We just returned from a fun but short trip to visit my sister Sarah and her little family.  It was so great to see them and see little Gray.  She just gets prettier and sweeter each time I see her! This recent trip inspired me to mix things up a little with this entry.  I decided to write a “top-ten” themed blog inspired by insights that I had while traveling with the family this past weekend.

10.  If you have small children, plan on your travel taking 3 times longer than it would if you (or you and your significant other) are traveling alone.

Bryan hates being late and rushed.  I hate it too but not as much as him.  So, we ALWAYS allow 2-3 hours for parking and all of the other fun stuff that making it to the appropriate airport terminal requires.  If things go smoothly and you are stuck at your terminal with an hour to spare, no problem, just take a ton of pictures and videos of your kids.  At best, you will catch some cute pics and video.  At worst, young/hip people without kids will laugh at you for making such a fuss over your snotty nosed kids.  Anyway, who cares what other people think?

 

WIth the extra time, you can video your precious 16 month old saying “sky”!

 

 

9.  Walking around slowly all day doesn’t increase your cardiovascular fitness, but it is exhausting.

8.  If you have a very young baby that has started crawling and walking, you are in for a rough ride.

I have two kids.  Kid number one was hyper and didn’t do much of what I asked.   Kid number two is the opposite.  After the first birthday, BOTH kids were squirmy on the plane.  It is a fact – kids that want to do nothing but move about don’t like to be held in a small contained place for longer than a few minutes.  On the way back home, I literally had to wedge Sarah Amelia’s legs in between mine and put her in a bear hug to restrain her from kicking the seat in front of her.  She cried (a lot) but at least she didn’t kick the lady in front of her.  After a few minutes, Sarah Amelia gave up and went to sleep.  I would love to visit family and friends several times a year, but I swear it’s so hard traveling with young-ones. I would pay for your plane ticket to Houston to avoid one plane ride with a squirmy baby!

7.  Be prepared to take “walking breaks” with the toddler.

Have your meal where it is easy to walk about. About an hour into our lunch on Friday, Sarah was ready to go.  So we went – for a little walk around the block.  No stroller, we went walking down the street while I had a death grip on her hand.  We both benefited.

6.  Location, location, location…  Try to stay in a place where you can see the most possible by foot.

We stayed in a great location, but it rained a lot.  This meant cab rides.  Cab rides are even more awesome when you have to fold and unfold a stroller and unpack and re-pack a stroller a million times.  In the end, it’s ok.  I like to think the more patience that Bryan and I demonstrate, the more chances for character building.  At least, that’s what keeps me from having a million crying fits after I have repacked that bulky stroller yet again….

5.  If you promise your kid(s) that you will take them to the American Girl doll store, plan on spending a ton of money.

Rachel and Sarah both have American girl dolls, so a stop at the big store in Chicago was a no-brainer.  “Isabella” had to have her hair done and ears pierced, and oh yes, of course a new dress!  Rachel also got an outfit that matched Isabella’s, and of course they had their picture taken together.  Sarah and Gray made it out of there with matching bunnies!  (Yes – I hate unchecked materialism, but I just couldn’t help the gluttony.  It was really over-the-top.  The next time you see me and Bryan, please call us out on how much we spoil these kids!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  You can never have enough snack food. Having extra snack food equals wearing a seat belt when you get into a car.  It’s a no brainer.  Hungry babies/kids are whiny and no body likes whiny, especially those cool young hipsters…

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Sometimes it’s ok to tell strangers to be quiet.

It happened so fast, that I didn’t even stop to think about how uncool it might be to tell a bunch of fraternity guys to be quiet.  Around midnight, I heard stirring in the hallway.  It sounded like people coming and going.  I thought they would hurry and go away but no.  They were lingering just outside of our door.  I opened my door and saw the door across the hallway open and filled with young guys laughing and talking about some big plans and yelling at their buddies down the hallway.  I just peered out at them – with messy hair, eye glasses sliding down my nose, and wearing my most unflattering  PJs.  They didn’t even acknowledge my stares.  So, in a move that felt like a passage into “mid-life”, I said firmly “hey guys – I have sleeping kids in here.  please be a little more quiet.”  They jumped out of their skin and quickly apologized and became quiet.  Done. Any coolness that I may have once had is officially gone.

2.  If your kid is old enough to ask questions, you better study-up on the things you will be seeing and doing, because your kid(s) will ask a MILLION questions about everything!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  If you take a thousand pictures of your kids, you may come out with a few gems!