Making Memories

Taking your kids to Disney, isn’t that the trip that every parent has on their parenting bucket list? Well, the thought process changes when you get divorced. My priorities adjusted to make sure the kids felt safe, secure, and loved.  Ideas like Disney suddenly seemed less important. And seeing friends post their family vacations on Facebook didn’t exactly raise feelings of jealousy. Rather they reminded me of more pressing real-life parental duties, like preparing for my fiancee and future stepson moving into my house.

As Yogi Berra once said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” My parents had finalized their move to Florida, and I decided to take Claire and Grady to visit them in February.  They live less than two hours from Orlando.  There’s the fork.  So it was quickly decided that the three of us would take a quick two day trip to visit Disneyworld while we were there.

Queue the Google searches.  Where to stay in Disney, which rides were good for a single parent with two children, which parks to visit. During this time, Claire was obsessed with the Harry Potter books, reading them every chance she had. It didn’t take long in my research to similarly realize that Universal Studios had a Harry Potter world. Another fork.  Take it.

We spent a wonderful first day at the Magic Kingdom, exactly how you remembered it as a child. And experiencing it through the eyes of a seven and nine year old was truly magical (no, I couldn’t think of a better word to describe it).

However I wasn’t prepared for the wizardly magic that enveloped us the following day.  For a seven year old boy well versed in cartoons and superheroes, a nine year old wannabe Hogwarts student, and my penchant for thrill rides and rollercoasters, Universal Studios surpassed any and every expectation. 

When you get divorced, the parenting bucket list doesn’t and shouldn’t go away.  It simply changes shape and takes on a new form. And now that I’m happily remarried, I look forward to the day when our family of five can take a trip to Florida where Harry Potter World will be on the must-visit list for all three kids. Life is full of forks. 

Take them all if you can.

Daddy, can you wear a tiger eye?

Car conversations with the kids are always interesting.  I have them captive and due to a self-imposed rule of no DVDs, iPods or other video screens in the car*, we have plenty of time to talk.  However sometimes we simply enjoy listening to a little music as I continue my quest to ensure their love of classic 70’s rock and selected 80’s bands like Hall and Oates and AC/DC.  A few days ago the below conversation actually took place.

* The exception to the no-electronics rule is road trips over 2 hours, I’m not that crazy.

Scene – returning home from Claire’s gymnastics practice with Survivor’s, “Eye of the Tiger” playing in the background.  Claire is 7 and Grady is 5 years old.

G: “What’s the eye of the tiger, Daddy?”

Me: “Well, it’s about being focused and ready for whatever you are practicing for, like a big game.”

C: “Who has the eye of the tiger?”

Me: “The guy singing the song, he has the eye of the tiger.”

C: “Is it a real tiger?”

Me: “No.  He sees like a tiger.”

G: “Daddy, does he look like a tiger?”

Me: “Umm, no.  Tigers have good eyes, so he’s focused on what he’s doing, like a tiger would.”

C:  “So is he wearing the eye of a tiger, like on a necklace?”

G:  “What if he has the eye of lion?”

Me:  “Hey kids…”

G: “Does he have just one eye?”

C: “Did he steal the eye from a tiger?”

Me: “KIDS!  Can we just listen and enjoy the song?”

C: “Ok.”

G: “But what is the eye of the tiger?….”

“Can we make this an annual tradition?”

I’ll readily admit my slight apprehension upon embarking on a 5 day adventure to Wisconsin Dells with two kids and no other adults.  My fears were certainly unfounded; the road trip was a blast!  And while I started to crave some adult conversation toward the end, being a kid for a week was pretty darn fun.

A few of my favorite moments:

Grady: “Give me that candy Claire!  I want to see how many calories are in it.”

Claire:  “Daddy, can you stop?  I have to go potty again,”  literally one minute after pulling back on the interstate.

Claire mistaking another car for ours, tries the back door (it’s unlocked) and nearly climbs into the backseat.

The kids zip lining for the first time:

Claire, in a hushed voice:  “This is going to be epic,”  as we entered the self-proclaimed largest water park in America.

Claire:  “Why do you always go to the bathroom with Daddy?!”  Grady:  “That’s none of your business!”

Clare:  “Maybe we should meet some of our neighbors,” after 3 nights in the motel (yes, we stayed at a classic Americana motel).

Grady:  “I just farted and it’s disgusting.  It smells like Fruit Loops!”

Yep, those are my kids.

Road trip in the Family Truckster

How can you plan a summer road trip with the kids without reflecting on one of the great American comedies of all time, Vacation?  My favorite quote in the movie, “I’m so hungry I could eat a sandwich from a gas station,” is pure road trip nostalgia.

Some of my best childhood memories were road trips to Florida in my Dad’s Ford full size conversion van with captain’s chairs and a fold out couch in the far back.  Seat belts?  Not when my sister and I were playing board games on the floor of the van or bouncing on the couch.  Our only electronic entertainment was a mini football game that I played for hours on end.  And we were stuck listening to whatever tapes my Dad wanted to play, which rotated between Jimmy Buffet, Rod Stewart and the Beach Boys, so it could have been worse.

And who knew that it was illegal to have a cooler of beer in between my parents’ seats that plugged into the cigarette lighter?  Well, we later found out the cooler was within the boundaries of the law; just not the enjoyment of a beer while cruising through the Indiana countryside.  No wonder my younger sister got that question wrong on her driving test.

This is all leading up to our road trip this summer.  Just me and the kids for five days in Wisconsin Dells followed by an extended weekend cabin, meeting up with family.  I’ll probably buy some Planter’s Cheez Balls and a box of Capri Suns.  Claire has a Mad Libs book and I’m sure we’ll play the license plate game at some point.

Not everything is the same though.  Yes, they will be in seat belts the entire time.  There will be a iPod or iPad in use.  And I’m fairly confident I can wait until the hotel to enjoy a cold beer.

Coincidentally, I’m the same age (40) as Chevy Chase was when Vacation hit the theaters.  I can’t wait for the trip.  And I can already taste that sandwich from a gas station.