Our Six Flags Adventure or Lessons I learned there

Poor Ashlea couldn't make it because she had to work.

So my older children read for ten hours each and earned us free tickets to Six Flags. Even the adults got a free ticket. Then all we had to pay for was Millicent and parking and..well..and gas.

Jeff took off work yesterday and away we went.

Of course, since we hadn't been to Arlington or Six Flags, it took us quite some time to get there, but miraculously we got home almost an hour quicker. How does that always happen?

We get there and are getting into line to buy Millicent's ticket and a wonderful family handed us a free admission ticket for a child. We paid nothing! How blessed were we???

And while it sounds fun to take a day off work and school and responsibilities, drive almost five hours and go ride rides, it's not nearly as fun as one might think.

So here you are:

Lessons I learned going to Six Flags.

1. There is a lot of down time at Six Flags as you wait and wait (and wait) to ride rides. Even on Monday, when you call ahead and ask them what day is the least busy day. (Unlike our Frontier City on homeschool day where there are no lines, and we got ever so spoiled.)

2. If you have little ones, or ones who are too scared to ride rides, the down time will seem twice as long. You will wait a LOT with little ones who are bored and tired and ready to have fun.

Here is proof of what happens when there is too much down time. I know it looks like she's choking him, but he's kidding around. He LIKES it.

3. During said down time if there is a mud hole, a water hole, or anything gross around, your son will find said mess and play in it. I got on to Asa an infinite number of times for playing in the stagnate water and even spanked him twice. I turn my back for TWO SECONDS to look up as Jeff and Kori come around the corner off their ride and guess where Asa is? STANDING in the stagnate water, wiping it in his hair. OH GROSS! Nor was that the only time he did something gross yesterday.

4. Even though the signs say no bathing suits without cover ups, your idea of cover ups and mine are drastically different.

5. If you walk past the little hangy down thingy where people fly through the air, make sure your husband talks really really loudly, or your children might hear words they have never heard before.

6. Speaking of words your children have never heard before, watch the little five year olds on the rides your children are riding IN Looney Tunes land, because they evidently walked past the hangy down thingy earlier when the guy was screaming obscenities.

7. It's really hot in August.

8. It's more fun to let all the kids ride rides in kiddy land than to stand in line for an hour for a 30 second ride. Much more fun!

See, doesn't this look fun!!!!! Asa LOVED the rides.

9. Even if you can convince the littlest ones to ride the Log Ride with you it doesn't mean they will like it. Millicent has ridden it twice and both times she said she doesn't like it. Kati won't even get on the thing.

10. However, revisit lesson number eight. The kids will ride (almost) all the rides in Kiddy Land. And whatever Asa isn't tall enough to ride, he will go and try to get on anyway.

Now the fun actually begins for EVERYONE. Kori did have fun riding the water rides though...and they got in the sprayers until they were soaked completely. As you can see from her soaked shirt.

11. If you have a know it all 12 year old (not that I do) don't actually listen to them. They will tell you all day long that you are going the wrong direction, that this or that ride is closed and that the little ones or themselves or their younger sister, are too small to ride certain rides. They will also tell complete strangers that they can't ride rides or explain the ride rules to them. And they will be wrong...EVERY SINGLE TIME.

This is one of the rides that said above child (if I had one) was wrong about. According to her Asa was too small to ride and no one could ride with him. Well at least she got part of it right.

12. Children love the dressed up cartoon characters, unless you get them anywhere near them. Asa pointed and pointed and talked and talked about the skunk. That is until Kori brought him within a few steps of the skunk so I could take a picture. HE FREAKED. Millicent wouldn't leave the stroller with one near.

Kori and Kati, at least, weren't scared. But this rabbit made ME nervous. He was doing some kind of weird dance and I wasn't sure if he was going to stop when my kids go to him. They thought it was funny, which is why I actually got cute looks on their faces instead of the petrified looks I got from Millicent and Asa any time they got near.

13. If you are pregnant and it's 100 degrees outside, Six Flags does not have enough free water in their little tiny cups to keep you replenished. (Did you know they even had free ICE COLD water?)

Here are my feet as proof. If you look closely you can see the actual straps from my flip flops. And do you see the size of my ankles?

14. Also if you are pregnant and you've been walking around for six or more hours in the heat, you are going to be bringing up the rear as you exit the park.

The only picture of me taken all day. I couldn't keep up because my back was KILLING ME.

15. Biggest lesson learned. Don't go back. No just kidding. It was cheap and moderately fun. Go EARLY. Ride a few roller coasters with brave child (Kori). Then ride some water rides with brave child and whichever ones you can con into riding with you. Then go to Looney Tunes land and have a blast. The kids can ride over and over with no lines. Watching your kids smile and laugh is the most fun. BONUS, no walking all over Six Flags in the heat.

What have you learned at Six Flags?