If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Spend Too Much

I'm in the middle of getting ready for our trip - which is less than three weeks away! It's not too soon to join with me in evaluating the status of our Disney Box - the one I've been slowly adding to for many moons. It looks like this:



Let's open it up and check the contents.

1. Our AAA maps. They prepared a TripTik for us, highlighting our journey, along with Tour Books and state maps for each state we'll pass through. We are way behind, technologically speaking - we should be using a Garmin or something. For this trip, I know exactly how to get there - without the maps. But Dan's an Eagle Scout, and we're prepared.

2. Various and sundry toys. I searched through the house for toys that would be "car-appropriate" - that is, apparently, loud and likely annoying. But the kids don't need a writing surface or anything for these. We also have things like Magna Doodles, a ball to kick around if the weather is okay at a rest stop, etc. Along with the laptop acting as DVD player, we should survive the 21-odd hours of travel in the Montana.

3. Crystal Light On-the-Go packets. This is intended both to keep us from drinking too much soda as well as save money. All Disney counter service restaurants will give you a free cup of ice water, but Florida water tastes...horrifyingly bad. Add a packet or two to your free water and BOOM - a beverage that costs far less than the $2.25 you'd pay for a soda.



4. Car snacks. When we get closer to our departure, I promise to buy something healthy, like grapes. I bought a few things like Fruit Roll-Ups, granola bars, etc. to keep the kids from starvation/boredom/driving their parents insane.



5. Gum. It is not sold anywhere on Disney property. Put yourself in the shoes of the maintenance workers - is there anything worse than trying to extract gum from the carpet, the rides, the tables, the ground...? But if you occasionally enjoy a piece, you'll have to bring it with you.



6. Plastic suction hooks. All on-property hotels provide a retractable clothesline in the shower to hang wet clothing and swimsuits on. If the clothesline isn't enough (and I guess it isn't for the four of us), you can use cheap suction hooks to hang suits, washcloths, etc. on to dry.



7. Glow necklaces. During the evening parades and shows, cast members flood the parks with their little carts, selling grossly overpriced glow stuff. You can buy these at the dollar store in packages of 10 or 15 and give them to the kids instead of the more expensive Disney ones.



8. Little Swimmers. We still need these. Enough said.



9. Plastic over-the-door shoe hanger thingy. It looks something like the picture below - you know, one of the deals where you can put jewelry, or shoes, or whatever? I hang it over the clothes bar near the bathroom, and put toiletries, hairbrushes, etc. inside each pocket. It seems like there are always more things than the area around the sink can accommodate. This just gives us a little more space. Or I'm overpacking.



10. The Cinderella Dress. Perhaps the most important item for us. Surprisingly, it still fits Helena and she will wear it for our Princess meal once more. Also in the box are the glitzy shoes, wand, gloves, purse, etc. "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize!"



I have a lengthy and detailed list of items still to pack, but I am so excited already, and I'm just THINKING about leaving! I love road trips nearly as much as the destination. We already have a couple of books to read together between Michigan and Florida, including these two:





A little preparation goes a LONG way!

Next up: My Must Do list!