Family Briefs

We get lots of interesting looks out in public. You can almost see people counting the children with their eyes; then there is this incredulous look they give us (like, what were you thinking?). There are days I feel that way too - like when I find that my youngest boy has colored one of the seats in the van, just to see if the pen would write on something other than paper! Arrrgghhhhh!

I think I get the widest variety of looks when I take the kids to our local water park. You can see people counting 1-2-3-4 and then looking up at me, there by myself with all four children (ranging in age from 1-7). Yes, it is sometimes a bit tricky and frustrating, but it’s always worth it (I think ).

I’ve had more than one person say, “I don’t know how you do it by yourself.” It’s really not so bad, once you’ve done it a few times and developed the “tricks” that work for you. I thought I’d share some of these with you, in case you want to impress your friends and take your kids to the water park by yourself.

The first trick I learned was to have my mother purchase season’s passes for us and give them to us for Christmas and birthdays. They are much cheaper in the off-season (by as much as $20 per pass), and this keeps us from having as many toys gifted to us that we’ll have to classify as “clutter” later. This also allows us the opportunity to go to the park for just a couple of hours, instead of having to stay all day (until everyone is beyond exhausted) to get our money’s worth. So, getting in to the water park doesn’t cost us a cent!

The next trick is getting to the park with all your gear. At a birthday party we went to last spring, we got these neat mesh bags filled with stuff for our goody bags. We immediately started using these as our water park bags. Each child has a couple of toys and their towel in their bag. My oldest boy also has his arm “floaties” in his bag. My oldest girl has 2 swim diapers, a pull-up, and her swimsuit in her bag. Everyone is responsible for carrying their own bag and making sure their stuff is in it (my oldest daughter learned the hard way what happens when you take stuff out of your bag and leave it in the car - she hasn’t done that again!).

My bag (a freebie from the bank when I set up our new account) has 2 swim diapers, a swim suit, a diaper, and a change of clothes for the baby; an inner-tube float for my oldest girl; my waterproof watch; a towel for me; two bottles of water; a credit card (in case we need a sno cone); and our season passes. I try to keep all of these bags stocked and ready to go, so we can leave with a moment’s notice if the weather suddenly changes or the baby wakes from her nap early enough. You’re probably wondering about sunscreen . . .

The sunscreen is another trick - we apply it at home a few minutes before we load up. Since we only stay at the park for a couple of hours, we have no need to take it with us. The boys already have their suits on (we skip shirts since it’s just one other thing to keep up with); I spray the girls down and put them in an easy slip-on/off sundress and we change them once we get there (You DON’T want to have a swim diaper accident in a carseat before you get to the park! Don’t ask me how I know.). After we apply sunscreen, they put on their crocs and grab their bags.

We try to get to the park just after 10 am when the park opens. It’s not as crowded then, and we can usually salvage an afternoon nap if I’ve got a quick lunch planned that I can put on the table as soon as we get home. Since we usually eat lunch around 11:30, I have the kids take a snack to eat on the way there and another munchie for on the way back. This minimizes the whining about being hungry (and you know how the sun and water play can really take a toll on you).

This year, I’ve started taking our handy-dandy-love-it -for-so-many-reasons Maclaren double stroller. It folds up so small I can keep it in the back of the van all the time. We’ve always loved it for our Disney outings, but it’s great for the long hike through the HOT parking lot to and from the water park. I’m much happier pushing the stroller uphill (both ways) than having one child on my hip, dragging another by the hand so she’ll keep up, and calling out to the boys to keep up!

Once inside the water park, we stop by the bathroom - a must for my almost 3-year-old who is potty training. Then we head to the kiddie play area and change the girls into their suits while the boys go ahead and start getting wet.Once the girls have had a few minutes to play, we all head over to the Lazy River. It’s one of those attractions that is AWFUL when it’s crowded (especially if there is a church or school group there); since it’s less crowded in the morning, we can really enjoy it by heading over there early. The boys are in and out of their inner tubes (the youngest boy wears his arm “floaties”), but my oldest girl wears her inner tube suit the whole time she’s in the river. My youngest is usually most content in her little infant float (and it’s great for me to sit on at some of the other attractions ).

The water slides have been a little tricky. The two boys (7 and almost 5) have enjoyed doing the slides last year and this year. The then-6-year-old was more interested in them last year, and the 5-year-old LOVES them this year (he’s the daredevil in the family). The girls and I just watch from the sidelines. We only stay at the slide area for 20 minutes or so, and that’s usually enough time for them to work the sliding out of their system.

I usually work out another bathroom break between the Lazy River and the slides, but that’s because of where the bathrooms are located - you may have to adjust this for the water park near you. The point is, I plan a bathroom break - I don’t want to get all the way down to the slides or all the way around to the wave pool and hear, “Mommy, I gotta pee - bad!” It’s too late then, before we’ve even started toward the bathroom.

After the slides, we head to the wave pool. The boys love to get out and swim, while the girls and I play along the “shoreline.” My baby is walking, so she’s making everything a little more challenging (it was much easier last year when she was neatly tucked away in my belly!). At least she tires herself out .

By the time we’ve made our rounds, it’s been a couple of hours and we’re ready to go home for lunch. There’s usually very little arguing or whining about having to go - they know we’ll be back in a day or two, weather permitting .

I’m probably leaving something out, but I think this is enough information for one post! I’d love to know if you have questions, a challenge, or a great tip for how YOU survive the waterpark (or any park outing)!

So, this is what works for me! Head over to Shannon’s and find lots of great tips at Works for Me Wednesday!