I wanna go back

Is it too late to turn back, I wonder?

We are experiencing post vacation letdown.  Mr W was strangely disappointed to wake up yesterday morning and not have to plan which roller coaster we were going to get on first.  I offered to get him a riding lawn mower to compensate, but then realized we'd need grass for that, so that idea was nixed.

I just want to know, do I really have to wash my own towels?  Why wasn't my bed made when I went out yesterday?  Why are there water spots on my mirrors?  The trash can, it's still full...and I placed my breakfast order, but no one brought it to me.  Hmm.  Must complain to the management here.  This Casa is not all it's cracked up to be.

On the bright side, I am going on day two of pjs until noon.  Yesterday, I made it until 3 pm (okay, 5 pm) without feeling the need to change or jump into the shower, then I realized that the little things like dinner and oh, some milk might be nice to have in the house, so I reluctantly went out to do it.  Someone has to be the hunter and gatherer, it may as well be me.  If I left that up to Mr W, we'd be eating frosting and tortilla chips for breakfast...with a Pepsi.

Slowly, things are getting back to normal.  Nolan begged to go to rent games when he found out I was going to the store.  Ben is outside playing.  Ryan and Audrey are alternately nice and then fighting with each other.  I managed to get the laundry started, and gradually have gotten things back in their places, or the trash can when the kids aren't looking. 

That Disneyland gig is a tough one to follow.  I should've made the trip come at the end of our break, because there's nothing I can pull out of the magic-Mom-hat that's going to be able to top it.

We arrived at the Happiest Place on Earth okay, with one tiny hiccup of marital discord when we got to our final approach.  MapQuest can kiss my a** right after whoever it is that designs the construction of the freeways in California does.  There's nothing more frustrating than reading exactly what the paper says only to have it yanked out of your hands so he can read exactly what the paper says, and realize that you are indeed stating the truth...I was only half-way kidding when I joked to Mr W that he best pull over so I could really get in a good punch.  We had guests along, afterall, how could I explain to their mother, as I called from jail, that I felt the need to resort to fisticuffs with my husband over directions that neither of us bothered to double check?  We figured it out, with only a tiny detour, and all was well. 

Our hotel was amazing (our first time staying at the resort), and we unloaded our goods and headed out to the parks that very day.  The next few days are a blur to me, of rides and walking and "where to next?" and "can I have another Rice Krispie treat?"; overpriced drinks and "Wait for me!"  "Let's ride that again!"  and of course, "Is there FastPass for this?  Because that line looks long."

In addition to our kids, we had two of the older boys friends along (also brothers).  They are two of the best-behaved children I know, and having them along didn't raise the level of difficulty much at all.  But one of them, he was so funny, kept commenting on the lines, until I told him, a little exasperatedly, "We are at Disneyland.  ALL the lines are LONG."  :) 

We successfully hit all the high-point rides, all the kiddie rides we could handle, and all the ones in-between.  I highly recommend the California Screamin' rollercoaster,  the Tower of Terror, and Soarin' over California in California Adventure.  Disneyland has a new Buzz Lightyear ride that I really liked, and of course, I rode the Indiana Jones ride more than once.  We watched the fireworks 3 times, in different locations; once from just in front of the merry-go-round, once from our hotel room, and once from right in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle (the best spot).  They were jaw-dropping, of course. 

While I was there, I was reminded that a  stroller is a beautiful thing, and that no one wants to stop and be bothered with eating when there is another ride they can get to.  I must've started each day with a backpack weighing as much as Audrey, loaded down with snacks, only to find it emptied by the time we returned to the hotel.  It was probably for the best that they didn't eat too much, because we didn't have a puking incident after a ride at all.  We even made it to Downtown Disney, a place I'd not been through before. 

Whew.  No wonder my house is not as entertaining.

I take that back.  It is entertaining, just in a different way. 

Where else can you get frosting and tortilla chips for breakfast, served not by Mickey or Minnie, but by a scruffy-looking man in a t-shirt? 

The plate might not have a garnish on it, but I know exactly what to leave for a tip.