We got back home safely (thanks to my “GPS”) a little while ago, and everyone (save me) just fell into bed and conked out! I did not get lost on the way, at all. The kids tried to convince me that I did, but they were wrong – they were just impatient. The drive there and back was fine – the kids were very well behaved in the car, if a little too chatty. There were hardly any incidents of fingers up other people’s noses, this time.
We had left the house before 7, but by the time we picked up our friends, filled up with gas and grabbed some cappuccinos it was 7.30. We made great time, getting to six flags just before 10.30. I had decided to get flash passes which, for 10 bucks extra, allow the bearer to jump the queue and move to the head of the line for 5 rides. Some chumps end up waiting 45 minutes to ride a roller coaster. With 6 kids and 2 adults (one with a bum back) in our party the idea of waiting on line for that long just didn’t sit right. Seeing as this day was costing me my firstborn anyway, what harm could a few more bucks do?
Kid #2 had a hard time with this – he felt it was somewhat dishonest going up the exit ramps of each ride to get into it through the back door. He adjusted. But the looks that people gave us were not pleasant. They could have paid the extra money too. A lot of the lines did move quickly anyway, but it was fun to just waltz up to the front of the queue.
There was so much to see, so much to do, but we were very fortunate in that we managed to balance the crazy roller coasters for the bigger folk, with the sedate ones for the little kids and wussies. I am very proud to say that I rode the roller coasters with my boys. And apparently I scream like a girl. Such high praise!
They have a Wiggles-themed mini park there, and the littlest people in our party were in heaven. Their music is catchy, and I caught a really disgusted look from one of my progeny when he caught me bopping along to the music. Music makes me dance. What’s wrong with that? Oh, other people can see….. well, come on kid, it’s not like I dance like Elaine on Seinfeld, right? RIGHT??!!
Today, shehechyanu, I did something that we never have done before as a family. I took them to the park’s wave pool. I let them go swimming and wave jumping, and I even joined them in the water. No bikini pic – I didn’t bring a swimsuit, but went in in my clothes, having brought a spare ensemble to change into after. I had a lot of fun jumping waves with the little ones, and trying to figure out the most aerodynamic way of sliding down a water slide without getting stuck…. We never did it before because I guess it was too much of an irreligious activity. Well that’s what one of my sons said anyway. My girlfriend and I both stayed modestly dressed – I have seen religious women in bikinis with their hair covered – defeats the purpose – but we allowed ourselves to have fun with our kids without compromising our values. Was I overdressed compared to the thong bikini-wearing crowd? Yes, but I had my dignity intact AND my kids have told me they will remember this forever.
They had a lot of fun at the arcades, and all won or commandeered 
prizes. I won a few, yet they seem to have disappeared to the beds of the little people.
The one thing that disappointed me from the whole thing – there was a booth there for taking period photographs, you know when you dress up in 18th century garb, or as cowboys etc. I have been dying to do this for myself and the boys for years and today when I finally found a place that does it the boys refused. Point blank. I could have done it just myself, but what would have been the point?
We walked, we rode, we twirled, we screamed, we ate, we drank, we swam, we slid, we drove, we climbed, we dropped, we threw, we tossed, we posed, we smiled, we laughed, we hugged, we kissed, we ran, we hopped skipped and jumped. In fact, there is not much we didn’t do.
This was a wonderful experience for me as a mom, watching the kids have fun, trying to see it all through their innocent eyes. Lucky lucky them, for having a chance to do something out of the ordinary (for us), and to be old enough that they will remember this day fondly. (and yes, there are pictures to prove it. I am a camera snapping fiend).
So now with excitement out of the way, life turns to the mundane – back to school, job hunting, laundry…….
In the Pink 