Part 2 - Making a list and Checking it Twice

I think I was checking my lists (that's right plural) more than twice a day. I have been told I am a little OCD when it comes to lists and I still have my planner from 5th grade where I started making them. I have evolved and now make lists on the computer/phone but the sticky note is still one of my favorites. I like to physically mark things off, I will write something down just to mark it off.

Some of my lists included things we needed to get done around the house (ie: cleaning, finishing crown, cutting down trees etc.) others were what to pack and things to mentally and physically prepare us for vacation (shopping, swim lessons for the boys, and school schedule) But nothing like having the entire family become sick 2 weeks before we leave with an illness that is highly contagious. I know I have harped on it enough but Hand Foot Mouth is still horrible and luckily I was fortunate enough not to actually get it and instead take care of my 3 guys and the little boy I watch. At least swim lessons finished right before the illness and school was at home so it wasn't a huge ordeal, it even helped me to keep up on laundry and start packing. What it did get in the way of was doing some of our shopping and pretty much our entire to do list for the house except for the cleaning, and I'm surprised that I actually got that done.

My husband didn't know what his schedule was going to be like at work until the week we left because he had been home sick which meant we hadn't planned our trip to Port Canaveral either. We have wonderful friends in Tennessee that offered us a place to stay on the way down which helped me not worry about it as much and helped with expenses. I also knew we would be staying with my brother/sister in-law in Florida. We love spending any time we can get with them especially since we never know when the next time may be.

I knew there was some items we needed but we could pick up along the way and for the most part we have the packing side of a vacation/overnight visit down pretty well right now. A few tips I would recommend is to use gallon size zip lock backs for your clothing especially for kids. It made it so simple to just grab a bag and have their swim and dinner clothes for each day. For us adults we put all our shirts in one, pants in another, you get the idea. It helped keep everything dry and fit better in a suitcase. The boys shared one, my husband and I shared another, and one more with all our shoes, day clothes and shower/makeup/hair bags. It helps also to make sure you don't over pack as much. I am horrible about over packing for the just in case especially medications. Also not knowing how strict Disney would be with their dress code I wanted to make sure all my bases were covered, turns out they are not as strict as I thought they might be but more so than other cruise lines.

We also took 4 carry on bags containing computers (we work as we drive) camera, our day bag (swim suit, meds anything we may need before our bags would arrive at our room), and finally a bag devoted to water bottles. Last cruise the water was absolutely horrible and going on excursions we were very thirsty so we took a bag full so that way we would have an empty bag for any souvenirs we may get. The water turned out to be very good but it was still great to have the bottles for our room (we had a fridge) and going on excursions. Although Disney was also very good about giving us drinks at each port as well.

Disney also sent us a portfolio full with information about the cruise and our luggage tags. My husband and I were so excited to receive this little package in the mail. Before we had to print and staple our tags as well as any info we may want so this was a huge step up. It also contained cards to give to our family in case of emergency to contact us. Very well planned out.

About 12 days before our cruise we received our room number! I was very excited, it was the day after my husband's birthday so it was like a belated gift to him.

Thought I would throw that in there since we were trying to loose as much weight as we could before the cruise we decided to have Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cup Cakes. Very good and helped with portion control.

Driving with 2 kids is always interesting and the first day was no different. We made it to Tennessee by 8:00pm and the kids finally got on a good rhythm using the bathroom at the same stop verses 30 mins after needing to go. Oh and the wreck on the road put us back a bit as well at the very end but all in all it was a smooth trip the first day.

Day 2 was even better, even though we encountered a pretty major wreck in the first 5 minutes of our drive we knew of another way around it. We hit a Walmart in Georgia that was having a huge parking lot "party" for NASCAR and Monster Energy drinks. Very beneficial since in July we decided to quit drinking soda for 30 days to try to kick it for good. It lasted for 40 days and then only a half can if that ever since but 7 to 8 hours in the car and no caffeine we were dragging. So this event was perfect because they were just handing out these Monster drinks for free. Perked my husband up and we were off to our in-laws for a quick visit for the night.

Some key essentials to pack for a cruise:
Sunscreen
Swim Suits(really you can just wear it all day and change in the evening especially on port days)
Jacket or something warm (it is freezing cold inside especially if you are wet)
Sunglasses
Motion Sickness Medication, really take a little of everything you never know what may come up
Laundry bag
Good walking shoes
Lanyard for room key - much easier than digging to find it in a purse or in your pocket
Bottled Water
Snacks - has to be prepackaged if you are wanting to take it on land (we had one family that made a HUGE picnic but caught as they were leaving the ship and had to dump it all. It is illegal to take fruits and other "homemade" foods into other countries and can cost you up to a $25,000 fine.

Finding "Normal" part 1

The last few weeks have been great! Of course it has been busy with recovery, birthdays, packing, and continuing to try to finish up the kitchen but the best part was why we were packing...Vacation!

I'll start back in July when we were trying to decide on what we were going to do for a vacation. It is a daunting task to try to figure out something that will be good for us all (2 adults and 2 kids, 5 & 2) Budget is our starting point but with little ones it rules out to adventures at the moment. The 5 year old is much better about being able to walk more but still wants to be picked up or in a stroller. He also gets growing pains frequently in his legs right now so I understand why it hurts. The 2 year old is very strong willed and wants to walk but really needs to be in the stroller because his pace is pretty slow unless he is running which then includes not watching and typically falling. I know this is typical for these ages but these are the reasons we shouldn't go to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, or anything to physical just yet.

We had been on a cruise last September and while we were able to disconnect from phones/internet, the beaches were fun, and we were able to travel to several places without having to pack there were a lot of downsides to me. We are a family who does not smoke or drink so having to walk to dinner through the bar/casino and the designated place to smoke...by the time we got to dinner we didn't have much of an appetite. There was very little for the boys to do and the family friendly shows were just advertisements to come to the adult only shows. Pretty much every family with children got up and left within the first 15 minutes of one show because the comedian was talking about how much it sucked he had to perform a family friendly show and that we should come back at 10 for the real show. As we neared the end several other passengers would come up and say that Disney was far better especially for kids, in our head we knew it just had to be the case but didn't think it would ever be a possibility.

I have always kept an eye on Disney cruises though trying to find deals but it seemed impossible. My husband really wanted to go on another cruise, I thought he was a bit crazy, still the best deal I was finding was an interior state room which was still normal price but cheaper because of the time of year. I tried talking him into going to Chicago again, we spent our honeymoon and first anniversary there and my oldest wanted to see a big city. It would be cheaper, closer, and we knew that we could take the train or drive. He was leaning towards it too until I started to rethink things after talking to some friends.

We knew that our trip to Florida in March was a bust and this would probably be our last time to get a cheap rate for my youngest and both my husband's and my birthday were coming up. In fact it was a birthday I preferred to get away from so no one would be able to do anything for so I started looking things up again and that is when I found it...VGT. Now I had to talk my husband into it.

Guaranteed VGT is basically we know that we are getting a Veranda room but don't know where or how big it will be until about 12 days before we sail and only offered about 45 days before sailing for that last minute incentive. It was a great deal that shouldn't be passed up but it was also about 2 weeks before we had planned to go. My husband was worried about work and leaving his team abandoned at a critical time but once we looked at the dates and realized he would also have Labor Day it was looking up. With having a holiday typically things are a little slower for that week, he also has a great team that held down the fort while he is gone so we decided to go for it.  7 days in the Western Caribbean disconnected from everyone and hoping that no hurricanes were headed our way.

Our expectations were high, even though we got a great deal it still cost quite a bit more than the cruise last year. Last year the private island we visited was heavenly so we were hoping to encounter the same with Disney's Castaway Cay or other beaches we may visit along the way.

Still stress was at an all time high trying to get the house cleaned, kitchen finished, figuring out arrangements for our dogs, packing, working, oh and lets not forget that we started homeschooling 3 weeks before we left...

Looks like this is going to have to be a few posts

On a roll...

It seems with sick kids and now a sick husband I have more to blog, either that or I have free time while they sleep. Now I am the only one left standing in our house that has yet to fight this icky virus but hopefully keeping up with my exercising and trying to eat healthier will be enough to avoid it all together.

If you have never had or been around someone who has "Hand Foot Mouth" then you may think your child just broke out in hives. Luckily we knew without having to take our boys in because the little boy I watch was diagnosed and ours followed the exact same pattern. Here is a link for more info: http://www.medicinenet.com/hand-foot-and-mouth_syndrome/article.htm My nephew had it when he was only 3 months old but I had never seen it in person now I can say 4 times in plenty for me.

While everyone was sleeping today I was on a roll not only blogging but also cleaning, catching up on randomness, and being bored. Finally decided to go for a run...I should have known. There are a few signs that something is going to go wrong when:

1. I put on a new running outfit.
2. My phone is half charged.
3. I remember to take water
4. Not taking kids
5. Feel like I could run the first 2 miles without walking much.

Yep every sign was there screaming don't do it but unless I wanted to dig deeper cleaning there was very little for me to want to put effort towards. I made it to a very busy 4 way stop a little more than a mile into the run and about to go down a steep hill, this isn't a new route, but the house on the corner was watering the lawn. I didn't think anything of it and made my first step when I realized it was mud slick as snot. Going into the splits I managed to avoid getting my phone and water in it but I can't say much for my back side or the pride. Many cars got have quite the laugh as I fell and as I finally gathered my thoughts and decided to cut the run short and run home. I didn't know how bad it was, I could only fear the worst but by the time I got home the mud was dried but my skirt/pants were still soaked.

So what is your most embarrassing moment working out?