I had big plans for Leap Day!
You can check out the plan here: Leap Day Plan
Not according to plan
Plan:
The plan was to get up pre-dawn and reach the sandy shores of Galveston with just enough time to walk out on a rock jetty and watch the sun wake up.
Actual:
We got up later than ideal, then took a bit longer to make it out of the house. Once we realized there is no way we could make the hour and fifteen-minute drive to the goal in the 45 minutes we had, we took a left turn and headed to the boat dock at Clear Lake Park. While the park was not yet open for the day, the boat dock and adjacent pier were. Naturally, the girls were fussy despite agreeing the night before to the plan and promising to not be fussy.
Important to note here as a reminder to parents and a warning to kidless folk:
KIDS ARE LIARS!!!!
No matter how much they tell you they will be a team player and in fact want to do all the awesome things, they will be cranky. Another important note, you will be too! Mornings are hard and we all just need a nap and a snack!
GOAL 1: SUNRISE (at the beach) near water =✅
Eventually the kids got it together and we enjoyed a nice sunrise over the water.
Plan:
Picnic Breakfast in Galveston to kill time until things open
Actual:
Without having made it as far as Galveston to the planned picnic location and with quite a bit of time to kill until anything opened, we headed to a nearby Walmart!
We used our time to scope out gift ideas, get a feel for what Amelia had on her birthday list, and to sneakily get her on a larger bike to be sure that an already acquired gift would be perfect!
Not a goal! Walk around Walmart at 6 am = ✅
While at Wally World, mom grabbed a Coffee at Mc Donald’s, totally worth the $1.72.
Plan:
Eat Breakfast!
Actual:
We still hadn’t eaten breakfast. We did realize that the Disney Store at the Tanger Outlets in Texas City opens a whole hour before Moody Gardens does. We instead drove over to the Tanger Outlets thinking we might be able to open the Disney Store on Leap Day!
If you don’t know about opening the Disney Store, go check it out here
We arrived in the parking lot about 20 minutes before the 9 am opening time and headed to the back of the van. If you have ever doubted having a “mom” car, lemme tell ya about a huge perk: there is room for stuff!
Picnic Breakfast (on the beach) in the back of Awesome Van! = ✅
Yes! You can fold these seats down and all fit to enjoy a meal in your car!
Mom car review of Chrysler Pacifica found here: coming soon
Plan:
Out the window!!!!
Actual:
After eating our packed breakfast in the back of our car (Man! That sounds classy!), we grabbed our Disney Store Official Reusable Shopping Bag and headed over to wait for the store to open.
We walked up and there were a lot of people waiting. This like never happens! We have opened several Disney stores and none have ever had a crowd! I realized there must be some kind of merchandise release happening. A cast member came out and asked if everyone was here for the key and handed outnumber ticket slips.
My girls were not chosen to open the store but that’s ok! They have done it before and have actually done it since then. Sharing the magic with others is always a good thing!
Once we made it in the store we looked around, found a few things to buy, with our leftover gift card from last year’s vacation!
If you don’t know why Disney gift cards go here: coming soon!
Open Disney store GET DISNEY STORE KEY! = ✅
Turns out, if you spend $15 you get a free Tigger Leap Day Special Edition Key!
So, naturally we spent $30 in 2 transactions to get one for both girls.
Plan:
Enjoy a fun-filled day at moody gardens!!!
Actual:
Arrived slightly after opening and enjoyed a fun-filled day at moody gardens!!!!
If you have never been, Galveston is wonderful and I highly recommend the many things to do there! I am sure I will share more things in future posts. We spent our day at Moody Gardens. We are annual pass members and enjoy their many and varied exhibits. They have fixed exhibits like their themed pyramids, and temporary exhibits that change often. I do not believe that this attraction gets enough credit! It is a non-profit organization and a member of the AZA. It features many attractions and a wonderful hotel.
You can find more information about them here:
Go enjoy Moody Gardens= ✅
We made it to all 3 pyramids, learned about bones, touched jellyfish, and modeled some steampunk goggles.
Plan:
Enjoy a picnic lunch
Actual:
2nd meal of the day in the back of the car
I had planned to use a picnic table on the Moody Gardens grounds or to go to a nearby park that I vaguely remember being space-themed. Well, we headed to the park because the day was GORGEOUS! So did everyone else, and we arrived just after lunch. I never go to things later in the day. My Disney World training has led me to “Rope Drop” everything, everywhere I go!
If you are not familiar with Disney terms like “rope drop” go here: coming soon
Eat lunch at park= ✅
Technically, we accomplished this goal. We ate in our car, at the park. Every table and flat surface was overtaken with partiers. Like I said, it was a gorgeous day and the first spring-like temps in awhile.
Believe it or not, both girls talked about how much they loved eating in the back of the car! Kids really can make you see things differently!
Plan:
To have an amazing leap day!
Actual:
HAD AN AMAZING LEAP DAY!!
While plans changed, we amended things, and not all was flawless we really did have a great day!
We enjoyed each other’s company and had fun as a family.
As far as an entire extra bonus day can go, it was perfect!
Have an out of this world leap day= ✅
I really wouldn’t change anything about this day!
We also managed to only spend $1.72 out of pocket on the entire day. We didn’t even need to stop for gas!
I hope this inspires you to make the most out of what can seem like another mundane day. Celebrate the small stuff to make the big memories! I can assure you we will all be looking forward to the next leap day!
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