The Real Planning Begins NOW

We have been so busy with the start of the new school year and various holidays that we put the planning of our Disney trip on the back burner. Now that Christmas is behind us we can finally get to planning in earnest. So far all of our fund raising efforts have been a bust. I ended up donating my tutus to a child in need. I'm just too busy for any kind of business venture at this point. Our tax return will cover most of the expenses anyway, so we aren't too worried about that. We plan to be super frugal over the next thirteen weeks to put aside a bit more. Anyway, we booked our hotel!!! In February we will buy our five day hopper passes, at a discount, through my friend's husbands work. In March we are throwing our six little ones a group birthday party (Disney themed of course)and gifting them with items for the trip, and gift cards for buying souvenirs. On April 1st we hit the road!

My Darling Emma...the etsy shop

Last night I made the plunge and opened an etsy shop. I'm hoping to sell tutus and other girly things to make money for Disneyland. So far I haven't listed anything (although I have made three tutus so far) because I need to borrow one of my friend's daughters to model the tutus for pictures. I did use Jack as a model, but won't use him for the etsy pics. Anyway...he was pretty cute.

More Fundraising...

Well, the new daycare child I spoke of earlier didn't work out, but I did start watching a little ten month old boy on a drop-in basis and I intend to use all his funds towards Disneyland. So far I've added $40 to my stash. I also started putting together a pile of stuff to sell at our yard sale the weekend of the 13th. This weekend I plan to make a few tutus to try and sell at our sale also. We've decided to dedicate half of one daycare family's pay towards Disneyland and the other half towards Christmas (and after the holidays it will all go towards Disney!) Very excited!!!!

Fundraising...

I started my maid-services-for-mom yesterday, only had a couple hours to put in but at least it's a start. I now officially have started the fundraising process and have $20 towards my goal...woohoo! I also placed an ad on Craigslist for some more daycare kids and had two interviews over the weekend. I had one family sign up for me to watch their adorable little boy FULL TIME, which means an additional $500 a month income! I'm still waiting to hear from the other family, but I'm hopeful.

Raising Disney Funds

My husband, although a great guy and a person I dearly love, is a pessimist. I, on the other hand have optimism seeping from my pores. He thinks we will never be able to raise the funds for a trip to Disneyland by April...and I'm out to prove him wrong. I want to get the whole family involved in the fund raising efforts and I've come up with a few ideas:

1)MAID SERVICES: Well, Okay just for my mom. She works extremely long hours and doesn't have time or energy to clean her spotless house. If she wants to pay me to scrub imaginary dirt, I'm all over that! I have agreed to be her servant one or two Sundays a month and she will keep a tally and pay me one lump sum before we leave on our trip. Sweet!

2)CANS MAN: Admittedly, Michael and I consume waaaaayyyy too much pop and I usually just toss the empties into the recycle bin on garbage day. No more...we will save them and return them for cash. We will get to Disneyland one nickel at a time!!!

3)YARD SALE/BAKE SALE/LEMONADE STAND: Why not fund our vacation by pawning off our junk...err treasures on to other people for profit? And throw in some yummy baked treats and cute kids selling lemonade. Seeing dollar signs now.

4)SAVINGS ACCOUNT: We already have a small amount automatically deposited into our savings account every two weeks (and quickly withdraw it the next day...bad I know.) My plan is to increase that amount and to NOT touch it until we go.

5)EARN MORE MONEY: Being that I'm a self-employed daycare provider, I plan to place an ad and take on another child or children either full-time or on a drop-in basis and putting these extra earnings into savings. Next stop, craigslist!

6)DEDICATED FUNDS: Translation: Tax Return. Michael doesn't want to use all of it for a vacation but I don't think its unreasonable to dedicate 30% of it to my cause.

7)BEG: I'm thinking of asking grandma,aunts,uncles,friends to give Disney gift cards in lieu of the usual crap, I mean toys, to my kids for Christmas/Birthdays this year so they can buy some nice souvenirs of their choosing.

8)THE CHANGE JAR: We have an abundance of loose change throughout our house and in our cars. I plan to send my kids on a change hunt and when the jar is full, exchange it for paper money.

That's all I have so far, but my head is always spinning. I will raise the money and we will get to Disneyland!

I.Must.Have.This!

For Emma, of course.

Disney Days Past

Disneyland has been my "happiest place on Earth" for as far back as I can remember. Disneyland was my vacation destination twice before memories were formed, and twice again at age twelve and fifteen, memories forever etched in my mind. One of the joys of Motherhood has been sharing Disney's magic with my children, starting with Sarah at a mere nine months old, and most recently with my five youngest boys. Emma joined our family three months ago and I already feel the urgency to introduce her to the wonder of Disneyland. My best friend recently told me of her family's plans to visit the Magic Kingdom next Spring, sending me instantly into a tailspin of envy. But why couldn't we go also? Why couldn't we caravan together? The optimist in me says "Yes we can!" The planner in me is stirring up ideas how to raise the money, how to make it extra special, what to wear, what to bring...and on and on. For today, however, I will just reflect on a few trips past.

Disney 2001...




Disney 2003...




Disney 2009...

I'm In Hot Pursuit

of Disneyness. Or Happiness....it's all the same. Just got to get the hubby on board.