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Monday, July 4, 2011

The Importance of Family Vacations

Happy Fourth of July!

I promise to spend the rest of this week sharing resources for the next school year. But first, I want to catch you up about our family vacation.

As I mentioned in my last post, we decided to take a break last week for some serious family time. My favorite thing about summer is being able to relax, plan, and play. There's no schedule to keep, no school work to get done. (I might add here that my favorite thing about starting a new school year is getting back on schedule!)

After working so hard this year, I wanted to give the kids a really big treat. I want to be sure and emphasize to them that just because they have to work hard, doesn't mean they can't play hard, too.
 
And this year, my parents decided that instead of the beach, they wanted us to take the kids to - Disney World! (Yay, me!) So despite a rocky start (we lost a day due to plane cancelation - BOO, Delta!!), we had the time of our lives. Rather than try to cram everything in, we decided to just enjoy what we could, and not worry about seeing everything.
 
It was my first time to go. And although I was exhausted every evening and mis pies were barking, I loved it all. We managed to make it to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom. I really wish that we had had time to visit Epcot - it looks like they have some excellent exhibits on world cultures, as well as space. Maybe next time?
 
Naturally, my son's favorite part was Star Tours, the Star Wars ride at Hollywood Studios. But he also went crazy for the T-Rex Cafe where we ate dinner our last night. And, of course, the Lego Star Wars stuff...
 
  
 
 
My daughter preferred the Animal Kingdom. Especially the safari ride, the Tree of Life, and all sorts of little treasures she found along the way...
 

 
 
And my favorite part? What else? The LEGO STORE!!!
 
 
 
The only down side to the whole thing was the heat. Bluh. Next time I'm going in May. Maybe it won't be so sticky and crowded. (Yeah, right.)