How to Book a Vacation in 205 Easy Steps

Vacations, while well deserved and exciting, can also be very overwhelming...especially when you are in the planning stages. Add in a child with special needs, and the whole process becomes exponentially more difficult. Never fear, though! After deciding to take the kids on a fun-filled trip to Disney World this spring, and experiencing the joy of planning the adventure, I've put together a handy list to help you plan your own magical vacation.

1. Decide to (finally) take a vacation and return to the "happiest place on earth". I mean, it's been five years, so you can surely suck it up and have some "fun", right?

2-52. Change your mind. Fifty times. Your thoughts should alternate between "Who in their right mind would spend that kind of money on a vacation?!?" and "The kids are only little once, and we've been promising a return trip. We're going."

53. Ask your partner to research resorts and travel packages. Wait a week and ask again.

54. Refuse to look at the information your partner has found, because it's Disney, and You. Just. Can't.

55. Repeat steps 2-52 again.

105. Decide, again, that you really should go, and freak out in front of your partner because now you've waited so late that you probably won't get character dining reservations and you've probably ruined your children's magical adventure.

106. Apologize to your partner.

107. Find a place to board the dog. I mean, if no one can take care of the pup while you're gone, then you can't go anyway.

108. Book luxury accommodations for the dog. At least she'll enjoy her vacation.

109. Look at the Disney website for the eight zillionith time and finally decide on a resort.

110. Pour over the list of dining options, try to decipher which one has which character experiences, get mad because the website does not give enough information, and then throw the keyboard out of desperation.

111. Sit in the corner, softly beat your head against the wall and hum "It's a Small World" quietly, to yourself.

112. Apologize to your partner...again.

113. Discover the chat feature on the Disney website. Inundate the customer service representative with questions, and imagine that he is now banging his head against the wall.

114. Stay up all night, unable to sleep because you're immediately regretting your decision.

115. Spend the next eight weeks obsessing over the plans you've made. Will the park be too overwhelming for your kiddo with special needs? Will anyone have any fun? Will you find enough wine in or around the theme parks?!?

116-201: Read every Disney blog you can find. Decide that you're the worst Disney vacation planner ever, threaten not to go, change your mind and reassure yourself that it will all be just fine. Repeat 85 times.

202. Try to find matching Disney themed outfits for your entire family. Give up. Nobody will see past their adorably smiling faces in the photos, anyway.

203. Worry incessantly about the lack of accommodations for your child with special needs. Get angry at all the people who pretended to need special accommodations and ruined it for those of us who truly need them. Fantasize that those people step in gum the next time they go to Disney.

204. Finally, finally, finally book all your reservations. Take many, many deep breaths.

205. Repeat as many times as often: "It will be a magical vacation. It will be a magical vacation."

See how easy it is? Best of luck in your planning.

The End

So, here we are. One year and 365 blog posts later, the challenge is complete. 

Some posts were a bit late (not many, but some), some were just not good, but they are all there. I did it. 

I'm not sure where to go from here. Ideally, I'd like to have my own website with fancier graphics, but we'll see. 

For now, I'll wish everyone a safe and happy 2015. 

Thanks for reading. 

I Love You, Man

Every night around 7pm, it begins, without fail. Alex gets super affectionate and tells me "I love you, Mommy!" about every 12 minutes. He reminds me of a little drunk man; he will interrupt a conversation to tell me, or stop whatever he's doing to remind me. I can't help but giggle sometimes. 

It is super sweet, though, and I love hearing him say it. 

Resolutions

I was chatting with the kids about the new year, and asked them what goals they have for themselves in 2015. 

Alex eagerly told me that he doesn't want to have any more bathroom-related accidents. This is especially awesome because he came up with it on his own. 

Addie is determined to perfect her passé releve in ballet. With her dedication to dance, she will have no trouble achieving this. 

When it was Andrew's turn, I asked him the same question. "What is your goal for 2015?"

His excited response? "TO FLY! I WANT TO FLY!!"

After the giggles and a brief explanation of what we meant by "goal", he decided that tying his own shoes and riding a two-wheeler would be better things to work toward in the new year. 

What are your goals for 2015?

Three to Go...

...and yes, I forgot to post last night. Ugh!! Only three more days to go before we can end the daily blog challenge. Will I make it?!?

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Respite

The kids were invited to sleep over at their grandparents' house; this is something they do fairly often, but it's always a treat for them. 

It's a treat for me, too, and a much needed break. I got to grocery shop by myself, run errands at the mall, get take out for dinner, take a bath (seriously, first leisurely bathing experience in ten years!), and now watch tv in peace. 

Truth be told, I miss them. But, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled chaos soon enough. Until then, I've got more turns on Soda Crush calling my name. 

Never Try to Eat All the Cookies

So, earlier I declared today Pajama Day, and decided I might eat all the leftover Christmas cookies. While I didn't eat all of them, I ate way too many and now regret it. Here is why you should never try to eat all the cookies:

When you try to eat all the cookies you end up feeling like a lazy blob, and you crash on the couch. 

When you crash on the couch, the kids think you are sleeping and try to get away with murder. 

Ok, maybe not murder, but Alex will open the back gate and let the dog escape. 

When the dog escapes, you have to chase her down the street...in your pajamas (because you declared today Pajama Day). 

Because you are chasing her in your pajamas, all the neighbors are outside to watch, because of course. 

Because they are watching, the dog is stubborn and you have to pick her up and haul her home (she is a big dog). 

While you struggle down the street, in your pajamas with the dog, your husband will text you from home. He'll text "need help", but forget the question mark and accidentally text it to his mother first. 

Because she receives a random text for help, she thinks Mark is in danger and is understandably worried. She calls all the cell phones to make sure everyone is ok. 

You finally stumble through the front door, with the dog, and collapse on the couch and refuse to make dinner because you might vomit because you tried to eat all the cookies. 

Trust me on this: do not try to eat all the cookies. It's so not worth it.