ASTC – four crazies and a cop

Most families have a dream to embark on a trip to Disney. We wanted to get the whole experience, but my husband and I agreed we didn’t want to spend more than one day there. Beginning with Disney on our first full day in Florida, the boys didn’t mind going back and forth on the ferry in order to leave mid-day to relax. In fact, it ended up being of their favorite attractions. I highly recommend using the FastPass app if you don’t want to spend hours of your day in line. We knew we had to make the most of our minutes in the park.

The boys loved the ferry ride to and from the parking lot at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Trying to cram as much as possible into one day, we actually left the park, took naps and went for a dip in the pool at the hotel, then returned two hours later to the get the full experience, fireworks included.

After a crazy day of Disney, we took the family to Cocoa Beach to recover. This was the kids’ and my first time at the ocean, which of course Lake Erie did not compare. Although this beach did not have life guards, it was very clean and not very crowded. The kids had an amazing time, which anyone who has ever taken their kids to the beach already knows how wonderful a place it is.

The next day we found an educational, historical outing at The Casements—the winter home of the late John D. Rockefeller. Affectionately known as “The Jewel of Ormond Beach,” the tour provided an insight to the social and everyday life of Rockefeller and the local area. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a Florida Heritage Center, teaching visitors about the “Birthplace of Speed” and culture back to the early 1900’s. Although our children wouldn’t consider this their favorite stop on our trip, we did not have one complaint of boredom, and the vast amount of pictures lining the walls and intricate structure kept them intrigued, as well as the enthusiasm of the tour guides. I would recommend leaving the stroller in the car, however, being there are stairs to climb with no elevators available from my knowledge, and limited space in certain rooms. Entry and guided tours were both free at the time of our visit.

Upon finding The Casements, we decided this would be a wonderful history lesson, elaborating on a historical figure with whom we were familiar as Clevelanders.

Traveling just fifteen minutes down the shoreline, we embarked to the infamous Daytona Beach, where we found the Museum of Arts and Science, a great place to take the kids (included with the ASTC passport program http://www.astc.org/passport/ if you are a member elsewhere). We began our trip to the museum in the planetarium, partly because learning about space fascinates us and partly because we wanted to relax for a bit. The first gallery explored was expounding on the history of racing that we had just learned about at the previous stop, as well as antique machines used by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company founded right in this city, which my mom really enjoyed, being a huge Coke fan.

From there, we enjoyed the more interactive galleries with various science stations and a play pizzeria for the younger ones. Here we learned facts such as “Americans eat 350 slices of pizza per second,” and other fun statistics. At the bottom of an almost hidden staircase was a music corner where the boys could jam away on various styles of drums and other percussion instruments.

Before leaving the area, we had to swing by the Daytona International Speedway, just to tell my dad—a huge NASCAR fan—we saw it in person. Tours run throughout the day, but can get pretty pricey for a large family unless you, too, are a die-hard fan. Also, as a plug for the local I-HOP, they had wonderful service and good food, and the waitress didn’t seem to mind us hogging the table for an extended period of time while we goofed around between bites.

Finally, we traveled to the infamous Daytona Beach and Pier. I would not personally recommend Daytona Beach as a wonderful place for children, after seeing a half naked man in his wheelchair waiting near the pier for loose change. I have nothing wrong with a man collecting change in his wheelchair, but when my husband points out his lack of clothing below the waistline aside from a small towel, then I reconsidered coming back with the kiddos. We did not swim at this beach, but we did catch the sunset from the pier. This was definitely worth the trip to this city. Roller-coasters and bungee-rides were nearby if you’re into that, but we were pretty spent and decided to wrap up our vacation without the thrills.

Beautiful sunset views from the Daytona Pier made the perfect ending to our final evening in Florida.

As you already know by now, we like adventure and we are frugal. Spending money on another night at the hotel made no sense to us when we would have to leave mid-sleep anyways, so we headed over to the airport to doze in the parking lot until four in the morning when we would head in to catch our flight. On a side note, we flew in and out of Orlando Sanford International Airport, cheaper and less busy, but still good service. Our flight was delayed after we had already boarded, but it made for a mini party once we were back off when we found out friends of ours were on the same flight with their little one. Often these unplanned moments make for the best memories. Overall, it was an amazing trip we and our children will look back upon with joy for the rest of our lives.

Having a full-time law enforcement hubby can be tricky to juggle schedules, frustrating when he is gone for twelve hours straight four to five days in a row because the training happened to fall in his long week, and at times downright stressful. But we have to remember why they do what they do, and why we do what we do. If you are like me, you have been called to be a wife and a mother first and foremost. Being a LEOW is a special role to play. There are some things I believe we can do to help make life a little better, and our families a little stronger. Twenty years from now, when I am reflecting on the days of having four young kiddos in the house, this is what I will remember doing to make our LEO family work…

1. Family Trips. Before my husband began his on-the-road training, we agreed to take at least one overnight family trip every quarter. These trips have been the best memories! Normally we keep them within two hours away, which will probably increase as the youngest grows out of toddlerhood. Planning involves finding the ideal “short week” to travel within and deciding which museum to visit. I am blessed to receive a membership to our local natural history museum from a family member every year for my birthday. Because this museum is ASTC-certified (Association of Science-Technology Centers), we qualify for the Travel Passport Program which allows free admission to multiple science centers and museums in just about every state as long as it is outside of a ninety-mile radius. There are at least five qualifying places within two hours which make for a wonderful quick overnight stint and some awesome experiences. Even if we didn’t receive the membership as a gift, it would be well worth the money, especially with four kids!

2. Date nights. My husband and I agreed to make sure we do at least one date night each month. This has been a variety of things, depending on the budget and expenses for the month or what events are happening. We are both UFC fans, so a few times a year we’ll go grab a drink and watch the fight at our favorite local bar (thankfully we don’t live in the same city as his department or he might see some familiar faces he previously cuffed or cited). Depending on what’s playing, we’ll go take advantage of “Customer Appreciation Day” at the local theater (since our “weekend” is often on a Monday and Tuesday). Sometimes we just need to mellow out so we’ll pick a night to watch a movie together on the couch, pour a glass of wine and call it an “At-Home Date Night.” Being that we don’t subscribe to cable, and aside from an occasional “Live PD” or “Officer 401” video on YouTube, we don’t really watch television so Movie Night is a treat (you know, a flick that is not animated). You just have to find your niche, and as wives, we usually get to pick where we go or what we do… make sure to do something in his world once in a while even if he doesn’t necessarily ask for it.

3. Date days. We also make sure to date our kiddos once a month. Each child (except for the two-year-old; he has another year or two) gets to pick what he does or where he goes for a date day, within a $10-$20 budget and a half-hour drive. We try to alternate who goes with which parent each month also. Date days are to make sure nobody gets lost in the mix; they all get that one-on-one attention during their special time out. And it’s always fun to get a break from the daily routine of caring for four youngin’s.

4. Family nights. Just before our oldest turned three, he fell from a tall kitchen chair and broke his femur. Having an eight-month-old baby as well as the two year-old in a full leg cast led to a lot of movies being watched. From this came the tradition of Movie Night which ended up falling on Fridays. Once the oldest started school, Movie Night was highly sought after as a time to just chill out and cuddle with everyone. Eventually Cleaning Party* was added in, making Friday evening a time to “work hard and play hard” together. Movie Night was exchanged for Game Night upon participation in Screen-Free Week with our church group and ended up being so much fun that we now alternate. No matter the activity, Family Night is a time set aside for us to make sure we are catching up and having some fun in the simplicity of our home.

5. Overnight trips. My favorite! At least once a year, just the hubby and I go off somewhere overnight. I’m sure once the kids are older we’ll be doing this much more often, but for now, we don’t want them to overstay their welcome at the grandparents’ house. We usually stay within a couple of hours away and somewhere simple, but it is wonderful to get that time with just us. After all, you’ll be living with your husband a lot longer than you will be living with your children. Make sure you to be reminded what it’s like to be with just him again! And it usually means someone else is cooking–yea!

These are five things we have made sure to do to make our family work even before my husband became a LEO. We’ve had to revamp some things, but it still works even with shift work! By no means are we a perfect family—we are far from it! But twenty years from now, I know I will have no regrets in making these five things a habit, and I know our family is better because of them.

*Cleaning Party- a weekly time on a set night when each child picks a chore from a hat (they now work on rotation), Disney music is blared, and the floors and bathrooms get scrubbed/vacuumed, followed by a half cup of pop (since pop is only allowed at “parties,” this makes it a special treat).

Tag: ASTC

travel with kids: three beaches—cocoa, ormond, and daytona

making a leo family work