This week’s WFMW is to give your best parenting advice. My best advice right now is to make good GREAT memories with your kids. It doesn’t have to cost much, really. It just has to be all about your family and what they like to do.
With that said, I have been planning our first real vacation as a family for the past several months. We’re going to Disney World in Florida. I am so excited about it. WE haven’t been since our honeymoon in 1996. The kids have never been, and I have put huge amounts of research and thought into making everything magical. I’m a planner, so it’s been fun for me.
The memory-makin’ comes in the little things I’m doing to make it extra-special. For example, one night we are going to ‘Ohana for dinner. It’s a Hawaiian-style, Lilo and Stitch character meal. So today, I spend a couple of dollars buying leis at Party City. I am making an invitation from Lilo to set out the night before we go, inviting the kids and telling them they can’t wait to meet us. How geeked* will they be by that?
When I began planning this trip, it was my intention to keep it a secret from my kids until Christmas. But, my oldest is just plain nosey and walked in on several conversations I was trying to have with the hubby. So, I decided to let her in on the secret.
Recently, I have found that my middle child has been sneaking up behind me at the computer and mysteriously asking about Disney World more and more when we’re watching a Disney show. Me thinks she knows something… She’s too smart for her own good, that one. Who taught her to READ. Oh, that was me.
Obviously, it was time to tell the kids we’re going. I put too much thought into this trip for them to say, “Yeah, we know.” when I try to surprise them on Christmas morning. So, I developed an exciting way to tell them. Let’s do a treasure hunt!
I bought a 4pk. of Pirate Bandana Hats, earrings, & eye patches. I also got some tatoos, candy gold coins, one large treasure chest and 4 little treasure chests. I also bought a 5 foot cut out of Cinderella’s Castle that’s used for a party decoration. I wrote up clues and printed them out. They essentially told the kids to put on a hat (which are in the small treasure chest), then go to the front living room. In the living room, they had to put on an eye patch and play an instrument and sing a Pirate-y song. In the kitchen, (Go to the “island”) they got to put on a tatoo. Upstairs they got some booty (’cause that’s just fun to say, right?) of chocolate coins, then swam to the “beach” (My oldest has a beach decor room). The final clue lead them to our school closet where the castle was hanging on the wall with a larger treasure chest filled with Disney dollar store treats. Of course, I recorded the whole thing.
How fun is that? It can be adapted for anything. You can spend as little or as much as you want.
One last idea is to make a really big deal out of a holiday, award, promotion… Let yourself get creative! Buy a special plate to eat from, light a special candel during dinner…
For details on how we really made this Valentine’s Day the best we’ve had, check out this post.
Want more WFMW tips? Visit Rocks in My Dryer!
* I’m borrowing this word from my neighbor, Angie, because it cracks me up. She’s not a Native-Texan. Can you tell?
How fun!!! You sound like a very creative mama!
I bet your kids are super excited! That’s a trip we’ve talked about taking for years but we’ve never done it. It’s just so expensive! Especially when it’s across the country! haha!
You’re so right about memories – they are so important and so fun. I don’t have many fun memories from my childhood and I’m hoping my kids will have really good ones.
By the way, I tagged you for a meme if you want to do it: http://momlovesbeingathome.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/middle-name-meme/