The Crazy Housewife: Calaway or Bust 2011 Part Une

I am officially on holidays, and so is Mike...and his phone has only rang 2 times!!! I was so proud of him for forwarding it to his partner, which, in 6 years, he has never ever done. Even at Christmas time. That showed me that he really needed this holiday.

Yesterday we left bright and early for Edmonton, and we used a gift certificate for Fantasyland Hotel to stay in the Polynesian Room... and did things we normally don't do at West Ed because normally we spend our time shopping there. We mini golfed, played games in the huge arcade, and wanted to go in the submarines but they were shut down for the night, as were the bumper boats. Of course we shopped a bit, because, hey, it's West Ed, how could I not (I am a self-professed closet shopaholic). But we are headed to the new huge mall in Balzac outside of Calgary, and that is where my money will go. School supplies, and stops to a few specialty stores that we love for the kids are at the top of the agenda. Anyways, I digress.

The Polynesian Room. Wow that was an experience. We used the gift certificate and our room only cost us 5 bucks. Which was great as it was a 400 dollar gift certificate. I told the kids to enjoy the room as it was the nicest one they were ever going to see. There's no way I would spend that much on a hotel room on my own dime, but it was nice to experience at least once. The only bad thing I will say is that Internet is not free there, as it is at the 150 dollar a night hotel rooms. The Internet charge was 8.95 for 3 hours! Which is why I'm updating my blog at my brother in law's in Rocky Mountain House right now.

Before we left the city though we had to stop at the Telus World of Science, which we just love to go to. This year they had a Sesame Street display about how the body works and goes, and the kids had so much fun that we had to tear them away from it all. Definately a high light for the trip so far.

We stopped here for a visit for the next few nights, and will move on to the mall at Balzac on Sunday by 11:00am when it opens.

From there we will head to Airdrie to our hotel room, and then off to Calaway Park in Calgary on Monday morning for a full, loud, nauseating day of fun.

Yes, I hate going on the rides. I used to love it, and for some reason after I had Charlie I just can't stomach them anymore. One reason is my fear of heights, and I usually only went on babyish rides like the Scrambler or the Tilt a Whirl. But lately it's the barf factor of the dizzying rides that really gets me now. Last year at Galaxy Land Mike convinced me to go on those dumb swings that fly you around and lift you 30 feet off the ground. I seriously white-knuckled it the entire time, and met Brandon's ear-splitting grins with smiley grimaces. Mike had a good laugh at my expense and said the look on my face was priceless. Little did he know that the chains dug grooves into my hands while silent tears rolled down my face. I was terrified...I envisioned the chains breaking off and me flying out into the big metal statue of that huge smiling alien that's all over Galaxy Land. My hands are sweaty now remembering it, that's how much I hate heights.

I'm trying to con my brother in law Brad into meeting us there and then I can miss out on the rides that brings such delight to Brandon. I just can't break his heart by not going on them when he asks. I'll send Brad instead.

And after all of the fun at Calaway, we'll head back to Airdrie to zone out for a while, and either head back to the mall at Balzac, go to Medicine Hat to see my uncle (who hasn't returned my call so must be on holidays himself), or just go home...which is what I'm leaning towards.

Thus will end our holidays of 2011...until Mike and I leave the kids with my mom or Mike's parents and head to Edmonton for our annual Christmas shopping spree. That, my friends, will be my real holiday, with no kids hanging on me with a case of the 'gimmes' and the 'mom-can-I-haves'.

Jacey learning about how a tornado forms

Brandon pokes his head into a pond to watch the fish swim by

Charlie looking at a gross pig's heart...she didn't clue in.

She also didn't know she was learning about what goobers are made of.

The kids on the steps of a popular house on Sesame Street. Yes, that's Oscar the Grouch to the right.

Mr. Hooper's Store. So cool for Mike and I; the kids not so much as Sesame Street isn't up there on their list of shows to watch. When we were kids that's all there was to watch...besides the Flintstones.