Know where my FAVORITE place in the world is, Mommy? I'm OUTTA HERE!!! Dude OUT!

[camelotcats]

OK, I have been reading enough TR's, and I figured I'd try to write one. (Does EVERYONE start their Tr's like this? Gah, I'm such a cliche.)

So, anyway, I guess I'll continue to follow form and give you the cast list:

DH: Davis - Hunka hunka burning geek (HHBG) 34. Computer Programmer/trader. On-line video game addict. Reads Sci-fi. Puts up with me. VERY understanding guy. Very calm and rational guy. He's an awesome father, and the guy all the "other kids" flock to in pools and on playgrounds. He's my best friend. We've been married 7+ years. SWORE he had had enough Disney at the end of last trip and that he was good for 5 years at least.

DS: Spencer - Whine Boy - 5. Typical gifted kid (Yeah, I'm bragging, it's MY TR, after all) - no atttention span or decision making skills, acts out, easily bored, learns things quickly...A bit of a know-it-all. Sweet and snuggly while being long and SKINNY. Destined to be tall and skinny. We're talking one Bony little dude. STILL sucks his $#*(# thumb. Stubborn yet bright. Very protective of his sister as long as he's not the one fighting with her. His favorite Disney movie is Dumbo, because he LOVES animals, especially baby ones.

DD: Brianna - The Mercurial Princess - 4. rincess: Also gifted, but MUCH more a typical four year old. This one turns on a dime. Gets away with things just by being enormously cute. VERY Bossy, especially towards her brother. Athletic with very good body control. She's a BRUTE. Cannot come home from anywhere without looking like a female Huckleberry Finn. INSISTS on wearing dresses whenever she can (so, basicaly every day that she doesn't have gym). Disney is her FAVORITE place, and she is actually a long lost princess. Just ask her.

ME: Angela - Mid-aged Drama Queen - 30. Stay/work at home mom. I like to think I am not a typical mom, but I SO am. I sew and have a hobby/business making stuff, mostly stuff for the little princess, since everything she sees, she claims. I'm a lousy housekeeper, but a good cook, which is why I need to lose about 30 lbs. I am also a borderline-hoarder. I have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. I have major "Geek Cred", which is one of the reasons DH loves me....I put up with his video game habit. My Mother doesn't even se what HHBG sees in me, but 7+ years later, and here we still are, so I must have SOME good qualities.

The particulars:

When: April 19-26 2008

Where: Wilderness Lodge. Paid up for the Bunk Bed room, because the kids WILL NOT sleep in the same bed on vacation.

Other: we will NOT be on the Dining plan. CASH!

ADR's so Far:
4/19 - Arrive around Noon. ME to WL. Dinner at Whispering Canyon
4/20 - Dinner at Akershus
4/21 - Parent's night out. Kids in Club. Planning on trying to get into Bistro de Paris (Only 30 day ADR)
4/22 - Dinner at Chefs de France (We LOOOOVE French Food)
4/23 - Breakfast at CRT, Dinner at Fulton's Crab Shack
4/24 - Dinner for TWO at Artists' Point. Deciding whether kids will go to club or have in-room babysitting
4/25 - Dinner at House of Blues
4/26 - Flight leaves at 4.

Last Trip to WDW: May 2007 AKL Plat. Plan. 8 days 7 nights. This basically sums up our last trip:

Lots of confusion and irregularities. Example: DD rode BTMR and Splash Mountain, but she was too small for Soarin', Dinosaur, and Tower of Terror...and yes, at three she wanted to ride them ALL.

I think that's enough for now. Comatose, yet? I'll write more later. I like to hear myself type and hog the computer!

Coming up: The lobbying begins and our fate is sealed....

 

[camelotcats]

A quick Run down of last year:

HHBG and I were originally planning on going to London with the kids for a week to visit family for a trip over DS's Spring break from Pre-K. Unfortunately, in February we realised that neither one of us had bought plane tickets. Oops At that point, we really were having problems finding reasonable flights, AND the family member we had planned on staying with decided that, since he hadn't gotten any calls from us telling our plans that we weren't coming, and HE was going scuba diving in the Red Sea without us. DOH!!

So, we looked at each other and decided to plan a different vacation on SHORT NOTICE. As fate would have it, a "Year of A Million Dreams" commercial came on the TV. Well, we decided we could take a hint, and decided to book a trip to WDW.

Not knowing WTH we were doing, we got on the phone with a travel agent. We got a Savannah Room at AKL with bunk beds and got talked into the relatively new Platinum Plan. This later proved to be a huge mistake, as NONE of the CMs we dealt with knew exactly how this worked, we ended up in a number of arguments with snack joints and restaurants about not having any dining credits left, adn we ended up leaving with more than half of our dining credits left over. OOFDA.

Other than the food confusion, we lived it up. WE had decided before this trip that we were going to go all out and get the "get-everything-humanly-possible-plan" and take advantage. fireworks cruise, free babysitting, V&A for Dinner, More character meals than are healthy, etc. Every morning the kdis woke up to new outfits and figurines given to them overnight by "Mickey". We planned parks around ADR's. WE ate more than any 10 people should eat, let the kids tell us where they wanted to go, and generally had a great time. By the end we were wearing our stretchy pants, tired, and Disney-ed out. HHBG said he was "DONE" with Disney, I said he might change his mind later, but he was adamant.

On the plane ride HOME, The kids started the lobbying. It went/goes something like this:

Child: "Mommy, I LOOOVE you"
ME: "I love you too, sweetie"
Child: "You know what I love best about you, Mommy?"
Me: "What, Sweetie?"
Child: "You took us to Disney!"

And/or

Child: "Mommy, you know what my FAVORITE PLACE IS??"
me: "Where Sweetie?"
Child: "DISNEY!! Can we go back tomorrow?"
Me: "No sweetie"

We hear this EVERY DAY. Multiple times a day. DD had a class assignment to pretend she was an apple. When she had to say where she would live, her answer was "On a tree at disney". My kids are obsessed.

This year, when we were planning vacations, HHBG and I had to decide where we wanted to go for the kids 3 main school holidays. Christmas was easy. We have a time share we always go to for new-years. February break we would go to see my family in AZ, also an annual thing. But what to do over Spring break?? We weren't comfortable trying a beach location, we didn't want to travel out of country, we didn't want to stay home, HHBG didn't want to go back to Disney, even though it was SOOOO easy and convenient....hmmmmm.

Then HHBG said something I NEVER thought I'd hear:

"You know, Disney WAS a pretty stress-free and easy vacation, and the kids WOULD love it....hmmmm...what kind of prices would we be looking at for something more budget-conscious?"

OMG! I almost hit the floor!!

SO, I ran numbers. I ran numbers for POP, ASMu, ASMo, AS...err...Sports, and POFQ (Wishful thinking). We asked the kids what their favorite parts of Disney were. DD said "dinner with the princesses" - we added Akershus to the budget. DS said "The bunk beds" ...hmmmm....I priced out WL, FtW, and AKL also.

HHBG refused to even consider the DDP, because he ate too much last trip, we still left with another week's worth of unused meal credits (Even after paying for EVERY person's meal in the restaurant all the last day!), and he felt it was a waste. We're pretty light eaters, anyway, so I'm not sure how much we would save. Most of the meals we got last time were too much for eitehr of us to eat by ourselves....we usually get a single meal and an appetizer to split between us and still have food leftover. So, I took the DDP out of the equation.

I laid everything out on a hand written spread-sheet and presented it to HHBG. He listened, and finally said,

"You know, I loved AKL last time...let's try WL....oh, and while you're booking the trip, see if CRT is available one day for little girl."

And the rest, as they say, is history! Once I got off the phone with a hefty chunk on the Amex, I got out of eyesight and did the Happy dance!! yay! We're going back!!

Now....how would we keep it from the kids??

Up Next: The cat's out of the bag!

 

[camelotcats]

So, Where was I? Ah, Yes. We booked a Woods View Bunk Room at WL. The woman I spoke to couldn't let me know about CRT, so WDW-DINE was the next phone call.

First thing I asked about was CRT. THEY HAD AN OPENING!! Woohoo!! DD STILL doesn't know we're eating breakfast in the castle. Then I made an ADR for Akershus (Because you can never have too many princess pictures)

Of course, i was online looking at restaurants while talking to the operator. While I was setting up ADR's for the rest of the week, DS walks in. He takes one look at my screen and YELLS at the top of his voice "ARE YOU ON THE PHONE WITH DISNEY MOMMY!?!?!?!?!" This of course prompts little girl sprinting into the room, too. So much for the surprise. *sigh*

So now they know. GREAT. Now, along with the above mentioned dialogs, we have added a few. They go like this:

Child: "Mommy, are we going to Disney this weekend?"
Me: "No sweetie, we're going in April"
Child: "When's April?
Me: "4 months"
Child: "That's TOOOO LOOONG Mommy!! I can't wait that long! We need to go NOW!!!"

And:

Child: "Mommy, did you call Mickey and tell him we're coming??"
Me: "Of course I did, Sweetheart"
Child: "Is he getting us presents again this year???"
Me: "probably, Sweetheart"
Child: "Can we go this weekend instead/also?"
Me: "No already!"

And then there's this one from the little Girl:

LG: "Mommy the princesses are my best friends"
Me: "That's good, Sweetie"
LG: " Can I sleep over their house this weekend?"
Me: "Uh....where do they live?" (Stupid question, but I'm always hoping it's "in her room")
LG: "DISNEY, MOMMY! UGH!"
Me: "Well, in that case, No."
LG: "PLEEEEEASE!!!"
Me: "No. Stop whining"
LG: (cue tantrum)

It's not even Christmas yet!! I'm so screwed. We were going to tell them for My birthday in March. Now at my house, it's all Disney all the time (Even more than it was before).

The kids have also put in their orders for clothing. Like I said, last year, "Mickey" gave them new outfits for every day to replace their outgrown clothes. This year, they both want me to MAKE all of their outfits for Disney, and requested that I call Mickey and tell him not to but them outfits, becase I was going to make them. *sigh* That's 16 outfits total.

GAH! HHBG was reading over my shoulder! He wants me to make a Knight costume for DS and a princess costume for LG!! They're sitting right here!! Blackmail!! Now I have to find a sewing pattern for the pink dress Ariel wore to dinner!! GRRR...

Coming soon: HHBG just said he wants to talk to me about our dinner plans...He's changing things already??

 

[camelotcats]

So,. I figured I'd post some pictures from last year's trip"

WE're all about getting wet by getting spit on by animatronics. DS also stood under Stitch at DTD until he got wet, too.

Three seconds later, this lovely shot of hugging and posing turned into head-locking, wrestling, and screaming.

Let's get spit on by the Tiki's, too!!

Jasmine took the goosing like a pro...no wonder DS isn't upset about going back to see the princesses....

Only let children play midway games when you're ready to leave, otherwise they'll win the biggest toy humanly possible and you'll have to schlep it all over the stinking park. *sigh*

Be good, or the dragon'll get ya! Note DD holding the present the cashier in art of disney (Or whatever it's called) gave her for being so darn cute. Ds was TICKED!

 

[jordanyosh]

I can't believe that I'm subscribing to another thread, but here I am....nice PTR so far.

 

[camelotcats]

I can't believe that I'm subscribing to another thread, but here I am....nice PTR so far.

Thanks Jordan! Great to have you!!

 

[camelotcats]

Everything changes!

Ok, so I don't know if I qualify as an OTP (Obsessive Trip Planner)...I have no binder, just a yellow piece of paper off of a legal pad. Yes, I have Disney's ADR number memorized, but hello?? who doesn't? It's just 408-WDW-DINE! Yes, we are 4+ months out, and I had all my ADR's except one made, and CRT planned and paid for, and I am already planning clothes for the kids, but I have to MAKE THEM first, and I would really like to sleep in April!

So, like I mentioned in the Last Post, HHBG told me he wanted to talk to me about the trip. A little info: HHBG NEVER preplans ANYTHING. If it was up to him, we'd pack the night before and buy whatever we forgot after we got there, walk in to all restaurants, and just go with the flow. Fortunately, our last trip to WDW showed him that my planing a bit, well obsessively, was a GOOD thing.

So anyway....

HHBG comes up to me and mentions a few problems we had last year, namely multiple melt downs and falling asleep of children in restaurants at dinner, leading to a lot of "to-go" boxes and cold dinners in the room.

The two nights out we had and used the free babysitting (yeah "free" as part of WAY OVERPRICED PACKAGE), the kids LOVED it. Every night after the first night out (Which was day three of eight), they begged to be left back at the room for dinner. So, we knew we were doomed every night to whiney, tired grumps at dinner. *sigh*

For this trip, I THOUGHT I had this problem covered:

This trip, I made ADR's early to try to avoid the melt downs, and I scheduled 2 nights out for grown ups only. In the real world, my kids are usually in bed at 8 and asleep as soon as we can get them to stop shrieking across the hall at one another and quiet down. They start to get grumpy around 7:30. 7pm ADRs were BAD so I didn't make a single ADR after 6:15.

NOW HHBG mentions the Kids club at WL. The kids had been told about this and were BEGGING to stay there....HHBG said, and I quote

"Why not put the kids in the club every night and have dinners just for us?"

WHAT!?!?!

I thought the whole point of the trip was to spend time together!!

HBG pointed out that our kids prefer some rest in the evenings, and even at home, NEVER eat dinner. They'll eat more breakfast than a starving Professional football team, and fall on lunch like a pack of wild dogs, but when it comes to dinner: *pick pick pick*

Well, I ran the idea by the kids, and asked them if they wanted a babysitter, to go to dinner at night with mommy and daddy, or to go to the kids club at night? The answer: KIDS CLUB!! Apparently, my 5 year old needs his computer game fix, adn DD needs her disney movies, and NEITHER of them likes restaurants for dinner.

SO, now I have to get back on the phone!! Must re-call disney and change all ADRs to later times!!! Must schedule dinner time to see how long I have to put the kids in clubs! Must figure out how much this is going to cost! Gah!!

After I figure this all out, I will post a revised schedule. probably it'll look pretty similar, but the ADR's will be for later in the evening, so we have time t drop the kids at the club and get to dinner.

Covering my bets hedge: I am keeping all previously plannes reservations for 4...for FOUR. Watch as the little stinkers change their minds and want to come along for dinner. I can always change the reservations that week. Not like we're on the DDP, right?

UP Next: The OTP bug bites another DISer...but will it be ME??

 

[jordanyosh]

You down w/ OTP?

Binders don't make an OTP. It's a state of being and you have it in spades. The fact you are already taking a possible change of mind by your kids is a sure sign....

 

[camelotcats]

You down w/ OTP?

Binders don't make an OTP. It's a state of being and you have it in spades. The fact you are already taking a possible change of mind by your kids is a sure sign....

SHHH!! Don't let the secret out!! I need to keep my "low-maintenance" facade up!

 

[camelotcats]

So, I have spent the entire holiday weekend alternately playing CandyLand, reading kiddie books, and reading other people's TRs and PTRs. I went from 3 subscriptions to TWELVE this weekend!! I love reading other TRs!

I did notice some trends to the TRs. Many discussions involving strollers, bags, crocs, and matching tee-shirts. Well, you ain't gonna find none of that HERE. We don't roll like that!

That's right! When we go to the parks, we wear sneakers or walking sandals! (Ok, the kids like their last-year purchase of disney crocs, but they don't like walking long distance in them, so ha!)

My kids are 4 and 5. Last year, they were 3 and 4. They had NO STROLLER and were FINE! Why change this? This is probably helped by the fact that we live 10 minutes from the Bronx zoo, and we practically live there in the summer, so the kids are pretty used to hoofing it every weekend while mommy and daddy try to tucker them out.

No matching Tee-shirts. HHBG told me he will go naked first. Also, little girl will only wear hand-made dresses, so tee-shirts are a no-go.

And FINALLY: NO BAGS!

Yes, you read that right, NO BAGS. None. We hate getting bags checked. I have back issues, and can't carry a bag around the park, so HHBG ends up hoofing it around. It ends up in the way on rides and inevitably gets left somewhere. so, NO BAGS!

No, we will repeat what was the best Amusement park idea we have ever had: Cargo pants!

Yes, those wonders of engineering and design, cargo pants. They'll hold everything you really need, AND don't have to be checked by security! Just stock up on sample/purse sized necessities like sunblock, baby wipes, etc. The pockets on my cargo pants hold more than my daily purse, I swear! AND both HHBG and I will be wearing them, so double storage!! BONUS!

Soon: How to avoid going overweight on luggage OR How not to do what we did last year! OR we STILL have leftover Disney snacks, and it's NOVEMBER!

 

[camelotcats]

Hmmm....I wonder if making the kids walk everywhere contributed to the dinner melt-downs??

Oh well, hindsight is 20-20 and all that.

 

[camelotcats]

Luggage Luggage, who's got the Luggage!?!?

So, more about last year (bet you didn't know you were getting a mini TR in this PTR didja??)....

ANYWAY!

LAst year, as I mentioned earlier, we booked our trip about three weeks out. The day after I booked our trip, I hit barnes adn Noble and ought every Disney travel book I could find. Frommers? Check! Birnbaum? Check! Disney for Dummies? CHECK! Unofficial Disney Guide? Check! Zagat Disney? Seriously? Oh, right, CHECK! ten OTHER mostly worthless disney guide books?? CHECK!

I read and read again. I found allears and wdwinfo. I SAW the DIS, but blew it off! How could a chat board really help? (Yes, I'm a dimwit, sue me).

I started packing almost immediately. I felt like a rebel for deciding not to bring a backpack. We were flying, and decided we would only get strollers if necessary. I downloaded a packing list that was FOUR PAGES LONG and actually tried to follow it!

HHBG announced that, even though we were using ME, he wanted us to try to pack everything in one checked bag and 2 carryons. Of course, we used the BODYBAG (Aka Orvis' magnaduffle!) We could smuggle my sister into WDW in this bag, hence the nickname. The challenge was staying under weight. Well, we made it...JUST....going THERE. NOT going home. Nope, going home required an emergency gift shop bag purchase and the repacking of almost 20 lbs. of souveniers and junk.

OOPS!

This year (next year), we are checking 2 bags, one for HHBG and Me, one for the kids.

With all the "essentials" I packed last year (Earlier this year?), we used so little of them, I was embarrassed.

We packed snacks...and ate almost none of them....then brought them home and forgot about them!

WE brought games...and played none of them.

We brought a veritable medicine cabinet....and used 3 Advil and the bodyglide.

We brought ponchos....and forgot them the night it rained.

We brought special cups and glow bracelets and such...and ended up buying "special ones" while we were there.

FORGET IT! Not this time! This time, I am packing just like I do for every other trip, with the exception of one extra pair of good walking shoes, and travel sized just-about-everything.

WAIT A MINUTE!!

AM I ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT WHAT I'M PACKING FOR A TRIP THAT IS 147 DAYS AWAY!?!?! GAH!! I AM AN OTP!!

Well, now that I'm out of denial, I guess I should go plan what outfts I am making LG.

UP SOON: Did I ever get off of my Duff and reschedule those darn ADR's?? (not yet, as of 6pm EDT 11/25)

 

[camelotcats]

SO, Is it wrong that I have four family vacations already planned and yet I am secretly hoping that HHBG gets me a kid-free long-weekend trip to WDW for Christmas? I'd even go with my mother....or broke sister....

I have a problem.

Hi, I'm Angela....I'm an OTP.....

 

[camelotcats]

Things I need to do this week:
1. Mail Christmas presents to nephew in Japan
(1a. Oh yeah, BUY Christmas present for Nephew in Japan).
2. Bring Christmas stuff upstairs from basement and prepare to set up this weekend
3. Do about 3 million loads of laundry.
4. Clean house in preparation for surgery.
5. Dig kid's rooms out from under their messes, pack up any summer clothes that might fit next year (I didn't do this yet!?!), and cull all "too small" fall and winter clothes.
6. Make appointment for cats to get rabies shots before Dec. 20.
7. Make the 5 quilts I promised "Project Linus" and have ready for delivery on Monday.
8. Drop off/pick up HHBGs drycleaning and shirts
9. Buy groceries for the week
10. Christmas shopping.
9. Pay bills

Did I do ANY of that today? YES! Yes, I did. I did the drycleaning run, ran 2 loads of laundry and paid bills. You know, the easy stuff...Screw the 5 quilts I haven't even stsarted that need to be delivered in 7 days...They'll be a breeze!!

What did I do when I was supposed to be quilting/cleaning/doing chores??

I got on the phone with Disney and changed my ADRs. ALL of them. We are mostly still eating in the same places, but now about 30-60 minutes later. Most ADRs are for after 6:30.

I did wimp out and not schedule the club yet. I am still trying to figure out timing on that.

The NEW schedule!

4/19 - Arrive around Noon. ME to WL. Dinner at Whispering Canyon (same)
4/20 - Dinner at Akershus (same)
4/21 - Parent's night out. Kids in Club. Flying Fish Cafe.
4/22 - Currently Dinner at Chefs de France, trying to change to Bistro de Paris at 30 day mark and see fireworks. Yes, I have set the alarm on my phone.
4/23 - Breakfast at CRT, Dinner at Fulton's Crab Shack
4/24 - Dinner for TWO at Artists' Point.
4/25 - Dinner at House of Blues
4/26 - Flight leaves at 4.

All lunches will either be walk-up or CS. I don't eat breakfast, so DHa nd kids will have granola bars and fruit int he room....maybe they'll head down for CS. We like to hit the parks early, since everyone BUT ME in my family are morning people.

Usually, we eat light in the rooms, go to the park, then stop after about an hour and grab a snack or bite. The kids are usually tired and whining by 2 or 3, so we head back and hit the pool. This year, we might get to see more fireworks (Kids fell asleep during Wishes and Illuminations last year...yes, they slept THROUGH fireworks!!)

I am TRYING to be less OTP, and not plan which park we go to on which day, though if I have anything to say about it, we will be at Epcot on Sunday before the princess dinner.

Also, I am about half way through the first DISNEY DRESS (HA! No quilt for you!)! I have this beautiful blue fabric that is on a roll. I am making a Cinderella dress. I worked on it for about an hour today after HHBG got home, and I think I have about another hour of sewing time and probably an hour of embroidery time left on the machine. I'm pretty excited about it, and if it goes well, it's going to be a blueprint for future dresses. DD LOVES the spin.

I also have a 101 Dalmations dress with some VINTAGE fabric in planning stages. I promise pics as soon as they are done!

Now, I just need to hope for more growth spurts like the one they had this month. I don't want this to be DD on Space Mountain in April:

GROW GROW GROW!!

Coming Soon: My kids are not normal children....

 

[jordanyosh]

You are a talker...............

We too are the no backpack types.....No crocs either. I'm vain that way. I'd rather have blisters than wear them.

 

[camelotcats]

You are a talker...............

We too are the no backpack types.....No crocs either. I'm vain that way. I'd rather have blisters than wear them.

I know. I have diarrhea of the fingers.

I don't even own a pair of crocs. I just don't like how they look, and they make people shuffle when they walk. I don't wear flip flops anywhere but the beach, pool, or pedicurist either, though. I'm just vain, I guess. I'm so heavy, I don't like how most clothes fit on me, so I am very picky about my shoes and jewelry. I KNOW you were interested in that!!

Anyway, thanks for being here. You're my lone reader...other than DH who reads over my shoulder and corrects me when I type. *sigh*

 

[jordanyosh]

Be patient with the posters. I felt like was alone for the first week or two. It takes awhile. You are a great and funny writer. It won't be long before people find your report. Keep writing, I'm here...

 

[camelotcats]

My Kids are NOT NORMAL!

Ok, a little more background on my kids, to help explain some of my thinking:

DS 5:

Contrary to what you may think from this picture, my son is a very timid child. He won't watch CyberChase because it scares him. He is also pretty bad about spatial relationships. Every 2-3 months he does somehting like run head first into a wall/doorjam or slam himself on a bookcase. We've had him checked out, but there's nothing wrong with him, he's just a klutz. The Dr thinks he just gets distracted by what's going on around him, so he doesn't look where he's going.

He's the little kid who rams into you, right after you hear "LOOK OUT!" yelled by some random woman. Then he apologises (after I....errr...that woman tells him to), and that woman who yelled turns bright red and apologises also. He'll then run off, just to stop dead to right in front of some big guy, lay down on the ground with his thumb in his mouth, and announce he's tired and can't walk anymore. He also tells me on a daily basis that he HATES princesses and girls.

HOWEVER, when we go to Disney, he changes out that personality for his "disney" personality. At Disney, the timid little boy rode ToT TWICE. He loved Stitch's Great escape (Especially since we sat in the "get spit on" chairs), he rode everythign we took him on and loved it. We ate at Akershus, and he was out of his chairs and hugging princesses faster than his little sister. The whining was reduced, adn he was a great little boy to be around.

DD 4:

The little girl/princess is a stubborn little Brute. At home, it's her getting in trouble for taking back, acting out, yelling, throwing fits, etc. She gets more filthy than her brother. She's loud and brash. My FOUR YEAR OLD LITTLE GIRL passes gas and belches like a frat boy. She's the one to start the wrestling matches with her brother. She's always bossing him around, too, but she doesn't let anyone else mess with him, that's HER JOB. At home, right now, she refuses to wear anyting but handmade dresses....course this started at Disney in May....

The Princess at Disney is Daddy's little girl. She wants to walk with Daddy. She wants to hold daddy's hand. I might as well be dog poo at Disney when Daddy's around. At home, she's pretty equal with her affections...at Disney, nope. Note:

We had to fight with her to let me hold her in family pics, since her brother is too heavy for me to carry for very long with my back issues, but again, at Disney, she was VERY WELL BEHAVED. I swear, we take the pod children to Disney. At home, they're psychotic.

So, you ask, WHY do I mention this?? (Other than a perverse desire to type until my hands hurt??)

Well, when we have VERY WELL BEHAVED Children (VWBC) at Disney, the VWBC tend to find Daddy's soft and generous side, and get lots of presents. LAst year, we were very generous because they were so well behaved everywhere but at dinner. I KNOW they're counting on this again.

To allow for another attack of the Pod Children, I have already started a "Presents at Disney" account. I started it at the 150 day mark. Every day, DH and I drop our spare change (that isn't quarters) into a giant pretzel barrel/jar. One week before we go, we will take the change to the bank and convert it into spending $$. I am also getting some stuff together to sell on eBay, and I know my parents and ILs are gettign the kids "disney" dollars in their Christmas stockings. They're going to have so much money, they're going to have to SHARE with mommy and daddy. :lol:

The problem is, THEY KNOW IT! They're already telling em what they're getting at Disney! Gah! However, we keep reminding them that they only get things when they're good, because when they misbehave we won't reward them by buying presents. We even tease them by watching Disney Travel Channel on Demand at night before bed. They're allowed to watch one show each before bed, adn they have been choosing that!!

NOOOO...We're not obsessed. We don't have TWO vacations before Disney that we have to go on. Nooo....

Actually, the otehr two vacations are easy. They're both annual trips, and everything's pretty much planned and simple. One's to a timeshare, so we just had to have flights and car rental set up....we know what to expect. The other's a family visit, so they're pretty much planning FOR US (Bonus). Again, just needed flights and car rental. SO I can focus ALL MY ATTENTION ON DISNEY!!

All I need now is a binder....

Up Soon: You want me to make you WHAT!?!?!

 

[irene_dsc]

Ok, I am loving your PTR! I've read a bunch, but I needed a dose of family-of-4 PTR, lol. This is going to be our 1st WDW trip, so I have no idea how my kids are going to react - but my 3.5 y/o dd has been asking daily when we are going on vacation. Fortunately, we only started planning this a few weeks ago!

I'm loving the idea of cargo pants, btw. Alas, while I have cargo shorts, I do not have any cargo pants or capris. I may need to acquire some...

 

[camelotcats]

Ok, I am loving your PTR! I've read a bunch, but I needed a dose of family-of-4 PTR, lol. This is going to be our 1st WDW trip, so I have no idea how my kids are going to react - but my 3.5 y/o dd has been asking daily when we are going on vacation. Fortunately, we only started planning this a few weeks ago!

I'm loving the idea of cargo pants, btw. Alas, while I have cargo shorts, I do not have any cargo pants or capris. I may need to acquire some...

Welcome Irene!

Cargo shorts work if they have good sized pockets. The big thing is the pockets. I hauled around a diaper bag for 3.5 years before both kids were reliably potty trained (they're 12 months and 2 days apart), and I HATED it! Half the time, I don't even carry a purse, so I'm used to not carrying a lot with me...travel advil, lip balm, a few individual wipes, and my wallet, and I'm set, lol.

I recommend the Disney for families and the disney tips boards for help with anything you need to know. When we went the kids we excited and a bit overwhelmed. We couldn't stay in the parks too late, and we missed most of the fireworks, as the kids fell asleep at the few shows we tried to go to.

Anyway, welcome to my gregarious post!