Traveling With The Littles

Since summer is on it's way, and that usually means more traveling, I thought I'd write about my experiences of traveling with small children AND pets. Hopefully, you'll be able to gain a tip or two. I've done a lot of traveling with small children and dogs. Together... Separate... I feel like I could say, "you name it -- I've done it"!

My first experience of flying with a baby, was with a three month old, nursing baby, by myself. After that trip was over, turns out, I could have driven the 12 hours and would have gotten to our destination before we did by flying. We had two layovers! Not fun. Thankfully my baby was wonderful. But, as a first time mother, it was nerve racking. I chose to not to buy a separate seat, and held the baby the entire time. Naturally, what happens first? Well, I got sat next to two men and while I'm nursing, my baby is kicking one of them in the arm! Thankfully, he thought it was funny. There's only so much room in those seats, ya know! On that trip, I learned that I will forever avoid layovers as much as I can! And 5 years later, I have only had to purchase one flight that contained a layover. I only agreed to purchase that one, because we didn't have to get off the plane!

When I flew with a toddler and baby by myself, wearing the baby and having an umbrella stroller were the best things. It worked out very well for me. Now, using the restroom in the plane was interesting, that's for sure! But, we did it and survived. I guess you just have to put yourself in the, "I got this" mode! I've heard you can ask the flight attendant for assistance, for such things, but I never have. Brining a car seat for the toddler to sit in, was so nice! My children always fall asleep while in them. If they are just buckled into the air plane seat, with no car seat, they do not fall asleep, and let's be honest here... It makes things a little more chaotic! So for me, I will always choose to bring their car seat! If you are wondering how do to that with a baby and a toddler, here's how: Wear the baby and if the toddler can walk (or is trusting enough to walk holding onto your hand or the stroller, put the car seat in the stroller!! Yep! Worked great for me. Just be careful with your turns. Trust me :)

Believe it or not, driving 1,000 miles with two small children, by myself and with help (dogs were involved in that trip) multiple times, wasn't that bad! Our children were pretty darn good, I'd have to say! We have movie players for the kids, but there are set rules that come with them. First and foremost, the movie player is a privilege.  They do not get to watch movies every time we get in the car, just to drive around town. Our movie players are strictly for long car rides. They do not get them as soon as we start the drive either. The players are saved for "last resort" situations. Or in cases where they've been really good, so it's also served as a reward. When my mother travels with me, she doesn't like the movie player rules. But! It works for us and our children. So, that's what we do :) We do this because, if our children are given them right away, after a little while, they become bored with it. And it's difficult to get them interested in something else since to them, watching movies in the car is the "coolest thing" -again, probably because they don't ever get to do it. So, save the best for last, right!?

We've also driven over 2,000 miles with three children and two dogs... A couple times! We are crazy, I know. For the dogs, I definitely suggest having collapsable bowls. They are very convenient and cheap too! I also suggest having a long leash. That way, when you are stopped at a rest area, you can easily tie the dog to a tree or something of that nature. There have been many times we would stop and not have a long enough leash. Our little dog is picky and absolutely WILL NOT go to the bathroom if you are standing there! Talk about fun!

So I don't turn this into a book, here are a couple more random tips I've learned over the years of traveling with children:

1. Bring a laundry bag for dirty clothes
2. Put a day's worth of clothing for each child, in grocery sack, inside the suite case. This can be nice for grabbing and going
3. If they are old enough, give each child a little bag/backpack of their own to carry
4. SNACKS! Pack easy snacks for them
5. Make sure an extra set of clothes is easily accessible

*I will be adding to this, as a think of things. So, be sure to check back before your next trip!

-T

Grilled Banana Dessert

Recently, we were invited to a family member's for a mock Low Country Boil! To achieve this Boil, a  bunch of seasonings, corn on the cob, potatoes, sausage, and shrimp are thrown into a pot with water and cooked for some time. It's pretty yummy!

For dessert, we were offered a grilled banana substance. Sounds crazy, right!? But, to my surprise, it was pretty tasty! It had a gram cracker crust, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and of course, the grilled bananas. I believe the bananas were grilled while still in the peel, then cut up and carefully put into the mixture. After that, it was topped with more marshmallows and chips, covered in foil, and placed back on the grill for a bit. Now, I'm sure I'm missing a step, possibly even an ingredient, but hopefully you're getting the picture of this thing! I do not have the exact recipe for it. But can try to get it and update later. I just couldn't wait to tell you about this crazy (to me) contraption. Who knows, maybe you guys have had this or something similar. It was served to us with vanilla ice cream and tastes best, served fresh off the grill, while the marshmallows are still warm and gooey!

Do you have a dessert that sounds strange to you, but tastes amazing?

UPDATE:
I've tracked down the recipe! It's actually a Banana S'mores. Makes total sense! Here's the direct link for the recipe:
http://www.weber.com/recipes/dessert/grilled-banana-smores

Welcome!

So glad you were able to stop by and welcome to my blog! Here, you will soon begin to see how my life (or my mind) jumps from one thing to the next... Sometimes, without any warning.



On any given day you are sure to find three things in my house:

1. cereal
2. books
and of course we can't forget:
3. a small container of unmatched sox

I've started this journey because, well, sometimes I just want a place to share things. But also, because I hope to inspire you to step out of your box... Try something new! Do something you've always wanted to try. I'll share my experiences in trying things I've never done before or things I'm not that great at. I'm sure sometimes I'll have things very similar to the "Pinterest Fail" memes! And that's okay. That's what makes life interesting, right?! 

I'm going to spend the rest of this day being productive and get a few things that need to be done, done. Like, eat some of that Candy Corn my mother brought over the other day :) 

-T

P.S.
Comment with something you'd like to do that would get you out of your box.