Pre-Trip Ack! It's sneaking up on me!

So, here I am- the self proclaimed Uberplannermom and I have a confession... I feel very behind in my planning! Why you ask? Because our trip was recently moved up by a month and is therefore now just under a month away! Yowzas! To try and get on track I am going to do a pre-trip report and hope that pushes me along.
First, let me introduce the cast of characters!
There is Boogie (8, his 5th time in the world!)

Kinsey (2 going on 3, this is his birthday trip though he has spent one day at MK before)

Baby Brad (1 and a true first timer!) (pictured with me)

Hubby (32 and Disney convert, seen here with Baby Brad)

and obviously me (33 and the Disney force in the house)

We haven't been to Disney for a full trip since I was pregnant with Kinsey so it has been a LONG TIME! We are so ready to go back but, again, I feel so behind!

 

[UberPlannerMom]

Oh I forgot to share a little Kinsey anecdote from today. Way back when we were over 200 days out from our trip I made a countdown calendar for Kinsey. He is supposed to put a sticker on each day just before bed. Life, however, often gets in the way and he ends up doing multiple days at once. So today my hubby had him catching up on his stickers. Guess what- today marks the first day of the last row of days before we go. Apparently (I missed it because I was at dance with Boogie) when Kinsey realized that he was now on the last row he let out the biggest, cutest squeal ever. He's excited y'all! Yay!

 

[UberPlannerMom]

1. Pack baby
2. Pack Kinsey
3. Pack Boogie
4. Pack Hubby
5. Pack me
6. Pack toiletries/make-up/jewelry
7. Pack electronics
8. Clear camera memory cards
9. Charge all camera batteries
10. Get better case for my bloomin' phone!
11. Get new shoes for hubby (priority here yo! He needs to break them in ASAP!)
12. Book hotel room for night down (why did no one point out that we are driving down the same day as the Daytona 500?)
13. Wrap Kinsey's birthday presents
14. Wrap grab bag presents
15. Make up kids travel bags
16. Clean the disgusting mess often referred to as the van.
17. Make/ Package Disney snacks

a. Oatmeal raisin cookies with Disney sprinkles
b. Monster's inc. cookies
c. Mickey cookies
d. Disney fruit snacks
e. Chip and Dale's trail mix
f. Disney pretzels
g. fruit sauce pouches
h. hopefully I can find some Disney themed cheez-its again since I get sweeted out
I. fruit juice (either in tummy ticklers or one cup for each kid and bring big bottles to fill each day)
j. water
k. cereal cups
​

(With all the kids we have coming, one of which we lovingly refer to as the bottomless pit, I have to have a ton of snacks I can just pull out and hand over at any point. No line, no waiting- just food! And since the Mickey shaped rice krispy treats are out due to Kinsey's mouth injury I am trying a few new things out. If you are wondering why everything is full on Disney themed, well, just think about the possibility of a two year old insisting that the ones on the shelf are better because they have goofy's face on them. Frustrating, right? I've never had the problem but if I can nip it in the bud, I am gonna do that!)
18. Back up all data from anything electronic coming on the trip
19. finish autograph books

a. print pages
b. print covers
c. mount covers to board
d. laminate covers
e. organize pages
f. punch holes
g. "bind" books
h. buy the ink to do all this!
ended up buying a whole new printer!​

20. Print mousekeeping envelopes
21. Make up penny press baggies for the boys
22. get cash for tips
23. write down all the info about the trip in case the electronics crash/break/get stolen
24. figure out if we are doing photopass/memory maker (with a quickness) GOT IT!
25. scour the house ( I hate coming home to a mess)
26. reschedule doctors appointment (how I missed it being during the trip I have no idea!)
27. get van serviced

a. change oil
b. rotate tires
c. recall​

28. send cousin her refund from canceling
29. pack medications
30. arrange for someone to check on the kitties while we are out
31. Pack first aid kit
32. Pack park bag
33. Stock up diaper bag
34. Order ear for Kinsey ended up getting them from Wal-Mart for the sake of expediency
35. Cancel old meal reservations

So, since we are on a new page I figure I should recopy this with the updates. Easier to keep track of that way. I managed to get quite a few things done today- 10 in fact. Isn't that lovely? I figured that with it being my last "free" day before we leave I should really work on it. I feel pretty good about what was accomplished today. If I only accomplish 2 things a day between now and when we leave my list will get completed so yeah, feelin' good!

By the by, we decided to get the memory maker. We were on the verge of choosing no when what I said about being able to help hubby handle the babies with the characters sunk in. He suddenly found it to be of utmost importance! Haha! I'll let ya know how it goes!

 

[UberPlannerMom]

Good news- over the last 2 days I have hit my goal of 4 completed tasks, and then some. Hubby and I got the van cleaned out but I still have to wash it and vacuum it. The cereal for breakfast has been purchased. We also got everything backed up, the camera batteries (all 4!) charged up and the memory cards cleared. Lastly, I got some people to check in on the kitties and the house. We are lookin' good.

On an unrelated note- Hubby let me know he's been stalking me on the forum... If you see anyone registered as cranky pants, well, that could be my hubby! Haha!

 

[UberPlannerMom]

We knocked out 4 more items on the list. I vacuumed and washed the van, got the money for the penny press baggies and the mousekeeping tips and even stocked up the diaper bag. I intended to get the baking done today as well but just didn't get around to it. Oh well, I guess things will be really fresh!

We are really getting close now and I keep oscillating between that happy, excited wow feeling and a panicked, chest tightening ack feeling. I am the person who is usually all done with preparations a week in advance. Cutting it this close is a new thing for me. I feel like the little engine that could on my way up the mountain. If for a second I stop chanting I think I can then I think I will roll right back down the slope!

 

[UberPlannerMom]

It's a good news/ bad news kind of day.

Good news- knocked 3 things off the list today, leaving only 2 1/2 things to do! The park bag is all packed so that all we have to do is grab the snacks/ drinks, cameras and autograph books and go. The snacks are all made and packaged up. And I managed to "wrap" all of Kinsey's birthday presents. I say "wrap" because when I laid them all out I looked at my hubby and said, "how am I supposed to wrap those shapes? We don't have room for them to all be in boxes!" So, I did what most people do nowadays and just put them in gift bags. Ehh, you do what you must.

Bad news- We got hit by that line of storms tonight really hard. There were straight line winds of up to 95 mph. The kids lost both their trampoline and swing set! It's definitely an ugh situation. There were a lot of tears, to say the least. Now Hubby and I have to find probably close to a grand to replace them both and believe me, they need replaced. My kids love being outside but with 3 little boys it isn't always feasible to go to one of the greenway playgrounds. For that reason our backyard is a kids paradise. Oh well, just praying for a ton of paid overtime for hubby. (He always works a ton of overtime but usually doesn't get paid for it!) At least we all came out of it healthy.

 

[FlaggNL]

hej there!! 2 times good news is kinda great! 2,5 left is not much and being healthy after a huge storm, is very great! Off course it is sad that you lost some stuff, but that is replacable

 

[UberPlannerMom]

We are so close to being able to knock the clean house bit off the list. Getting everything off the list should be pretty easy tomorrow. Of course, then we start with the out the door list. Haha! I am really a list maker! OK, so what has to be done before we are out the door:

1. Load

a. luggage
b. play yard
c. camera bag
d. food boxes
e. toy bag
f. presents
g. park bag/ diaper bag
h. stroller​

2. Prep picnic lunch
3. hand out kids travel bags
4. pick out kids travel movies
5. unplug everything possible
6. adjust temperature
7. drop off key with kitty/house watcher
8. 10 day feeder in the fish tank
9. make sure kitties aren't locked in bedrooms
10. cover couch (dang kitties punish us for going on vacation by pooping on things!)
11. check all blinds and curtains are closed
12. stop mail
13. clear space on dvr
14. set alarm
15. Make babies juice cups
16. grab last electronics
17. fill aquarium
18. clean kitty litter
19. fill cat food and water
20. bring pillows and blankets
21. clean kitchen table


Again I feel like I am forgetting things. Why is that always nagging at me? Hmmm... Can anyone see anything I obviously missed?

 

[UberPlannerMom]

We are soooo close! No seriously, we leave in 5 hours and 45 minutes. I have to be up in 4 hours and 45 minutes! I seriously need sleep but I have no idea if that will be achievable. All day today Kinsey was a wreck. We had multiple trips out of the house and back and every time we came home he would cry, "No momma! No, we go Mickey Mouse house!" Cuteness, thy name is Kinsey! Love him!

 

[FlaggNL]

getting closer by the minute