8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC Part 14

[Downrivermama]

Yeah that one is much nicer than the one closest to home. But the one near home is closed for rennovation so who knows what it'll look like when they are done.

This breakfast one is nice and spacious. There's a little more than shown in the picture. You can see a part of the bowl in the upper right corner...it's a cereal bowl with giant shredded wheat clusters in it!

The whole area is a soft spongey flooring, the play items are padded vinyl/plastic and the place is very clean. The shut it down every 2-3 hours and a crew comes in to vacuum and disinfect all the play surfaces. The first time we saw it we were amazed at all these kids running to and fro with nary a collision nor broken limb occuring! Our only two complaints: parents who let their kids run around with their shoes on and parents who allow their older kids to play there. Okay, so our little guy is 2 but I'm thinking the upper limit at which kids would want to play on such things would be about 7 or 8. But we've seen kids who could be shaving playing in there!

I have the same pet peeves. I make dd follow the rules that are posted. If she is too tall or over the age, or has no socks with her she can't do it. There are some 8,9,10 year olds who are not kind to toddlers. I always tell dd to be nice and don't rush them. Half the time she ends up being a tour guide to the little ones!

 

[windermerejudy]

I've seen Andy post in the postcard thread. I know he was dealing with dial up while visiting his mom, but I think he may be back home now. Not sure.


HEY BIP - forgot to quote your post, but glad you stopped by to say hi. Sounds like the party was great fun.


I'm in a bit of a quandry this week. My ST has been quite stinky as of late and I'm debating whether or not he'll make it on the Med cruise. I've already got someone willing to watch him if I leave him behind. And I've talked to my mom about going with me instead of my ST. It's just that this entire time I've really looked forward to taking my son to Europe. There's so much history that I'd love for him to see. But...he really doesn't deserve a trip like this right now. I need to make a decision this week. There's only 6 weeks before we leave....whoever I end up leaving with

Hi Monica -- make the decision on what will make you have a better trip -- if YOU really will enjoy taking him to Europe, regardless of whether he deserves it or even seems to appreciate it (and he might not seem to when he really does), then take him. On the other hand, if his attitude will prevent you from enjoying the vacation, don't take him. Don't lose sight that this is your trip, you are paying for it, and you deserve to enjoy it!

That's what's making this so hard. I know that this would benefit him in many ways. But, as a friend pointed out, I could take him another time. If I were to take my mom, this may be the last chance I'd get to travel with her. And she's never been to Europe.

Monica , good luck in whatever you decide. I can see reasons for wanting to spend extra time with both of them. Is there anyway you can just add your mom to the room and all 3 go? Spending a little alone time with your son may just be what would make things better. other than all that .........I vote Mark

 

[got2travel]

Monica , good luck in whatever you decide. I can see reasons for wanting to spend extra time with both of them. Is there anyway you can just add your mom to the room and all 3 go? Spending a little alone time with your son may just be what would make things better. other than all that .........I vote Mark

The whole point of taking my mom would be as a punishment for my son. He'd see it as more of a reward if both of them went. Besides I wouldn't want her to have to put up with my ST for 2 weeks.

Mark appreciates your vote though. But he has also volunteered to keep my son while I'm gone. Maybe he can whip him into shape.

 

[atakaratemom]

That's what's making this so hard. I know that this would benefit him in many ways. But, as a friend pointed out, I could take him another time. If I were to take my mom, this may be the last chance I'd get to travel with her. And she's never been to Europe.

Monica this is a very good point. If your Mom is getting to an age where she will soon find it hard to travel I would jump at this chance to spend the precious time with her. I love my ST to pieces, but I would give anything to have had a chance to take a trip like this with my Mom before she passed away. Both of my parents are gone now and I still miss them so much everyday. I wish I would have had the means when I was younger to take them on vacations like this. Now I can afford it but it's too late.

 

[geffric]

Monica this is a very good point. If your Mom is getting to an age where she will soon find it hard to travel I would jump at this chance to spend the precious time with her. I love my ST to pieces, but I would give anything to have had a chance to take a trip like this with my Mom before she passed away. Both of my parents are gone now and I still miss them so much everyday. I wish I would have had the means when I was younger to take them on vacations like this. Now I can afford it but it's too late.

that is a good point. Both my parents are gone too and I would love to have had a special memory with one or both of them.That would truely be a trip of a lifetime..

 

[kap158]

That's what's making this so hard. I know that this would benefit him in many ways. But, as a friend pointed out, I could take him another time. If I were to take my mom, this may be the last chance I'd get to travel with her. And she's never been to Europe.

Monica I know what you mean. Is there someone to take care of your son if you took your mother? I have in the past couple of years have tried to do something with each of my parents. As you said it may be the last chance to travel with her. I don't know how old your son is. Is he interested in going?

Karen

 

[daipp]

Evening all!

Just passing through - had a busy few days with a conference tomorrow

Been watching the news for the past hour - for Blair supporters like me, it's been a sad day in the UK. We now have a new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

David

 

[bellelinus]

Evening all!

Just passing through - had a busy few days with a conference tomorrow

Been watching the news for the past hour - for Blair supporters like me, it's been a sad day in the UK. We now have a new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

David

You're up late, David! The New York Times had a nice editorial today about Blair's legacy, quite positive.

 

[got2travel]

Monica this is a very good point. If your Mom is getting to an age where she will soon find it hard to travel I would jump at this chance to spend the precious time with her. I love my ST to pieces, but I would give anything to have had a chance to take a trip like this with my Mom before she passed away. Both of my parents are gone now and I still miss them so much everyday. I wish I would have had the means when I was younger to take them on vacations like this. Now I can afford it but it's too late.

that is a good point. Both my parents are gone too and I would love to have had a special memory with one or both of them.That would truely be a trip of a lifetime..

Monica I know what you mean. Is there someone to take care of your son if you took your mother? I have in the past couple of years have tried to do something with each of my parents. As you said it may be the last chance to travel with her. I don't know how old your son is. Is he interested in going?

Karen

This is exactly why many are advising me to take my mom. She'll be 77 in August. This could be her birthday present! She's travelled quite a bit in her lifetime - guess that's where I got my love of traveling. But, she's never been to Europe so this would be great. I've travelled with both my parents but nothing with just my mom.

I do have someone (Mark, my fairly recent new man) who will watch my son. He's 11, not even a true ST yet, still a SPT. Mark is pretty much insisting that I take my mom and leave my son with him. He's seen some of the recent behavior and doesn't feel that my son deserves to go.

Oh, and a key peice of info I held back. My son didn't know about the trip. But after he blew it at school and got kicked out for the last week therefore missing all his finals, I told him that I had a great trip planned. Still didn't tell him where, but explained that we needed a passport for it. I told him that if he didn't straigten up, we wouldn't go. Well, his response, was that it didn't matter, we'd still go because we always do. He's partialy correct. Many times I've had trips planned but then he gets in trouble. We end up going anyway because it was past the point of being able to cancel without losing all my money. Unfortunately this trip was past the cancellation point too. But I can change the ressie to another person without any penalty as long as I do it by next week.

I guess I held this info back because with it, it sort of makes the decison a no brainer. At least for anyone else who hears it. But it's not a no brainer to me. I wanted him to be able to go so badly. I guess now I'll leave him home, but tell him about the TOAL so that he knows he's got to make it through next year or else he'll be sitting at home again. Each trip was going to be a surprise announcement at the end of the school year. But I think if I use this year's as an example that may give him the incentive straighten up.

 

[bellelinus]

This is exactly why many are advising me to take my mom. She'll be 77 in August. This could be her birthday present! She's travelled quite a bit in her lifetime - guess that's where I got my love of traveling. But, she's never been to Europe so this would be great. I've travelled with both my parents but nothing with just my mom.

I do have someone (Mark, my fairly recent new man) who will watch my son. He's 11, not even a true ST yet, still a SPT. Mark is pretty much insisting that I take my mom and leave my son with him. He's seen some of the recent behavior and doesn't feel that my son deserves to go.

Oh, and a key peice of info I held back. My son didn't know about the trip. But after he blew it at school and got kicked out for the last week therefore missing all his finals, I told him that I had a great trip planned. Still didn't tell him where, but explained that we needed a passport for it. I told him that if he didn't straigten up, we wouldn't go. Well, his response, was that it didn't matter, we'd still go because we always do. He's partialy correct. Many times I've had trips planned but then he gets in trouble. We end up going anyway because it was past the point of being able to cancel without losing all my money. Unfortunately this trip was past the cancellation point too. But I can change the ressie to another person without any penalty as long as I do it by next week.

I guess I held this info back because with it, it sort of makes the decison a no brainer. At least for anyone else who hears it. But it's not a no brainer to me. I wanted him to be able to go so badly. I guess now I'll leave him home, but tell him about the TOAL so that he knows he's got to make it through next year or else he'll be sitting at home again. Each trip was going to be a surprise announcement at the end of the school year. But I think if I use this year's as an example that may give him the incentive straighten up.

I'm sorry this is so hard on you, Monica. I hope you are able to enjoy your trip regardless. It does seem that unless he knows that there are consequences, he won't change, but it is also clear that it will hurt you a lot (probably more than him) at this point. We put a lot of our heart into planning these trips for our loved ones, and we want them to appreciate it.

 

[bellelinus]

Also, Monica, parenting decisions are rarely "no brainers" -- it's a very tricky thing to be a parent, and hard to be rational when our hearts are so caught up in everything, so don't beat yourself up over how difficult this decision is for you.

 

[windermerejudy]

This is exactly why many are advising me to take my mom. She'll be 77 in August. This could be her birthday present! She's travelled quite a bit in her lifetime - guess that's where I got my love of traveling. But, she's never been to Europe so this would be great. I've travelled with both my parents but nothing with just my mom.

I do have someone (Mark, my fairly recent new man) who will watch my son. He's 11, not even a true ST yet, still a SPT. Mark is pretty much insisting that I take my mom and leave my son with him. He's seen some of the recent behavior and doesn't feel that my son deserves to go.

Oh, and a key peice of info I held back. My son didn't know about the trip. But after he blew it at school and got kicked out for the last week therefore missing all his finals, I told him that I had a great trip planned. Still didn't tell him where, but explained that we needed a passport for it. I told him that if he didn't straigten up, we wouldn't go. Well, his response, was that it didn't matter, we'd still go because we always do. He's partialy correct. Many times I've had trips planned but then he gets in trouble. We end up going anyway because it was past the point of being able to cancel without losing all my money. Unfortunately this trip was past the cancellation point too. But I can change the ressie to another person without any penalty as long as I do it by next week.

I guess I held this info back because with it, it sort of makes the decison a no brainer. At least for anyone else who hears it. But it's not a no brainer to me. I wanted him to be able to go so badly. I guess now I'll leave him home, but tell him about the TOAL so that he knows he's got to make it through next year or else he'll be sitting at home again. Each trip was going to be a surprise announcement at the end of the school year. But I think if I use this year's as an example that may give him the incentive straighten up.

Monica, you are right that makes it a no brainer. I would set a clear example. Like you said before you can always take him later at another time. I think it would make him try hard next year to try and get the reward of the repo. and you are right in that you would really love the memories with your mom someday.

 

[geffric]

I guess I held this info back because with it, it sort of makes the decison a no brainer. At least for anyone else who hears it. But it's not a no brainer to me. I wanted him to be able to go so badly. I guess now I'll leave him home, but tell him about the TOAL so that he knows he's got to make it through next year or else he'll be sitting at home again. Each trip was going to be a surprise announcement at the end of the school year. But I think if I use this year's as an example that may give him the incentive straighten up.

I realize that this is a very hard decison for you and all though the trip you'll be thinking about your son and how much he would have like this and that.. but maybe it will help him in the end by staying home and he will exceed your expectations so he cn go on the next trip..

 

[tiggrbaby]

This is exactly why many are advising me to take my mom. She'll be 77 in August. This could be her birthday present! She's travelled quite a bit in her lifetime - guess that's where I got my love of traveling. But, she's never been to Europe so this would be great. I've travelled with both my parents but nothing with just my mom.

I do have someone (Mark, my fairly recent new man) who will watch my son. He's 11, not even a true ST yet, still a SPT. Mark is pretty much insisting that I take my mom and leave my son with him. He's seen some of the recent behavior and doesn't feel that my son deserves to go.

Oh, and a key peice of info I held back. My son didn't know about the trip. But after he blew it at school and got kicked out for the last week therefore missing all his finals, I told him that I had a great trip planned. Still didn't tell him where, but explained that we needed a passport for it. I told him that if he didn't straigten up, we wouldn't go. Well, his response, was that it didn't matter, we'd still go because we always do. He's partialy correct. Many times I've had trips planned but then he gets in trouble. We end up going anyway because it was past the point of being able to cancel without losing all my money. Unfortunately this trip was past the cancellation point too. But I can change the ressie to another person without any penalty as long as I do it by next week.

I guess I held this info back because with it, it sort of makes the decison a no brainer. At least for anyone else who hears it. But it's not a no brainer to me. I wanted him to be able to go so badly. I guess now I'll leave him home, but tell him about the TOAL so that he knows he's got to make it through next year or else he'll be sitting at home again. Each trip was going to be a surprise announcement at the end of the school year. But I think if I use this year's as an example that may give him the incentive straighten up.

It's a very tough thing to make a decision about your child. You always want to check all the angles and second guess yourself. But in the final analysis, you must do what you feel would be best for you and your son, then don't "coulda woulda shoulda." Look at the many positives your of final decision (and both do have positives!). I admire you for your strenghth and caring!

 

[brack]

That's funny is this photo he looks alot like my husband. His hair even does that wavy thing when his bangs get too long.

Lisa, Brack, Todd, Caroline - Don't you agree?

I agree!

 

[yargrnhoj]

But as you have proved, it's never too late to retort in kind!!!!!!

Yes, indeed. Thanks for quoting Tom since I missed the first post.

 

[yargrnhoj]

And with that I'll drop a quick 7 questions... QUICK.

1) Do you consider yourself a ROMANTIC?
Heck, no.

2) What makes you a romantic (or not) - EG an example please
You've already established I am a geek.

3) Your favorite movie to dislike - and confessions as to why?
Titanic. (a) it was way too popular (b) it had Leonardo DiCaprio in it (c) the whole love story angle was contrived (d) it had Leonardo DiCaprio in it

4) Your favorite movie for reasons which "move" you or oyour feelings...
I am not sure I have a favorite movie that "moves" me. Movies don't do that for me.

5) What does your spouse, SO or special best friend* love to dine on - not you.
Janie and I have very similar tastes. Probably tiramisu. She really likes it, I can take it or leave it.

6) And what was the favorite movie of your spouse, SO or special best friend*?
Titanic, probably. (Really don't know if she has a favorite anymore. Used to be Gone with the Wind.

7) And - if you won the Special Person of day thing entering DIsnyland, WDW or if they did it on a Disney ship - and you could choose a special thing to do - what would it be?
At DCL, blow the ship's horn. At WDW, I'd want to be the guy who opens the Magic Kingdom gates.

 

[yargrnhoj]

I have the same pet peeves. I make dd follow the rules that are posted. If she is too tall or over the age, or has no socks with her she can't do it. There are some 8,9,10 year olds who are not kind to toddlers. I always tell dd to be nice and don't rush them. Half the time she ends up being a tour guide to the little ones!

I'll join you in that pet peeve. Last Christmas on DCL, we got very annoyed at a cast member because she refused to remove two STs from the napkin folding seminar that was listed in the Navigator as "Adults only". First, they were obnoxious. Second, they couldn't follow the directions and had to keep asking for help. Third, they were teens. Our DS13 would have loved to go to this seminar but we told him he couldn't because it was adults only. Then we find they let two STs stay.

 

[m&m's mom]

Woo hoo! I am going on a Disney cruise. A year before this one to be exact.
I could not stand it that all of yal were repeat cruisers and I was not. I could just see yal taking every good time slot for all the stuff I wanted so.... My Mom and my sister and I are taking a girls cruise this Sept. Gotta get my CC number so I have a chance w/ you repeaters.
I am so excited that I do not have to wait that long and that I get a no-kids trip in.
DH, Bill is going to the US Open Tennis tournament that week so I don't feel too bad. Thank goodness for MiL who is going to watching the girls.

 

[yargrnhoj]

This is exactly why many are advising me to take my mom. She'll be 77 in August. This could be her birthday present! She's travelled quite a bit in her lifetime - guess that's where I got my love of traveling. But, she's never been to Europe so this would be great. I've travelled with both my parents but nothing with just my mom.

I do have someone (Mark, my fairly recent new man) who will watch my son. He's 11, not even a true ST yet, still a SPT. Mark is pretty much insisting that I take my mom and leave my son with him. He's seen some of the recent behavior and doesn't feel that my son deserves to go.

Oh, and a key peice of info I held back. My son didn't know about the trip. But after he blew it at school and got kicked out for the last week therefore missing all his finals, I told him that I had a great trip planned. Still didn't tell him where, but explained that we needed a passport for it. I told him that if he didn't straigten up, we wouldn't go. Well, his response, was that it didn't matter, we'd still go because we always do. He's partialy correct. Many times I've had trips planned but then he gets in trouble. We end up going anyway because it was past the point of being able to cancel without losing all my money. Unfortunately this trip was past the cancellation point too. But I can change the ressie to another person without any penalty as long as I do it by next week.

I guess I held this info back because with it, it sort of makes the decison a no brainer. At least for anyone else who hears it. But it's not a no brainer to me. I wanted him to be able to go so badly. I guess now I'll leave him home, but tell him about the TOAL so that he knows he's got to make it through next year or else he'll be sitting at home again. Each trip was going to be a surprise announcement at the end of the school year. But I think if I use this year's as an example that may give him the incentive straighten up.

Wow, I don't envy you having to make that decision. I guess if you think you'll have the chance to take your son to Europe at some point in the future, then it probably is a no-brainer to take your mom this time. Just think about whether you'll be sitting there in Eurore wishing your son was there and, of course, whether not going will cause him to misbehave further as punitive action for being left out. It really is tough being a parent some times.