Daphne Oz Recalls the 'Little White Lie' She Told Her Kids to Surprise Them with Disney Trip

Daphne Ozis a master at tricking her kids — but only when it’s in their best interest!

“We’re driving for a long time and they finally are like, ‘We’re not at school yet! What’s taking so long? Where are we? Are we there yet?’ ” says Oz, who took her family to Florida for her work trip. “And we said, ‘Well, Daddy took a wrong turn.’ And we’re driving through the Everglades — it’s not like we’re on the highway!”

“I thought this was so cute — they were like, ‘Daddy, turn around! Ask for directions.’ I was like, ‘Fat chance. Fat chance, y’all.’ And I just keep lying, saying, ‘We’re almost there, we’re almost there,’ ” she recalls. “So finally, we pull up, and they have this big banner, andthey see that it’s Disney Worldand they go ballistic. They are so excited. That little white lie of omission to your children gives them that much pleasure and joy.”

But the plan had a slight backfiring effect once the family returned home. “Now every time I say ‘Okay, we’re going to school,’ they’re like, ‘Great, where are we going?’ ” the star tellsRachael Ray.

Oz shared multiple photos to her Instagram account of the family on their magical getaway, during which they spent time at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios park to check out the newStar Wars: Galaxy’s Edgesection, as well as the original, classic park: Magic Kingdom.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Daphne Oz/Instagram

The snapshots posted toThe Chewalum’s Instagram account saw Philomena, Jovan and their parents riding the Mad Tea Party attraction, checking out the popularToy Story Land, gearing up to take down some aliens on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and more.

“A couple shots from our surprise 36 hours at@waltdisneyworldwith the two big kids!” Oz captionedher first photo set. “We told them we were driving to school and then just kept going haha.”

“They were shocked!! the longest, shortest, magical, HOT, happy, crazy days of our lives ??❤️,” the proud mama wrote. (Not along for the trip were the couple’s two youngest children: daughtersGiovanna Ines, 6 months, andDomenica Celine, 2.)

RELATED VIDEO: Mom Surprises Son With Trip To Disney

The group’s joyful trip may have also served as an early birthday surprise for Philomena, who turned 6 this past Wednesday.

The Rachael Ray Showairs weekdays. Check your local listings for airtimes.

source: people.com