Staycation

I started this staycation with ten gray hairs and ended it with twenty.

My husband took a *whole* week off of work. Gasp. For those who know us, they know how rare this is. Anyway we wanted to make the most of the time off. S and Z haven't really experienced local fun so we decided on some local attractions. We headed to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls.

For the thrill seeker Z, the water park was heaven. Surprisingly S enjoyed the water park too. She wasn't going anywhere near a slide and did not dare to wet her face or hair. But the fact that she attempted to go in a pool was impressive. She was overjoyed and proud of herself shouting, "Mommy look! I'm swimming! I'm a big girl!"  Meanwhile she was actually only standing in 5 inches of water.

Z has this tendency to lose himself in fun. He lets down the little guard he has and thinks he's invincible. For example, normally he wouldn't think to jump right into the deep end of a pool. But of course when he's so excited and over stimulated he'll run and jump without thinking, is this safe? Will I drown?. This is why we were completely on edge. A big, loud, crowded water park was a recipe for accelerated aging for me and potential disaster. Thank God for life jackets and a fast husband.

Aside from the water park, the rest of our stay was mediocre at best. I could write a whole weeks segment of  'Why my kid is crying' just for those three days. 

Us: get ready for dinner
S: waaaaa no I don't like dinner! I want to stay in my room! Waaaaaa
* went for dinner and on our way back*
S: waaaaa I don't want to go to the room I want to stay at the restaurant waaaaaaaa.

Me: are you going to finish your drink?
S: no
Me: ok Z will have the rest then, ok?
S: ok
*on the way out* waaaaa where's my juice! Waaaaaaaa

the night before we left
S: waaaaa I want to go home! Waaa let's go home I don't want to sleep here waaaaa
*on our way home the following day*
S: I want to go back to the hotel waaaaaaaaaa (all the way home)

You get the picture.  S has become oppositional with everything. Which ends any family outing with us wondering, why did we do this and not just order a pizza and watch Netflix at home?

Well because, this: a glimpse of their happiness is worth the hassle. 

You probably think we learned our lesson and didn't go out for the remainder of the week. I mean any sane person would need to recover from a trip filled with whine and tantrums. Well, the very next morning we packed the kids and went to Wonderland. It was their first ever Wonderland trip so I thought it was kind of special. Wonderland attendance is basically a rite of passage for any Toronto and GTA dweller. My husband and I grew up going there with our families and we wanted to share that with our children.

Now please excuse me while I boast. We didn't realize how much of a thrill seeker Z was until he went on the real crazy roller coasters. He is taller than most five year olds so he was able to get into the rides intended for older children and adults.  He's off the charts for growth, he's basically a five year old in an eight year old's body. He went on those roller coasters and showed no sign of fear. He reminded me of Mr. Bean riding a roller coaster at the fun fair. (Click link to see what I'm talking about). He was upset that he didn't meet the height requirements for the Leviathan and the Behemoth. He's 4 inches away from that and I'm not sure I'm ready to see my Z on those insane rides just yet. My palms were sweaty just seeing him line up for a roller coaster. 

Z obviously didn't inherent my roller coaster phobia. I have a legitimate fear and will not board one if you paid me to. I was perfectly happy in Snoopy planet riding painfully slow moving Ferris wheels and pumpkins rotating at 2 km/h. I'm also glad I had S with me on all those kiddie rides because I wouldn't be allowed on them otherwise.

All in all, the staycation was split.

Great Wolf Lodge: Fail. It was an experience not to be repeated.

Wonderland: Success. Family-tradition in the making.