Packing for Disney Day One

I am freaking out because we leave our house this Wednesday for eleven days! This time will include two Thanksgiving meals in Ft. Worth, a weekend trip to Murfreesboro, TN, and FIVE DAYS at Disneyworld in Orlando, FL. I can't tell you how excited we are and in shock that we are actually going!!! As the Mama to our clan, I am in charge of nearly everything for our trip. Daddy is making sure that all the tires, brakes and oil things are in good use and repair, while I focus on the more fun side of the trip. I will be posting a blog a day as we lead up to and during our vacation. I know that grandma's, aunts and other loved ones will appreciate this. I also hope to help and inspire anyone that is or might be planning a trip to a Disney resort in the future. I have been MUCH inspired and helped by the memories of my mom's fun surprises for us when we went as children and the deep well of wisdom from my own Disney Fairy Godmother, Janna Briggs.

And now, Disney Packing Day One: When we went to Disney as kids, we flew (we are driving) and my mom packed each of us a carry on with games, crayons, snacks, etc. It was an exciting beginning to the adventure. Janna inspired me to avoid the normal tourist trappings of a lot of souvenir purchasing and pack a backpack each day for Raylen with goodies I found here at home before the trip. These items have been purchased at the dollar store, thrift stores, clearance racks, and the ever wonderful Disney Outlet store. All have been packed in Ziploc bags with the themes of the parks we will visit each day in mind, ie. Animal Kingdom, Day One, Lion King, Pooh and Tigger, Bug's Life Themes because these are the main themes inside that park. I've included small toys that she can play on the transportation or in longer lines as well as practical things like sunglasses, sippy cups and chapstick, all with Disney themes. The best tip I got was to include character PEZ dispensers and candy in each day's backpack. These are fun to collect for the child, but also provide a small sweet boost while not being messy or hard to contain. Here's what the packs look like today...The plan is to pack up Raylen's backpack each night after she goes to sleep in the hotel room and then have it waiting for her the next morning when she wakes up. (Check back tomorrow for another surprise that will be with her backpack each morning) I have also purchased Disney jammies, dry erase board, autograph book and slippers that will be waiting in the room for us when she arrives. How am I going to do that, you may be asking. When we arrive at the hotel, there will be an enormous amount of sites to be seen just upon checking in. Jason has agreed to take Ray around the hotel to explore while I get the room set up for her. Then, I'll get them, we'll all go in together and we'll get ready to go to Animal Kingdom.

I'm off now, to finish day one packing...tune in tomorrow!