I've been reading a lot of books lately, mostly from the library, on raising kids. One I just finished is Taking Back Childhood by Nancy Carlsson-Paige and it was very interesting. Highly recommended. I found a lot of the advice to be very timely. I know that we have too much stuff, that Jackson likes to play with lots of different toys but often needs help figuring out what to do. He constantly wants more, which has been a fight lately as I keep saying we can't afford this or that. He is starting to notice brands, though thankfully not really in terms of clothes. I guess because I grew up with advertising, and brand toys, I didn't know that this was all different before. I remember getting a cabbage patch doll when they came out, how my mom waited in the store for the skid of toys to be brought out and grabbing two (one for me, one for my sister) and we got what we got and were glad to have one. I don't think that happens as much nowadays, but there are still toys he sees that he has to have, or thinks he has to any way.
The book talks about helping kids make sense of the world, keeping consumerism down, helping kids play more. I love that it gives examples, especially ways to talk to kids off different ages. I had previously read Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, and find they work well together. It is about keeping myself calm and peaceful, and also keeping screen time down. The problem of course is that he loves his tv shows. I am glad that he still likes the shows aimed at younger kids, he isn't in to the super hero shows or some of the older kid stuff, yet. Still when he sees a commercial for a new toy he has to ask for it.
After our fight a few weeks ago, we have been having dinner together at the table, no tv on. I have been trying to encourage more play and less screen time as well. It is handy to turn it on and let him stare at the screen while I get stuff done (dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning... heck even some rest myself!) but we are cutting it down. It has been hot this past week, and this weekend, so a little less time outside simply because it's so hot out in the sun. Our backyard has no shade, and if we bike or walk to the park we are both exhausted by the time we get there. We are trying, but it's hard for both of us I think. Hopefully this will improve over summer. Our backyard also has a rotten fence the landlord is going to get replaced, but until then I am worried it will fall over while we are out there, it will fall in the neighbours yard but you never know with these things.
When Jackson goes to my parents next week, and stays for a week without me, I will be home and hope to declutter a lot. I will have an awful lot of time so plan to box up more than half his current toys, put them away for another time, and face the fallout when he gets home. I want to go through his books and everything, games, videos, all of it. But I do not want to just get rid of stuff, so we'll have to be able to store some for a bit. And of course it isn't fair if I only consider his things, so I'll go through mine as well.
The book clearly showed how childhood has changed since I was a kid, how kids are so exposed to advertising and media now. I can see it in him, there are things he does and says that would never have happened when I was a child, and it isn't because I am letting him get away with things, I haven't taught him these things! I see it in the other kids he plays with, and perhaps he is less mature than others, but he is a kid and I will work to keep him one for as long as possible. They grow up fast enough as it is.
We are both looking forward to summer. Jackson has a week at my parents, then 3 weeks at daycare. Then I am off for August, and hopefully he will still go a few days a week to daycare but I also hope we will do some fun stuff around town together, even if that is going to a splash park or to the local pools. He has swimming lessons every day for two weeks at the start of August, hopefully he finally figures it out. Otherwise we have no real plans. Sadly my back pay won't be coming for awhile, they are going back to the table (and hopefully we are not going on strike) so we won't be going on any big trips for awhile.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Father's Day
Jackson's school was getting ready for Father's Day and I guess he was asked where his father is, who it is. So he asked me if it was ok to tell people about his birth. I asked him what he meant and he couldn't really explain, but he couldn't tell me what he meant so I asked him to tell me what he would say. He said "My mom wanted a baby to she went up to a man and asked him for his seed... " And I kind of laughed because I was sure people would hear that and think I just found some guy in a bar or something. So we talked about how the seed came from a man who donated it, not just some random man. And he was ok with that.
This past week was the end of school fun fare, and we had preordered food for it. It was a lot of fun, with a teacup ride, a bouncy race, a tunnel slide obstacle course, and other candy/treats for sale. Jackson and I did the teacups once and I wouldn't spin it too much because I know he'd feel sick, and that I would too. He loved it of course. After dinner and a snow cone, he and two friends decided to go back on it. The other boys were spinning it around and I could see Jackson getting nauseous. One of the boys mom was with me, She and I yelled at her son to stop spinning it, which he did, but then the other boy took over so there was more yelling. Jackson was starting to cry. Apparently the other boy was saying "I don't care if you are sick or I am sick, I'm going to spin this!" He finally stopped the spinning, and eventually the ride stopped. Jackson was pretty upset. He went on the tunnel slide thing twice before they closed it for the night and we came home. It was a not great ending to the day.
When we got home he gave me my father's day present. It was some homemade cookies in a little box he made from Popsicle sticks, and a note.
This past week was the end of school fun fare, and we had preordered food for it. It was a lot of fun, with a teacup ride, a bouncy race, a tunnel slide obstacle course, and other candy/treats for sale. Jackson and I did the teacups once and I wouldn't spin it too much because I know he'd feel sick, and that I would too. He loved it of course. After dinner and a snow cone, he and two friends decided to go back on it. The other boys were spinning it around and I could see Jackson getting nauseous. One of the boys mom was with me, She and I yelled at her son to stop spinning it, which he did, but then the other boy took over so there was more yelling. Jackson was starting to cry. Apparently the other boy was saying "I don't care if you are sick or I am sick, I'm going to spin this!" He finally stopped the spinning, and eventually the ride stopped. Jackson was pretty upset. He went on the tunnel slide thing twice before they closed it for the night and we came home. It was a not great ending to the day.
When we got home he gave me my father's day present. It was some homemade cookies in a little box he made from Popsicle sticks, and a note.
 |
| I love my mom because she lets me do yoga with her. I love my mom because she lets me have treats. I love my mom because she lets me have oatmeal cookies and milk. Love Jackson |
He was very careful to change the Dad to Mom in the title, and he coloured me pink with longer hair so I would know it is me. So sweet and thoughtful. Though I'm confused by the oatmeal cookies and milk since I don't think he's ever asked for, or eaten, that. And the yoga thing, we did Tuesday night and he brought this home Wednesday. I guess he enjoyed it. We have done it once more since, but he didn't enjoy that one as much. He is fun to watch try though.
Today we went for a run, well I tried some jogging and he did some biking. It was good, but I am sore and tired now! I am very out of shape. Hopefully I'll get better. I plan to do it on the weekends with him, and hopefully twice a week after work, before I get him from daycare. The other days after work I hope to do some weights. With some better eating, I hope, I will be in better shape.
We have no plans for actual Father's Day. We will call or message my dad, but otherwise there are no plans to celebrate. I had thought we might go see Finding Dory but Jackson doesn't want to go, so we'll wait a bit and see if he changes his mind about it. While we will celebrate my dad, we do not celebrate the donor, and I don't want stuff for me (though the note he did is adorable!).
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
The rules and following through
After our big blow up on Saturday, with some new rules in place, the days have been a bit smoother. We still have some moments but it's only been a few days so an adjustment for both of us. I think he's surprised I've been following through. Yesterday the landlord was bringing some fence guys by to get a quote because the fence is falling over. They were to be here at 7:15, which is just before bedtime, so I knew it would be tricky. But I also know my son loves this stuff, and would want to be there. At 6:50 we came in from playing out front and he was mad at me for not letting him have a fruit roll up thing, so he called me stupid. That's one of the rules, no name calling, bad language, it means the TV get turned off. So I told him no TV. He cried! A lot. He tried to get the remotes so I put them on the fridge. He said he'd get them down, I said I'd remove the batteries. He then begged to watch Netflix instead, I told him that's still TV. So he hit me. And I took him up to get ready for bed. He got his teeth brushed and we read his story. He apologized and I told him he could come out with the men to see the fence, but right after would be bedtime with no play time. He said that was ok. I didn't want to have to fight for 10 minutes to keep him in his room and into bed. So it worked, mostly.
Tonight at bedtime he wanted to play with his toy, but we had discussed if he would play with his toy or have "talk about your day time" and he chose to chat. When he pulled out the toy I told him, nope. Keep it up and no TV tomorrow (which is mostly an empty threat since we'll be out all evening at the school for the end of year Fun Fare). He still didn't listen and so I said, ok none on Thursday either. He kept at it so I told him I was leaving the room and he was to go to sleep. He got upset and put the game away, then told me it was an accident, that he was trying to turn it off, not play with it... yeah that's what happened! I guess we'll see if I can stick with it over the next two nights.
I have started to exercise again, only 3 days in but I feel better about it. I get up early and do some cardio, do some weights/tonight when I get home from work, and yoga after kiddo is in bed. The yoga is only 10 minutes but it makes me feel good! The rest, we'll see. So far I'm getting a bit sore, which I guess is to be expected. I am also eating mostly better, though once I get groceries tomorrow that will improve a lot. I have a big list of veggies and things to pick up. I can't wait really.
Tonight we were talking about something, I don't even remember what, and he mentioned he thought I should "go to that bank" I got the "seed" from that made him so he can be a big brother... I had pretty much given up that dream, so I guess we'll see what happens. I am 41 now, and I was enjoying the thought of travelling, and getting a smaller home when we buy (hopefully next year!). But he doesn't want to travel any more, he doesn't like flying. We talked about how he would be in grade 7 when the baby would be starting school. Which is a big gap. Also for me, since I hope to retire at 55, I'm not sure I'd be able to do that with a 14 year old at home. That is crazy! Any way, more thinking required, I am not sure I can handle another child, some moments I wonder if I can handle the one I have! But of course we are together a lot with little to break that up, perhaps another person would be a good dynamic.
I am still enjoying reading the parenting books. One is talking about respecting the developmental stage of the child, which I try and do but sometimes it's hard, he just seems to be older than he is. I wonder if that is my fault, I talk to him like he is older than he is sometimes. He uses words that are bigger than I think he should. I guess it is my fault, he probably doesn't really understand the words all the time. He is smart, and he really wants to be "good" and not get into trouble. We are working on it, and I hope over the summer we'll have some revelations to improve our situation. Especially once we are on vacation in August.
Tonight at bedtime he wanted to play with his toy, but we had discussed if he would play with his toy or have "talk about your day time" and he chose to chat. When he pulled out the toy I told him, nope. Keep it up and no TV tomorrow (which is mostly an empty threat since we'll be out all evening at the school for the end of year Fun Fare). He still didn't listen and so I said, ok none on Thursday either. He kept at it so I told him I was leaving the room and he was to go to sleep. He got upset and put the game away, then told me it was an accident, that he was trying to turn it off, not play with it... yeah that's what happened! I guess we'll see if I can stick with it over the next two nights.
I have started to exercise again, only 3 days in but I feel better about it. I get up early and do some cardio, do some weights/tonight when I get home from work, and yoga after kiddo is in bed. The yoga is only 10 minutes but it makes me feel good! The rest, we'll see. So far I'm getting a bit sore, which I guess is to be expected. I am also eating mostly better, though once I get groceries tomorrow that will improve a lot. I have a big list of veggies and things to pick up. I can't wait really.
Tonight we were talking about something, I don't even remember what, and he mentioned he thought I should "go to that bank" I got the "seed" from that made him so he can be a big brother... I had pretty much given up that dream, so I guess we'll see what happens. I am 41 now, and I was enjoying the thought of travelling, and getting a smaller home when we buy (hopefully next year!). But he doesn't want to travel any more, he doesn't like flying. We talked about how he would be in grade 7 when the baby would be starting school. Which is a big gap. Also for me, since I hope to retire at 55, I'm not sure I'd be able to do that with a 14 year old at home. That is crazy! Any way, more thinking required, I am not sure I can handle another child, some moments I wonder if I can handle the one I have! But of course we are together a lot with little to break that up, perhaps another person would be a good dynamic.
I am still enjoying reading the parenting books. One is talking about respecting the developmental stage of the child, which I try and do but sometimes it's hard, he just seems to be older than he is. I wonder if that is my fault, I talk to him like he is older than he is sometimes. He uses words that are bigger than I think he should. I guess it is my fault, he probably doesn't really understand the words all the time. He is smart, and he really wants to be "good" and not get into trouble. We are working on it, and I hope over the summer we'll have some revelations to improve our situation. Especially once we are on vacation in August.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Tempers
I am not sure if it's his age, or something else, but lately Jackson has been quite quick to anger, and it has me on edge, which makes me quick to anger as well. Even on our trip we both got angry at one another. I try to give him choices in things, but of course things like bedtime and going to school are non-negotiable. He has been using some bad words, and speaking in mean tones, I am used to him calling me stupid or an idiot if he doesn't get his way but it seems more and just beyond what I can tolerate. We had a big blow up today, I ended up carrying him to his room and holding the door closed while he banged on it and yelled at me from the other side.
It ended when I told him if his behaviour continues I will take action. And it ended in cuddles. It started when he asked me to fix a toy, I tried and it didn't work. He called the toy stupid, hit me, threw the toy, called me names, and tried to kick me. I told him the next time it happens the toy he's upset over will be going away. And if I hear it happens at school or daycare, any type of temper tantrum like that, no TV for the night. Which is honestly as much punishment for me as him.
I also told him he had to eat dinner with me at the table, which caused another melt down. He likes to eat in front of the tv. I like to read while I'm eating. Neither are good habits of course, but I've always liked to read while I'm eating. So it's hard for me to enforce something I don't really want to do. But I did it. For at least a few minutes and mouthfuls any way. We will stretch the time until he's at the table for the whole meal. I hope.
I have been trying not to yell. I try and follow Dr Laura Markham's Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids. But somedays... oh somedays I just lose it and yell. I can hear myself saying things to him that I know are not the right choice. I am sarcastic, and I do sometimes say things to him that he doesn't understand. I know I need to work on my own response. I think it is harder because there is no other adult here to step in, so if I am losing it, there is no backup, no way for me to escape. I have tried to walk away, he follows me.
I think I need to take better care of myself. I am trying, but it can be difficult to spend the energy on myself when it takes so much to keep us on track. I have not been getting up early enough to exercise, I know I need to. It makes me feel better and of course could help me lose some weight. I have been taking time after work, before I go get him from daycare. I feel guilty about it but he enjoys playing at the park with the other kids, they get outdoor time after school. He tends to not eat the daycare offered snack, so then is starving by the time I get him, and it takes longer to get dinner on the table. A whole hour extra I leave him there. And still when I pick him up he doesn't want to go. I guess that hurts. Well I know it does but it shouldn't? Why do the other kids run to their parents, happy to leave, and mine has a fuss and wants to stay. I must be doing this all wrong, maybe he's right and I am stupid.
Then later he will be loving and want cuddles and to be close to me. He doesn't want me to leave at bedtime, wants to talk then. I believe we are lacking some connection, I try and maintain it and build it but I guess I need to do more. I find it hard, I love my son of course! He is smart and funny, he is also very active, and wants to be with me and talking, all the time. I am a quieter person, I like to read and relax. I do things for him because I know he likes to. Like going to the park, I hate it, he loves it, we do it. And I also know I need to get that exercise back on track, when I am active I want to be active. How silly is that, yet that's the way it works.
So I am trying, trying to not yell, to walk away instead of losing my temper. I am going to get active, and focus on eating better, for both of us. And there will be consequences for his losing his temper with me. I am tired of being yelled at myself, and I do not like who I become when he treats me like that. I know he's 6, and he doesn't really understand, but if he doesn't learn it now, when will he?
I'm also reading, a lot. I got a few books from the library and have a few more ordered. All about conscious parenting, simplifying, and I am hoping it will all work out. One step requires getting rid of toys... Jackson has a lot of toys. Way too many. I know this. I find it frustrating and irritating. So while he goes to my parent's in July, I will be boxing up toys. I know he will be angry about it when he gets home. I am not throwing them out (except the broken ones or ones he has outgrown), so they will be in boxes or bins, stored away and to be exchanged with the ones I leave out. He can choose to swap them or I can to mix things up. I hope it will help keep the house clutter free. I will also be trying to declutter my own things, it's only fair after all.
It ended when I told him if his behaviour continues I will take action. And it ended in cuddles. It started when he asked me to fix a toy, I tried and it didn't work. He called the toy stupid, hit me, threw the toy, called me names, and tried to kick me. I told him the next time it happens the toy he's upset over will be going away. And if I hear it happens at school or daycare, any type of temper tantrum like that, no TV for the night. Which is honestly as much punishment for me as him.
I also told him he had to eat dinner with me at the table, which caused another melt down. He likes to eat in front of the tv. I like to read while I'm eating. Neither are good habits of course, but I've always liked to read while I'm eating. So it's hard for me to enforce something I don't really want to do. But I did it. For at least a few minutes and mouthfuls any way. We will stretch the time until he's at the table for the whole meal. I hope.
I have been trying not to yell. I try and follow Dr Laura Markham's Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids. But somedays... oh somedays I just lose it and yell. I can hear myself saying things to him that I know are not the right choice. I am sarcastic, and I do sometimes say things to him that he doesn't understand. I know I need to work on my own response. I think it is harder because there is no other adult here to step in, so if I am losing it, there is no backup, no way for me to escape. I have tried to walk away, he follows me.
I think I need to take better care of myself. I am trying, but it can be difficult to spend the energy on myself when it takes so much to keep us on track. I have not been getting up early enough to exercise, I know I need to. It makes me feel better and of course could help me lose some weight. I have been taking time after work, before I go get him from daycare. I feel guilty about it but he enjoys playing at the park with the other kids, they get outdoor time after school. He tends to not eat the daycare offered snack, so then is starving by the time I get him, and it takes longer to get dinner on the table. A whole hour extra I leave him there. And still when I pick him up he doesn't want to go. I guess that hurts. Well I know it does but it shouldn't? Why do the other kids run to their parents, happy to leave, and mine has a fuss and wants to stay. I must be doing this all wrong, maybe he's right and I am stupid.
Then later he will be loving and want cuddles and to be close to me. He doesn't want me to leave at bedtime, wants to talk then. I believe we are lacking some connection, I try and maintain it and build it but I guess I need to do more. I find it hard, I love my son of course! He is smart and funny, he is also very active, and wants to be with me and talking, all the time. I am a quieter person, I like to read and relax. I do things for him because I know he likes to. Like going to the park, I hate it, he loves it, we do it. And I also know I need to get that exercise back on track, when I am active I want to be active. How silly is that, yet that's the way it works.
So I am trying, trying to not yell, to walk away instead of losing my temper. I am going to get active, and focus on eating better, for both of us. And there will be consequences for his losing his temper with me. I am tired of being yelled at myself, and I do not like who I become when he treats me like that. I know he's 6, and he doesn't really understand, but if he doesn't learn it now, when will he?
I'm also reading, a lot. I got a few books from the library and have a few more ordered. All about conscious parenting, simplifying, and I am hoping it will all work out. One step requires getting rid of toys... Jackson has a lot of toys. Way too many. I know this. I find it frustrating and irritating. So while he goes to my parent's in July, I will be boxing up toys. I know he will be angry about it when he gets home. I am not throwing them out (except the broken ones or ones he has outgrown), so they will be in boxes or bins, stored away and to be exchanged with the ones I leave out. He can choose to swap them or I can to mix things up. I hope it will help keep the house clutter free. I will also be trying to declutter my own things, it's only fair after all.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
May 2016 Trip - part 2 Disney!
Since the cruise was only 4 nights I wanted to add on something extra. I managed to get a good deal through a travel agency for a few nights at Disney. We left from Port Canaveral for the cruise, so we had to fly to Orlando. We opted to stay at POP Century and get two day tickets, they came with a "fun bonus" which we could use at a water park or Disney Quest. I knew it would take awhile to get to Disney after the cruise, and the water parks close at 5 so I thought Disney Quest would be great. Jackson always wants to play video games, air hockey, and things like that. Since it's all included I thought he would have fun.
We got off the ship by 9:30 and through customs and onto our shuttle by 10:30, we were back at Orlando airport shortly after 11 and had to walk through the airport to get to our Disney Magic Express. I had done online check in so when we got to the hotel it was quick to get checked in. We got our magic bands, mine in purple and kiddo's in red. Our room was actually ready so we went to drop off our stuff and unpack, then back to the food court for lunch. Jackson had been talking about the mac and cheese since the last trip so of course wanted that, but it was not the same and he refused to eat it. I had a cheeseburger and fries, he ate my fries. If he had said he didn't like the mac and cheese I would have had that and given him the cheeseburger, but of course he first says he likes it, so I put mustard on the burger.
It was almost 1 by then, and we then went to catch the bus to Disney Springs. The wait for the bus was a bit long, but the ride was pretty quick. We got off and went in search of Disney Quest. We found it pretty easily, walking past a few stores, including the Candy Cauldron. We used our fun passes and then we were off to play!
Kiddo was worried that he wouldn't be any good at the games, and wasn't excited to try them. I got him to try a few and he started to have fun. We played air hockey, but I won (not on purpose) and he was upset so we moved on to other games. We tried a river rafting game, it was pretty fun, and we stayed a few hours. After playing lots of games, we left and stopped at the candy store. He got cotton candy, and an icing covered rice crispie square, which he did not like. We wandered over to the Disney toy store, and he got a set of 3 little buses, just the ones we took! We went back POP Century, and then swimming. We picked up dinner at the food court to eat in the room. He got a cheeseburger this time, and I had pizza with Cesar salad.
After swimming and dinner it was getting late, I knew around 9 we would be able to see some fireworks over the buildings, so we headed up to the store to get a snack, juice, water and of course another toy, then back to look at the fireworks. That was really the closest we got to them the whole trip! After we went back to the room, got into jammies to watch TV and kiddo fell asleep (as I knew he would).
Saturday morning we got up rather early, and got ready to head to Magic Kingdom. We had watched a lot of ride videos, and had fast passes for a few of the hard to get rides. We also had lunch reservations for Crystal Palace at 1 pm. We didn't feel like breakfast so I thought we'd get something in MK. Didn't really work out that well, we ended up with a smoothie and iced coffee at some point, then some waffle fries and water. We got to the park in time for the opening show, though we had to wait a bit, which kiddo was not good at. We got into the park and I said we'd head to Peter Pan, he said no way. So we ended up at Astro Orbiter. We also did the People Mover, and then the Tomorrowland Speedway. He did not like the car ride, he found it hard to stay on track and did not want help. After that we had our little snack and I suggested we go find some more rides. He wanted to leave. I managed to talk him into Dumbo and Barnstormer. He ended up loving both. I think after that we went to the Swiss Family Treehouse, and the Tom Sawyer Island. After that we stopped to buy me a hat, and him another toy, then we finally went for lunch. Lunch was good, expensive, but good. After that we left to the hotel again.
We swam, and had a little rest, then dinner, and he wanted to go back to the park. We got fast passess for Dumbo and Barnstormer, I switched some of the other ones we had and didn't use. So off we went back to the park! It was hot, and a lot of walking. We were there right before the parade but he didn't want to stay for it, so we ended up leaving right before that, and back to the hotel to sleep. A long tiring day with some frustration for me. I had expected to not get everything done but I was surprised by his reluctance to try many things. I think based on this we will wait until he is at least 9 to go back, perhaps by then he'll be more willing to try things.
Next morning we were going to Epcot. We stopped for breakfast this time, I had moved lunch up to 11:35 but wanted to get some food in him to hopefully help! While we were eating a little voice said "Is Jackson here?" And it was one of his friends from school! Can you imagine? Huge hotel, and she was there at the same time we were. Crazy. He was quite happy to see the little girl, they chatted for a bit but we were off to different parks so that was it.
We had fastpasses for a few rides, including coveted Test Track, which he was super excited about, until we did the Tomorrowland ride. Now he had no interest. I was able to trick him into going on the Nemo ride, which he enjoyed once we were on it. Then we looked at all the fish in the aquariums, and the manatees. He enjoyed all of that. Afterwards he wanted to see the World Pavilion but since our lunch reservation was at 11:30 I talked him into seeing some other areas first. I can't really remember what we looked at but he wasn't too impressed. We ended up early to lunch, and were seated right at 11:30. Lunch was great to me, but he was not impressed with the food. He didn't eat that much, but he liked the spinning of the restaurant, and meeting Chip and Dale.
After lunch we set out for the pavilions. We saw a few countries and did an Agent P quest. That was fun, and we got a pressed penny from doing it. We took a boat ride back from Morocco (I think) to near Canada, and then went back to the resort. We went swimming and relaxed, there was some thunder so the pools got closed for awhile, Jackson was not happy about that. I asked him if he wanted to go back to Epcot for dinner, we could go to one of the countries to eat. He wanted to have Chinese food, so we headed back around 5:30 and made our way to China. He had rice and plain chicken balls. I had some nice stir fry, and then we went to look around. They were just starting an acrobat performance and Jackson wanted to stay and watch. It was pretty neat, and he enjoyed the show.
Afterwards I wanted to get my niece a gift since she had stayed at our place to watch the cats, drove us to the airport and was going to pick us up as well. Jackson picked out some beaded earrings and a bracelet for her. I found him a little set of fossils which he loves. He is obsessed with dinosaurs and such, so this was perfect for him. After that I had managed to switch our Test Track fastpass to Illuminations! Great we'd be able to see some fireworks. It was getting close, so we stopped for some ice cream and then started walking to where I thought the FP area was. We got there and were waiting for them to let us all in when... boom! Flash! huge thunder storm rolled in. It started to rain, and Jackson was freaking out about being outside in that weather, we hid under an awning outside a store for awhile, but they kept postponing the fireworks, and since he was getting quite upset, we decided to leave. We saw the fireworks when we got back to the hotel... not quite the same.
The next morning was check out day so I packed in the evening and got everything ready. He fell asleep while I was doing that, I managed to get everything packed back into our suitcases, and somewhat organized. We got up around 7 the next day, we had to meet the shuttle at 8:25, so if we wanted breakfast I knew we had to get up there fairly early. We managed, and had toast for breakfast. I knew we'd eat at the airport so I thought that was enough.
We got the shuttle and were threw security and checked in by 9:30... it was crazy. Our flight left at 12:30, boarding started at noon. So we had lots of time. We had breakfast again at the Burger King, and I wish we had waited to eat until later. There is no service on Air Canada, well there is if you want to pay a lot for it. I had a can of chips but Jackson didn't like them, so he didn't eat anything on the plane. We had to change planes in Montreal, and the landing there was very rough. Jackson got sick, and then had to get changed. We ran through the airport to find our gate and it was down in the basement of the airport. There wasn't really anywhere to eat down there, other than a very expensive sit down restaurant, so he had some chips and juice. I felt bad but we had passed all the places to eat thinking there would be something near our gate!
We had to go outside to walk up the steps to our plane. Thankfully it was a very short hop, and we had an actual gate when we landed. My sister picked us up, apparently my niece was concerned about how to find us at the airport, where to wait, etc. We got home, and Jackson just wanted to play with his toys. He had a quick snack and was in bed by 8. He went to school the next day, and I stayed home to do laundry.
The trip was good, but difficult at the same time. I want to go again but am not sure we'll go again in 2017, perhaps we'll wait another year. I'm not sure. I also want to buy a house (if we ever get a contract at work... and the back pay to go with that!) so we'll have to wait and see what comes our way.
We got off the ship by 9:30 and through customs and onto our shuttle by 10:30, we were back at Orlando airport shortly after 11 and had to walk through the airport to get to our Disney Magic Express. I had done online check in so when we got to the hotel it was quick to get checked in. We got our magic bands, mine in purple and kiddo's in red. Our room was actually ready so we went to drop off our stuff and unpack, then back to the food court for lunch. Jackson had been talking about the mac and cheese since the last trip so of course wanted that, but it was not the same and he refused to eat it. I had a cheeseburger and fries, he ate my fries. If he had said he didn't like the mac and cheese I would have had that and given him the cheeseburger, but of course he first says he likes it, so I put mustard on the burger.
It was almost 1 by then, and we then went to catch the bus to Disney Springs. The wait for the bus was a bit long, but the ride was pretty quick. We got off and went in search of Disney Quest. We found it pretty easily, walking past a few stores, including the Candy Cauldron. We used our fun passes and then we were off to play!
Kiddo was worried that he wouldn't be any good at the games, and wasn't excited to try them. I got him to try a few and he started to have fun. We played air hockey, but I won (not on purpose) and he was upset so we moved on to other games. We tried a river rafting game, it was pretty fun, and we stayed a few hours. After playing lots of games, we left and stopped at the candy store. He got cotton candy, and an icing covered rice crispie square, which he did not like. We wandered over to the Disney toy store, and he got a set of 3 little buses, just the ones we took! We went back POP Century, and then swimming. We picked up dinner at the food court to eat in the room. He got a cheeseburger this time, and I had pizza with Cesar salad.
After swimming and dinner it was getting late, I knew around 9 we would be able to see some fireworks over the buildings, so we headed up to the store to get a snack, juice, water and of course another toy, then back to look at the fireworks. That was really the closest we got to them the whole trip! After we went back to the room, got into jammies to watch TV and kiddo fell asleep (as I knew he would).
Saturday morning we got up rather early, and got ready to head to Magic Kingdom. We had watched a lot of ride videos, and had fast passes for a few of the hard to get rides. We also had lunch reservations for Crystal Palace at 1 pm. We didn't feel like breakfast so I thought we'd get something in MK. Didn't really work out that well, we ended up with a smoothie and iced coffee at some point, then some waffle fries and water. We got to the park in time for the opening show, though we had to wait a bit, which kiddo was not good at. We got into the park and I said we'd head to Peter Pan, he said no way. So we ended up at Astro Orbiter. We also did the People Mover, and then the Tomorrowland Speedway. He did not like the car ride, he found it hard to stay on track and did not want help. After that we had our little snack and I suggested we go find some more rides. He wanted to leave. I managed to talk him into Dumbo and Barnstormer. He ended up loving both. I think after that we went to the Swiss Family Treehouse, and the Tom Sawyer Island. After that we stopped to buy me a hat, and him another toy, then we finally went for lunch. Lunch was good, expensive, but good. After that we left to the hotel again.
We swam, and had a little rest, then dinner, and he wanted to go back to the park. We got fast passess for Dumbo and Barnstormer, I switched some of the other ones we had and didn't use. So off we went back to the park! It was hot, and a lot of walking. We were there right before the parade but he didn't want to stay for it, so we ended up leaving right before that, and back to the hotel to sleep. A long tiring day with some frustration for me. I had expected to not get everything done but I was surprised by his reluctance to try many things. I think based on this we will wait until he is at least 9 to go back, perhaps by then he'll be more willing to try things.
Next morning we were going to Epcot. We stopped for breakfast this time, I had moved lunch up to 11:35 but wanted to get some food in him to hopefully help! While we were eating a little voice said "Is Jackson here?" And it was one of his friends from school! Can you imagine? Huge hotel, and she was there at the same time we were. Crazy. He was quite happy to see the little girl, they chatted for a bit but we were off to different parks so that was it.
We had fastpasses for a few rides, including coveted Test Track, which he was super excited about, until we did the Tomorrowland ride. Now he had no interest. I was able to trick him into going on the Nemo ride, which he enjoyed once we were on it. Then we looked at all the fish in the aquariums, and the manatees. He enjoyed all of that. Afterwards he wanted to see the World Pavilion but since our lunch reservation was at 11:30 I talked him into seeing some other areas first. I can't really remember what we looked at but he wasn't too impressed. We ended up early to lunch, and were seated right at 11:30. Lunch was great to me, but he was not impressed with the food. He didn't eat that much, but he liked the spinning of the restaurant, and meeting Chip and Dale.
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| Jackson's been eaten by a shark! |
After lunch we set out for the pavilions. We saw a few countries and did an Agent P quest. That was fun, and we got a pressed penny from doing it. We took a boat ride back from Morocco (I think) to near Canada, and then went back to the resort. We went swimming and relaxed, there was some thunder so the pools got closed for awhile, Jackson was not happy about that. I asked him if he wanted to go back to Epcot for dinner, we could go to one of the countries to eat. He wanted to have Chinese food, so we headed back around 5:30 and made our way to China. He had rice and plain chicken balls. I had some nice stir fry, and then we went to look around. They were just starting an acrobat performance and Jackson wanted to stay and watch. It was pretty neat, and he enjoyed the show.
Afterwards I wanted to get my niece a gift since she had stayed at our place to watch the cats, drove us to the airport and was going to pick us up as well. Jackson picked out some beaded earrings and a bracelet for her. I found him a little set of fossils which he loves. He is obsessed with dinosaurs and such, so this was perfect for him. After that I had managed to switch our Test Track fastpass to Illuminations! Great we'd be able to see some fireworks. It was getting close, so we stopped for some ice cream and then started walking to where I thought the FP area was. We got there and were waiting for them to let us all in when... boom! Flash! huge thunder storm rolled in. It started to rain, and Jackson was freaking out about being outside in that weather, we hid under an awning outside a store for awhile, but they kept postponing the fireworks, and since he was getting quite upset, we decided to leave. We saw the fireworks when we got back to the hotel... not quite the same.
The next morning was check out day so I packed in the evening and got everything ready. He fell asleep while I was doing that, I managed to get everything packed back into our suitcases, and somewhat organized. We got up around 7 the next day, we had to meet the shuttle at 8:25, so if we wanted breakfast I knew we had to get up there fairly early. We managed, and had toast for breakfast. I knew we'd eat at the airport so I thought that was enough.
We got the shuttle and were threw security and checked in by 9:30... it was crazy. Our flight left at 12:30, boarding started at noon. So we had lots of time. We had breakfast again at the Burger King, and I wish we had waited to eat until later. There is no service on Air Canada, well there is if you want to pay a lot for it. I had a can of chips but Jackson didn't like them, so he didn't eat anything on the plane. We had to change planes in Montreal, and the landing there was very rough. Jackson got sick, and then had to get changed. We ran through the airport to find our gate and it was down in the basement of the airport. There wasn't really anywhere to eat down there, other than a very expensive sit down restaurant, so he had some chips and juice. I felt bad but we had passed all the places to eat thinking there would be something near our gate!
We had to go outside to walk up the steps to our plane. Thankfully it was a very short hop, and we had an actual gate when we landed. My sister picked us up, apparently my niece was concerned about how to find us at the airport, where to wait, etc. We got home, and Jackson just wanted to play with his toys. He had a quick snack and was in bed by 8. He went to school the next day, and I stayed home to do laundry.
The trip was good, but difficult at the same time. I want to go again but am not sure we'll go again in 2017, perhaps we'll wait another year. I'm not sure. I also want to buy a house (if we ever get a contract at work... and the back pay to go with that!) so we'll have to wait and see what comes our way.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Our 2016 Trip - part 1 the Cruise
We have been home for a few days. I needed some time to let this trip settle. It was a lot. We went on a 4-night Bahamas cruise then 3 nights at Walt Disney World. Over all, it was a good trip. We had fun and it was lovely to be away. There were far more good parts than bad. But travelling was not as fun this time as our last trip. I feel very tired and didn't really relax much.
We flew down to Orlando the night before the cruise, our flight left at 1pm and we had to change plans in Newark. That was ok. Jackson does not like flying (or landing) and by the time we got to Orlando he was feeling a little sick. He did not throw up, thank goodness, but wasn't himself. We traveled just with carryons so no need to get bags, just called the shuttle and went to wait. Got to the hotel, it was nice, sufficient for one night any way! There was a McDonalds in walking distance so we went there for supper. They serve 24 hour breakfast and Jackson was excited to get a sausage egg mcmuffin. Which did not "taste right" and we were off to a great food start... He barely ate dinner but did drink his OJ. When we got back to the hotel he wanted to go swimming so we did that. The water was nice, no one else was out there, and we had a fun time. Breakfast was free so we went down and ate. He had a muffin. He tried a few other things, but didn't like anything. We took another muffin back to the room and watched some TV while I repacked a few things and got us ready to catch the shuttle to the cruise!
The shuttle was great, picked us up on time, had two other pick ups after us but we got to the ship in great time. Made our way through a few lines. We did get bumped to the quick line for check in, but still had to wait for our number to be called. We cruise with Royal Caribbean this time, on the newly refurbed Majesty of the Seas. The process was different than on Carnival, not sure why, but we got on eventually and went to get some lunch. The buffet was nice, Jackson had a hot dog and fries, tried some lemonade. I think I had a hamburger, they were close to the hot dogs and I didn't want to wander too far with our carry on bags and everything.
We signed Jackson up for the kids club, then were able to go to our room. Our bags weren't available yet but we had our swim suits in the carryons so we got changed and went to swim! They have life vests on the pool deck which was great. I took his puddle jumper of course, he's not able to swim on his own yet, but this meant we didn't have to grab something else when we went up to swim. Before the muster drill we went to get changed again, one bag had arrived and we met the room steward, he was nice. We asked him to separate the beds, which he did before dinner.
The muster drill was actually fun because there were dolphins jumping around beside the ship, it was pretty cool! Then we went up to the pool deck to get a drink and sit and watch the land fall away. It was pretty nice. He was very excited and yelling at people on the shore who were waving at the ship. It was pretty funny. After that we got ready for dinner, our second suit case had arrived, and we went to dinner! We were sat in a corner at a table for 4 but no other people came. There was a lady at the next table on her own, so we invited her to join us the next night. Which she did. She was pretty cool. She works on the ships making costumes and was very nice. Jackson liked having someone else to talk to.
He had steak for dinner 3 of the 4 nights, the other night he had mac n cheese, with french fries. He tried dessert the first night and didn't like it so didn't have it again until the last night when they had the sorbet he likes. I ate well, I can't remember everything but I did get my escargot once and ate seafood of some sort every night. The lady we ate with mentioned that she gets the cold fruit soup everyday in a glass, it's like a smoothie! So I tried that as well and it was nice and refreshing. About an hour after dinner Jackson would say he was hungry so we'd go to the buffet. He'd have a cheeseburger, and I'd get a second dessert :-) We ate well on the cruise! Breakfast he had bacon every day, I had a full breakfast. He ate some fruit. And lunch was at the buffet most days as well.
Our sea day was good, we went swimming twice. It was very hard to get him out of the pool, there was a lot of attitude and I ended up picking him up and dragging him away. He refused to go to the kids club, so I had no down time, which was a little much. But he fell asleep every night watching the TV and without complaint. So that was good! He tried rock climbing on the first day and I think he'd probably try again in another year or two. He got a medal and was quite proud of himself. He is not a daredevil by any means.
We had two beach days, Nassau and Coco Cay. Both were great. He spent about 6 hours in the water in Nassau, but the day at Coco Cay was shorter. He got tired I think, and wanted to go back to the ship to eat lunch instead of eating the same food on the island. It was very fun, quite a bit of walking in flip flops, which was not comfortable. He got a lot of stuff in Nassau, that straw market, those ladies are good at selling to kids... and a mom who can't say no to that kid.
On our last night I packed up the bags and put them out in the hall way. We had a 9 am disembark time, which ended up being later. The shuttle was very crowded, and he couldn't sit beside me, but he had his own seat so it was ok. He fell asleep on the way back to the airport. We had to go there in order to get to the Magic Express. The shuttle was good, and quick. It was easy once we got to that point.
We flew down to Orlando the night before the cruise, our flight left at 1pm and we had to change plans in Newark. That was ok. Jackson does not like flying (or landing) and by the time we got to Orlando he was feeling a little sick. He did not throw up, thank goodness, but wasn't himself. We traveled just with carryons so no need to get bags, just called the shuttle and went to wait. Got to the hotel, it was nice, sufficient for one night any way! There was a McDonalds in walking distance so we went there for supper. They serve 24 hour breakfast and Jackson was excited to get a sausage egg mcmuffin. Which did not "taste right" and we were off to a great food start... He barely ate dinner but did drink his OJ. When we got back to the hotel he wanted to go swimming so we did that. The water was nice, no one else was out there, and we had a fun time. Breakfast was free so we went down and ate. He had a muffin. He tried a few other things, but didn't like anything. We took another muffin back to the room and watched some TV while I repacked a few things and got us ready to catch the shuttle to the cruise!
The shuttle was great, picked us up on time, had two other pick ups after us but we got to the ship in great time. Made our way through a few lines. We did get bumped to the quick line for check in, but still had to wait for our number to be called. We cruise with Royal Caribbean this time, on the newly refurbed Majesty of the Seas. The process was different than on Carnival, not sure why, but we got on eventually and went to get some lunch. The buffet was nice, Jackson had a hot dog and fries, tried some lemonade. I think I had a hamburger, they were close to the hot dogs and I didn't want to wander too far with our carry on bags and everything.
We signed Jackson up for the kids club, then were able to go to our room. Our bags weren't available yet but we had our swim suits in the carryons so we got changed and went to swim! They have life vests on the pool deck which was great. I took his puddle jumper of course, he's not able to swim on his own yet, but this meant we didn't have to grab something else when we went up to swim. Before the muster drill we went to get changed again, one bag had arrived and we met the room steward, he was nice. We asked him to separate the beds, which he did before dinner.
The muster drill was actually fun because there were dolphins jumping around beside the ship, it was pretty cool! Then we went up to the pool deck to get a drink and sit and watch the land fall away. It was pretty nice. He was very excited and yelling at people on the shore who were waving at the ship. It was pretty funny. After that we got ready for dinner, our second suit case had arrived, and we went to dinner! We were sat in a corner at a table for 4 but no other people came. There was a lady at the next table on her own, so we invited her to join us the next night. Which she did. She was pretty cool. She works on the ships making costumes and was very nice. Jackson liked having someone else to talk to.
He had steak for dinner 3 of the 4 nights, the other night he had mac n cheese, with french fries. He tried dessert the first night and didn't like it so didn't have it again until the last night when they had the sorbet he likes. I ate well, I can't remember everything but I did get my escargot once and ate seafood of some sort every night. The lady we ate with mentioned that she gets the cold fruit soup everyday in a glass, it's like a smoothie! So I tried that as well and it was nice and refreshing. About an hour after dinner Jackson would say he was hungry so we'd go to the buffet. He'd have a cheeseburger, and I'd get a second dessert :-) We ate well on the cruise! Breakfast he had bacon every day, I had a full breakfast. He ate some fruit. And lunch was at the buffet most days as well.
Our sea day was good, we went swimming twice. It was very hard to get him out of the pool, there was a lot of attitude and I ended up picking him up and dragging him away. He refused to go to the kids club, so I had no down time, which was a little much. But he fell asleep every night watching the TV and without complaint. So that was good! He tried rock climbing on the first day and I think he'd probably try again in another year or two. He got a medal and was quite proud of himself. He is not a daredevil by any means.
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| Almost at the first bell |
We had two beach days, Nassau and Coco Cay. Both were great. He spent about 6 hours in the water in Nassau, but the day at Coco Cay was shorter. He got tired I think, and wanted to go back to the ship to eat lunch instead of eating the same food on the island. It was very fun, quite a bit of walking in flip flops, which was not comfortable. He got a lot of stuff in Nassau, that straw market, those ladies are good at selling to kids... and a mom who can't say no to that kid.
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| Ready to swim!! |
On our last night I packed up the bags and put them out in the hall way. We had a 9 am disembark time, which ended up being later. The shuttle was very crowded, and he couldn't sit beside me, but he had his own seat so it was ok. He fell asleep on the way back to the airport. We had to go there in order to get to the Magic Express. The shuttle was good, and quick. It was easy once we got to that point.
Over all the cruise part was lovely. I think another sea day at the end to relax a bit more would have been ideal, perhaps a 5 night cruise? If he'll agree to go again I may try that. I think I would pick either Carnival or RCL, both were more the same than different. I may lean towards Carnival simply because he preferred the kids club and it is a nice break for me. I have to say that the RCL ship was a little more kid friendly, with the splash area and the pools seemed bigger and more family friendly. There was no problem getting a chair on deck any day. I think it would come down to price and where the cruise is going. There are some ports I want to visit, many in fact, but we have time, we'll get there! I will note that I did not feel the ship move at all on Majesty, either we had really smooth seas or the captain/ship did a great job with the stabilizers. I saw some waves and felt nothing, anywhere on the ship. Neither of us was sea sick as we had been on Carnival.
next... Disney.
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