Other than the extreme lack of sleep, this vacation has gone incredibly well. I had set my expectations low, but the kids have been well-behaved and all-around delightful. But as our vacation began wrapping up, I could feel we were headed for a crash and burn.
Even though our flight wasn’t until early afternoon, Shep had his backpack on by 8am, and was walking around talking about wanting to go back to our “red house.” Everyone was clearly edgy and the exhaustion was catching up with them. The inevitable meltdown occurred at security where Neko didn’t want to part with her new toy parrot and Shep refused to take off his shoes. Everyone went through security kicking and screaming.
So why have they not invented a kids’ security lane? Maybe there’s some tv where you can watch Elmo or Dora. And then maybe when you make it through you get a sticker and a lollipop. Seriously, how much would that cost them? I digress…
The rest of the travel was sketchy at best, but everyone hung in there fairly well. However, upon our return I have definite thoughts about our vacation next year.
1) Plan waaaay ahead. Like, NOW. This is the best way to get good deals, optimal hotels, and the best bang for your SkyMiles buck.
2) I adore our new CARES seatbelt for air travel. It’s the only FAA-approved restraint other than a car seat. Perfect for wiggly little people, easily stows in your bag, and sets up in about two minutes. You can check the car seats and still feel like your kids are properly restrained. We now own two, and are more than happy to loan them out to friends and family.
3) I prefer Disneyland to Disney World. The flight and the time change are brutal, but once you get there, everything is better for kids this age. It’s cheaper, all the things they care about are contained within one park, and you can walk to everything. If I calculated the amount of time we spent on monorails and busses, it would be some phenomenal number. Plus, from a design standpoint, all the rides at Disneyland are finessed down to the tiniest details. I notice at Disney World they kind of skimped on some of the small stuff.
4) The pool/beach opportunities are more important than almost anything else. Kids love water. Especially my kids.
5) Although theme parks are fun, they don’t need to be the center of our vacations anymore. As the kids get older, we’ll be seeking out things like dinosaur museums and hands-on farms experiences. These seem to be the things they really dig their teeth into.
6) Instead of groaning about the early wake-up time, learn to embrace it. Although bleary-eyed at 5:30am, Ellery and I got a chance to stroll around the grounds and get a good lay of the land. Even if the sun is barely up, fresh air and exercise are a great way to start the day.
7) When you mistakenly buy your child a ridiculously expensive toy parrot as their “one thing” because you forgot to look at the price because, hey, it can’t possibly be more than $20, it may actually be a blessing in disguise. The whole rest of the trip whenever we came within a 10 foot radius of a store, I just looked at Neko and said, “Remember, we bought Sally.” She never again asked for a dress or a wand or any sparkly spangly thing that would have been used for two days and then discarded. Wait until she finds out what Sally can do once we put batteries in her. Her head may explode.
8) We’ve reached that point in our lives where the kids can stay up late on vacation. Normally, I rule with an iron fist where sleep is concerned, but I threw in the towel and let the kids stay up late each night. They got to see fireworks and light shows which were slated for well after bedtime. We’re paying for it now with cranky kids, but I think it was worth the trade-off.
Next year? I’m thinking maybe San Diego…