August 2012 and a Double Dose of Disney

[loves_disney]

great update! it's so good to have lots of it paid off! the other stuff will be paid before you know it!

the weather is so wacky right now, i have no idea what to wear to leave the house!

you'll definitely get that last stone off in 100 days, i've got 50 to lose the same!

hope you have a good easter!

[WileyCoyote]

Wow Amy - only 50 days, thats really close !

Easter is proving quiet - the weather is unpredictable and the boys are just content to hang out at home which suits us as we are both enjoying some proper down time from our busy work lives.

I have started to look at our holiday clothes though - I have been buying things for the boys here and there so yesterday I got it all out - I seem to have alot Tshirts for each of them already so need to remember that next time I spot a "bargain". I have enough shorts for Connor and Jamie but need to get some things for Nick - we see him less often though so I find it hard to guess his size. I still need waterpark shoes and waterproof watches for them all though.
I have even bought birthday cards for Connor and Jamie to put in the cases as I just know it will all creep up on me at the last minute


I decided to wash all their new clothes this weekend - It makes the holiday feel closer - even though they will get folded and put away again and no doubt I will get them out in early July and decide they need another wash

I think we need around 16 days worth of clothes for our 5 week holiday. My logic is that we have 12 days on on the west coast plus 2 travel days and we are moving around alot with little to no access to washing machines. So if we have a fresh set for each day ( the boys wear swim/board style shorts during the days and they will wash and dry easy enough overnight ) plus a couple of changes for the inevitable food spillages on T-shirts then that will see us to OKW where we can wash it all and start again. Plus of course we intend to hit the stores on our travels so we will have no doubt gained a few more items before we get to Florida anyway. I'm hoping we can get all our West Clothes clothes for the 5 of us in two cases, with another case inside each and then a smaller one for shoes, toiletries and all other stuff we need. So We will have 5 cases with us but only 2 large and one small being used on our outward flight. Well thats the plan, but I am a serial over-packer so who knows what we will actually finish up with

The "lets not spend any money before we go away" plan took a dent today as we just ordered a brown leather corner sofa and matching 2 seater from Homebase , £361 for both after their Easter 15% discount and a £9 delivery fee - they have a mega deal on some particular ranges so we have saved around £500 on these two items. Online deal only but went into the local store this morning to look at a similar range to check out the comfort and quality before coming home and placing the order.

I know it wont be the *best* quality leather but with two dogs and 3 boys in the house , realistically our sofas only have a life of a few years so at that price, couldnt pass up on a bargain.

Now the only problem is how we get it into the lounge as we live in a townhouse so our lounge is on the fist floor and the last suite had to come in via the frenchdoors on a cherrypicker truck - Im also wondering how the old suite is getting out as well ...

[Milner]

Great update Amanda. Not long until our double digit dance.

[WileyCoyote]

A couple of quick updates

Our Easter treat was to open up the savings tins that we had started on Xmas day

I had £300 in mine so that will pay for a helicopter ride ( length yet to be determined , I'm wondering if the 15 minute ones are really worth the price compared to the slightly shorter, and much cheaper ones ) and anything left from that will go towards a fishing trip for Andy as a birthday treat

He had saved £250 in his tin , which is going towards a new carpet - hopefully to be fitted while we are away. He is so practical which is a good thing as I'm totally focused on the holiday

Debating whether to start new tins or not with only a few months to go but it is quite amazing what slipping away the £2 coins and £5 notes can add up to

Universal have finally released their park hours for the summer - disappointed they close so early compared to WDW in the summer

Anyway, now they are out I have just booked dinner at Emeril's Tchoup Chop for Andy's birthday on the 23 August - it was going to be there or the other Emerils and he surprised me by picking the one at RPR so thats great. We plan to up early that day for making the most of early entryin WWoHP, we can blitz the park before lunch and then chill at the pool in the afternoon, have a nice meal and still get maybe an hour or so at IoA to see it in the dark before the park closes at 9pm. We wont be able to do much the previous night as we are booked at BMG for 8pm and the parks will be closed by the time it finishes.

I'm really pleased we have managed to save for so many extras on this trip - I'm sure our local takeaways have seen profits plummet since we went on a savings mission. I'm hoping now I can put enough by to maybe get a cabana at our day at DC and pre-reserve loungers at the WDW water parks ( allowing us a longer lie ! ) - I did look at their "polar patios" and the TL equivalent but I thought they were very expensive at around $200 given we wont see the boys and that we will spend only half a day there - reserving some loungers and umbrellas for around half that price feels much more appealing !

The shops may be closed today but the power of the internet has lured me in ( Good old Amazon) and I just bought some Breo waterproof watches for the 3 boys in the most hideous neon yellow,green and orange ( at least they wont get them muddled up). I think i paid just under £20 for all three and they are supposed to be water resistant to 10m so at least we can let them go off in the waterparks and arrange for them to meet us at set times without them needing to find a clock all the time !

I also stocked up on some extra ipod headphones ( they ALWAYS seem to go astray on our travels) and some JVC flat travel headphones for Connor for his ipad as they are more comfortable than the "in ear" ones for a long flight. Jamie already has some folding Skullcandy ones although he is insisting that he wants a pair of those monstrous "Beats" ones- which quite frankly look bigger than his head , I have said he can wait till we get to duty free first - maybe he will have forgotten by then ...

[WileyCoyote]

Originally Posted by Milner

Great update Amanda. Not long until our double digit dance.

See more...

Carole, our posts must have crossed ! No, not long to go now, although I still find I am wishing the days away . I even counted up that its 77 work days ...

[tinks333]

Just caught up with your pre-trippy - what an amazing trip you have planned!

I look forward to the update which will include the delivery and removal of the sofas...

[SammyScotland]

Wow, your brave - I am too scared to set foot inside a helicopter. It won't be long until your in the double digits. We go to Brussels on the 27th of July so we'll be doing our dd dance at the same time. Haven't done any planning for Brussels though - will get into that when we get back from New York.

[WileyCoyote]

Originally Posted by tinks333

Just caught up with your pre-trippy - what an amazing trip you have planned!

I look forward to the update which will include the delivery and removal of the sofas...

See more...

Ha ! I'm looking forward to that too Andy is now talking about whether we take the carpet up and lay down wooden flooring before it all arrives - too much for me to contemplate before we go away - this just was NOT on the plan

Wow, your brave - I am too scared to set foot inside a helicopter. It won't be long until your in the double digits. We go to Brussels on the 27th of July so we'll be doing our dd dance at the same time. Haven't done any planning for Brussels though - will get into that when we get back from New York.

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Sammy - I know the heli ride thing - it will freak me out. I wanted to do something for Andy and the boys that was really a bit different - I canvassed the boys about a balloon ride and they were not keen at all so I have left it at that and they dont know about this - I'm thinking we can do it the day we check out from RPR as we will be on I Drive and its the day after Andy's Birthday . Its really expensive though - the 15 minute flight which takes in all the sights is around £100 per person and I am wondering if its worth it - there is a shorter one that would be more like £70 each and only misses out the Universal theme parks but goes over WDW and SeaWorld. Thats 8-10 minutes long - still about 9 minutes too many for me I suspect. What with that and maybe the seaventure at DC I will certainly be challenging my fear of heights/claustrophobia on this trip

I was with Connor at the dentist to have his braces taken off ( after 3 years) - I have to say his teeth look AMAZING and then he went for another snowboarding lesson - we passed a ride simulator near the snoslope and I was almost tempted to have a go - i asked him if it would be like one of the rides in Orlando like the Simpsons and he just laughed - then I said maybe I could try Rock'NRoller on this trip as its in the dark and its over so fast - and he just laughed some more and said "Yeah, you go for it Mum, good luck with that" - i suspect he wasnt being sincere ! I'm such a wimp

I'd forgotten about your Brussels trip as NY is getting so close - how nice to have TWO trips to plan for !

[WileyCoyote]

ok - this is a test
This link - should be to my West Coast pre trippy where our itinerary is laid out in all its technicolour detail

http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=589785

Will it work , i wonder ?

[WileyCoyote]

i am so ridiculously pleased with myself - it worked - I am so technologically challenged, such a small thing really makes my day

Not much to update on the Florida front - only 3 days to go to DD dance today - I may burst before then

We had a call yesterday to say that Homebase were no longer honouring the incredible internet price for the sofa so would we like to still buy it at 25% discount instead of the 60% we had got last weekend - erm , no thanks :angry: . On a real downer all day as we had already got some new wood flooring to go down and Andy had even arranged for someone to come round and help with the incredible sofa move - which appeared to involve two ladders, ropes and the sofa descending out the window using the aforementioned devices. I'm glad I was at work when this was being concocted.

Anyway, fast forward to today and we have a text messgae from Homebase saying they have changed their minds AGAIN ( no doubt due to multiple customer complaints - its not our fault if someone listed the wrong price on the website, they took payment quick enough ). So , we are still able to have sofa at suitably ridiculous cheap price but it will now take 10 weeks to arrive as due to so many people snapping them up, they have run out of stock

Oh yes, DME emailed to confirm our booking for the magic bus on arrival at MCO - I'm excited about that - going on a Disney bus - honestly, at my age

I paid a bit more off our LA tickets yesterday - still a bit to go and only 3 more paydays Unfortunately , Andy now needs a crown on a problem tooth ( now thats gonna hurt both him and his wallet , ouch) and I just ordered some new school blazers - these children will keep growing ! Looks like we are on "whats in the cupboard" surprise menu planning for the rest of the month ...