Sunny Days, thinking the clouds away

So you’ve just finished your associates degree what are you going to do next?

“I’m going to Sesame Place!”

What? I can hear you thinking it. Why on earth would a person celebrate earning their associate’s degree in social sciences by driving five hours to a theme park for preschoolers?

Well hello I am the proud mommy of a caveman and alien! This happened by chance because Busch Gardens Williamsburg is adding a whole Sesame Street section to its park. For those who do not know many of my favorite memories involve going to Busch Gardens, riding roller coasters in the theme of old world Europe (of course without serfs, wars, and the plague). While on the website for Busch Gardens to check out this new area as I am realizing the Caveman is getting old enough to enjoy some of these things, I notice a link to the actual Sesame Place. Located in Pennsylvania, it is an entire theme park based on the famous sunny days, thinking the clouds away show.

This was just curious looking as being a full time student on Pell grant and student loans with two kids and a Big Papi could never afford this type of trip. Well first we would need hotel rooms and the tickets at $50.00 plus a day. And this being a theme park for preschoolers – the Caveman’s entrance would also require a ticket, the Alien being under 24 months would get in for free. Still my curiosity kept me looking further and then I found it- the buy 2 get 1 night free- and upgraded tickets to Sesame Place season passes deal. Okay, yeah the first packages started at 800.00! (If I’m spending that much money I might as well go for the big bang and do Disney World). I scrolled down and saw a package starting at $350.00- wait what? Seriously a family of four vacation for under $400.00 dollars? Impossible! It must be a mistake!

It isn’t! So now Big Papi and I are checking the site everyday to see if the deal is there- but here is the good thing- the prices are really there. Now there are two hotels that are around that price.

So Big Papi and I had a conference- if we cut our eating out and grocery shopping down for a month and along with some savings we can afford this trip. And we can even have breakfast with Elmo! The Caveman is all about some Elmo.

This is actually really doable because I have a freezer full of chicken breast that I can use for meals. So for a few weeks the only things I am buying at the grocery store are perishables, milk, eggs, and formula if the Alien runs out. We are breaking out the crock pot and clearing out the fridge, freezer, and pantry. Even with Easter coming up I am going to use what we have for side dishes and desserts (other than the ham because what is Easter without ham?).

For my family this is a big deal because when I quit my very well paying job at Lotion Land our income was cut in half. Then when I became a real estate agent we were paying more that we were bringing in. And the medical bills from having two kids aren’t cheap. Plus the economy is a scary thing right now. Yet, we only live once and the Caveman and Alien are getting older by the day. If we wait too long the opportunity to go to a place where you can believe brownstones are filled with furry brightly colored monsters will be gone.

More updates to follow but come this August I’ll be able to “tell you how to get, how to get to Sesame Street.”