Saturday, September 1, 2012

Getting Ready for Mickey! - Part 4

I've been having so much fun making things in preparation for our trip to Disney World this fall. I'm reeaaallllyy excited about this trip and even though I know it'll be an amazing time without my help, I'm doing what I can to add a little extra magic here and there!

 
~Final Countdown~
You can read more about this here.

 
~Pacifier Clip~
I wanted to make Juliet some little crocheted flower hair clips, so one day I decided to learn how to crochet. (It's easy peasy, btw!) Then, a funny thing happened: As I crocheted little circles for the flowers, I began to see a hidden Mickey emerge in my hands!  Next thing I knew this little Mickey head pacifier clip was born!  I purchased the actual clips on Etsy and hot glued them onto the back of the mouse head.  Juliet only likes the Soothie brand pacifiers, and this clip is just perfect for them as they simply loop around one of the holes on the pacifier.  I may or may not have gone a little crazy and made several in different colors. :)

 
~Disney Family Nights~
We've been having a DFN just about every other weekend now that our trip is drawing near.  Since my last GRFM post we've enjoyed a Snow White night, a 101 Dalmatians night, and a Toy Story night.  I have yet to post about our Finding Nemo night, our Beauty and the Beast night, and our Mulan night, but be sure to check back in September to find out more about them!

 
~Mickey Mouse Mini Unit~
It was time to bust out our Mickey Mouse mini unit once again.  James hasn't used this in months, so it was a treat for him to work with it again.  Lots of fun stuff in here.  We also filled out this grammar activity.  It's a lot like mad-libs. James LOVED this!

 
~Learning About US Presidents~
We are patriotic bunch here, so naturally we have lots of USA learning materials around the house.  Knowing that we want to visit the x in Disney World, we've been looking through our US Presidents Fandex just to familiarize ourselves with some of the prominent faces we'll be seeing in the attraction.  (Yes, I'm one of *those* homeschooling parents - you know, the ones who can't go anywhere without trying to slip in a little school). :)
~Calendar Cards~
Available for download in this post.

 
~Pillowcase~
This wonderfully cozy flannel pillowcase will decorate James' pillow nicely while we're in WDW.  We're staying at the Beach Club Villas and since they have a more subdued look to their rooms, we thought this case would jazz things up a bit!  And psst... one of you will get to win this (and other fun prizes!) in my upcoming Grand Giveaway!!

~Special Event Invitations~
There are a couple of surprise events (character meals, parties, parks) we have planned for James while we're in Orlando and so I decided to create special invites that will magically appear under our door the morning of said event. For most of the Disney related events I used the pages found here (heads up, you'll have to dig for them!).

~Tinkerbell Swim Coverup~
I just *love* this little cover up!  It has small wings on the back, too.  So cute and comfy!  I purchased it from this Etsy shop (note: the shop is closed and there's a looong wait list).

We've also...
:: Talked about height restrictions for rides (so there's no disappointment at the time), and what to do if one of us becomes unintentionally separated from our group.
:: Booked a babysitter (so the Hubs and I can enjoy a little kid-free date night at Le Cellier!)
:: Looked through friend's WDW trip photos.
:: Watched character meet-greet videos on YouTube (James hasn't been a fan of large, costumed characters in the past, so I wanted to give him an idea of what to expect.)
:: Read LOTS of Disney books, watched movies, and listened to our Disney playlist (about a thousand times).
:: Made a list of addresses for people we'll be sending postcards to.
:: Ordered groceries for our villa.
:: Added all of our confirmations to our Tripit! app.

My current fav. Disney planning sites:
Party Crafting & So Much More has an awesome post on Cheap & Free Disney World Souvenirs.
Disney Done Right has some great tips on Packing for the Parks.

You can also view my favorite ideas on my Disney World Vacations pin board.

And so we've *finally* reached the point when our Disney World trip is just around the corner (eee!!!).  It's been a looong time coming!  Alas, this will be my last "Getting Ready for Mickey" post. (Either you're VERY happy about this, or you're like me - a little sad.) :(  But, if you're new to my blog or feeling nostalgic for Disney posts, click here to see other parts to this series. :)

~Thank you for your comments!~

12 comments:

Jo said...

You all have been having so much fun! That's so great. I love the idea of the invitation for the special meals. I'm gonna have to tell my husband about it. I will def be pinning a lot of this stuff to my WDW pintrest board. Thank you for sharing all your wonderful and creative ideas!

Airamty said...

Thank you so very much for all the AMAZING ideas!!! We'll be going next year to WDW for the second time. The first time my daughter was 18 months old so she can't remember anything. Next year she will be 5 years old. I know I will be more excited than her preparing a magical expecting time until we get there. It's is so excited!!! lol...Have fun!

Unknown said...

Awesome ideas! I love how you've integrated so much Disney magic into your daily lives to prep for your trip! I LOVE planning for Disney - I plan our days down to the order of the rides, attractions, etc. Check out www.ridemax.com or www.touringplans.com (if you haven't already) if you're not into waiting in huge lines. I highly recommend both. Have fun!

Beth (www.livinglifeintentionally.blogspot.com) said...

You've shared SO MANY wonderful ideas. Your family is so lucky to have you. We've been doing Disney Family Fun Nights too =-) My kids think they are the best. Have a GREAT trip!!!
Beth =-)

bęthi said...

You are so amazing! I love your creativity :)

Casey said...

We haven't online met yet, but I have been so excited to find your blog. We are also a homeschooling family, with 3 of our boys being former Montessori children. We are also big Disney fans and will be at the World starting next week, staying at Beach Club Villas! I have enjoyed so many of your posts and ideas. Thanks so much for all of your efforts. Here's to hoping for a chance encounter poolside or perhaps at a Halloween party!

Counting Coconuts said...

Thanks, everyone, for your very kind and thoughtful comments! I love the energy that comes from other Disney fans!

Casey, if you recognize me, please do introduce yourself! I'd love to say hello!

Jade said...

I absolutely love that you've got so many activities that are based on your upcoming holiday to Disney Land! I bet your boy is so excited and this is making it even more exciting for him :-)

http://wamumma.blogspot.com.au/

Every Star Is Different said...

I stumbled across your blog this summer and have fallen in love with it! My husband and I home school our three children ages 5,4, and 3. However the challenge has been finding ways for them to learn according to their special needs. Our biological boys ages 5 and 4 have autism. Our adopted daughter has Reactive Attachment Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Your blog has been a HUGE help. All of the activities we've selected from here have been so successful, especially with our four year old who struggles the most to learn new concepts and is extremely delayed in many areas, especially fine motor skills. Thank you so much!

treen said...

Your blog was just referred to me by a mutual friend, Alisha Hagey. Too funny to find this as the first post I see, as our family is also getting ready to go to Disney World in 2 weeks. I've got all the links opened in tabs across my browser - thanks!

(my homeschool blog is ourlibraryhouse.blogspot.com if you're interested)

I am Koogle... said...

Will you be blogging about your time in Disney World? I would love to see how it all came together...with all of your fabulous preparations! :)

Counting Coconuts said...

You all are SO sweet to leave such thoughtful comments - thank you!

I *really* hope to blog about our trip (along with a bunch of other things!) but I'm struggling to find time to do it. We have a lot going on at the moment, what with homeschooling full time and all. :)

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