Our first huge trip as a family outside of going to visit family in New York was when we went to Florida. It has almost been a year now and I can still remember it like it was yesterday! As it’s getting closer to Halloween I thought it would be a fun mom story to share now.

Our family for one always drives wherever we go so I’m sure many of you can imagine driving from Missouri to Florida with 4 kids. It was a great time (Not) lol! The drive itself wasn’t so bad actually. So just a little back story I had never been to Disney World either so it’s fair to say that I was probably more excited then the kids were to be there. Definitely something I never thought I would be able to do. I am also a huge Harry Potter fan! So the kids naturally also like it too (most of them). We went to Universal as well. So I, being the adult, have to hold in the excitement a little right? Negative! I was so excited about Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween because ever since I was a kid every single Halloween we would watch Hocus Pocus and guys, the Sanderson Sisters were the main performance that night! I was so excited I could hardly wait! So my Mother-In-Law being her awesome self made sure we got tickets to it in time. I know I’m dragging this on but I promise this has some real Mom moments in it LOL!

So finally the night arrives and I am so thrilled! I am so excited to see the kids go trick-or-treating in the happiest place on earth! So everything starts off great. The kids are getting all their candy and snacks when all the sudden Riley strikes: mom my feet hurt do we have to do this? what I didn’t mention is we were at the parks all day before this event. So we decide to sit for a few minutes and let him rest. We get up and go to another line then Dominic chimes in why can’t we just ride the rides instead. Mom dreams starting to crumble right before my eyes! So we ride a ride instead. All these things are minor yes! Then we go to get something to eat and we decide to just get ice cream. We get there and thats where the full blown melt downs come in. All the kids are completely over it! No one wants ice cream everyone wants to go back to the hotel. Everyone but me! The one who waited so long for this night alone. So of course grandma says I’ll just take them back to the hotel and you and Marc go ahead and watch the show. That wasn’t the dream for this mom. So I insisted everyone go! Do you moms see where this is going yet?

We finally get to the show at Magic Kingdom and I am the only one with a smile on my face at this point. Then the complaining just increases. This is so stupid mom why do you want to watch this? I ignore it. Then we can’t find a place to sit. So i just tell them all to sit where we are standing. Finally we move closer as the show starts. Its very late and all the complaining just keeps going and going. So the mom in me wants them to be happy while the kid in me just wanted them to shut up for 5 second and enjoy the show. Enjoy the moment they’re in! So eventually I walk away towards the show that I was so excited to see. As I’m watching the show and thinking to my self what on earth did I do wrong as a mom for them to act so ungrateful. My oldest son walks up behind me and says and I quote, “This is so lame mom I dont know why you want to watch this.” I just turn and look at him and say why dont you just go sit down. No one is forcing you to watch it. Let me enjoy this one thing. I dont ask you for anything but you all know how much this meant to me and you have made it completely miserable. You couldnt just go with it for this one day. he is 13 at this point so I know he knew that I was disappointed. So he leaves me and goes and sits down.

The point of this story is we all have bad days. Maybe I was expecting to much out of my children that day. Maybe I should have swallowed the dream and let them go back to the hotel. We as moms always want everyone to be happy so we give in. That day I didnt want to give in I wanted them with me more than anything. Was I being selfish? Maybe. Today I’m still glad I made them stay because I learned something. Not everything needs to be the way you saw it going and nothing you plan will ever end up the way you planned it. You can only make the best of it and that night it probably would of been better had I just let them go with grandma. I also learned you should always listen to Grandma lol! After all this isn’t her first rodeo!