What I Learned From Our Mini-Vacation

This year, we spent the 4th of July at a hotel. Why? Little One's father booked two days at a hotel near Six Flags in NJ. He did this for two reasons. The first was that July 6 was The Diva's birthday. She turned 14! The second reason was that The Jonas Brothers, her favorite band was having a concert at Six Flags on the 5th. That would be her birthday present. Let's just say, it was an experience I will NEVER forget.


What did I learn from the whole experience?
1. For a family of 8, it is twice as expensive for a stay in a hotel. He paid $762. for two hotel rooms for two days.
2. If I hadn't brought a cooler with drinks, we would have spent a fortune. I also packed a duffle bag with snacks and fruits. The food bill can be HUGE! Luckily, breakfast was included.
3. The hotel stay came with several complementary tickets for Six Flags. The rest had to be purchased separately. Group discounts should be an option in the future.
4. Always, ALWAYS bring the laptop. The kids had to wait to use the ONE computer the hotel had.
5. Make sure amenities include: cable, pool, hot tub, exercise room and internet access.

The next trip he's planning is to Walt Disney World. The Little One can identify the Disney Castle even if it's just the outline or shadow. He wants to go and he makes sure he tells his father EVERYTIME Disney Channel gives the commercial.

One excellent option that I'm looking into is MoreMouse.com. Through this site, one can get a great deal on an Orlando vacation rental. You can rent a townhouse, home with a pool or a condo. This may be just the prefect solution for my huge family. I don't even want to know how much it would cost us to rent two hotel rooms for a week. Then you have the theme park tickets. The Princess is an animal lover and she wants to go to Sea World. You know we HAVE to rent a minivan... I can tell you one thing. If I can't afford to pay for at least the rooms, and the tickets-I'm not going. He can take the baby all by himself.

Geez, I better get blogging. I have half of the $1670. to repair the minivan and I have back to school shopping coming up. I have to replace 4 of the kid's eye glass precriptions. You know I'll be very, very busy....