Day Two: Cascade Bay
I’m a water park newbie, having played at my first one last summer. For the past few months, to narrow down choices in the Twin Cities, I have been asking around for recommendations. Most Eastsiders, including many who have or work with children, quickly answer Cascade Bay. A quick bit of online research indicated that this water park was close-ish to our home, which made it very appealing. My friend Sarah was looking for some company and had no counterplan so we schlepped our kids to Eagan on Tuesday.
We arrived at the stroke of 11 a.m., which is precisely when the park opened. I’m a big fan of arriving everywhere early and leaving the minute a place gets busy. The moms found lounge chairs to park our towels and the kids ran off as if we were the only people there and the place wasn’t small. And so we took the plunge.
(not sure who to credit for the photo, but I took it from the City of Eagan's website)
Tuesday was hot and very sunny in greater St. Paul so spending the day in the water was ideal. Most of the time, we rode the Lazy River on inner tubes. I loved just floating along water, propulsed by jets. It’s so care free. The kids had a great time jumping into the pool that was five-feet deep. Simon was sink to the bottom and push up. He also practiced his backstroke starts, curling his toes around the side of the pool and pushing off.
The biggest draw, however, was the slides. My favorite was the enclosed purple slide that you could ride down on a tube, which Winston and I did together a number of times. A twisty white slide, open at the top, was fast and fun, but the slides’ seams hurt my back (something that the kids didn’t seem to notice, must be my old back). Next to the white slide, an enclosed green slide offered a sharp drop-off, allowing the rider to pick up serious speed. My experience on the green slide was capital “m” miserable. I bonked the back of my head on the drop, after which I could never quite recover my bearings. So I closed my eyes and waited to be spit out.
Even though I had no other comparison in the Twin Cities, I would highly recommend Cascade Bay. Just two things:
1. Wear sunscreen
I failed to reapply and have a nasty sunburn on my chest.
2. Arrive early
By the time we finished our lunch break, at 1:30 p.m, the crowds were pretty intense; there were long lines for every “attraction” that I didn’t find worth waiting in and the pool was pretty full.
Day Three: Clean Up
I know, I know. Cleaning up isn’t an activity that merits much on the fun scale. However, just as at sleepaway camp, where your cabin must pass daily inspection for cleanliness, so Camp Mom “cabins” are evaluated for tidiness. Both bedrooms have been minefields of toys, paper, clothes, pinecones, rocks, posters, and plastic crappies for a very long time. At best, we manage deep cleans twice a year. Heading into the school year, we are very due for reorganizing and tossing.
Here’s what I learned: Simon is attached to stuff. Gods help us. Every drawer in his bedside table is stuffed with papers from school, including unfinished homework. Ditto the desk drawer. When I told Simon I thought he should keep pens and pencils and his calculator (or “calcliator” as he's want to say) in the desk drawer, his pained look suggested I was ripping his skin off.
Winston is not attached to anything. I could purge his room, and he wouldn’t know a thing was missing. Which is exactly what I plan to do as soon as school starts. In the meantime, he picked up every item from the floor and dresser surface, chucked into bins, and placed in the storage units provided for such. It took him ten minutes. No lie. Would that it was always this easy.
Then we went out for ice cream at Conny’s Creamy Cones (Dale and Maryland) and back-to-school haircuts. In addition to being fun, the day felt productive, too.
Up next: rewards are doled out
No comments:
Post a Comment