Hawaii is sort of a fantasy world. That's especially true here in Seattle where fall can last from September until July. I don't need to tell you what the fantasy is about, do I? It's about long lazy days on the beach, tropical drinks, and smiling happy little faces that don't stop grinning from the time they slide their swim suites on in the morning until they lie their sleepy heads down at night. It's the dream of a better, more healthy balance between work and self, and a stronger connection with the things that truly fuel you.
We haven't been to Hawaii in a long time. Not since before the kids were born. It's not that I don't enjoy the islands, it's just that I'm so terrible at forcing myself to slow down. There are a thousand things I want to do, and a thousand places I want to be. But (and perhaps I shouldn't say this in such a public forum) it's been too much lately. I have three kids, a blog that's starting to feel more like a (much loved) job than a hobby, a new iPhone app, a bigger and better Passports With Purpose plus the thousands of small details that every mom juggles. I love everything I am doing, but I need a recharge, desperately. I'm frazzled beyond measure.
When Nathan Kam of the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau (who would be a lovely man even if he weren't offering me a trip to Hawaii) mentions a trip just before the school year starts, I can't hit the "reply" button on my email fast enough. He offers to fly out me plus one of the kids, and to have the visitors bureau set up hotels and activities. I whip out my credit card to buy airfares for the rest of the family. After a summer that never really got started in Seattle, some warmth and time outside are just what the doctor ordered.
I'll be writing about the details of the trip over the next week or two. Looking back at my notes, I'm surprised at how much we packed in to a short week. There was tons to do, more than I realized, and in my mind, none of it was "skippable." I still have a long list of places I wish we'd worked in, and I'm sure I'll be pestering friends and family to visit them for me. Plus we split our time between two very different islands, Oahu (where we stayed in bustling Waikiki) and Maui (which was more relaxed). I just had to get out and explore. We dug in the sand, went to Luaus, kissed Dolphins, played on the beach, devoured shave ice, watched one of the most graceful Hula dancers on the planet, fed goats and more. I can't stop looking at the pictures, and I've been posting a few of them up on my DeliciousBaby Facebook Page as I go - so if you want a sneak peak, head over there.
When we landed back in Seattle, it was drizzling and dark. That felt, all at once, like both a rude awakening and a validation of our decision to take this trip together before we hunker down for winter. Maybe the bustle of my Hawaiian vacation is not exactly the classic Hawaiian dream, but it is a reflection of the way I am wired. Even in paradise, my drive to explore is stronger than my desire to sit still and be in the moment. I did come home feeling simultaneously exhausted (physically instead of emotionally for once) and refreshed. Being outdoors was a partial "cure" in itself. I'm ready to face the school year, and I have some wonderfully calming pictures and a relaxing slack key guitar CD that I swear are going to help me BREATHE.
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Posted on September 13, 2010 |
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I want to welcome my new sponsor, TravelKiddy. TravelKiddy makes very nicely designed activity kits that you can take with you on a trip. I generally like to pack my own busy bags, but I have to say that I'm really impressed at how much activity these kits pack into a small bag. Plus, buying a single kit saves you the hassle of driving around town to find what you want.
Best of all, when you shop at TravelKiddy you are supporting a small, mom-owned business. Please take a moment to check out their website!
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Posted on September 12, 2010 |
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My city guide for San Juan, Puerto Rico with kids now lists everything we did on our trip. If you're headed to San Juan, please check it out. If you have been there before, you can help other parents by adding your own recommendations.
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City Guide: San Juan Puerto Rico With Kids
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Posted on September 12, 2010 |
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I promise I'll start to post about Hawaii next week, but I just couldn't resist posting this one last snippet from our trip to Puerto Rico.
Everest missed his sister terribly on this trip. The two of them are only 18 months apart in age, and they are constant companions, especially when we travel. Everest isn't super vocal about his feelings, but he told me several times on the trip "I wonder what Darya is doing right now" or "Darya would really like this." He even asked me to take photos of a few things so that he could show her later. But what could be more heartwarming than this reunion?
Darya even wore her favorite, poofiest dress and sparkly jewelry to meet us.
By all accounts Darya had a great time with her dad while we were gone, and I didn't get so much as a hello until she had properly squeezed both Everest and Eilan.
Related Links:
City Guide: San Juan Puerto Rico With Kids
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Posted on September 11, 2010 |
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The kids are back in school this week, but we ended our summer with a week in Hawaii. One of my favorite memories is this sunset evening on the beach - I'll tell you more about it next week.
Related Links
City Guide: Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu With Kids
About Photo Friday:
You are invited to join us for Photo Friday! It's a great way to get to know other bloggers and to help them get to know you. Just post a "Photo Friday" picture on your own blog, and link directly to your post from the linky below (If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly)
What is Photo Friday?
- Post a travel photo on your site. It can be about any topic, as long as it is G-rated.
- The focus of the post should be on your photo.
- You don't need to be a professional photographer (I'm not), but do showcase your best work, and make it big enough to see well!
- It's nice to include a few sentences about the photo, but it is not required.
- Link back here so that your readers can see all the other great Photo Friday posts.
We were invited guests of the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. The hotel paid for the cost of our air tickets, hotel, activities, and most meals. They did not require that I express a particular point of view.
Sunshine! Finally! Lots of it! Of course Everest, the poor sweet boy who I dragged across the ocean to an uncharacteristically rainy Puerto Rico wouldn't know. He's sleeping in.
By the time he wakes up, I'm in a rush. I want him to experience the beach and the pool, and I need him to eat breakfast. We're headed to Old San Juan for lunch today, so we don't have unlimited time. I hustle him into a swimming suit and we race out to the beach. I search for, and find, a server who will bring us breakfast by the pool.
Everest cannot get enough of the beach - and he thinks that standing with his feet in the ocean as the waves rush in is the funniest, giggliest thing that can happen to you. (we live by a lake, so he sees lots of shoreline, but almost never experiences surf) I wish I had pictures, or video of this, but believe me, standing in the ocean with a squiggly 15 month old in your arms and a precariously balanced 5 year old by the wrist is quite enough for me to manage.
Is the beach supposed to be relaxing? Perhaps if my husband were here, or if the kids were a bit older, it would be. Still, we're having fun, and that's enough.
But never mind, there's a pool to check out, and a water slide. Everest is normally super cautious, and when I saw the slide, I imagined that he'd never go on it. After watching the other kids splash down the slide a few times, he wants to try it too. Yay for being on a trip with other kids! He slides down with Colleen of TravelMamas the first time, and then someone convinces me to hand off baby Eilan and slide down with him myself. We have a few precious moments alone together, and I'm so surprised that I slide down with my hat on and forget to hold Everest up in the air on impact. Water rushing up his nose isn't his favorite sensation, and it might be a while before he agrees to go on a water slide again.
But then we're off again. It's time to head to lunch. We're the last ones out of the pool, and I have three bodies to dry off, dress, and bring downstairs to the lobby. Still, we're somehow the first ones out by the bus - perhaps that's the advantage of having boys, or perhaps it's the lack of fussiness that comes with being a sleep-deprived mom of three kids.
Our lunch is in Old San Juan at a restaurant called Raices. Raices is a casual place with servers in old fashioned Puerto Rican dress. It's been around forever, and it's a favorite with both locals and servers. The menu is huge, and includes lots of fried items (yum) and many varieties of Mofongo (meat with plantains). I'm delighted, but for Everest, even the kids menu is challenging.
I have to admit, dealing with picky eating always stresses me out somewhat, but it's somehow heightened in this situation with several other moms and kids. Somehow (even though there's no competition expressed or implied) I want, more than ever, for poor Everest to be the perfect traveler - always ready for new experiences and new foods. We compromise on cod fritters (which I sell as fish sticks) and then he tries (and loves) the slightly sweet deep fried corn fritters. Whew, at least I didn't have to break out my peanut butter packets
After lunch, we wander around Old San Juan. We're both hot, and I'm sweating under the weight of a sleeping baby Eilan. I wonder if this area might be best seen on one of the free trolleys that run circuits around the tourist areas. I love the architecture, but most of the businesses cater to tourists, not locals. If you're not shopping for souvenirs, there's not much need to look inside the buildings.
Our next stop is Castillo San Felipe Del Morro. We're going to explore the old Spanish fort (which dates from the 1500's) and then fly kites on the huge lawn. Everest is more excited about the kids than the fort, but somehow I cajole him through the entry, and we race down stairways, into turrets, and through what seem to him like secret passage ways. The views are spectacular, and though there aren't any relics here beyond the building itself, a child with a vivid imagination would find material for days of storytelling. Everest isn't that child, though, he's interested in how the whole thing is engineered - the stairways, the gutters and the 6 meter thick walls.
And then finally, he times out. We slather on sunscreen and head to the front of the fort to fly kites. This feels like the most fun we've had together in ages. We're running, giggling, and laughing. With the heavy winds, our kite is hard to control, and I've got the baby, the kite, Everest, and of course I'm on twitter posting pics as we go.
Eventually, the wind is just too much, and the kite gets away from us. Everest and I get burns from the string in the process of trying to rescue it, and Everest is just inconsolable. Everyone tries to calm him down, but he's tired, he hasn't had a great lunch, and he's heartbroken about the loss of the kite.
But Kara, our tireless host, knows just what to do - we'll march back to the street and buy shave ice (Piragua in Spanish) from a cart! Within moments, Everest's eyes are dry, and he's smiling again.
Just look at those kids - as far as they're concerned, there's not a thing wrong in the world.
Eventually we make our way back to the hotel, and we have a "mom's night out" at Ristorante Tuscany, the Marriott's upscale Italian restaurant while the kids watch a movie with a sitter. The food, and wine are lovely and by the time we're done everyone is ready to get into bed. With our trip complete, I'll pack us up in the morning and we'll fly back to Seattle.
Related Links:
City Guide: San Juan Puerto Rico With Kids
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Posted on September 9, 2010 |
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I write about my favorite travel-related kids books every other week. Most books are from my personal collection, or checked out from the library, but whenever I do accept a book for review from a publisher, I will always let you know. If you buy the book using the Amazon link at the end of the post, I earn a small commission, and that income helps me keep the site going.
Unlike most of the books I review, Peek-A Who?
isn't a book about travel. Instead, it's a book that has been a long-time favorite to bring on airplanes. In fact, I've replaced it three times after leaving it on a plane!
Peek-A Who? Is a simple book with a great concept. On alternating two-page spreads, the words "Peek a" are repeated, opposite an illustrated page with a hole in it. Turn the page, and you find a picture of a cow ("Moo"), Eilan's favorite - a ghost ("Boo") or a train ("Choo Choo"). What makes this book great is that it can be played with in so many different ways. Eilan laughs his head off (as did Everest and Darya as babies) at each new "Peek a," and when that starts to wear thin, you can put your fingers, baby's fingers or a toy through the die-cut holes. The very last page in the book is a mirror ("Peek-a You"), and I don't have to tell you how many ways you can play with that, do I?
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Buy on Amazon:
Peek-A Who?
Favorite Travel Toys
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Posted on September 8, 2010 |
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Everest was too young to appreciate the view when we visited the Eiffel tower. These days though, the kids reliably love watching transportation move along a street when we're up high - so when I look a this picture, I imagine how much they would enjoy watching the boats chug along the Seine.
Related Links
City Guide: Paris With Kids
About Photo Friday:
You are invited to join us for Photo Friday! It's a great way to get to know other bloggers and to help them get to know you. Just post a "Photo Friday" picture on your own blog, and link directly to your post from the linky below (If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly)
What is Photo Friday?
- Post a travel photo on your site. It can be about any topic, as long as it is G-rated.
- The focus of the post should be on your photo.
- You don't need to be a professional photographer (I'm not), but do showcase your best work
- It's nice to include a few sentences about the photo, but it is not required.
- Link back here so that your readers can see all the other great Photo Friday posts.
I want to thank everyone who entered to my giveaway to win a FreeHand baby carrier..
The randomly selected winner was Susan C who said:
We will be going to Seattle in a couple of weeks-one of my favorite places on earth!
Susan, please send me your mailing address to receive your printer!
Didn't win this time? The Freehand Baby Carrier
is also available at Amazon.
I have another great giveaway starting soon. Be sure to check back (or subscribe or "like" DeliciousBaby on Facebook so that you don't miss a thing).
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Amazon:
Freehand Baby Carrier
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Posted on September 1, 2010 |
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We were invited guests of the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. The hotel paid for the cost of our air tickets, hotel, activities, and most meals. They did not require that I express a particular point of view.
We woke to rain. It's starting to become a theme for this trip, and with the intense rain, our planned outing to the Camuy Caves was canceled - they're just too dangerous to visit when there's so much water. But I have to be honest. I wasn't really all that disappointed.
The Camuy Caves are one of the largest cave networks in the world. They're supposed to be spectacular - filled with stalactites and stalagmites, plus all sorts of interesting wildlife including crabs, tarantulas, and bats. I had a head stuffed full of things I wanted Everest to learn from this experience - how the stalactites and stalagmites are formed, a how bats navigate, why caves smell so bad. Ok, maybe not that last one, but I knew that's what we'd be talking about. And the truth is that the bats just creep me out. I've explored remote caves in Madagascar, boated through caves in northern Vietnam, and toured countless caves in the continental US. I've given caves (and bats) a fair chance.
Where did we go instead? We were almost at the opposite extreme of the nature <-> manmade attraction scale. The Museo Historico de la Biblia (Bible History Museum) isn't what you'd expect. It's like a small amusement park stacked inside a (blissfully) air conditioned office building.
If you're in for travel snobbery, you can make one of two arguments about a place like this. Either a) it's terrible, has nothing to do with the culture, and you might as well take your kids to the local mini golf course instead of flying across the country or b) it's a great chance to interact with locals, see what they think is fun, and unwind a little. If you ask Everest, he'll say that B is the right answer.
I have to admit, I'm a little bit more of an "answer a" person (I'd choose a divey hole-in-the wall over an air conditioned tourist restaurant every single time), but even I couldn't help smile at the idea of an ice skating rink in hot and steamy Puerto Rico. The cool ice must seem like a fantasy come to life for local kids.
And Everest (along with his new love Karissa) enjoyed the museum's aquarium
We finished up with the perfect lunch (according to Everest), Pizza in the museum's cafeteria, and then we headed back to the hotel just as the rain began to fall again.
Eilan thinks that sitting face forward in the air conditioned bus (he's still rear facing at home) and being seated next to mom are the very best things about this trip.
By the time we reached the hotel, the storm was raging, and there really wasn't much we could do.
In some ways, this forced downtime was the best part of our trip. With all the attempts we've made at spending time in the pool, Eilan is starting to loose his long-standing fear of water. I wish I had a picture of him in his very first bath with his big-brother. Fresh and clean, Eilan was ready to explore, and Everest pushed Eilan around the hotel in the stroller.
The bonding between the two brothers was short lived, but precious, and in many ways it's what I flew all the way to Puerto Rico for. Soon enough Eilan settled down for a much needed nap, and Everest got some coveted alone time with me.
Before the hotel delivered up this gift for Everest (can you imagine the excitement - it's a good thing this is a sturdy hotel, because the jumping up-and-down would have shaken the whole building otherwise!
If you ask Everest, that's the perfect way to end the afternoon!
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Posted on August 31, 2010 |
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