Last week we had our family vacation. We usually take a week every year and do something for vacation as a family. This year we had to go to Tampa, FL for a wedding so we decided we would go down early to Orlando, FL and go to Disney World.
We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and it was top-notch. We loved it. We opted for the Arusha room overlooking a savannah filled with giraffes, zebras, and various other animals. My son who is two and fascinated with animals absolutely loved it. I did not mind sitting out there drinking a cup of coffee and watching either. It was pretty amazing.
We went to Disney Magic Kingdom for a day and it was great. I had never been and it was pretty awesome. To experience it with my son was fun in itself. The lines where not as bad as I though they would be. I think our longest wait was like 20 minutes for It’s a Small World.
It was all a lot of fun, but here are five important fatherly lessons I was able to take away from our trip to Magic Kingdom:
- Wear the Right Shoes: This will literally make or break your entire day. I though I would be fine wearing my Five Fingers. I have worn them for a while now and have never had a problem with them hurting my feet. On this day though the choice would definitely come back to haunt me. At hour 11 of being at the park my fee felt like I every Disney character had stomped on my toes.
- Have a Plan for Bad Weather: Storm clouds started rolling in that brought lightening and pouring rain. We were sitting on the sidewalk eating and waiting for the electrical light parade when this happened. My wife grabbed our son and I grabbed the food. After about 30 minutes of eating and waiting out the rain indoors I though “who has the diaper bag with our camera in it”. Luckily My brother and law and his family picked it up when they went running. No diapers and a lost DSLR would have made my day miserable. SO make sure you have all the bases covered if bead weather is impending.
- No Need to Try to Plan a Nap: My son is two and he needs a three out nap in the middle of the day to function it seems. We thought we would be able to get him to take a short one at the park, but that did not happen. the only nap he got was about 15 minutes on a ride. My son is a light sleeper and it takes ninja like skills to sneak around him when sleeping so I should have known he would not sleep well with so much going on around him. So do not plan on a good nap. There is just too much excitement, and noise, going on around them.
- Pack Diaper Rash Cream: Not for the children, but for the fathers. I learned by the end of the day that 95 + degree temperatures, sweat, boxer briefs, and 12 hours of walking will require it.
- Have fun!: Let all the worries of the world go and just enjoy the time with family.
Have you ever lost anything valuable?
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I’m laughing at D. Mostly because I have to do that too.
It stinks. Really stinks.
LOL at diaper rash cream. Hilarious.
I can’t wait to go to Disney. It’s going to be so much fun for the kiddies (me too).
I once lost a hat when I got on a roller coaster and the genius in me forgot to take it off and the wind blew it into dominion.
I always feel like I am going to lose my lunch on roller coasters…
HA! I guess you start chafing after that much walking. Funny.
We lost our camera a year ago (still haven’t found it) – thankfully it didn’t have any important pictures on it. But it was still very frustrating…. especially since it was a couple days before a vacation. Ugh!
I thought I lost our memory card from Christmas this past year. I looked everywhere. I finally found it out in the front yard after a rainstorm. It had fallen out of my pocket when I was getting in my car. Get this. Memory card still worked. Crisis averted!
Oh man, diaper rash cream… ouch! Or how about Gold Bond? You can sometimes take some preventative measures by using baby powder. I’ve heard…
Next time I know better…
I can attest to #4. I was born with big thighs. They rub.
Ha! big thighs and lots of walking do not mix. I have fallen victim to #4 a many of times…
That’s awesome, Adam! Funny lessons =D haha
I have a lot of family out in Tampa Florida! Crazy how small the world can be sometimes.