Shamelessly stealing from the Best Writers Ever Trip Report NEW 4/7/07 PHOTOS ADDED!

[princesslibby]

We tried to get to the Magic Kingdom for the opening ceremony. We failed. Again. In my many many attempts to get there early, we’ve succeeded. ONCE. I would like to blame it on the girls. The curly girls. DD8 has curly hair. Extremely curly hair. Beautiful curly curly hair. Extremely beautiful curly hair that is hard to comb. Especially after swimming. In chlorine. And sleeping on it, without combing. It. DD6 has curly hair. Beautiful curly hair. Long, beautiful curly hair. She is not as curly as DD8, but her hair is extra long. And also extremely hard to comb. Combing her hair has the added benefit of the shrill, “YOU’RE HURTIN ME” every few seconds.

My DS9 has curly hair and DS7 has curly hair. I know what you mean. It can take forever to pick it out. We should own stock in No More Tangles.

Disney Park = Park my butt in a stroller

We are trying to convince DS4 (no curly hair ) to not use a stroller when we go in December. Maybe there is hope.

Can't wait for more of your wonderful TR.

 

[Ltl Mermaid]

Subscribing....I want to read more!

 

[Libade]

Sorry – it’s been a while. I have been working a lot and any spare time I have is spent playing ZUMA. It’s my NEW addiction. Take my advice. Don’t start. If you don’t start, you will never have to try to quit. Just like smoking. And there is no patch for Zuma.

OK – to review, me, dh, 2 girls, 6 and 8 at that time. They were 7 and 9 when I started writing this trip report, but now they are 8 and 9. I think they need names. Feel free to name my kids. I cannot think of a nickname. That is complimentary. To both of them. Right now.

So, we are in tomorrowland and it’s time to head to the castle for our first character meal EVER. I excitedly tell the girls that I have a surprise for them. I say something like this:

We are going to eat IN THE CASTLE! WITH CINDERELLA! And other PRINCESSESES! Isn’t that GREAT? AM I NOT FABULOUS? Do you realize how lucky you are to have the GREATEST MOM IN THE ENTIRE WORLD?

I pause to absorb all the happiness and love they are sure to spew my way.

They say something like:
AWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Not in a good way like AWWWWWWWESOME! In a bad way, like, AWWWWWWWWW, why do you keep trying to make us do extra stuff? First the barber shop. Now, a CASTLE? What is wrong with you, woman?

OOOOPS. Apparently I forgot. My children do not like change. We have never eaten in a castle. But we have eaten in a STROLLER. It’s bad enough I am going to make them do something new, but to spring it on them as a surprise? OhhhhhhhhhhNOOOOOOOOOO. Why don’t these kids come with instructions? I love surprises. Well, I love good surprises. This is a good surprise.

So, once again, I am screaming at my children about how ungrateful they are. And the clean slate I got for playing twister almost naked is now dirty. Wow. That didn’t take long.

No, I jest. I don’t think I screamed at anyone during this vacation. We convince them that eating with Cinderella is a good thing. And the park will still be there when we get out. Promise. And we still have 12 glorious days to enjoy. And DD8 will get to SIT!

We get to the castle and get seated fairly quickly. Our server comes over and was great! I cannot remember exactly what he said, but it was something like he was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY pleased to have us dine at his table. I didn’t tell him that the girls were not as happy to be there, as he was that we were there. Does that make sense? He brought over the fruit, which was fabulous. He kept bringing us more and more, and then the real food started. I cannot remember what it was, but I do remember it was really good. I’m not too picky when it comes to food that is served to me. As long as it’s not moldy or scary old, I’m happy. I’m afraid of old food, but I’m thinking Cinderella doesn’t like old food either.

We met the princesses as we ate. The girls were happy to meet them, but I think they may have been overwhelmed. They were extremely quiet. They were shy. DH and I are quiet, blend into the background kind of people. We were no help. We don’t know how to talk to princesses. When the girls were little little, we would ask Cinderella if the birds really made her bed. We’ve told Belle we have all her movies. But, we are in Cinderella’s HOUSE. And we have nothing.

I’ve never ever heard anyone say this in a trip report, but I’m just going to say it. The characters were intruding. Yes, I KNOW, I chose to go there. But, I think I like to eat when there is food in front of me. Which may be why I don’t look like HappyHauntsMel. And why I don’t have 15 bathing suits to choose from. And why I don’t LIKE to play twister in a bathing suit.

But anyway….I found that having to stop eating to chat, pose for photos and ask for autographs over and over again was bothersome. I think it’s just not for me. The girls seemed to feel the same way, but I didn’t ask. And they didn’t tell. That’s our policy. Don’t tell me what I don’t want to hear, and I won’t ask. I think this will serve us well. When they are teenagers.

Now, on the way out, we stopped and had a very nice chat with the Fairy Godmother. So, why is it, we can talk to the Fairy Godmother, but not to the princesses? FG was very chatty, and actually told us some gossip about some of the princesses. That must be why we hit it off, I like gossip. Makes me feel better. About myself.

I still haven’t gotten to the ZZUB’ing reference, but it’s at the end of this long long day, so maybe I’ll get you there in the next installment or two. But I’m at work right now, and the boss may frown upon how I am spending my time. At least I’m not playing ZUMA!

Thanks for sticking around. I appreciate it!

 

[Libade]

I’m back. This is going to be a quick update. I need to get thru day 1. We are leaving in 3 weeks for our next trip, and I feel the need to finish this one before we go.

Don’t expect much.

We went to Mickey’s Philharmagic since there was no wait there. This was our first time and it did not disappoint. The girls loved the Donald mishap at the end – I loved the music. I had a blast watching all the kids trying to touch the 3D stuff flying at them. The only bummer is I cannot see 3D. I just don’t see it. I also cannot see those posters that came out in the 90’s that if you stare at them, you see something else?

Now, I need to figure out why Mickey’s Philharmagic was OK for a new experience (it wasn’t there during our previous visits), but eating in the castle was not? Maybe if I said,

“We are going to see MICKEY’s PHILHARMAGIC! WITH MICKEY! And other CHARACTERS! Isn’t that GREAT? AM I NOT FABULOUS? Do you realize how lucky you are to have the GREATEST MOM IN THE ENTIRE WORLD?”

they might have had a negative reaction? Are you saying it’s ME? It’s my fault? Of course, it’s my fault. As long as DD6 is in this family, it’s always my fault.

We tried Haunted Mansion. Once again, the girls chickened out. They have never been on this ride – they cannot get past the scary sounds at the entrance. The stretching room would surely freak them out. DH stayed outside with them, and I rode it. Alone. Yuck. I don’t like to ride alone. Even though I wasn’t alone alone. I rode with a nice older man, who was visiting with his grandkids, but it’s not the same. How am I ever going to get them on the tower of terror, if they won’t ride on Haunted Mansion? I need new kids.

From there, we headed to Thunder Mountain and we all rode. This was DD6’s first time on it. She is making great progress since the last trip – she was afraid of everything. She is starting to turn into a rollercoaster girl!

We all did Splash Mountain next. This was a first for both girls. I think. They played zippity doo da just for DD6.

We went over to Tom Sawyers Island. The guidebooks make it sound like you can let your kids roam while the adults sit at Aunt Polly’s. I wasn’t comfortable doing that, so we all explored the tunnels, played a quick game of checkers, and had a snack at Aunt Polly’s before heading back to the mainland.

We did the Swiss Family Treehouse because we’ve never done it before. It was pretty empty, so we could really look around. I remember as a kid not having a lot of time to look around because the crowd just pushed you through.

We went on the Alladin ride next. What is there to say about this ride? We got on. We went in circles. We got off. It was so much fun, we should do it again. On an elephant.

We decided to go back to tommorrowland to check out space mountain. None of us rode last time. DD6 decided to give it a try and DD8 decided she only likes outdoor roller coasters. I was so afraid to lose DD6 on this ride, that I leaned forward and kept my hand on her shoulder for the entire ride. I’m sure I prevented her from falling out. Just like when there is someone sitting in the front seat of your car, and you slam on the brakes and put your arm out to prevent them from crashing through the windshield. Same thing. Not only did I prevent her from falling into space never to be seen again, I also succeeded in wrenching my neck and shoulder. Good Mom or idiot – you decide.

We caught up with DH and DD8 and went on Astro Orbiter – another ride we’ve never been on. We were determined to do the rides we’ve never done before. This ride is way different than Alladin. On this one, you ride an elevator. you get in a rocket. you go in circles. you get off. Way different.

We were exhausted, but the kids wanted to keep going. I think someone slipped DD8 a mickey. Or something. She was walking all over that park. The power she had. She was in charge. Of us.

We went to toontown to ride goofy’s rollercoaster, and to see minnies house. They love that kitchen of minnies. Always baking a cake. Always popping popcorn. Always a fridge full of cheese.

We’ve had our fill of toontown. We are heading out. Of the park. What a great day. We got so much done. We had a blast. And no crying or fits. For any of us! But we are tired. I wish we had that stroller. For me.

But wait. The teacups! There is no line. We must do. The teacups. We jumped on the teacups. This is how it goes whenever we are on the teacups. The girls spin the cups as fast as they can. I pretend to ZZUB on them. They giggle. It is funny every time. To them. Some day they’ll bring their kids to WDW and pretend to ZZUB on them. Childhood memories. It’s a good thing.

Now, we are really leaving. But wait. We are hungry. Again. We went to Cosmic Ray’s on our way out for a rotisserie chicken dinner. The girls each had a kid meal in those mickey shaped plates. I should have kept a few of those. I bet they would eat anything if it was served on those plates.

After Cosmic Rays, we went back to the hotel. I think. I didn’t seem to write anything else for that day. For all I know, it was 2:30pm. Maybe that’s why we didn’t see the parade. Or the fireworks. Hmmmmmmm.

Tomorrow MGM…..

 

[Libade]

The next day we went to MGM. Then we visited MIL for a few days. Went to some more parks. And came home.

HA - I stole Mels faux ending during the collapse of the dis board AKA the fiasco of sharing too many details that we all love so much.

We are leaving for our trip in about 5 hours, so I have given up on this trip report. I have notes, so maybe when I get back..... I really do not want to think about getting back - I plan on staying there. FOREVER. In my happy place. I'll find a place to sleep - perhaps in the Hall of Presidents. I'll bathe in Donald's boat (if it has water - it never does when I am there). Kind of reminds me of the book, "The mixed up files of Basil E Frankweiller" or something like that. If you haven't read that book, you should. I read it when I was young, and me and the girls just listened to it on tape. Love love loved that book.

Anyway.... Just wanted to let you know that I'm going back!!! Today!!!

 

[kpk89]

Hey there Libade,
Have a great trip!
Come back with a report. Really really.
I hate you a little for going to Disney today. Just wanted you to know that.

 

[Libade]

I'm back. I've been back for a few weeks now, and I'm sad. I was planning on starting a new trip report, but I really want to finish this one. So, I'll try.

The next day was Friday, and we went to MGM. We were all exhausted. We really did a lot yesterday. More than we ever thought we could. And now we are paying. for it.

We managed to get there at 10am. I really really don't know how people get there early. At home, we are ready for the bus at 8am. The 3 of us are ready. Wait a minute. DH is not with us when we do the whole get ready for school thing. He leaves for work at way-too-early-o'clock (who did I steal that from? I cannot remember) So, if I am correct in my calculations:

DD + DD + DH + ME = CANNOT get to a park for opening.

(DD + DD + ME) - DH = CAN be up + dressed + brushed + fed + prettied + misc other things that don't need to be done while at Disney like making beds + opening curtains + putting dirty clothes away + making lunches.

Does this all mean that it's DH's fault? I think it does. I cannot wait to tell him!

We took a few photos in front of Mickey’s hat, and went over to the Great Movie Ride. I’ve never been on this ride – I really liked it a lot. The kids enjoyed it too – they were a little scared during the alien part, but not enough to ruin the ride.

We went over to Voyage of the little Mermaid. After hearing the song in Mickey’s Philharmagic and again here, I am a big fan of that little mermaid song.

And I've recently come to realize that my feelings of "We are here. We are really here. In my happy place" all come from the music of Disney. It's not the castle. It's not the characters. Even though I love everything about Disney. And the genius that is Walt never ceases to amaze me, it's the music that makes me the happiest. I don't remember the first time I saw the castle. I don't have fond memories of going to Disney with my family. I wish I did. I really do wish I had that with my parents. But I don't. But I have it with my kids. And when they grow up, I hope they remember something from their childhood trips to Disney that make the magic oh-so-magical for them. Maybe it will be the castle. Maybe it'll be the music. Maybe it will even be the game we played on the teacups. When I pretend to ZZUB. On them.

We went back to the hat again to catch Mickey and Pluto, and this time we did see them. Got autographs. check. Photos. check. My girls bring a little 7x7 scrapbook album with them for autographs. Because I am a consultant. For a scrapbooking company that I cannot name. On the internet. It's against the law. So anyway, here are my girls. With their little red albums. With Mickey on the cover. (Mickey is not ON the album. It's a photo of Mickey. On the cover). We get autographs. We get photos. Once home, I add the photos to the album, so the autograph is next to the photo. It's one of my favorite albums. Guess what my kids want? More than anything else in the entire WORLD? A little blue autograph book. That all the other kids have. In the WORLD. Sheesh.

We saw Star Tours. I cannot remember much (anything) about it. But it's in my notes, and why would I lie? About going on star tours? So, I'm guessing we did. go on star tours.

We had lunch at the Backlot Express. Want to know what I love best about counter service places? The Kens Honey Mustard Dressing. I love love love that stuff. And since this trip was not during free dining. And I am cheap. I may have at some point, collected tubs of it. Put it in my coffee pot. Added water. And made me some soup. With some crackers from the food court. DEEEEEE - LISH.

We saw the Muppet 3D show, which we all love. The pre show for this one is very entertaining. After the show, the girls played at the fountain. Maybe IN the fountain. It's all a bit hazy. now.

We met buzz, woody and Jessie at some point today. It took 2 trips to Al’s Toy Barn to do it, but we were victorious. This was a first for us. And, for them too. I don't ever recall seeing them standing in a line to collect my DD's autographs and photos. I think I would have noticed.

At some point, we also stumbled across the Singing in the Rain umbrella, and the girls and DH had fun playing with that one. Again – kids and water. I had asked a CM about this on our last trip and was told it was taken down – hmmmmmm. I wish CM's were trained to actually say, "I don't know" instead of making up answers. Could this have been Susie Helpershoes? I just read ZZUB's newest trip report. I couldn't help myself. Sorry.

We went to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. I have never seen it so crowded. I usually love this playground, but it was way too hot and crowded today. The girls played for 20 minutes or so, while DH snoozed in the little shade he could find.

We were all exhausted, so we stopped for some ice cream and headed out.

 

[Libade]

After reading Utahmama’s trip report, I’m inspired to work on mine again.

Please join my family. We are currently heading out of MGM because we are exhausted.

We got to the entrance of the park, and it was a character-palooza. So many characters, so many lines. Who to meet…. Who to meet?

Oh look, there’s John Smith! Mamma like me some Mel Gibson…. Let’s go! (This was back when Mel wasn’t a drunken moron) Ooooops. THAT is NOT John Smith. Pheobus? Who the heck is Pheobus? And why does he have such a bad attitude? Whatever, dude. Sorry to bother you. Just a hint. If you don’t want to sign your autograph and pretend to be happy to see us, don’t hang around with all the other characters who are doing just that.

Lets try someone a little more friendly…

Apparently everyone was more friendly than grumpy old pheobus. We met Pocahantas and Meeko, Alladin and Jasmine, and Wendy and Peter Pan. Every one of them was thrilled to meet us. As they should be.

Wait a minute. Everyone was paired up. Maybe that is why Pheobus was angry. He might have been dealing with some frustration. Poor guy. He was probably at Character-palooza hoping to score a princess. And instead he met us. I guess he was entitled to be angry, since we may have caused him to miss out on pairing up with Pocahantus. She chose a raccoon over him. OUCH.

Once we left the park, we got our car and tried to take a leisurely drive so the girls would nap, but they absolutely refused to settle down. No naps for them.

We were missing our good friend, the Captain , so we went back to Pop Century to visit him. We took him with us to the Hippy Dippy pool, where we tried get our $14 worth of soda out of the Disney MACHINE. I think we failed, but Captain Morgan helped us forget all about it. Maybe not forget, but we didn’t care so much. The girls swam for hours and hours and life was good!

More math for you:

Me + Captain Morgan = crooked pictures. They all look a little like this:

After swimming, we went to the arcade to donate some money. We had our last dinner at Everything Pop. I had Ken’s Honey Mustard Dressing with some fries on the side.

Tomorrow – we check out and visit the in laws….

 

[NMAmy]

“There are places to go, rides to ride, characters to meet., food to eat, and you want US to get our hair cut? Oh Good God, please say there is no dentist on Main Street.”

One of the funniest lines ever from a trip report!

 

[Libade]

Saturday April 16

We slept in today, and packed up the room. Our belongings now completely fill the trunk of our car.

We took the girls back to the arcade so they could cash in their tickets. They each got a disc shooter. I let them shoot the discs into a bag in the car because either I’m an idiot, or because I remember how hard it is to wait to play with a new toy, and we cannot have that for this newest of generations we are raising. When I got shot in the back of the head, I realized that yes, I am an idiot. I no longer cared how hard it is to wait to play with a new toy and the disc shooters went back into the bag. Or I chucked them out the window. I cannot recall.

On our way to New Port Richey, we stopped at a Sonic. This was a new experience for us, which was evident to everyone around us. When we couldn’t find a place to park in the Sonic lot, we tried to park in an adjacent lot and walk up to the place. The waitress/roller skater girl looked at us like we were insane. We figured we would eat inside since we couldn’t find a spot to get served. Apparently, there IS no inside. Back to the car we went – this time we were going to try the drive thru, but found a spot to park instead. Yikes, who knew it was so hard to learn how to eat at a fast food joint? Maybe the unofficial guide should include a chapter on this. Or Dining for Dummies. I’m sure we cannot be the first Northerners to get all confuzzled by the mysterious ways of the Sonic burger place.

Got to BIL’s place and the girls were finally able to shoot their disc shooters without fear of taking me out. We visited with BIL and MIL. Went out for a Chinese buffet and crashed at MIL’s apartment.

 

[Libade]

Sunday April 17
More visiting with BIL, MIL and nieces and nephews. The girls had a blast meeting their cousins and playing outside with them. Evenutally, we got back on the road to head back to Orlando, and I think we must have hit Sonic again. We’re regular professionals now. Sonic cannot trip us up now!

We checked into condo, unpacked and brought the girls to the pool. It was early evening and the pool was pretty empty. We hung out for a few hours – there is a water slide and waterfall, so the girls are both having a blast!

Tomorrow back to the parks!!!!

Monday April 18

We decided to go back to MGM to finish up the things we didn’t get a chance to do.

We did Playhouse Disney and I was amazed that DD6 remembered the bubbles at the end. As the show was seeming to end, she turned to me and said, “They forgot to do the bubbles.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but sure enough the bubbles started raining down on us. We haven’t been to Playhouse Disney in 3 years – and she was only 3 at the time. Genius? I think so.

Rockin’ Roller Coaster!!!!!! DD6 was too short and DD8 wasn’t interested, but I had to do it – after all, it’s my vacation too right? I ended up riding with a Dad, and his younger kids were behind us – it was their 3rd time on it that day! It was as intense as I remembered it – I loved it, but I also thought DD8 made a good choice not to go on. When I was done, I told DH he HAD to go on, but he didn’t want to. He agrees with me that it’s just not as much fun doing rides alone, and didn’t want to bother.

Sounds Dangerous – This time DH went with DD6 – DD8 isn’t trusting any of these indoor rides. And because she can read, she sees the sign that said ‘part of this ride is in total darkness’ and wants nothing to do with it. Bailey is now playing the brave little sister, so she is going on everything and will not admit if she doesn’t like it (until later in the week).

That was everything we wanted to do in MGM so were planning on going back to MK to finish up fantasyland. We had a small detour first – maybe I should say a big detour – I call it the “CAN YOU ACTUALLY GAIN 7 POUNDS IN ONE DAY DETOUR?”

Here’s how it happened….

 

[AshClan]

Hey! Happy to see you've come back to finish this baby up. Can't wait to hear the rest!!!

 

[Libade]

Once again, we find ourselves leaving MGM. In search of something. Again.

What are my kids called on this trip? Oh yeah - DD6 and DD8 - clever aren't I?

DD6 has wanted popcorn for DAYS. But because she couldn't manage to ask for it without whining, she just hasn't had any. yet. ever. Once again, she announces that she would like some popcorn. Once again, we ignore her. Oh that is so not true. We get the girl popcorn - in the fancy dancy bucket even. And she is happy. For now.

DD8 would like some ice cream please. Ooooooo - ice cream - that sounds good to me and DH. We walk over to Gerties because it's the one place that I KNOW has ice cream, and I didn't want to look at a map. That is just so TOURISTY. Gerties is not open yet. Apparently, ice cream, like liquor, is only allowed to be consumed after noon.

I still refused to consult a map, and decide that we'll stumble across an ice-cream-serving-ice-cream-before-noon-kind-of-place on our way out. Nope - nada - not going to happen.

DD8 took matters into her own hands and looked at the map.

This is what she found:

A telephone with TTY access - Since we did not need to call anyone who cared or didn't care, we didn't need the phone.

First Aid - Other than wanting ice cream and not being able to find any, we were't REALLY in any physical pain.

Guest Relations - They didn't care that we wanted ice cream. But to be sure, we asked. They did ask us to bring them some if we were successful in our quest.

Baby Care Center - I didn't want to care for my own kids - I'm not going to care for someone elses babies. What kind of parents leave their kids in a place like this? And why don't they have them where I live?

Smoking area - Hmmmmmm - ice cream or try to get the kids hooked on a habit that they may never be able to kick? Ice cream is definitely the cheaper way to go.

There was no ice cream that we were willing to walk to, so we left. In a huff.

We didn't want to spend our money at MGM anyway. If they cannot make it easier to find ice cream, then they don't DESERVE our money. We'll spend it at Magic Kingdom. Instead.

I promised DD8 that we would get her ice cream as soon as we got to Magic Kingdom, and this is the reaction we got....

"OK"

Just for fun, let's pretend that DD6 wanted ice cream and DD8 wanted and received popcorn. This is the reaction that we would have gotten...

"That's not FAIR. I want ice cream and I didn't get any. DD8 wanted popcorn and you got it for her. And you got her a fancy smancy bucket too. You like her way better. I never get anything. She gets everything."

In the car, I remembered a tiny bit of information I gleened from the DIS boards before the trip. There was a place. That serves ice cream. Not only ice cream. But the biggest. Most delicious. Extreme. Sundae in the entire world. of Disney.

Decision made. We are having the Kitchen Sink at Beaches and Cream for lunch. We tell the girls about our change of plans - again. And this is what we heard,

"YAY!"

DD8 did not whine and cry that it's not fair that DD6 got popcorn in a fancy nancy bucket, AND she's getting ice cream too. Nope. None of that. Silliness. To this day, I thank God that DD6 wanted popcorn that day and not DD8. The entire day would have been very different. Not in a good way.

We get there. We get our seats. We order the monstrousity. When it came out, they dimmed the lights and made an announcement. Now everyone knows that we are actively contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity.

We all - OK lets be truthful - I - got started on the Kitchen Sink. We all had our techniques. The girls fished around for the candy. DH went right for the ice cream. My strategy was to shovel it in faster than anyone else. Ensuring that I got more than everyone else. After all. There may not be enough. To go around.

When I was done eating like I had just won a reward challenge after being on Fiji for 15 days, we went back to the condo. For a snack or a swim. Not both. I couldn't be seen in a bathing suit after eating 7 pounds of ice cream, so I snacked. Wait. That is not true. I COULD be seen in a bathing suit after eating 7 pounds of ice cream. That was the problem. I chose to snack. Instead. After changing. Into my stretchy pants. The rest of the family chose to swim. Lightweights.

 

[jamal]

You're back!

Oooohhh... The Kitchen Sink. My stomach just did a lurch. I can still feel it from a few weeks ago. I know what you mean about swimming after, too. No way!

Your family is so beautiful; I love their smiles. Keep it coming!!

Jam

 

[teresajoy]

The only bummer is I cannot see 3D. I just don’t see it. I also cannot see those posters that came out in the 90’s that if you stare at them, you see something else?

Weird, I can't see 3D the way other people do either. Sometimes I sort of get it, but when other people are ducking and grabbing, I usually just see something on the screen.

However, after hours of practice, I could see the images in those posters from the 90's.

And, the picture of the back of your girls' heads, it looks like you took a picture of my daughter from the back! (The one with not quite as curly hair that is) I totally understand not being able to get somewhere on time because you have to comb their hair! I am ashamed that there have been several times that I have convinced my dd to stay home with daddy just because I didn't want to have to deal with that hair! I now try to keep a hat and a ponytail holder in our van at all times, just in case I have to run out of the house and only have an hour or two to get her ready.