Learning for Lifetime

My Weekend Window

KTover at KT's Bunch had this idea last week to share her weekend on Mondays. Then when I emptied out ds 4's backpack this morning, I noticed they do an activity called: My Weekend Window. So I am merging the two ideas and will be sharing a Weekend Window thanks to KT AND DS 4!

We went to Disney World this weekend. Friday was just DSs 3 and 4 and me at Epcot. It was fun. The only problem is DS 3 is ready for adventurous rides and DS 4 is not. So that left ME stuck in the middle. I could not go on the things I wanted and leave DS 4 alone to wait...SO I waited with him.

We left around 5:00 and met my cousin Lynn and her family at the resort. It was a really nice place to stay and the kids had great fun swimming in the pools. Friday night was when we met Fabio (see yesterday's post).

Saturday we went to the Magic Kingdom. Now no one does Disney like Lynn's DH! He has it all figured out. He has timed the fast pass lines, the most popular rides and their location in the park and goes turbo to get through them all. In fact, he commented to me that he can be pretty much "done" by 11:30 when the crowds are the worst. And he's right. So, we sent the adventure crew: my DS 3 and Lynn's DD1 and DS off with her DH to conquer the Kingdom.

Lynn and I set out with my DS 4 and her DD 2. They are very close in age and very similar in their likes (and dislikes) in the ride world.

I must confess here that my FAVORITE ride (currently) at Disney is Buzz Lightyear. I suppose it is my competitive nature...but I find it really fun. So, I was thrilled when our two charges announced they'd like to start in Tomorrowland...the home of Buzz Lightyear.

I was certain they would say they wanted to start there too. But, NOOOO, they BOTH decided they wanted to start with the Wedway People Mover. I realize that some of you may not know what it is...suffice it to say it is like taking a slow-moving tram ride through Tomorrow land. It is my favorite thing to do when my feet are tired and I just want to relax a few minutes....it is NOT my favorite thing to do at 9:00am when everyone is racing to be first on the best rides.

Being the mature mother that I am (ahem), I suggested that we do BUZZ and THEN do the People Mover because that way we could walk right on Buzz. My DS and Lynn's DD would hear nothing of it...they WANTED to do the People Mover and THEN Buzz. I could almost feel the crowds closing in behind us....In my plan, we could have gone on Buzz TWO TIMES before the crowds arrived....Knowing that this trip was for the kids, I reluctantly put our tickets into the Fast Pass line for Buzz Lightyear and proceeded to the ramp for the People Mover. I think I even muttered something about the two "thrillseekers" in our midst. There was NO ONE else on this ride. We were it. I am sure the ride operators had a good little chuckle over the two young kids and their mothers who skipped the other rides to go on THAT! ;-)

And so it was, the two 7-year-olds...pretty much handled the rest of the day in the Magic Kingdom in much the same fashion. As we walked with them, listened to them navigate, and helped them check off the items on their agendas, I had two thoughts....

1. Their "favorite things" don't have to be MY favorite thing. (Oops, could I be losing a bit of that control freak in me?)

and

2. Although they bill it as a place for kids, I am changing my thinking on that. You see, I decided this weekend that I wanted to do DISNEY MY WAY someday...as a grown-up who is really a kid inside...maybe even ALONE! Thrill rides, fast passes, long lines and all....(OK so maybe the control freak didn't go anywhere.)

I realize though that true purpose of it all is to enjoy time with family and get away from the real world for a while. And since that is the primary purpose, in the words of Buzz Lightyear, I must say, "Mission accomplished!"