MINMATES Trip Report: Pre-trip Drama
I think Im Gonna Be sick
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8284795#post8284795
MINMATES Trip Report: (Day 1) I Need A Vacation! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8284821#post8284821
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.1) Lions & Tarzan & Mickey, Oh My! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8288435#post8288435
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.2) Visiting WDW-One Potty At A Time! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792642
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.3) Magic Kingdom Nirvana
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8301761#post8301761
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 3 (PT 1) POOL Is One Letter Short of POO!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792687
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 3 (PT 2) Dont Rain On My Parade!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792750
ME (minmate)
DH -- Joe
DD6 Cali
DD5 Meg
DS4 Buddy
DD2 Jay Jay
4/5-4/12 7 nights at Pop Century
THURS EVE 4/7
The Ep-ri-cot er Epcot bus took longer than most weve experienced thus far like a whole HALF AND HOUR. Again, Line-waiting snob here probably only 15 minutes. By 3:30 we inside the turnstiles with two double strollers heading to the Living Seas. I was determined to see Turtle Talks and find some live sea turtles. Why? Because Cali, my kindergartener, had just done her very first oral presentation and Educational Fair Project at school on sea turtles. She had done the report on Monday, the day before we left for our trip and the fair where her work would be displayed, along with the rest of the schools was to be the day after we returned (Wed 4/13). I thought this to be a great, fun tie in. We took the strollers all the way into Living Seas on the elevators (or Aqua-whatevers I forget what theyre called). It seemed like doing the LS was such an ordeal. It was big and wed never been here before (that I remembered) other than eating at Coral Reef. I didnt have a lot of info on it and for the first time, I felt an inkling of what it must feel like to be not in-the-know about WDW. I didnt care for it. We get in about a 15 minute line for Turtle Talk, which Buddy again announces takes a HALF AND HOUR thank you Father Time. We get in the front row and Cali, Meg and JayJay are happy to sit up front. Buddy needles about at my ankles, suddenly showing an atypical shy side. Finally, he joins the gang up front. Crush is cool and funny! He interacts great with the kids. I cross my fingers, hoping and praying that Crush will call on Cali. I know shed have good questions for him. She and I worked on her project together and we knew all the answers he was giving about turtles, like what they eat, laying their eggs, how fast they swim, etc. It was really a funny feeling because literally two weeks before I wouldnt have known any of that stuff until the project. Well, Crush calls on the boy in the green striped shirt. The host almost goes to the wrong kid and Crush gets him to make his way over to the right kid yup to (not Cali, but) Buddy. Crush asks him his name to which he clearly replies. Then he asks him what his question is uh . Nothing comes out of Buddys mouth. He starts squirming back to me, and Im about to feed him a question but Crush suggests they play a game, Close your eyes Buddy and Ill guess what your favorite food is Buddy closes his eyes. Wait, um, no, hold on, Im getting something Buddy likes the chicken nuggets! Crush replies. How did he know that?! Had he eaten so many chicken nuggets hed turned into one? Did he have crumbs on his shirt? Too funny! After this highly entertaining show, I asked Cali if she was disappointed she didnt get called on. No, Im just happy Buddy got called on! Wow! Very nice sweetie!
So, we spent some time trying to find live sea turtles. We never found them, but we visited the bathroom a couple times, rode the escalator, saw some manta rays, Nemo and friends, climbed into the belly of a shark and did other cool stuff and oh yeah, the dolphin do some tricks up close! Cool! We said wed try to come back again later in the trip, but I knew in my heart we likely wouldnt. We would have really liked to catch Turtle Talks one more time.
We asked about Soarin but no luck. We walked onto Figment and the kids loved it (except for the skunk smell). By then, we cruised through Imageworks and made our way to Le Cellier for our 5:30 PS. There were lots of topiaries around, Im assuming for the upcoming Flower and Garden Festival. That was quite a treat. We got some pics with the likes of Bambi and Friends, Tinkerbell, Lion King pals, Beauty and the Beast gang all in topiary form. I admired the beautiful butterfly shapes out of colorful flowers that lined the mounds near the water.
We were early for our PS and had about a HALF AND HOUR (ok, 15 minute) wait on our hands. At this point, my dad called and said his plans to meet us for the weekend had materialized. I stepped outside the restaurant and we chatted about logistics. When I came back in, Joe spilled the beans to the kids that Grandpa was coming out tomorrow! I was going to try to keep it a surprise but oh well. They were excited. By now, we were seated and treated to a scrumptious dinner. I had the special, steak filet and lobster, yum! Joe had prime rib. I had scallops for appetizer and he (and Buddy who ate a lot of it) had the cheese selection appetizer. The kids had their regular fare, hot dogs and such and of course, Chicken Nuggets for Buddy! I loved their pretzel breadsticks and sourdough breadsticks! We visited the bathroom here a couple times too. It was nice for a bathroom! It was also pretty busy in the restaurant. Joe had wished we could go here alone sometime. In a few years, that could happen. JayJays not old enough to leave in a childrens club, although by now, it should be pretty obvious, shed do fine. It did take awhile for our food and so I took the kids outside while Joe finished with the bill and selected desserts that we could take with us and munch on later. We were able to use the Dining Plan for just Joe and I and pay out-of-pocket for the kids meals. Later, we learned our server, Tara, only charged us 2 Dining Plan points, instead of 4. It should have been 4 because Le Cellier is considered a signature dining experience. We also ordered fairly expensive meals there! We ended up being able to use the points for a meal later in the week at Chef Mickeys!
It had begun to rain. It wasnt actually raining when we got outside. It was sunny, but our strollers were damp. Score one for mom. I simply untied my lime green banadannas from the stroller handles (this is how we distinguish which strollers are ours. It comes in very handy EMH night at MK our strollers got moved and had it not been for those bandannas wed have had a tough time finding our strollers. As it was, we simply scanned the strollers for the bandannas and found them). The kids busied themselves drying off their seats. All was fine. We broke out the rain gear and headed on our way to Spaceship Earth. Nice and relaxing. I enjoyed watching JayJay and Meg sit in front of me. Meg was so protective and doting on JayJay, explaining things, pointing them out and holding her hand. Next on the agenda was Mission: Space. Cali, Meg and I rode it. Meg was a bit neurotic about her position. She was nervous about messing up. When wed hit a snafu shed ask in a panic, Did I do that momma? Poor thing! I tried to reassure her she didnt. We were fine. I think she liked it but wasnt too sure about it. I was proud of her for trying it. It was raining now (not hard though) and Joe and I broke out our ponchos too. It dark now and as we walked to the World Showcase bridge there were a few claps of thunder. The park was emptying out considerably. Fine by us. We got our bracelets at the WS breezeway. Here they insisted JayJay get a bracelet too. We then headed over to El Rio and walked right on. It was nice and Buddy was happy it wasnt a fast ride or a super fast ride or a fast AND slow ride, but just a slow ride. He decided early on he liked Pirates better. But it was nice nonetheless. As I reached for the camera bag to take a picture, I couldnt find it. That just made this ride a whole lot less fun! Joe said. We couldnt get off the ride fast enough. I was sure Id left it on the strollers but I couldnt remember seeing it there. I dashed back to the strollers found the camera snapped safely under the canvas cover of the stroller and went back in to find the gang. They were nowhere to be found. I couldnt get my phone to work. Finally, we made contact. They were back at the strollers waiting for me. Wed crossed paths. Okay, everything is fine now! Outside, more thunder and even some lightning and rain. Still, we werent to be deterred. We walked right onto Maelstrom. I hadnt been on this before so I assured Buddy it was a slow, or maybe a slow and fast ride but not too bad. Knowing his nature, I didnt think hed freak, but he did. He did NOT like that the ride spun around backwards. He said it was too fast! What? The rest of us liked it though!
By now, the ride was practically cleared out. The rails werent even full for IllumiNations yet and it was about 8:40. We found a spot right there in Norway. The ground was dry enough to sit on so I parked the strollers against the railing and sat down between them while I sent Joe off in search of snacks. Why oh why do I do this to myself? He couldnt find a place to take the dining plan snack points and ended up paying out of pocket for churros. He had trouble finding us again yada, yada Meanwhile, as I sat with the four kids waiting, Buddy said he had to go potty. So, I led my four little ducklings to the bathroom by the Norway Viking Ship. Everyone went to the bathroom except JayJay. She threw a major fit when I tried to force the issue. Okay fine, dont go then. We weave our way back to our spot. My patience was wearing thin ever since Maelstrom. Buddy was hitting a wall and stepped it up a notch to incessant whining. Nobody was satisfied. They were whining about being cold, tired, etc. It was five minutes to IllumiNations and I just wanted to watch it. I had never seen it from inside the park. Every time we tried it didnt work out. I was so close. I was being selfish but I just couldnt help it. I wanted to see it. We were there. Couldnt they just sit there, cuddle up, get along, behave and give me 20 minutes more in the park? Its now about 5-10 minutes since we visited the bathroom and Meg peeks out of her stroller timidly saying, JayJay peed her pants I think. Sure enough she did! Come on! We were just at the bathroom! I was so mad and JayJay knew it. Even though I was mad, I simultaneously felt my heart breaking because the look on JayJays face was so pitiful. Buddy was out in full force whining and squirming. No way to get them all to the bathroom. Just as this all happens, Joe returns, feeling accomplished at getting snacks. I am enraged, frustrated and totally disappointed in my kids behaviors. I had scheduled time for rest and naps but they refused to lay down. I was mad. I know sometimes things are beyond our control but I was so frustrated. I felt Id spent as much time dealing with prima donna ungrateful attitudes as having fun. Here, we bend over backwards, work hard to take a nice vacation and they dont appreciate the time here enough to make an extra effort to behave and get along. It was obvious by now that EMH tonight was a no-go. We watch IllumiNations but Im resentful and feeling like my kids stole the joy out of the whole experience. We leave and theres two mass exoduses going one one toward TT and M:S and the other toward the exit. Buddy fell asleep in the stroller so when we had to give it up to go to the busses he was a complete nightmare. All three kids start bickering, whining and refusing to cooperate, move, etc. Im so frustrated and say, Ive just had enough. This is not the kind of vacation I wanted for us. You guys are breaking my heart. Im done and Im leaving. I snatch up JayJay turn on my heel and walk away from my family. Poor Joe, I just left him there with those awful kids. Buddy was screeching Dont leave me! I wanna go with you momeeeeee! Well, it was mean, but it got them moving. I finally stopped walking and waited for them. I apologized to Joe and Buddy is crying and whining that hes trying to do his best for me. He starts crying that his ear hurts. Hed been complaining about it the week before we left. Id had him checked out and he was cleared. We had meds for him to be safe in case something developed. There was practically no line for the bus for Pop. Of course there wasnt anyone whod weathered the weather (heehee) was surely going to stay for EMH. On the bus everyone is exhausted and totally wiped out. Buddy starts crying and whining that he doesnt want to go to Pop, he wants to go home, to his real home. I cannot describe the heartwrenching zing I felt. It was as if someone slapped me in the face so many times I knew it hurt, but I couldnt feel the pain anymore. I knew it was there, I just felt numb. I felt the blood drain from my body. My feet were heavy, like lead balloons I was sad. We walk in silence and disappointed by how tonight spiraled so quickly out of control.
While Joe began to ready the kids for bed I had an epiphany. We were ON vacation. It may not get any better than this. That was a depressing thought. I sat in the bathroom and decided, I could let their behavior rule my heart, or I could let my heart rule my attitude. In hushed tones, Joe and I talked about this, how it was our vacation too and if they werent going to appreciate it, I wasnt going to bend over backwards to make it so special for them. I was taking back my vacation and I intended to tell them just that.
I went in to tuck them in bed. I told them they had four days to prove they deserve family vacations and special time. I was heartbroken. They knew it. I told them that if they continued down this path of whining, bickering, fighting with each other and generally acting like spoiled little brats and lack of cooperating that there would be no more family vacations. As much as I wanted them with me, I felt Id given them ample opportunity to rest, ample opportunity to make choices about the trip and they were not cooperating. If thats what they chose, they would have to stay home. Joe and I would take vacations on our own if we had to. I felt bad for being tough on them, but I had to reclaim my vacation. I felt simultaneously upset and guilt-ridden something, as a mother of four close in age (at least me) often feels. The joys of my children are so intense, but the frustrations and difficulties are so much lower too. I just wanted everyone to get along. They didnt have to LIKE everything and everyone but I just didnt want them to whine and lash out at each other and me over every last gosh darn sprinkle on this ice cream sundae of a trip.
I kissed them all and said, Lets close our eyes and when we wake up tomorrow it will be a fresh, clean new day. It will be a Magic Kingdom day. Dream of making some happy memories. Mommy loves you.
MINMATES Trip Report: (Day 1) I Need A Vacation! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8284821#post8284821
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.1) Lions & Tarzan & Mickey, Oh My! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8288435#post8288435
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.2) Visiting WDW-One Potty At A Time! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792642
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.3) Magic Kingdom Nirvana
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8301761#post8301761
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 3 (PT 1) POOL Is One Letter Short of POO!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792687
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 3 (PT 2) Dont Rain On My Parade!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792750
ME (minmate)
DH -- Joe
DD6 Cali
DD5 Meg
DS4 Buddy
DD2 Jay Jay
4/5-4/12 7 nights at Pop Century
THURS EVE 4/7
The Ep-ri-cot er Epcot bus took longer than most weve experienced thus far like a whole HALF AND HOUR. Again, Line-waiting snob here probably only 15 minutes. By 3:30 we inside the turnstiles with two double strollers heading to the Living Seas. I was determined to see Turtle Talks and find some live sea turtles. Why? Because Cali, my kindergartener, had just done her very first oral presentation and Educational Fair Project at school on sea turtles. She had done the report on Monday, the day before we left for our trip and the fair where her work would be displayed, along with the rest of the schools was to be the day after we returned (Wed 4/13). I thought this to be a great, fun tie in. We took the strollers all the way into Living Seas on the elevators (or Aqua-whatevers I forget what theyre called). It seemed like doing the LS was such an ordeal. It was big and wed never been here before (that I remembered) other than eating at Coral Reef. I didnt have a lot of info on it and for the first time, I felt an inkling of what it must feel like to be not in-the-know about WDW. I didnt care for it. We get in about a 15 minute line for Turtle Talk, which Buddy again announces takes a HALF AND HOUR thank you Father Time. We get in the front row and Cali, Meg and JayJay are happy to sit up front. Buddy needles about at my ankles, suddenly showing an atypical shy side. Finally, he joins the gang up front. Crush is cool and funny! He interacts great with the kids. I cross my fingers, hoping and praying that Crush will call on Cali. I know shed have good questions for him. She and I worked on her project together and we knew all the answers he was giving about turtles, like what they eat, laying their eggs, how fast they swim, etc. It was really a funny feeling because literally two weeks before I wouldnt have known any of that stuff until the project. Well, Crush calls on the boy in the green striped shirt. The host almost goes to the wrong kid and Crush gets him to make his way over to the right kid yup to (not Cali, but) Buddy. Crush asks him his name to which he clearly replies. Then he asks him what his question is uh . Nothing comes out of Buddys mouth. He starts squirming back to me, and Im about to feed him a question but Crush suggests they play a game, Close your eyes Buddy and Ill guess what your favorite food is Buddy closes his eyes. Wait, um, no, hold on, Im getting something Buddy likes the chicken nuggets! Crush replies. How did he know that?! Had he eaten so many chicken nuggets hed turned into one? Did he have crumbs on his shirt? Too funny! After this highly entertaining show, I asked Cali if she was disappointed she didnt get called on. No, Im just happy Buddy got called on! Wow! Very nice sweetie!
So, we spent some time trying to find live sea turtles. We never found them, but we visited the bathroom a couple times, rode the escalator, saw some manta rays, Nemo and friends, climbed into the belly of a shark and did other cool stuff and oh yeah, the dolphin do some tricks up close! Cool! We said wed try to come back again later in the trip, but I knew in my heart we likely wouldnt. We would have really liked to catch Turtle Talks one more time.
We asked about Soarin but no luck. We walked onto Figment and the kids loved it (except for the skunk smell). By then, we cruised through Imageworks and made our way to Le Cellier for our 5:30 PS. There were lots of topiaries around, Im assuming for the upcoming Flower and Garden Festival. That was quite a treat. We got some pics with the likes of Bambi and Friends, Tinkerbell, Lion King pals, Beauty and the Beast gang all in topiary form. I admired the beautiful butterfly shapes out of colorful flowers that lined the mounds near the water.
We were early for our PS and had about a HALF AND HOUR (ok, 15 minute) wait on our hands. At this point, my dad called and said his plans to meet us for the weekend had materialized. I stepped outside the restaurant and we chatted about logistics. When I came back in, Joe spilled the beans to the kids that Grandpa was coming out tomorrow! I was going to try to keep it a surprise but oh well. They were excited. By now, we were seated and treated to a scrumptious dinner. I had the special, steak filet and lobster, yum! Joe had prime rib. I had scallops for appetizer and he (and Buddy who ate a lot of it) had the cheese selection appetizer. The kids had their regular fare, hot dogs and such and of course, Chicken Nuggets for Buddy! I loved their pretzel breadsticks and sourdough breadsticks! We visited the bathroom here a couple times too. It was nice for a bathroom! It was also pretty busy in the restaurant. Joe had wished we could go here alone sometime. In a few years, that could happen. JayJays not old enough to leave in a childrens club, although by now, it should be pretty obvious, shed do fine. It did take awhile for our food and so I took the kids outside while Joe finished with the bill and selected desserts that we could take with us and munch on later. We were able to use the Dining Plan for just Joe and I and pay out-of-pocket for the kids meals. Later, we learned our server, Tara, only charged us 2 Dining Plan points, instead of 4. It should have been 4 because Le Cellier is considered a signature dining experience. We also ordered fairly expensive meals there! We ended up being able to use the points for a meal later in the week at Chef Mickeys!
It had begun to rain. It wasnt actually raining when we got outside. It was sunny, but our strollers were damp. Score one for mom. I simply untied my lime green banadannas from the stroller handles (this is how we distinguish which strollers are ours. It comes in very handy EMH night at MK our strollers got moved and had it not been for those bandannas wed have had a tough time finding our strollers. As it was, we simply scanned the strollers for the bandannas and found them). The kids busied themselves drying off their seats. All was fine. We broke out the rain gear and headed on our way to Spaceship Earth. Nice and relaxing. I enjoyed watching JayJay and Meg sit in front of me. Meg was so protective and doting on JayJay, explaining things, pointing them out and holding her hand. Next on the agenda was Mission: Space. Cali, Meg and I rode it. Meg was a bit neurotic about her position. She was nervous about messing up. When wed hit a snafu shed ask in a panic, Did I do that momma? Poor thing! I tried to reassure her she didnt. We were fine. I think she liked it but wasnt too sure about it. I was proud of her for trying it. It was raining now (not hard though) and Joe and I broke out our ponchos too. It dark now and as we walked to the World Showcase bridge there were a few claps of thunder. The park was emptying out considerably. Fine by us. We got our bracelets at the WS breezeway. Here they insisted JayJay get a bracelet too. We then headed over to El Rio and walked right on. It was nice and Buddy was happy it wasnt a fast ride or a super fast ride or a fast AND slow ride, but just a slow ride. He decided early on he liked Pirates better. But it was nice nonetheless. As I reached for the camera bag to take a picture, I couldnt find it. That just made this ride a whole lot less fun! Joe said. We couldnt get off the ride fast enough. I was sure Id left it on the strollers but I couldnt remember seeing it there. I dashed back to the strollers found the camera snapped safely under the canvas cover of the stroller and went back in to find the gang. They were nowhere to be found. I couldnt get my phone to work. Finally, we made contact. They were back at the strollers waiting for me. Wed crossed paths. Okay, everything is fine now! Outside, more thunder and even some lightning and rain. Still, we werent to be deterred. We walked right onto Maelstrom. I hadnt been on this before so I assured Buddy it was a slow, or maybe a slow and fast ride but not too bad. Knowing his nature, I didnt think hed freak, but he did. He did NOT like that the ride spun around backwards. He said it was too fast! What? The rest of us liked it though!
By now, the ride was practically cleared out. The rails werent even full for IllumiNations yet and it was about 8:40. We found a spot right there in Norway. The ground was dry enough to sit on so I parked the strollers against the railing and sat down between them while I sent Joe off in search of snacks. Why oh why do I do this to myself? He couldnt find a place to take the dining plan snack points and ended up paying out of pocket for churros. He had trouble finding us again yada, yada Meanwhile, as I sat with the four kids waiting, Buddy said he had to go potty. So, I led my four little ducklings to the bathroom by the Norway Viking Ship. Everyone went to the bathroom except JayJay. She threw a major fit when I tried to force the issue. Okay fine, dont go then. We weave our way back to our spot. My patience was wearing thin ever since Maelstrom. Buddy was hitting a wall and stepped it up a notch to incessant whining. Nobody was satisfied. They were whining about being cold, tired, etc. It was five minutes to IllumiNations and I just wanted to watch it. I had never seen it from inside the park. Every time we tried it didnt work out. I was so close. I was being selfish but I just couldnt help it. I wanted to see it. We were there. Couldnt they just sit there, cuddle up, get along, behave and give me 20 minutes more in the park? Its now about 5-10 minutes since we visited the bathroom and Meg peeks out of her stroller timidly saying, JayJay peed her pants I think. Sure enough she did! Come on! We were just at the bathroom! I was so mad and JayJay knew it. Even though I was mad, I simultaneously felt my heart breaking because the look on JayJays face was so pitiful. Buddy was out in full force whining and squirming. No way to get them all to the bathroom. Just as this all happens, Joe returns, feeling accomplished at getting snacks. I am enraged, frustrated and totally disappointed in my kids behaviors. I had scheduled time for rest and naps but they refused to lay down. I was mad. I know sometimes things are beyond our control but I was so frustrated. I felt Id spent as much time dealing with prima donna ungrateful attitudes as having fun. Here, we bend over backwards, work hard to take a nice vacation and they dont appreciate the time here enough to make an extra effort to behave and get along. It was obvious by now that EMH tonight was a no-go. We watch IllumiNations but Im resentful and feeling like my kids stole the joy out of the whole experience. We leave and theres two mass exoduses going one one toward TT and M:S and the other toward the exit. Buddy fell asleep in the stroller so when we had to give it up to go to the busses he was a complete nightmare. All three kids start bickering, whining and refusing to cooperate, move, etc. Im so frustrated and say, Ive just had enough. This is not the kind of vacation I wanted for us. You guys are breaking my heart. Im done and Im leaving. I snatch up JayJay turn on my heel and walk away from my family. Poor Joe, I just left him there with those awful kids. Buddy was screeching Dont leave me! I wanna go with you momeeeeee! Well, it was mean, but it got them moving. I finally stopped walking and waited for them. I apologized to Joe and Buddy is crying and whining that hes trying to do his best for me. He starts crying that his ear hurts. Hed been complaining about it the week before we left. Id had him checked out and he was cleared. We had meds for him to be safe in case something developed. There was practically no line for the bus for Pop. Of course there wasnt anyone whod weathered the weather (heehee) was surely going to stay for EMH. On the bus everyone is exhausted and totally wiped out. Buddy starts crying and whining that he doesnt want to go to Pop, he wants to go home, to his real home. I cannot describe the heartwrenching zing I felt. It was as if someone slapped me in the face so many times I knew it hurt, but I couldnt feel the pain anymore. I knew it was there, I just felt numb. I felt the blood drain from my body. My feet were heavy, like lead balloons I was sad. We walk in silence and disappointed by how tonight spiraled so quickly out of control.
While Joe began to ready the kids for bed I had an epiphany. We were ON vacation. It may not get any better than this. That was a depressing thought. I sat in the bathroom and decided, I could let their behavior rule my heart, or I could let my heart rule my attitude. In hushed tones, Joe and I talked about this, how it was our vacation too and if they werent going to appreciate it, I wasnt going to bend over backwards to make it so special for them. I was taking back my vacation and I intended to tell them just that.
I went in to tuck them in bed. I told them they had four days to prove they deserve family vacations and special time. I was heartbroken. They knew it. I told them that if they continued down this path of whining, bickering, fighting with each other and generally acting like spoiled little brats and lack of cooperating that there would be no more family vacations. As much as I wanted them with me, I felt Id given them ample opportunity to rest, ample opportunity to make choices about the trip and they were not cooperating. If thats what they chose, they would have to stay home. Joe and I would take vacations on our own if we had to. I felt bad for being tough on them, but I had to reclaim my vacation. I felt simultaneously upset and guilt-ridden something, as a mother of four close in age (at least me) often feels. The joys of my children are so intense, but the frustrations and difficulties are so much lower too. I just wanted everyone to get along. They didnt have to LIKE everything and everyone but I just didnt want them to whine and lash out at each other and me over every last gosh darn sprinkle on this ice cream sundae of a trip.
I kissed them all and said, Lets close our eyes and when we wake up tomorrow it will be a fresh, clean new day. It will be a Magic Kingdom day. Dream of making some happy memories. Mommy loves you.
Good For You ! 
O.K., I was just frustrated too !, I just had to vent !! 
Even though DH and I are newly married and child-free, I like reading reports with children because I can prepare myself for what's to come. I anticipate children getting tired, cranky and smart-alecky, but never so many accidents! This is the third TR read recently that had normally potty-trained kids having issues. Bless your heart...just when you think you've conquered one more step in child-rearing, they regress. Is it the overstimulation?
