Vacations are supposed to be fun, aren't they?

So we're finally back from our vacation. I want to preface this recount by saying that I love my family and had a great time with them. That being said, here are the highlights:

We had to stay at a hotel in Baltimore on Thursday night because we had to be at the airport at 5am on Friday. We picked this particular hotel on the recommendation of my mother-in-law and because we could park both cars for free all week (worked into the price of the rooms, I'm sure). So the hotel was definitely not the best hotel (probably the worst I've ever stayed at, but you can't go by me because I very rarely travel). I didn't get a wink of sleep the whole night because I was convinced there were bedbugs. I kept feeling biting sensations all over my body, but no one else did, so I guess I was just being my psychotic self. They did take us to the airport and pick us up, so that was nice.

When we go to check our bags, they informed us that our smallest bag was over sized by 1.5" and we had to pay $39 for that. Umm...it's our smallest bag...what? I was a little PO'd because our travel agent should have gone over the size/weight requirements with us (isn't this one of the reasons we would go through a travel agent in the first place?) OK, so we paid the damn $39 and were bound and determined to have a good trip. My exact words, which I don't think have ever come out of my mouth, were, "it's only money". The kids did GREAT on the plane. I was nervous that one or the other would scream the whole way there, the way I did when I was little, but they were totally fine. I think I was more freaked out than they were.

So we get there and we use the Disney Dining Plan to buy a counter service lunch. When we looked at the receipt, the remaining counter service lunches seemed to be short a few. So Doug went to the front desk to ask. Come to find out that our 2-year-old isn't included on the meal plan, so we have to pay outright for all of her meals. I was doubly PO'd that our travel agent failed to relay this information to us as well. But I was tired and just figured we'd deal with it. Until we went to our first table service meal. We didn't order her a dinner, instead, she shared off of the rest of our plates. But they included her as part of the party of 6 (there would be only 5 not including her) that is required to pay the 18% gratuity that is automatically added to the bill! Excuse me? So she doesn't exist in the eyes of Disney when it comes to the meal plan and we don't order her a meal at all, so no extra work for the server, but she magically appears when it's time to add that automatic 18% gratuity?? How wrong!! They justified this by saying that we didn't pay for her to get into the parks, so we're saving there. I don't think so! If she doesn't exist on the meal plan and doesn't exist in the parks, then she shouldn't exist for gratuity's sake! Most nights, I wouldn't have minded. But 1 night in particular, we had a horrible waitress and we never would have paid an 18% gratuity to her. But we were forced to.

Some other highlights included my mother-in-law deciding that flip flops were the way to go for footwear when walking 5-10 miles a day. She proceeded to blow out her knee on day #2 and had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair the rest of the week. This made most rides great because we got to get in the front of the line, but the buses on the other hand, took forever. Oh well, not the end of the world.

We arrived home on Thursday night and quickly got the kids to bed. The next day, we go out to lunch because we have very little in the way of food at the house. So Doug eats a salad and then gets food poisoning. He was throwing up all night Friday night and it was coming out the other end all day Saturday. By today, he was feeling a little better, but not 100%. Elizabeth spiked a fever on Thursday during travel that lasted until Saturday. Charlie spiked one today.

And I decided to see an endocrinologist to get my dosage increased since my other doctor (who was not an endocrinologist) had left the practice. The endocrinologist told me that she doesn't think I even have any thyroid problems. She said my thyroid is normal size and she can't imagine why my other doctor said the things she said. Of course she can't explain why I feel the way I feel. Now what do I do? I'm pretty much back at square one. I'll probably get fired from my job because I can't concentrate or remember anything and have to call off because I'm too tired to get out of bed.

Anyway, I did have a nice time on vacation. I know, though, that our next vacation will be very relaxing instead of chaotic. I'm thinking beach chair, book, sounds of the ocean, glass of wine in hand. Aaahhh...

Butterflies

So I'm getting nervous about our trip. I know people travel every day, but we don't. Doug and I haven't flown in 7 years (since our honeymoon) and we haven't even been on vacation in 3 years. I was nervous when I was just Doug and I, but it gets more complicated when we have 2 little kids.

For example, we're almost all packed, but what if we forget something important? I get that we're going to Florida and not some other planet where they won't be able to sell us anything we need, but to have to pay for something we forgot just doesn't fly with me. There's a lot of pressure for me to remember everything for everyone (and if you think this responsibility doesn't all fall onto the mother, you're sorely mistaken). Don't get me wrong, Doug is very good with this kind of stuff, but he's already sick of me talking about planning and packing, so he's probably not going to be the best help.

Then there's my in-laws. I'm beginning to wonder why we thought it was a good idea to have them come along. I have done a lot of planning to make sure the kids get to see what they want to see without having to stand in line all day (therefore, missing some things). However, my in-laws are so not about planning things. They'd rather just play it by ear, which is fine for them, but I have a bad feeling it's going to cause some tension. While I realize they can go do their own thing, they're also going to want to see the kids enjoying the rides. And this will put the kids in the middle as well because they're going to want to hang out with them.

Finally, and here's my big worry, I worry that something will happen...to the kids. Like getting lost or getting hurt. Heck, Doug and I lost each other in Target yesterday!!! We've discussed with Charlie what to do if he ever finds himself lost, but will he remember? Who knows! I feel a little better that we have 4 adults to 2 kids, but the possibility still exists for something to go wrong. I know it's unlikely, but it's still in the back of my mind.

While it seems I'm over-worrying, I really am very excited. I think we all need a vacation right now and I'm going to make sure we have a great time!

Are we there yet?

We are Disney bound next week (in exactly 10 days, to be precise, but who's counting)! And I can honestly say, after a grueling summer at work, that I am SO looking forward to leaving my work (both work work and housework) behind for a week. And what's even more exciting is that I will be turning 30 while we're there!!! And then when we get home, our son will turn 5. So lots of happiness going on around here in the next month. I think we're all ready for a huge dose of overloaded happiness as only Disney can do.

We will be going with my in-laws, which I'm hoping turns out to be more helpful than burdensome. With them, it could really go either way, but I think they'll be good. I know there will be a few rifts, though, because I'm a planner and the in-laws like to fly by the seat of their pants. When Doug and I went for our honeymoon in 2001, we didn't have any real plans in place. No dining reservations, nothing. It was nice, but my thought was, with kids, a little planning is needed. There are many things they want to ride and I'm sure they don't want to stand in line all day only to be able to actually get on 3 rides. But I've decided that if they don't like it, we can always split up. No harm no foul.

That's all for today. I have begun the "final countdown" (thanks Charlie for reminding me by singing this song every day)!

Losing Your Temperature

Last night, my 4-year-old told me that we needed to have a talk. He was very concerned about his 2-year-old sister wasting electricity. She just learned that if she stands on a step stool, she's tall enough to turn the light on and off. She prefers to turn them on and this drives my son nuts because he doesn't like waste. So we discussed that.

I then apologized for losing my temper earlier. He said, "That's OK, mommy. I lose my temperature a lot! Maybe we should talk about that next." He proceeded to educate me on what I should do the next time I lose my temperature and why the rules for losing your temperature are different for him.

This conversation was a real eye-opener for me. I'm glad we talked because now I will probably think of him, very seriously, sitting on the step stool in his jammies telling me how not to lose my temperature.

I hope this story made you smile :)

Flying the friendly skies

Recently, a friend of mine flew from Philadelphia to Orlando. She had an interesting encounter while on the flight. Her boyfriend had the window seat, she had the middle, and a very large woman was sitting in the aisle seat right next to her. The woman was so large, she took up her own seat and half of my friend's seat. This forced my friend to sit halfway on her boyfriend's seat, making the 2 of them very uncomfortable. Not to mention all arm rests had to be kept up to accommodate this situation. At one point, my friend tried to put her seat back, which involves a button on the side of the armrest. She literally had to reach behind the woman's back/shoulder to get to this button and the woman had the audacity to flash her a dirty look. SHE was annoyed? Did she not see the inconvenience she was causing to the other people in her row?

My friend and her boyfriend decided to suffer through it and not to say anything to her or the flight attendants as it was a full flight and there was, most likely, nothing that could be done. My friend, being the nice person she is, also figured it would probably hurt the woman's feelings and would do more harm than good. When she returned home from her trip, she decided a letter to the airline was in order. After all, she had paid for a full seat, not the half seat she ended up getting. She did not ask for a refund of any kind (although she may be hoping for one), but merely felt the need to voice her opinions to the airline. The airline has not yet responded.

Hearing this story made me think. Should a person who takes up more than 1 seat have to pay for more than 1 seat? I think so. Should a person who only gets half a seat be required to pay for a whole seat? I think not. I will be flying in a few weeks and if this were to happen to me, I would be livid, especially since we will be travelling with small children. The way I see it, it's not about discrimination, but about what's fair. It's not fair that my friend and her boyfriend, who paid the same amount of money for their seats as this woman did, had to endure an uncomfortable 2 hour flight, while this woman was totally comfortable taking up a seat and a half. Disgraceful.