Vacation is stressful....as is everything else

My mental to-do list is making my head hurt because of everything going on in the next month.  

First, I still have my reunion stuff on my mind's back-burner.  Making sure the caterer is contacted and the contract changed.  Making contact with the photographer to reconfirm.  Making contact with the school alumni coordinator to ensure last minute details are ok.  Depositing checks.  Reimbursing myself for postage.  Calling back alums who can come at the last minute.

Second, there is end-of-year school stuff.  Purchasing and making teacher gifts.  Taking teacher gifts to school.  Sending in forms and checks for school-related summer camps for N.  Trying to get done all shopping I might want to do in the summer months since I will have all 3 kids with me and WILL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WANT TO ATTEMPT SHOPPING WITH THEM IN TOW.  My budget is blown for May, but it is gonna look outstanding in June/July/August because I will not be buying anything or stepping anywhere near Target.  

Third, packing and prepping for vacation.  The actual arrangement-making is nothing compared to the endless insanity of doing laundry, counting out outfits for each day of the trip plus extra shirts since the boys will spill stuff on themselves, purchasing clothing items so D and I don't look like complete ragamuffins down there (the kids look great because we actually buy them clothing on a regular basis), packing all the miscellany we will need or might possibly need and won't want to purchase down there since we have them up here (ear plugs, sound machines, life vest for M, sippy cups for M, ibuprofen and measuring spoons, etc).  

My spending this month has been off-the-chain partly as a result of my goal of immersing my kids in Disney prior to and while we are on vacation.  G has always had 10,000 Lightning McQueen shirts, but I wanted to get N and M some for our days at the Disney parks.  I bought some gently used ones at a local consignment store.  I bought any number of gently used DVDs for the car ride down, to keep N and G happily transfixed and quiet (I hope):  Peter Pan, Tangled, The Princess and the Frog, Ratatouille, and Monsters Inc.  I have created a Disney Songs Travel playlist for my iPod, so I've spent a little change downloading songs.  G has been listening to "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," "I Thought I Lost You," and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" nonstop.  

Because of G's love of the Davy Crockett song and his and N's talk of riding Splash Mountain, I checked out some books about Mr. Crockett and Breh Rabbit (since Splash Mountain "tells" the story of Tar Baby.)  

I tend to be of the "Inch Wide, Mile Deep" philosophy, I guess.  

Plus, I have bought each of the kids some fun but cheap Disney-themed items to enjoy while they are down there.  For example, I got some Mickey-Mouse flip-flop type shoes to wear to-and-from the pool.  And for N I bought some Tinkerbell lip gloss.  M will get a 101 Dalmations board book.  There are some other goodies stashed away as well.  

Even though I am mentally spent and lord knows my money has been spent and spent and spent, I think this will be one helluva vacation!