I love this article and picture from LunchInABox about packing a bento as flight food! It's always been difficult to get simple, healthy choices that my kids will eat on a plane, and with airlines cutting back, it's even more critical to pack my own. I always end up with cobbled together ziplocks of crackers, puffed rice and dried fruit, but this is absolutely inspiring.
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Posted on September 29, 2007 |
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Like most parents travelling with kids, I worry before every trip about how the flight will go. With each trip the kids get a little bit older, and a little bit more mobile, and a little bit more feisty. Little D is just on the verge of walking (and even took a few unaided steps for the first time today!!) meaning she’s in a constant state of agitation, wanting to use every available opportunity to figure out how to walk. While I’m (obviously) super excited for her to walk, I’m also wondering how we’ll deal with all the energy on the flight.
Times Online has a story about different moms' travel experiences with sedating their kids for air travel. Some of them are pretty painful, some less so.
We’ve never had to sedate our kids. Possibly I’m too nervous about getting the opposite effect to give it a try. Partly, I think we’re just lucky that they are good travelers (and the fact that they’ve done flown a lot means that they know what to expect). Partly I think that my kids are just delighted with the idea of getting my undivided attention and maybe even a nap in mom’s lap. Finally, I think that we’ve given up the expectation that the kids will sleep or entertain themselves for the entire flight just as I’ve given up the expectation at home of being able to sit down at the computer uninterrupted during the day.
Here are our tips for making un-sedated air travel with the kids go smoothly.
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Posted on September 27, 2007 |
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Before each trip, I create a list of emergency numbers to take with me. It includes my contacts back home as well as the equivalent of "911" in my destination. It also includes the name and address of either a children's hospital, an American Hospital, or a British Hospital.
Today I found this great list of International Children's Hospitals on Wikipedia and I thought I'd share it.
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Posted on September 26, 2007 |
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Believe it or not, it’s already time to book Thanksgiving travel! I’ve always thought that the reason more people don’t travel for pleasure with their kids is because the one time of year they do get on a plane (the holidays) things are at their absolute craziest, scarring them for the rest of the year. Believe me, if you can make it through Thanksgiving or Christmas travel, a quick jaunt to Paris or Rome will be a breeze.
We’re opting out of the flying for Thanksgiving this year, though we will be driving a couple hours north to join some friends in Bellingham for the holiday. We’ll drive up the night before and spend the night in a hotel to avoid the bulk of the traffic.
For those booking flights, I thought I would share some of our tips for Thanksgiving travel with Kids.
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Posted on September 25, 2007 |
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The city of Paris has just rolled out free bike rentals in an effort to reduce pollution. Over 20,000 bikes should be available by the end of the year, and there will be 1,450 rental stations. There is a fee to join the network, but short term memberships are available for tourists.
What a fun way for families with older children to get around the city.
Related Links:
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Posted on September 23, 2007 |
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Earlier this week, I promised my son that I would make him Paella. After a false start that ended at a local pizza restaurant, we had our introduction to Paella tonight. I haven’t made Paella since my son started eating solids, despite the fact that it is one of my husband’s favorite meals. Lately “Fast” is more important at dinner time than “Favorite”, and Paella, like most recipes that require more than five ingredients has gone by the wayside.
But this is important, I need to know that my son won’t have to subsist on French fries and olives in Spain and I REFUSE to miss any meal opportunities on the trip by eating someplace that serves chicken nuggets and peanut butter sandwiches.
Cooks Illustrated Magazine happened to have a Paella recipe this month, and I gave it a try. I left out the shrimp and clams because my daughter (who loves to eat everything) is too young for shellfish. That left chicken, chorizo, rice, peas, and peppers. It smelled great in the oven, and as soon as I took it out, I knew it would be fantastic, but would my picky toddler agree?
I don’t make a second meal if E rejects the first one, but I always serve at least one thing I know he will like. Tonight I heated up some pre-made Spanish White Beans with Vegetables from Trader Joe’s. Beans are almost always a hit.
I’ve been talking to E about the paella for a couple of days now (especially since I’d planned to serve it last night), so there’s been lots of dramatic build up. He was in the room when I removed the Paella from the oven, so invited him over to look at the unveiling “oh, there’s rice, green peppers, red peppers and peas” he said. Seemed like a good sign.
I set E up a plate with beans, paella, and (and this was a stroke of brilliance) a lemon wedge to squeeze over the paella. E delighted in squeezing that lime all over his paella, and after an agonizing amount of time a little bit made it in his mouth. In the end, he picked out all the peas, all the chicken, and all the sausage, and ate a lot of rice. Not my first choice, but a victory nonetheless. And the beans? Untouched.
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Posted on September 22, 2007 |
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Everyone has their anxieties about getting on a long plane ride, especially with two small children in tow. If you’re an anxious person (like me), you obsess about it weeks before.
My anxiety is about nursing on the plane.
In most ways I’m delighted to do it. My son was never able to nurse, and we brought bottles and expressed milk for him on every single one of our many plane flights when he was a baby. Nursing on the plane frees me from worrying about whether there is enough milk, keeping the milk cold, carrying a bunch of bottles to get us through international flights, layovers, and local transit, and keeping those bottles clean so that they can be used again. Breastfeeding is way less stressful, and that’s before I even factor in how soothing nursing is to my daughter and how likely she is to drift quietly off to sleep when she nurses during takeoff. I’ve never for a minute considered going back to bottle feeding.
But still, there’s that anxiety…
Who will sit next to me, I wonder? Will anyone make any uncomfortable comments? Living in the Seattle, I’m not at all uncomfortable about nursing in public. People are very open here, and I’m pretty modest about covering up. I can’t recall more than a handful of times when I felt uncomfortable. But somehow the plane is different.
Perhaps it’s because I’m already sitting about as close to my seatmate as I do to my husband when we’re cuddling up on the couch after a long day. Perhaps it’s because of the already uncomfortable tension between needing to make small-talk without getting roped into a conversation that becomes awkward or won’t stop when you’re ready to get some shuteye.
Here are some of the worries that cross my mind.
I’m sure I could think of more crazy scenarios. I’m trying not to, but I have to say, I’m hoping that now that my son is two and gets his own seat I can surround myself with family members and avoid the whole thing.
Related Links
Berkeley Parent's Network: Breastfeeding in Public
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Posted on September 21, 2007 |
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Outpost Magazine has a nice article about keeping kids healthy while travelling in developing countries. As winter travel approaches, this is a good reminder for all of us. It's tempting to take everyone to a family friendly resort in Mexico or South America, but important to remember that even in a four star resort you are the person responsible for keeping your kids healthy. Check with your doctor before you go about immunizations that might be needed and consider carefully what you'll do to ensure that your children's food and water is safe.
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Posted on September 21, 2007 |
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It's always a leap of faith booking a vacation rental. We do lots of research before booking. We look at reviews, we look for recommendations from established sources, and we read the terms and conditions carefully to make sure they're clear and fair. So far, we've always had a great experience, but I never completely relax until we walk into our apartment and close the door.
Today I got a letter from our apartment rental company in Barcelona ( Habitat Apartments) saying that they've changed their terms and want a 30% advance deposit on our credit card (and that they want to charge an additional 4% fee on that deposit). Of course this makes me a bit nervous. I wouldn't have minded paying a deposit if those had been the terms up front, but why the sudden change a few weeks before our arrival? Unfortunately, there's not much to do except to wait and see...
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Posted on September 20, 2007 |
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I love this handmade travel journal on Craftster. What a sweet way to get the kids involved in keeping track of their memories and thoughts on the road.
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Posted on September 18, 2007 |
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