all those formulas from high school anyhow? My scores are good enough to get into the grad program at USC College of Nursing, so I'll take it. Now all that's left to do is wait. There was Mickey mail waiting on me when I got home!!! So that made everything ok, until I crashed into bed and gave into my flu-like illness.
And inside were the customized maps that I ordered. So cute!!

So, anyway that's my crazy life. I'll post more tonight but DS wants to play on PBSkids.com so I'll leave you with a shot of our countdown calander:

72 days to go!!!!!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great day!!!!!

 

[Kelrykengab]

Hurray! I have readers It's kinda funny. Over on the fanfic site we search for reviews and over here it seems so similsr - checking for readers and replys. I love it Okay, so I have to type this up now because my hubby has instituted a temporary "no computer" rule when he is home, and I really need to do some writing tonight when everyone is asleep.

We watched The Proposal the other night. Anyone else seen it? So funny,and Ryan Reynolds is such a cutie. We're watching Post Grad tonight if it would ever finish downloading from iTunes.

Another side note (I'm full of those today huh?) go to youtube and type Twilight - Ginger Kids into the search. This is laugh out loud funny. At least I think so. I used to love South Park and this one episode in paricular. As a redhead I appreciate it even more I think. There are also some other really funny parodies on there.

Oh, and I NEED to throw in a Rob pic, right? Of course. So here you go

Nice Okay, now for my fanfic disclaimer. Read all ratings carefully before reading any fanfic. I don't want anyone to be inadvertently shocked and offended. They're are some great stories out there. I specifically recommend Boycott's and Barflies by vjgm (soon to be published by omnific publishing), and Wide Awake by angstgoddess003. Okay, don't say you haven't been warned .

Dawn, thanks so much for the kind words about my family. I hope you are doing well and that today is a good day Thanks for the info on 1900 Park Fare. I am now more excited about that then CRT. Sounds great. I'm sure we'll love it. Glad you found me. Welcome to all of my readers. Speak up. Say hello or give me advice, random thoughts, etc. I'll chat about just about anything.

No real plan updates for today other then that my kids both talked about dinosaurs nonstop today, so maybe a trip to T-rex cafe? We'll see. Thanks again for your posts and comments!

MWAH! More to come!

I also love Twilight, has a hubby who is not fond of me on the computer and will be in WDW the same time as you! I just did my 1st trip report today so i understand about being excited you have readers!

 

[scooby9932]

Okay readers, It's been forever since I updated this thing. I will try to be better about that from now on. Here is my news:
1. Tues. March 2 - I was driving my kids to preschool in my trusty white minivan. Kids were screaming in the backseat about god knows what. I turn around to give them the "mommy is about to have an anyerism (sp?), so shut it" look. I turn back around and have time to tap my breaks before slamming into the minivan in front of me at 35 MPH. The kids are crying, I'm checking them for injuries and generally trying to calm them down. I think my son was actually crying because the television mounted to the ceiling came crashing down - he loved that tv . I then go into nurse mode. I grab my stethoscope off the rearview mirror and run to the car that I hit. One guy, about 25 years old. No injuries. Good. There's that at least Anyway, long story short my car now resides in a scrap yard. We don't have collision insurance and it would have cost $3000 to fix it. Yikes. So I'm driving the hubby's Camry and he's driving his truck for now. I'm so thankful for no injuries. Could have been alot worse. Here's the car:

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry you had an accident. I sure am happy that no one was hurt, though. That must have been so scary.

2. Wed. March 3rd: I wake up with fever, body aches and stuffy nose. Ugh. Guess what today is? Yep, GRE day. Joy. I am not about to spend the money for a makeup test, so I trudge off to the university. 3 hours later I trudge out. My scores? A respectible 620 verbal and a not so impressive 540 on math. Who remembers all those formulas from high school anyhow? My scores are good enough to get into the grad program at USC College of Nursing, so I'll take it.

Oh, doesn't it just seem to be that way - you have something important to do where you really need your wits about you & that's when a cold likes to strike! But, it sounds like you did just fine. And really, as long as it's good enough to get into the program, who cares about the score? I agree - highschool math formulas are not something you remember. I don't have that kind of space in my crazy head!

72 days to go!!!!!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great day!!!!!

Woo Hoo! Your trip is just around the corner. Time really flies, doesn't it? Seeing yours in days instead of weeks, I decided to figure out how many days we have left - I have only 54 days left until mine! Yeah, baby!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Love the Twilight Saga and Disney...my husband does not get it but the kids do...Tyler (11) was my date for the first night of New Moon...Skye (5) was not happy that cheerleading practice interfered...but she begs for an Edward and Bella Barbie every time we see them...I try telling Tyler that the books are so much better and he did make it though Twilight and the beginning of New Moon but then gave up for now...so who needs Daddy???

Can't wait for the DVD release of New Moon (Skye will finally get to see it), opening day of Eclipse, and the rest of your trip report!

 

[SC_TwiMom]

I'm Back!!

Okay, so I am a total failure at keeping up w/ these things. Nothing extraordinary has happened since I last posted. I've just been lazy. So, here I am.

Gratuitous pictures to make up for my legnthy absense:

I think it's safe to say that I am a wee bit obsessed with Jackson Rathbone these days. Oh weel, I hope you enjoyed the pretty

So, in other Twilight news... If you are a fan of Jackson or Jasper (or both), check out my fic entitled: The Experiment. It is available over at fanfiction.net and I write under the name SCMom. It is rated M so if that bothers you, turn around Seriously, it's not that bad...I don't think. Also, I have a story rec that consistantly blows my mind every week. It's called, Master of the Universe written by the lovely and talented Snowqueens Icedragon. Warning, also an M story and not for the faint of heart. Seriously good though.

Okay, so I guess I need to talk Disney now too huh? We have officially reached the 30's on our countdown calander.

Our Fairy Godmailer sent the kids each a postcard, and guys, my kids went nuts. My son has been sleeping with his for the past week.

We have been doing family Fun Nights on Fridays to countdown. Each week we have crafts, games, food related to a Disney film. So far we have done Up, POTC, The Little Mermaid, Princess and the Frog, and Toy Story. 5 More to go, and they will be: Tinkerbell, Bolt, The Haunted Mansion, A Bugs Life, and Monsters, Inc. Then on the 14th we'll have a big "We're going to Disney tommorow" party.

Things I still need to do:
Make DD's autograph book
Make pressed penny holders
Make Mickey tie dyes
Finish tshirts
Finish planning binder
Decorate mousekeeper envelopes
and lots more, including purchase adorable travel size items and pack!

Oh yeah, my sweet husband and I have been married 7 years. We celebrated this weekend with a night out at the Hilton. WE watched "Pretty Woman" on cable, ordered room service (aka Ruth's Chris Steakhouse) and just enjoyed the quiet and actually being able to talk w/out being interrupted. I have to say, the experience of eating a fantastic steak and creme brulee for dessert while lying in bed watching TV was just amazing. We had a blast. The kids are still asking why we went to a hotel and they went to Aunt Suzanne's house. Hmmm.....

Hope you guys are all doing well. Take care and enjoy the spring weather!