Disney World

Before any MORE time goes by (arrggh! There are never enough hours in the day to do what I’d like to do!), I wanted to at least post that YES, we did, in fact, make it down to Disney World.

Long story made short: my husband got a great deal on a place to stay on one of his (very few) business trips, and he’s been planning this vacation ever since. All we had to do was come up with the funds for Disney World (which are expensive), but a one-day trip to “The Magic Kingdom” wasn’t nearly as much as I thought it would be. The place where we were staying also provided $100 in “Disney Dollars,” so we ate at the park for free (whoo hoo!).

Those who know me know how much I dreaded this trip. It wasn’t just the drive there (which would be long), or the preparation and packing (also long) — it was the frustration of trying to herd seven small(ish) children through a crowded park, getting on rides (while dealing with those who wouldn’t be on that particular ride), and all the waiting.

Let me say for the record that Disney World is SO MUCH EASIER than other amusement parks… especially one which will remain nameless, but boasts many a flag over the grand state of Georgia. For starters — you can bring your own cups in, so getting water was easy. Two, there are actually bathrooms and water fountains all over the place, so you can find what you need quickly and easily. Three, the whole place is child and family-friendly (duh), so we didn’t have to jump hoops to get what we needed. Four (and this is the big one) we could ALL RIDE THE SAME RIDES, so I didn’t have to sit on the sidelines for hours with the little ones while waiting for the others to get off the ride.

So we all got to ride the magic carpet…

…and Pirates of the Caribbean…

…go through the Hall of Presidents…

(You better believe THAT counted for homeschooling! What was funny, though, is that most of the kids thought these were real people. When they found out they weren’t, they were HIGHLY amazed).

…go through the “Small World” ride…

(Don’t tell me I’m the only one who had this record as a child! )

…ride the merry-go-round…

…and many, many others. The only ride the kids DIDN’T like was the Haunted Mansion. I feel bad about this one. *I* loved this ride as a kid (and so did my dh), but our kids were a bit traumatized by the whole thing. Most of them just rode with their eyes closed the whole time. Please keep in mind that these are the same children who watch LOTR on a regular basis and have NO trouble with orcs. (I’ve got my own theories about that).

We spent the next day touring Fort Christmas, which tied in nicely with what we had been studying in American history (Andrew Jackson, the Trail of Tears, the Seminole Wars, etc). It always makes such a difference when you can actually visit a historic site, rather than just reading about it in textbooks!

The rest of the time was spent swimming, celebrating (two!) birthdays, and enjoying each others’ company. The trip came to an end far too quickly, and by Friday we were back on the road to go home.

I’ve got much more to say about the things I learned about myself while on this trip, but I’m afraid that will have to wait until another day!