The Lock Family: October 2012

I have been reviewing my copious notes for our trip to Disney World have written a a series of tips for myself that I call The Commandments of Disney. I think it will be important for me to remember to slow down and smell the roses on this trip and let it be about the magic of the place for Brendan, rather than about getting all the rides done in one day. Cause we won't. Not a chance. I need to lower my standards, like maybe to one ride a day. That's accomplishable. All joking aside I really have very little faith in my ability to predict what the vacation to Disney will be like. Will we tour the parks all day long? Will we spend all day in the hotel room, pleading with our twins to sleep? Who knows? If I can remember my commandments hopefully we will enjoy whatever version does happen. We will be gone for 10 days so that there is no time pressure to get things done efficiently, and are staying at the Port Orleans resort, right at DisneyWorld, so hopefully that will make things easier. We have a pass that allows us to wander freely in and out of whichever parks we want, whenever we want so that bailing with crying twins won't feel like a loss. We also have the (mostly) all inclusive dining plan so we're not counting pennies while we're there. And most importantly, Bob and Gail are coming. Yes, that's right. I don't know why they would agree to spend 10 days straight days with the whole crazy family, but they did, and they can't get out now!

So without further ado, The Commandments, and a brief glimpse of what our next 10 days could look like...

Commandments of the Magic Kingdom
1. Thou shalt be guided by Brendan. If he can experience any amount of wonder and rapture your job is done. He should not feel like he is being taken from place to place, at this park especially
2. Thou shalt be flexible and willing to skip lunch at the Harbour House if it's not convenient so that Bob and Gail understand you are not a nazi who needs to be accomodated.
3. Thou shalt let Brendan ride the train first, since we can't ride any of the high priority attractions anyway.
4. Thou shalt advocate for yourself and make time to ride Space Mountain on the second day
5. Thou shalt resist the urge to keep pushing through attractions until Brendan or the twins are completely worn out. There is no doubting that Brendan will be able to tour all day. Once. But the next day, possibly days, will be a write off and it's not worth it. If you see too much the first day there won't be enough for the second day, anyways.
6. Thou shalt not horde snack credits for Epcot. Spending $3 on a cupcake out of pocket on the last day because you're out of credits is fine. It's a $3000 trip. Enjoy it.
7. Even though they will make fun of you, thou shalt give Bob and Gail a rough itinerary of what is happening each day because they will enjoy knowing what is going on without having to ask. That being said, don't be bothered when nobody else reads it

Commandments for the Animal Kingdom
- Thou shalt not feign excitement over getting all the passport stamps for the Discovery Club stations because Brendan probably doesn't care about completing the book.
- Thou shalt not try to figure out how to switch off and allow everyone to ride the three thrill rides, because frankly I don't want to ride Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids. Rob will want to ride Expedition Everest (I wouldn't mind), and he can do that while Brendan plays at the Boneyard playground easily or if Bob and Gail want to take the kids back to the hotel early. Bob and Gail really should see It's Tough To Be A Bug.
- Thou shalt ride the train to the Conservation Station as many times as Brendan wants to.
- Thou shalt try to watch Finding Nemo before we go, partially to familiarize Brendan with the story, partially to prepare him that his mother gets eaten.
- Thou shalt remember to bring something to help him sit through the whole Nemo show - a diversion or a reward (it's 40 minutes long)
- Thou shalt let him play in the Boneyard playground and I will let him come back as often as wants. I will be a smart parent however, and not go into Dinoland until I'm prepared to let him stop and play for a while.

Commandments for Epcot
-Thou shalt remember that it's more important for Brendan to have fun exploring in the World Showcase then to get to gift shop every store, since you're probably not buying anything anyways.
-Thou shalt give Brendan interesting things to find in the World Showcase instead of assuming he'll find the architecture fascinating
-Thou shalt prep Brendan. Most of the rides at Epcot are movie based and a few are dark rides. Watching them before we leave home is key. As are the next two comandments.
-Thou shalt not force Brendan to see anything he doesn't want to, you'll just miss the whole ride fighting/calming him
-Thou shalt not force Brendan to sit through a whole movie if he wants to leave, but this might be a great time for cell phone games with earphones etc. and some time to rest.
-Thou shalt take the time to sit and watch the live entertainment.
-Thou shalt have a plan in case Heidi does not tolerate a single movie (like gift shopping with her in the stroller or bjorn (so Harrison can stay in the stroller and you don't have to drive the double stroller in stores)
-Thou shalt remember that you've seen all of this before, so it doesn't really matter if you miss something

and finally,

Commandments for Hollywood Studios
-Thou shalt be realistic about what the twins are likely to sit through based on the previous days of touring, not hope for a miracle and then be surprised that they don't sit happily through everything
-Thou shalt lie to Brendan about the height restrictions on Star Tours and Tower of Terror even if he thinks he wants to ride because we will all pay the price if we cave in and let him
-Thou shalt not get annoyed by all of Brendan's questions because this really is a fascinating but confusing place to a 5 year old mind

Boy, oh boy! It's gonna be fun!

...lest you worry that we'd driven off the edge of the earth, we are still here. I had thought I might post less often, I hadn't necessarily thought weeks at a time would go by without a post. Life is still... hectic. I am now working everyday and we've been galavanting all over the province to visit family most weekends. Were packing up tonight for a Cole family thanksgiving at a cottage were renting up in muskoka, and then we're planning to come home for a rest.

The babies are remarkably similar to the wat they were three weeks ago. Still walking around all over, still getting into EVERYTHING, still eating great, no new teeth. They got a cold which has held on a long time, so sleeping through the night us on a temporary hiatus, but I have a deep abiding faith it will return. It must. That's non negotiable.

So life at the zoo has fallen into a rather predictable, although never boring routine.

Oh yeah, and the babies learned to high five, that was exciting!

And a happy, happy christening to our dear niece Ellie!

Take care, Nancy