Family Time
I know that almost every parent in America can relate to the feeling of trying to squeeze quality family time into everyday life. With the demands of school, work, sports, homework, social media, friendships, house work, laundry...I really can go on and on...quality time with our families inevitably falls to the bottom of the list in our home more often then I'd like to admit. The struggle is real people! Mom guilt takes over and the negative self talk shouts louder than those whispered reminders that you are doing okay. One of the things that helps me to drown out those loud voices is getting out of our daily grind and everyday scenarios and taking my family to a different world entirely. A world where emails can wait, where #latergram is the cool thing to do, where cotton candy, churros and popsicles are a completely acceptable lunch and where our favorite TV characters can cause time to stop and everything else in the world blurs into the distance.
For my family amusement parks are our escape and because we live in Southern California we have our pick of the litter. Thanks to the invention of the Season Pass time is never an issue. We can gear up to spend an entire day or run out on a whim after a busy day of work to enjoy the lights and dessert. Last Saturday we got the kids up early and surprised them with a trip to Knott's before the park even opened! There were maybe 40 cars in the parking lot when we got there so we knew it was going to be a very productive morning.
It was the opening weekend of Camp Spooky so a costume was in order if we wanted to make a respectable showing in the costume contest and parade. It was in the 90's and HOT so we opted for a DIY last minute Lifeguard duo and you can see Kennie was excited to be our little beach babe.
And by excited....I mean EXCITED! I almost fell down laughing when I zoomed in on this photo after taking it. Maybe exorcist baby would have been a more fitting costume? Lennie and I both decided this gem is going in her wedding video.
One of the things I loved most was not having to plan or organize crafts and activities for my kids. At home I am always last minute so I was feeling so ahead of the game when Camp Spooky had so many fun Halloween crafts and activities for the kids. Bonus points for just showing up and not having to do anything but focus on my kids.
I love watching the boys go on rides. It's one of my favorite things to do, just watch the joy emote from their very beings. It almost explodes out of them. At home these kids are constantly trying to antagonize each other, but there is something magical about being in this different world that brings out the best in each of them.
I almost melted when I saw this picture that I captured of Kennie and Gavin embracing while waiting for the train to take off...which was the highlight of the day I might add.
They live for trains...and guns...and bandits.
We just had the best time at Knott's and these memories will live in my heart forever. I'm not sure if they will remember every single thing about these little family "dates", but I hope they remember that we laughed often together, that quality time with them was valued and that we made them a priority in our busy lives.
I love that Knott's makes taking time out as a family affordable for everyone! You can't even go to the movies or out to eat once a month for this price! I mean it's a crazy good deal, right?! Sometimes we used to opt for not going out at all because we couldn't think of something fun to do, how sad for our kids. This makes getting out of the house a no brainer. There is always something new and exciting going on and it's already built into the budget.
We received our tickets complimentary from Gigasavvy, but now is the perfect time to purchase your passes because they won't always be this low. Hurry up and purchase today and you will get 1 visit in 2014 for FREE.
So how do you like to spend time with your family?