So, you know how any time you do something for the very first time, by the time you’re done,
you have created a laundry list of ways you’ll do it differently, if you ever do it again?
Well, that’s sorta what happened to us when we took our first crack at attending UWG.
If you didn’t catch my brief post on our ‘Countdown to Kalahari’, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, and the acronym UWG could means so many things to you:
Unofficial Women Gunslingers,
Unruly Wacky Gradeschoolers,
Unripe Watermelon Gatherers… you get the picture.
But just to allay any gunslinging, watermelon gathering concerns, let me give you a quick 411 on what UWG actually is.
UWG Explained
UWG stands for the Unschoolers Waterpark Gathering
(if you didn’t know, unschooling is a form of homeschooling).
It is an event held annually, in Sandusky, Ohio at the beautiful Kalahari Resort, which boasts the world’s largest indoor waterpark (righteous!), among many other wonderful amenities.
This year was their 6th year hosting, but our first year attending. They have speakers come from all over the country (people who actually unschool/homeschool) to guide you in the ways of ‘non-State mandated education’. Each day, multiple seminars are available for parents, with ‘funshops’ scheduled at the same time for the kids.
{Idle hands, you know?}
Family activities (not mandatory) are planned each night, and you have free reign of the resort the rest of the time (totally included in your stay at no extra charge!)
UWG-er’s get a hugely reduced rate, because we attend in the thousands, so it’s definitely a vacation that delivers on the cheap.
But I do have to admit, it was one that was fraught with… shall we say… difficulties. When I got home, I had a list a mile long of things we’ll do differently, if we do it again.
{Well, not really a mile… but you get the gist}
Do’s and Don’ts
#1- DON’T make the trip in one day.
I’m not really sure exactly what I was thinking {or even if I was thinking}.
We live in Eastern NC- the resort is in Sandusky, OH- according to Maps, it’s only 10-12 hrs. ‘Psssht!’ I say ‘We can do that in one day easy!’
Oh. My. God.
I could NOT have been more wrong!
Apparently, I forgot that we have 3 kids (plus the 2 of us), which equals 5 bladders that constantly need attention. I also forgot that I have a 13-year-old, with a metabolism like a Hoover vacuum, who has to be fed regularly or all hell breaks loose.
Add to that, the cargo area in our car is a joke and we have a cramped space, for a loooooooong trip, with 3 irritable kids. Not exactly a match made in heaven.
#1A- DON’T leave at 4 a.m.
{Or any a.m. before 9, for that matter!}
It just isn’t worth it folks! It didn’t get us there any faster!
Lack of sleep made driving treacherous in those mountain passes, and we STILL didn’t roll into Kalahari until close to midnight. Ugh! It was awful!
If it weren’t for the time suck in Virginia, we probably would have made better time.
{Yep, I said time suck- we lost 7 hours going and 3 hours coming back- true story!}
I’m convinced if you look at old maps of the USA, you’ll find some black-hole-type-swirly-vortex-mark right over where the state of Virginia should be.
{It’s obviously where time (and matchless socks) go to die}
DO OVER
Next time, we will break the trip up into a 2 day segment. The drive includes lots of interesting things to stop and see
Most notably would be the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I’m up for anything that includes Aerosmith!), but I’d also dig hanging out for a day in Charleston, WV. It was a beautiful area and I’d like to get to know it better. We’re even thinking of extending the return trip home and taking the kids to see Niagara Falls next time!
By breaking the trip up into 2 days, we won’t have to leave quite as early and we can take a more leisurely pace (which will make EVERYONE happy). Plus, it adds a bit more to the vacation. I’m constantly telling my kids it’s not always the destination that’s important… sometimes half the fun is in the getting there.
#2- DON’T room with another family
{Unless you already know them and are comfortable with them}
Please don’t get me wrong- we roomed with a lovely family from PA. The other mom and I hit off off beautifully through email for the several months leading up to UWG… but it was weird to suddenly have 5 people you’ve never met, and don’t know from Adam, sharing a hotel suite with you.
Their kids were a bit older than ours and had VASTLY different interests. We got along swimmingly with the parents (for the most part), but had completely different views on how to interact with and raise kids, and sometimes it got a bit hairy in there.
We thought we were going to spend all this time together, having this awesome kind of bonding type week. Instead, we spent more time circling one another and staying irritated.
So it wasn’t as positive as I would have liked.
DO OVER
Next time, I will pay a bit more attention to the room offerings and we will just stay on our own. We realized, after getting there, that we could have had the king/kitchen room and one of the 2 queen attached rooms (with the adjoining door), for basically the same price we were paying to split the 3 bedroom suite with the other family.
It would be plenty of space for us. We can been as rowdy and obnoxious as we want to be, and it won’t bother anybody except… well…us!
#3- DON’T go into this thinking you’ll cook
Having a kitchen available doesn’t mean you’ll cook all your meals there. Just because you do it at home, DOES NOT mean you’ll do it at UWG! They have things booked from 7 a.m. to midnight, and if you’re not indulging in that, then you are downstairs in the waterpark, the arcade, the mini golf, or doing something else. If you try to cook everything there, all you will do is spend a lot of useless time in the kitchen and be miserable, because you’re missing out on a lot of fun.
DO OVER
I will make SO much ahead and freeze it all: turkey burgers, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, stuffed pasta shells, the works. Then, all you have to do is thaw and warm to make dinner (or breakfast or lunch).
Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy!
There’s so much less headache involved- plus dinner gets on the table each night WAY before 10 p.m. (always a plus). Also, don’t be afraid to try out some of the food in the hotel. If you choose wisely, it’s not that expensive and it’s incredibly tasty.
#4- DON’T hit the waterpark 400 times
It’s exhausting! It’s a trek just to get down there (our room was in the back forty), and then the waterpark itself is MASSIVE (173,00 sq, ft.)! And LORD, don’t forget anything in your room! You WILL regret it!
DO OVER
Make a day of it- for real. And then make smaller trips down there, if you feel the need to go back. And for Heaven’s sake, rent a cabana! I’m not sure how much they are, but they can’t be too terrible. I know my kids would have really enjoyed having a place to warm up, watch a little tv, have a light snack, and relax before jumping back into the water. We are definitely doing that if we go back. Also, it can’t hurt to ask them to put your room closer to the waterpark, so the walk there isn’t like trekking in from the actual Kalahari.
#5- DON’T skip out on seminars and activities.
Our drive sapped us, so it took several days to get back to rights. During that time, we missed out on several seminars and activities we wanted to attend, because we were sleeping (or irritable from lack of sleep). Add to that we were a bit nervous, because we didn’t know anyone, and it tended to turn us into isolationists.
DO OVER
Hopefully, by making it a 2 day trip instead of 1, we won’t be so tired. Therefore, skipping things won’t be an issue. It also helps to have kids who are more adventurous and willing to go to family dances with their mom, instead of responding, “Uh-uh! Not me!” I also think we’ll be a bit more comfortable the next time around, because we know what to expect, so the fear of the unknown will no longer be a deciding factor.
So, there’s my list of what to fix next time.
After reading it, you might think we had an awful time- right? WRONG!
We had a GREAT time at UWG!! It was so much fun and will only be enhanced by the list above. There’s something to be said for being surrounded by thousands of people, who do what you do every single day, and understand you like no one else can.
Fun for Everyone
The kids were involved in some seriously fun workshops.
Some of the “funshops” included making ‘Following Eye Pictures’
{you can see my Mardi Gras inspired mask above}
and indulging in a ‘Nerf War’ (you can imagine how much fun THAT was!).
They even got to shop in a Kid’s Marketplace where everything is made, grown, baked, etc. by the kids and then sold and/or bartered by said children. It’s really fantastic watching them hone their entrepreneurial skills.
UWG’s opening night Carnival was tons fun. The kids got to play all sorts of neat carnival games, there was an impromptu dance party, and I got into the spirit by helping out at the temporary tattoo booth. Yep, I got my groove on by contributing to the delinquency of minors! By the end of the night, my 3 y.o. daughter had a ‘sleeve’ and even I was sportin’ some tats!
{Hello Kitty to be precise- her choice- not mine}
Resort Perks
Kalahari is a beautiful resort and themed out completely in all it’s African elegance; it’s neat to see all the little touches here and there, from the carpet to the artwork. They really put a lot of time and effort into this place and it shows. We did eat in one restaurant in the lobby and the food was wonderful. They boast a coffee bar and even have a candy/ice cream shop, where we indulged completely!!
{My mantra that week was calories eaten in Ohio don’t count!}
The waterpark was tons of fun, but was somewhat disappointing when the babies were too short to go on some of the rides, even if an adult was present. I understand safety is paramount, but Little Miss especially got bummed. She thoroughly enjoyed the Lazy River Ride, though! Keep in mind, you definitely get a workout walking through that place! We really had a lot of fun in the Wave Pool and the boys thoroughly enjoyed playing Water Basketball.
I think more than anything, my favorite part of the whole resort was the arcade, because it wasn’t just your average arcade. They had the requisite games and whatnot, but they also had a blacklight mini golf, an indoor bowling alley, and a paint-your-own-pottery place. We participated in all of it! It was AWESOME!
We had a lot of fun with the games and won some really neat prizes. Bowling was a hit and even pottery was something everyone enjoyed.
Final Verdict
All in all, I have to say it was a pretty phenomenal first time. Sure, there were some hiccups; you can expect that with just about any vacation. But overall, it totally rocked. We came home tired, sore, and 5 lbs fatter (guess those calories did count after all, huh?), but very pleased with ourselves for having attended.
CONCLUSION: Will most definitely attend UWG next year!
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