Today was an awesome day... We woke up early for a "free day" no school because it is dedicated to our hard working teachers to wrap up final grades from this quarter.

the alarm went off as set at 6 am... I must admit since not one child was awake I hit the snooze button. At about that exact moment Jordan said..no mom Disney World. I rolled out of bed put the coffee on and they popped out of their beds like none other... WOW, I have to plead and beg on school mornings.. Seven munchkins to the table for breakfast and the front shelf for clothes. Everything was set up as if it was a school day other than back packs filled with goodies, swimsuits and towels. We are off.

Bush gardens opens at 9 am and our plan is to be there when they open to beat the rush... We are staying all day since they close at 6 pm.

The ride up we met some fog and rain... I thought possible we should phone the park to see what rides will be shut down is it is raining. We pushed on. The DVD was playing Merry Christmas Madagascar... and only a fee complaints.. One was a bit concerning, Kaitlyn yells up to me "Jordan is breaking my heart... MOM he is now breaking my stomach. You see I have assigned seating for very good reason. It can take only a hair out of place or some toast stuck in ones tooth to make a miserable moment out of nothing. We were not in our assigned seats. Jordan had decided to get in the back behind Kaitlyn and thought it funny to tug on her shoulder strap to her seat belt making it tight on her chest (heart) and then her waist (stomach) and the tight feeling made her use the words Break... Decoding comes easy in time. I pull over, get everyone to go to their assigned seat and buckle up... We are good to go. Although the rain is getting worse. the fog unbearable and my neck tight from tense driving.. We pull up weather on my cell phone...you know they have every app possible now and it shows Tampa to be clear mid morning. We plan to go to see the shows first to avoid the rain. Then it concerns ,e will they open.. Surely they open... Yes, we pulled into Bush garden's Tampa Florida as the 2 nd car in the very front row.. We saw buses coming but really not many people any where.

For anyone living on a tight budget I have this down to a science. We choose to pay monthly which is $6.00 a month to have a 2 year pass. Each of the kids have one. Being a pass holder you get FREE PARKING and 10% off purchases and other perks. Like $10 family photo 6X8. You can go now and get the day pass at full price and come back all year free... But for me paying the full price times 8 all on one day and no perks because I would have to pay parking each trip... seemed better to do monthly. So all we pay is gas in the van today... You say food.. Well If you go to Subway which is a block before the turn into Bush Gardens order 2 $5.00 subs and have them but them into 4 instead of 2 you have 8 sandwiches for kids. A can of Pringles from home and frozen water and drink boxes packed from home and trail mix. We do have the bracelet which is an all day food pass. With the 10% discount it is about $12.00 if you buy separate your mean is $7, desert$2 and drink $2 for a one time shot. I believe Jordan ate 5 times today one was an OOOPPPS he was suppose to go get a drink and came back with a bowl of Mac n cheese. Not sure how because it was not on the kids menu at this particular place but he advocated for his bowl and told me it was for Lucas... LOL Lucas had a packed lunch. Yes you can take food and drink into Bush Gardens. So we get into the park with one more stop to guest relations for our fast track pass. it gives us a quick on pass ... Grab a few maps and we are off. Jordan is fully aware of what an all day food pass is and he knows each and every stop that provides food . I move the kids on to the first show and the older ones run for the roller coaster while we ( Me Emma and Lucas) hold the front row seats for the show.. MAYBE 20 more people showed up... Ironically we wanted front and center but we were told those are held for platinum members.. Guess no platinum members came out in the rain because the seats stayed empty the entire show.. :o( The show was AMAZING... Held all the kids attention except Jordan who was running by what foods he would like to acquire in the next few minutes. Off to some roller coaster rides. We hit all the roller coasters and most all the shows. We walked and walked and walked. We did get caught in the rain once which was a fast run back to the dinner show. and more food.. Tressa was stressing at this point although the choice to walk in the rain to the van or sit and wait it out where there is food.. she coped well..Yeah Tressa. The day was calm and fun, no real mishaps other than a 17 year old who forgets the world doesn't revolve around her... Our only conflicts were the drive...and why that happens who knows. I have a HUGE van they can all have their own space almost own bench and we have two flat screen DVD's going. they had their DSi and Ipod... BUT low and behold Kaitlyn yells...MOM, JORDAN PEED MY PANTS... WHAT I ASK, and she repeats it with Oh my gosh Jordan you are so gross...I'M OUT OF HERE... now we were rolling about 70MPH on I-75 some where between Bradenton and Venice... I needed clarification... ???Jordan peed "YOUR" pants???? Mom yes it is gross. I turned the DVD down and asked her to explain. My pants are wet now because Jordan peed. I ask, Jordan did you pee your pants... Not they are wet. OK, ??How wet are they??? MOM IT RAINED. so the truth be known they are all tired and the towel Jordan used from the rain is wet and Kaitlyn apparently sat on the towel that she now has given back and it is laying on Jordan.. I am driving laughing inside because they are so darn cute... Guess you just gotta be part of their world to help them decode their feelings... it is awful traveling "moist" as we all were from having so much fun all day at Bush Garden which is all about getting their guests wet as wet as possible. They settled into a move I listened to although was a little, maybe a lot concerned with where the movie came from.. how to eat fried worms.. They say I bought it, I must have not known it.. one of those throw it in the cart and see if she notices events. Not sure if you have watched it and I have not.. I listened to it and wasn't impressed with the mental image it put into my hear let alone where it went for them. We arrived home in time for bath pills and bedtime routine... it did take a little extra time for them to shut down from such an exciting day although they are all sleeping soundly now. I love it when I take them out by myself and we have such a successful day.