Countdown to Disneyland March 2013

Provided the Mayans were incorrect and the world doesn't end on 12/21/12...we will be traveling to Disneyland again in March 2013. Our last trip was so magical, especially considering it was the first trip for my best friend and her family, that we all decided it was worth repeating. The official countdown will begin after the holidays.

Thrity Days And Counting

Seems like a dream, but we are leaving for Disneyland in thirty days. The hotel is booked (and paid for), the travelers checks are safely tucked away and the five day hopper passes are ordered. Money is being deposited into the bank for gas and misc. needs. I've started collecting/buying clothes for the trip....including this adorable dress for Miss Emma...



Of course, I've been making headbands to match all her outfits :) So much is happening over the next month so I know it's going to race by. So exciting!!!!!

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!