By the time we actually go to Disneyland I think I might even be tired of hearing myself talk about it. Anywho....you know that saying, "It's all in the prepwork!" That's my motto right now. I know that taking a 1 week 4 day trip through 3 states with 4 kids ages 7, 6, 4 & 2 is pretty much certifiable! But I really believe that things will go better if I plan. Plus I'm super OCD about planning things anyway so in my mind it's a win-win!
We have planned for this trip for well over a year. I've said it before we were supposed to go in September 2013, but decided we should save a bit more and it would also be nice if our youngest was walking. Even though we've saved we are still traveling on a budget. You might remember Michael and I completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in May 2013...hence the reason we postponed to save more money. We do not have credit cards...NONE! We are going to only use money we actually already have. It's crazy and totally unamerican...I know! ;)
As for our budget we already have all the hotels booked so I know what the cost for those will be. I've already paid off the Disney portion of the trip so that's taken care of. What we have to estimate is our gas and our food expenses. I have used the handy dandy fuel estimator thing on Mapquest.com so I have an idea of how much we will spend.
As for food this is the hard part. Thankfully every hotel we are staying at except the one in Disneyland has continental breakfast...score!!! We have already decided that we will eat dinner out and by out I mean not at a fast food restaurant if we can help it. Even if it's Panera Bread or Chipotle it's so much better than greasy fast food. I know on previous vacations we've taken by the time we get home I'm just dying for a good home cooked meal and I'm sure this will be no different, but I think our standards are a bit higher than in the past so that will help.
So here's my minor dilemma...we are planning on making ourselves lunch everyday. Whether it's in the car, at a rest stop or a park. Here's how were' hoping the days will go. Wake up, eat breakfast and check out. Drive to a Wal-Mart, Fred Meyers or whatever the equivalent is in Oregon and California...I will go in and shop for our food and snacks for that day while Michael and the kids go to the gas station to fill up the van, clean the windshield and vacuum the van. Yes, I bought a small vacuum for the van exclusively for this trip....I told you OCD!!!
We will have our collapsible cooler with us and I am going to pack Ziploc bags to put ice in from the hotel. I'm also planning on bring at least one good slicing knife, paper plates and plastic utensils....sorry dad! Here's where your help comes in....I need good on the go lunch ideas. I'm not talking PB&J or ham sandwiches. I'm talking thinking outside the box a little ideas. I have a couple days already covered, but we are gone for a week. For the 4 days in Disneyland we will be eating inside the park since we want to get the most out of our time. So here's what I have....
Peanut Butter & (Jelly, Nutella or Honey) Sandwiches, Grapes, and Chips.
Pepperoni, Cheese and Ritz Crackers, Apples and Chips
Tortilla Chips and Hummus (I doubt the kids will eat this so I'll make them another sandwich since we should have leftover bread) and Strawberries
I am thinking that one day we'll find a Costco and swing over to pick up a pizza and eat it at a park. The kids love Costco pizza!!
Of course we will also have lots and lots of snacks as well. I even bought some things on clearance at my Fred Meyer's today that is specifically for the trip. Yogurt covered raisins, dried cherries and dried currants. Fun stuff that we don't normal buy, but the kids love! Other things we are going to have will be Beef Jerky, Chex Mix, Trail Mix, Drinkable Apple Sauces, Chocolate Chips, Snap Peas, Baby Carrots, Teddy Grahams, Poppycock and Chips Ahoy Cookies...those are my favorite and it is vacation right!
I even saw an idea of making edible necklaces for the kids using cereal. I think that will be fun and entertaining for them....it will also be a mess so I will be really thankful for that vacuum I bought!
I also recently bought a drink cooler. It holds 2 gallons and we are planning on buy jugs of water at the store and using those cold brew tea bags to brew iced tea. We do add about 1/4 of a cup of sugar to 1 gallon, but it will still be way better than chugging down a bunch of soda!
As for lunch in the park I think we are going to shy away from the kids meals. I've heard they are a bit of a rip off so we'll probably just order two adult meals and split them between the 6 of us....our kids aren't big eaters normally so I'm sure that in Disneyland there will be way more important things to do than sit down and eat. We of course will be partaking in snacks such as Corn Dogs and Ice Cream from the Gibson Girls so they won't starve I promise! I have heard that Flo's V8 Cafe has a super cute kids meal with a McQueen basket sort of thing so we will buy those for the kids....especially Zeke. He's gonna flip out!!!
Wow...this turned into a much longer post than I meant it to be. All of that to just say I need help with lunch ideas! If you also have some insider tips on lunch at Disneyland let me know as well. Thanks!!!!!
Well, this isn't super outside the box, but it's all I can think of at the moment. My kiddos love the big sub sandwiches from the grocery store deli. You know the kind made on a loaf of french bread. They are usually 5 or 6 bucks, and we can stretch one to feed the whole family, if we bulk up on the chips : )
ReplyDeleteDo you have a cooler that plugs into the lighter of the van? I used to have a very small one and it kept everything nice and cool during the drive. Ice will melt.
ReplyDeleteThere are those protein snacks what are roll ups in tortillas, basically, I wonder if the kids could eat that. I am not sure if its kid friendly. But you could cut them in half and give half to a kid.