Disney Countdown....it's on!

Our trip is officially booked, along with our airfare.  Now....we wait, ugh!  I went through our calendar and wrote all the days left till the trip on each day and when I realized it was 200+, I knew for sure I was losing it.  But, then inspiration struck.  Why just look at a boring calendar each day, when you can look at something like this?

I won the Mickey block on the top (and the Minnie block as you will later see below) on an online auction at Crafty Moms 'R' Us.  I bid on them when the trip was in the works, but, not officially planned.  I had no clue what I was going to do with them.  But low and behold, I won them, and then it hit me....I can turn them into little countdowns by painting over the Mickey and Minnie heads with chalkboard paint.  "Brilliant, Tricia", I thought to myself.  But then I decided that was not enough.  So I went to the maker of the mouse block, Around the Block, and asked if I could buy unfinished blocks from them.  They said they never had anyone ask (go figure) but were willing to do it for me.  Score!  So I got four unfinished blocks in the mail and painted them with black paint.

 

For the "Days Til" block, I glued black cardstock to the block and then using my Cricut and the Mickey Font cartridge, cut out the letters and glued them on with glue dots.

 

For the "Disney" block, I glued scrapbook paper to the block and then used my Cricut and the Mickey Font cartridge to cut out the word and layered and glued to the scrapbook paper.

 

And then that was it.  I have two sets of block...one for us and then one that I'll be giving to my parents as a surprise this Thursday when they come to visit.  L loves to point at the blocks and say "Did-ney"....wonder if he knows what is in store for him!!!

 



Mousekeeping Tips

Alright, I'm going to be upfront and honest here.  I NEVER tip housekeeping in a hotel, ever.  And it's not because I don't want to, it's because it honestly never crosses my mind.  The only time I ever think to do it is is Disney because there is just something special about the housekeepers Mousekeepers that clean up your rooms, leave little towel animals on your beds, and turn down your blankets at night and leave chocolate on your pillow (seriously, this does happen at the Grand Floridian!).

As I was searching around on Pinterest looking for tips and such to plan our trip, I saw that people were getting pretty creative with how they presented their tips to their Mousekeepers, so I decided to make my own version!

I had a Disney font saved from L's 1st Birthday, so that got me started on these little tags.  I used red cardstock and the font to type a message and then put a little Mickey head below.  The tags measure 2"x3", roughly.

Since we have general housekeeping during the day and turndown service at night, I made two different cards.  Then, I trimmed the upper corners to make the cards look like a tag.

I punched a hole in the center...

Tied a cute black ribbon with white polka dots...

And then put a yellow paper clip on the side.  That's how we'll attach the tip to the card.

Easy peasy!  Is it necessary to do this....not at all.  But, Pinterest puts bad over-the-top ideas in my head and I just can't help myself!

We're Going to Disney World!!!

In case you didn't catch on, we finally booked the vacation I have been waiting years for.  I have been to Disney probably 15-20 times over the course of my life, but, this trip is going to be so special as it will be L's first trip to the House of the Mouse.  He's going to go bananas!!  Since birth, I've tried to brainwash sway his TV choices to those revolving around Disney.  So far, so good. 

But, with this trip also comes MAJOR anxiety on this mamma's part.  Doing Disney with adults....I've got that down to a science.  Throw a toddler with a mind of his own into the mix....sheer panic.  Thankfully, I found a ton of great information on Pinterest that is helping to put my mind at ease.  And, I will be sure to report all of my tips upon our return (or during our stay if I need a break from the madness).

So, first things first, we are going to be traveling with my mom and dad too.  My mom hits a milestone birthday this year and she is an even bigger Disney fanatic than I am.  She too has been dying to take L to Disney, so this works out to be the best gift she could give herself! :-)  The five of us will be staying in two rooms at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.  This is by far my favorite Disney resort, and, consequently the most expensive.  We are REALLY hoping a discount comes out in the next few months.  My parents have been staying at this resort for 20 years now and there is just nothing like it.  A few years ago, my mom discovered an even bigger (yet, pricey) perk....Club Level.  This is a great way to stay, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary to stay on Club Level.  It is nice to have concierge services right in your lobby and the wide array of breakfast, munchies, afternoon tea, happy hour (including beer and wine), and dessert all included.  I think this trip will make us get our moneys worth because I'll be able to pack up some snacks for L to take into the parks.

Which, brings me to the next thing I discovered....the Garden Grocer.  It really is a brilliant concept.  Go online, shop for groceries, and have them delivered to your resort.  Since L will still be 2, we aren't required to buy a ticket for him (yay!) and therefore he won't be on our Dining Plan.  But, Disney is one of the few theme parks that allow you to bring outside food into the parks.  So, my plan is to pack up yogurt, cheese, and fruit from the resort, and then I'm going to get stuff to make PB&J sandwiches, juice, and other munchies that might otherwise get crushed in my suitcase delivered so we have it.  The hardest part is figuring out how much we really need, since I hate to see it go to waste.  But, I have time to figure that out :-)  For the rest of the meals, L will just share whatever G or I are eating.  And...did you know, if you eat at a buffet, kids under 3 can eat free.  Score!  I think we have 3 of these planned! 

We have to wait until the end of April to make our dining reservations, so, between now and then I'm going to be gathering more information to make this trip go as smooth as possible.  Pinterest has been a great source of crafty things Disney-related, so you will be seeing lots of them in the very near future.  Because let's face it...I am SO flippin' excited to go on this trip!