Planning for Disney

With the hubby busy getting his Masters (and shelling out the bucks for it), we’re holding off on our usual once (or twice) annual trip to Disney World this year.  It’s hard!  What can I say, I’m spoiled! I should really be avoiding anything Disney right now so I won’t be reminded what I’m missing….

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Planning for Disney

Disney in Review - Making It Special

Beyond the packing of the clothes and sunblock, I feel it’s my job as Mom to make our trips memorable and special.  To that end, here are some of the things I do for our Disney trips: Shirts - This is the 3rd year the kids have had personalized shirts to wear at Disney.  This year’s theme was The Incredibles so each of us had a different character and quote from the movie. On the back of the kids’ shirts is a list of all their Disney trips.  We all wore our shirts on our first full day in the parks.  We were stopped by members of the ‘Dream Team’ and given a certificate for free ice creams for our creativity. Car Decorations - It started as a way to identify our golf cart among the hundreds of identical ones at Disney’s Fort Wilderness but the car/cart decorating has grown into a much loved tradition.  I make our own car ‘decals’ by printing our designs, placing them on magnetic sheets and then laminating them to make them waterproof.  We made our rental van into the ‘Incredi-van’ by putting The Incredibles logo on the sides, pictures of Jack-Jack and Syndrome on the back and hanging pictures of other characters (with suction cup hooks) on the windows inside.

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Disney in Review - Making It Special

Disney in Review - What Works

This was our 8th Disney World trip as a family.  We’ve got this down to a science.  Here are my best trip tips. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Cabins - if you have a large family or a child with autism, this is the way to go!  The mobile home sized cabin features a bedroom with a full sized bed and a set of bunk beds, a murphy bed in the living area, a full kitchen (full size fridge, microwave, stove, dishwasher, dishes, pots and pans, dining table for 6), two tvs, and most important of all - space between cabins so your kids aren’t always waking the neighbors! Two-way Radios - if your party needs to split, these make it so much easier.  Light Your Way - a few years ago I was looking for a cool way to decorate our golf cart and stumbled on electroluminescent wire, or EL wire.  I purchased one and discovered it worked best on Adrian’s wheelchair.  When we turn it on, people take notice - and move out of the way!  When we started bringing Zee’s stroller too I bought one for that too.  Now people move out of our way and they know we’re together so they don’t step between us.  It also makes it easier for the girls to spot us and stay with us in the crowds.

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Disney in Review - What Works

We’re back!

We’re back from Disney World and I’ve got to say …. that was the best vacation EVER!  The kids had a great time.  The hubby and I had a great time.  The weather was good.  Adrian didn’t have any melt downs.  Zee had a few minor 3-year-old tantrums but nothing ugly.  Disney World wasn’t that crowded.  The flights went well

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We’re back!

Activities for the Plane

I’ve just about finished packing the kids’ goodie bags full of fun activities and treats for the plane.  The dollar shop is a great place to find small toys and games.  A travel version of Trouble and a spiralgraph set should keep the girls busy for a bit.  The boys will like the squishy balls and toy helicopter.  The bags are filled with coloring books and crayons, story books, colorful pens and snacks.  For the girls I made homemade activity books.  I printed some coloring pages I found online. I made tic-tac-toe, make-a-square and hangman game pages.  There are color photos of some of their favorite rides in Disney, wordsearches and math worksheets (yes, they actually choose to do these on vacation!).  The girls are interesting in learning more about the atmosphere and weather.  I think an airplane is a great place to study these - when you’re out there IN it!  I included pages about the atmosphere and clouds in their books.  Hopefully the weather will be good and the girls will be able to spot many different types of clouds on the way to Florida. Finally, I’ve packed up supplies for my favorite airplane activity - painting!  I find that painting keeps the kids’ attention longer than coloring.  Back before 9/11, I would just bring a small, child-sized water bottle with us.  Now I have to bring the water bottles empty and fill it in the restroom just before we board.  Huggies disposable changing pads are the perfect surface for painting - the back is waterproof and the top surface is absorbant.  Small children do well with ‘paint with water’ books like the one I’ve packed for Zee.  In addition to those, the girls will also get a few watercolors and several small sheets of paper to create their own mini-masterpieces.

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Activities for the Plane

Goodie Bags

I have fond memories of visiting my grandmother as a child.  One of my favorite things she’d do for us was to pack us each a goodie bag for our long car trip home.  There was snacks and drinks (all the sugary, expensive packaged stuff parents avoid buying), magic ink books, special pens and pencils, coloring books, new packages of crayons and small toys - all in a small gift bag with our names on them.  I LOVED it! We rarely take such long car trips with our kids.  The flight to Disney World is the longest trip we attempt and the only real opportunity I have to pass along Grandma’s goodie bag tradition to my kids.

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Goodie Bags

I’m back.

Went for a week to visit my sister who’s days away from delivering her first child.  It was fun.  It was relaxing. But I’m really glad to be back home.  No place like it Before I left the kids made a paper chain counting down the days till our Disney trip.  It’s the only way to give Adrian and Zee a way to ’see’ how long till we go.  The chain is getting smaller and my list of preparations to make is long

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I’m back.