joedisney
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2000
- Messages
- 70
We are just back from another wonderful January trip, but I am still determined to finish last year's report. As a reminder, at the time of the trip the cast of characters: Joe - the dad at 41, Kathy - the mom at 37, Christopher - the map boy at 11, Connor - without a nickname at 8, Alex - the octopus at 4 and Caley - the sassy princess at 2.
Let me start by saying that my wife is a professional. Just about everything I have learned about bringing up kids comes from her. She has a degree in early childhood education, did daycare for over fifteen years and is now starting her own parenting consulting business. One of the main things that I have learned in bringing up my children over the past twelve years is that good parenting skills are not something you are born with. Why is it that to be good at any other job, you need to go to college for at least four years, yet we are thrown into parenthood, certainly one of lifes most important jobs, with absolutely no formal training? Lets face it this job is not an easy one. Rewarding? Yes. Easy? Definitely not. This is why, when I am about to do something stupid (like bribing or trying to win a battle with a two year old), I look to my wife for direction. With our first two children, things were pretty easy. Even when the Octopus came along, we seemed to have things well in control. Everything, however, changed drastically when the fourth one arrived. Maybe it was the fact that we were now severely outnumbered, or maybe we just werent used to dealing with a girl. Whatever the reason, things were different. Now more than ever, I needed to rely on the parenting fundamentals I had developed before the new arrival. Of all the things I had learned, one lesson would be most important in dealing with our new family dynamic. Dont sweat the small stuff and absolutely, positively, never cry over spilled milk.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004.
Why does it take so long to leave the room? In my mind, we get up, shower, grab a quick breakfast and we are out of the room in less than 30 minutes. Remember, every extra minute we spend in the room is costing me $1.11. Im ready to go, why isnt my wife and HER four children? Ok, I admit it, she does more than her share to get the little ones ready to go, but even with my help it takes an over an hour and a half to get this crew out in the morning. Maybe next trip I can experiment with some time saving alternatives. How about sleeping with our clothes on? Or, maybe I could make up some flyers, Come meet Matt Damon at MGM from 7:30am to 8:00am Be sure to get there early! That would get Mom rolling. Well, when we finally make our way out of the hotel, we are met with another perfect day. The forecast is 70 degrees and sunny all day. Sorry Auntie Janet. Today we are planning on spending half the day at the Magic Kingdom followed by some pool time.
When we were a family of four, we would often get compliments from complete strangers. On more than one occasion, while eating out, people would go out of their way to stop by our table to tell us how well behaved our children were. Two more kids and a few years later, we dont seem to get those same compliments any more. Im not saying it doesnt happen, just not nearly as often. Its like we are the Sybil family. We can go from a family living in perfect harmony to one in the midst of turmoil in a matter of seconds. Just walking along on our way to the Magic Kingdom, I would say half the people probably think we are a beautiful family of six and the other half duck their heads and run with fear. All out war can break out over just about anything, most of the time involving one or both of the little people. Kathy has taken to calling Alex and Caley the ball and chain. Trying to get anything done with these two around is almost impossible. Split them up and you have a fighting chance. Together, all progress comes to a grinding halt. As we walk along trying to keep the peace, we come upon a display of Mickey statues outside the park. As part of Mickeys 75th birthday, seventy-five statues designed by various celebrities were created and were on display outside the Magic Kingdom. We had a great time checking out the Mickeys and taking pictures of our favorites. The Red Sox Mickey was definitely my favorite.
Upon entering the park we head for what is now a family tradition. We start our day in the Magic Kingdom by first making a stop at the Confectionery shop on Main Street. If you have never been in this store, add it to your list of things to do next time you are there. This is a candy store done Disney style. Filled with all sorts of cavity creating goodies for everyone. The rules are simple, everyone gets to pick out one thing from the store. Yes, you health conscious Mom's may need to alter the rules a bit as the choices can be down right scary. The Map Boy for instance, chooses this tube of gooey stuff that would definitely keep the tooth fairy up at night. Connor chooses a tub of colored sugar in the shape of a paint-can. This one comes complete with a paintbrush so you can completely cover your teeth in refined sugar. Caley and Alex get these chewy Mickey things that would surely test their fillings if they had them. Mom and Dad you ask. We go the healthy root. I get an apple and Kathy gets some raisons. Ok, ok, mine is a candy apple and Kathy's are Raisinets, but they are kind of healthy. We all also share a Rice Krispy bar. Yummy. As we chomp on our treats, we play some checkers on a board set up just outside the store.
Today we are doing things a little bit differently. Typically, it is Dad and Christopher that go off on the thrill rides while Mom and the little ones look for more mellow activities. Instead, it is Dad that gets to spend time with the little princess while Mom takes the boys on Thunder Mountain Railroad. As Mom and the boys trot off down Main Street, I look down and see two puppy-dog-brown eyes staring up at me. What is it about little daughters that make Dads melt? We hold hands as we stroll up Main Street making our plans. We decide that Aladdin would be the perfect ride. With hardly a wait we decide to ride twice. While I love doing the thrill rides, I must admit, spending time with my sweet little two-year-old princess, at the Magic Kingdom, may be even more fun. It is certainly more magical. After riding Aladdin, we make our way to the Crystal Palace, where we will be meeting the rest of the gang for lunch. We take our time and savor the moment. We take pictures, watch the birds and chat about Pooh and the other characters we will soon be meeting at lunch. We stop on the bridge that leads to the Crystal Palace to admire the view of the castle. It's moments like these that make Disney so special for me. Enjoying time with my little girl on a perfect day in the Magic Kingdom.
Soon we are eating at one of my favorite Disney restaurants. The Crystal Palace is a great place to have good food and meet some characters in a setting that is pure Disney. I love watching the little ones get their pens and autographs ready as the characters approach our table. While we eat, Tigger comes by more than once to harass Connor and Christopher. He bounces up switches their hats and bounces away. The Pooh characters are among my family's favorites and today, Tigger is down right crazy. We have a great time and the kids always love the self-serve ice cream machine.
After we eat we do the Hall of Presidents, the Toy Story show, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (no wait!) and the Transit Authority. I am pleased to get my champion status back on Buzz with a new family record of 306,000 points. The map boy is not pleased. Today we were only planning on spending a half-day at the parks, but we find it hard to leave. We are having so much fun on the rides with no lines all day. We are torn, but eventually decide to get in some pool time before this beautiful day comes to an end. Before we leave, we stop and get Alex a Buzz Lightyear toy that he had been eyeing since our previous visit to the park. He is so cute on the bus as he holds his new toy all the way back to our room.
Back at the Beach Club, we get our fix of Storm-Along-Bay. We have fun going from the Jacuzzi to the pool. Connor is only brave enough to put the very bottom of his feet in the Jacuzzi. After swimming we take our showers/baths and head to Beaches and Cream for dinner. As I am munching on my burger, I am thinking that today has gone as smoothly as a day can go with six people at Disney. With a family of six, there is just a greater chance for things to go wrong. There is a greater chance of someone getting sick, scraping a knee, developing a "poop" problem or just being grouchy. The entire fate of the group teeters on the mood of the weakest link. As parents of four we are trained to overlook the little things. As I am thinking about how perfect this day has been, my thoughts are disrupted by the sound of Connor spilling his entire root beer over the table. With the help of the waitress and a few hundred napkins, we are able to clean up the mess in no time. It's not long after Connor's replacement root beer shows up when Caley's chocolate milk mysteriously tips over. Caley swears she didn't do it and no one else was even close, very suspicious. No need for napkins this time, however, since the milk spilled right onto Kathy's seat where it was instantly sopped up by her butt. Taking it all in stride, we enjoy our sundaes and head back to our room.
Everyone is asleep within moments of their heads hitting their pillows. Today was a great day at Disney. We had a wonderful time at the Magic Kingdom, got in some nice pool time and finished it off with a delicious burger and sundaes at Beaches and Cream. Life doesn't get much better than this. Sure we had a few mishaps along the way, but hey, we're seasoned professionals (OK at least one of us is, but she's the one with the soggy butt). We know better than to worry about the little things. Sure, you may have to sit in a puddle of milk now and then, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We are a family of six and we are at Disney. Life is good.
Coming up next: The circle of life
Let me start by saying that my wife is a professional. Just about everything I have learned about bringing up kids comes from her. She has a degree in early childhood education, did daycare for over fifteen years and is now starting her own parenting consulting business. One of the main things that I have learned in bringing up my children over the past twelve years is that good parenting skills are not something you are born with. Why is it that to be good at any other job, you need to go to college for at least four years, yet we are thrown into parenthood, certainly one of lifes most important jobs, with absolutely no formal training? Lets face it this job is not an easy one. Rewarding? Yes. Easy? Definitely not. This is why, when I am about to do something stupid (like bribing or trying to win a battle with a two year old), I look to my wife for direction. With our first two children, things were pretty easy. Even when the Octopus came along, we seemed to have things well in control. Everything, however, changed drastically when the fourth one arrived. Maybe it was the fact that we were now severely outnumbered, or maybe we just werent used to dealing with a girl. Whatever the reason, things were different. Now more than ever, I needed to rely on the parenting fundamentals I had developed before the new arrival. Of all the things I had learned, one lesson would be most important in dealing with our new family dynamic. Dont sweat the small stuff and absolutely, positively, never cry over spilled milk.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004.
Why does it take so long to leave the room? In my mind, we get up, shower, grab a quick breakfast and we are out of the room in less than 30 minutes. Remember, every extra minute we spend in the room is costing me $1.11. Im ready to go, why isnt my wife and HER four children? Ok, I admit it, she does more than her share to get the little ones ready to go, but even with my help it takes an over an hour and a half to get this crew out in the morning. Maybe next trip I can experiment with some time saving alternatives. How about sleeping with our clothes on? Or, maybe I could make up some flyers, Come meet Matt Damon at MGM from 7:30am to 8:00am Be sure to get there early! That would get Mom rolling. Well, when we finally make our way out of the hotel, we are met with another perfect day. The forecast is 70 degrees and sunny all day. Sorry Auntie Janet. Today we are planning on spending half the day at the Magic Kingdom followed by some pool time.
When we were a family of four, we would often get compliments from complete strangers. On more than one occasion, while eating out, people would go out of their way to stop by our table to tell us how well behaved our children were. Two more kids and a few years later, we dont seem to get those same compliments any more. Im not saying it doesnt happen, just not nearly as often. Its like we are the Sybil family. We can go from a family living in perfect harmony to one in the midst of turmoil in a matter of seconds. Just walking along on our way to the Magic Kingdom, I would say half the people probably think we are a beautiful family of six and the other half duck their heads and run with fear. All out war can break out over just about anything, most of the time involving one or both of the little people. Kathy has taken to calling Alex and Caley the ball and chain. Trying to get anything done with these two around is almost impossible. Split them up and you have a fighting chance. Together, all progress comes to a grinding halt. As we walk along trying to keep the peace, we come upon a display of Mickey statues outside the park. As part of Mickeys 75th birthday, seventy-five statues designed by various celebrities were created and were on display outside the Magic Kingdom. We had a great time checking out the Mickeys and taking pictures of our favorites. The Red Sox Mickey was definitely my favorite.
Upon entering the park we head for what is now a family tradition. We start our day in the Magic Kingdom by first making a stop at the Confectionery shop on Main Street. If you have never been in this store, add it to your list of things to do next time you are there. This is a candy store done Disney style. Filled with all sorts of cavity creating goodies for everyone. The rules are simple, everyone gets to pick out one thing from the store. Yes, you health conscious Mom's may need to alter the rules a bit as the choices can be down right scary. The Map Boy for instance, chooses this tube of gooey stuff that would definitely keep the tooth fairy up at night. Connor chooses a tub of colored sugar in the shape of a paint-can. This one comes complete with a paintbrush so you can completely cover your teeth in refined sugar. Caley and Alex get these chewy Mickey things that would surely test their fillings if they had them. Mom and Dad you ask. We go the healthy root. I get an apple and Kathy gets some raisons. Ok, ok, mine is a candy apple and Kathy's are Raisinets, but they are kind of healthy. We all also share a Rice Krispy bar. Yummy. As we chomp on our treats, we play some checkers on a board set up just outside the store.
Today we are doing things a little bit differently. Typically, it is Dad and Christopher that go off on the thrill rides while Mom and the little ones look for more mellow activities. Instead, it is Dad that gets to spend time with the little princess while Mom takes the boys on Thunder Mountain Railroad. As Mom and the boys trot off down Main Street, I look down and see two puppy-dog-brown eyes staring up at me. What is it about little daughters that make Dads melt? We hold hands as we stroll up Main Street making our plans. We decide that Aladdin would be the perfect ride. With hardly a wait we decide to ride twice. While I love doing the thrill rides, I must admit, spending time with my sweet little two-year-old princess, at the Magic Kingdom, may be even more fun. It is certainly more magical. After riding Aladdin, we make our way to the Crystal Palace, where we will be meeting the rest of the gang for lunch. We take our time and savor the moment. We take pictures, watch the birds and chat about Pooh and the other characters we will soon be meeting at lunch. We stop on the bridge that leads to the Crystal Palace to admire the view of the castle. It's moments like these that make Disney so special for me. Enjoying time with my little girl on a perfect day in the Magic Kingdom.
Soon we are eating at one of my favorite Disney restaurants. The Crystal Palace is a great place to have good food and meet some characters in a setting that is pure Disney. I love watching the little ones get their pens and autographs ready as the characters approach our table. While we eat, Tigger comes by more than once to harass Connor and Christopher. He bounces up switches their hats and bounces away. The Pooh characters are among my family's favorites and today, Tigger is down right crazy. We have a great time and the kids always love the self-serve ice cream machine.
After we eat we do the Hall of Presidents, the Toy Story show, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (no wait!) and the Transit Authority. I am pleased to get my champion status back on Buzz with a new family record of 306,000 points. The map boy is not pleased. Today we were only planning on spending a half-day at the parks, but we find it hard to leave. We are having so much fun on the rides with no lines all day. We are torn, but eventually decide to get in some pool time before this beautiful day comes to an end. Before we leave, we stop and get Alex a Buzz Lightyear toy that he had been eyeing since our previous visit to the park. He is so cute on the bus as he holds his new toy all the way back to our room.
Back at the Beach Club, we get our fix of Storm-Along-Bay. We have fun going from the Jacuzzi to the pool. Connor is only brave enough to put the very bottom of his feet in the Jacuzzi. After swimming we take our showers/baths and head to Beaches and Cream for dinner. As I am munching on my burger, I am thinking that today has gone as smoothly as a day can go with six people at Disney. With a family of six, there is just a greater chance for things to go wrong. There is a greater chance of someone getting sick, scraping a knee, developing a "poop" problem or just being grouchy. The entire fate of the group teeters on the mood of the weakest link. As parents of four we are trained to overlook the little things. As I am thinking about how perfect this day has been, my thoughts are disrupted by the sound of Connor spilling his entire root beer over the table. With the help of the waitress and a few hundred napkins, we are able to clean up the mess in no time. It's not long after Connor's replacement root beer shows up when Caley's chocolate milk mysteriously tips over. Caley swears she didn't do it and no one else was even close, very suspicious. No need for napkins this time, however, since the milk spilled right onto Kathy's seat where it was instantly sopped up by her butt. Taking it all in stride, we enjoy our sundaes and head back to our room.
Everyone is asleep within moments of their heads hitting their pillows. Today was a great day at Disney. We had a wonderful time at the Magic Kingdom, got in some nice pool time and finished it off with a delicious burger and sundaes at Beaches and Cream. Life doesn't get much better than this. Sure we had a few mishaps along the way, but hey, we're seasoned professionals (OK at least one of us is, but she's the one with the soggy butt). We know better than to worry about the little things. Sure, you may have to sit in a puddle of milk now and then, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We are a family of six and we are at Disney. Life is good.
Coming up next: The circle of life
