An interesting dilemma for parents, especially during the holiday season is - How do you teach your kids the difference between wants and needs? To me, need is something important, maybe something you cannot do without, and want is a bigger set of everything you would like to have. It would be a good idea to start by teaching the kids the value of things - that we need money to buy something, and that money comes from working hard. So, it should be used wisely. I believe its a good idea to mention the budget and discuss about money. Then I would ask the kids to prioritize their 'wants' in a list with guidelines like: "If you could have just 2 things what would they be? Write that first". And if the items are more expensive than I'd like, I would try - "If you could get both B and C instead of A what would you pick?". While going through the list I would also ask questions like "Do you really need another of that (when you have an older version), or do you just want one?" And lastly, I would make sure he participated in a toy drive for the needy and explain that this is for kids who don't have what he does, and he needs to keep that in mind while asking for something.
Note: After going through the process of writing this blog I realize I will have to update my list to follow these rules...
Topic inspired by: http://www.socialmoms.net/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=writing+prompt
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Italy with young kids - part 2: Tuscany
A lot of your perception about a place depend of the order of places you visit, and timing. I did not enjoy Venice too much - due to jet lag, or bridges=less child friendly travel. Tuscany however, was the best part of the trip.
We took the #2 transit water bus to Piazzale Roma stop, and walked to our Hertz rental. Of course a reservation at noon wasn't ideal, considering that it was Italy, and siesta time is not a myth. So we waited in the chilling breeze for 40 minutes before the personnel showed up and gave us our (expensive) one way economy car - class D (from Venice to Rome). We did get the GPS (thanks heavens) even though we had to pay 50 euros extra to return at a different location.
Our first experience of "What am I doing here" kind of driving was in Padua. I wanted to see Galileo Galilei's house in Padua but the GPS led us through extremely narrow roads, and we had to avoid the "Zona Traffico Limitato" signs in case they were pedestrian roads. Needless to say we did not make it to the house, and it removed all chances of stopping by Vicenza where I wanted to see Andrea Palladio's work. Well, next time!
We reached the farmhouse Borgo al Cerro in Casole d'Elsa at dusk. After settling our bags, we drove up to the beginning of the town and stopped at a friendly family owned pizzeria, where I brushed up my Italian. Well, actually, hubby understood what they were saying based on their hand movements, he claims. Like "Leave the beer in the fridge so it stays cool till you leave". The farmhouse was nice. Ours was Monterriggiano - 2 beds and one functioning bathroom. Not bad for the price we paid. No breakfast included.
Day 5: Went to Florence. We had taken a tour with Presto tours and Sandra was very good. We were a bit late having circled the train station parking area a few times, after missing the small sign with a downward arrow pointing to the parking. Though expensive it was a good place to park and walk since Florence is notorious for its tickets if you cross the "Zona Traffico Limitato" sign. These were good resources for parking in Florence:
http://www.reidsguides.com/italy/destinations/tuscany/florence/transport/to_by_car.html
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187893-c145503/Tuscany:Italy:Parking.In.Florence.html
http://tuscany.travel/en/transports-in-tuscany/getting-to-and-around-tuscany/parking-in-florence/
Since we were late we only got an overview of the city but I loved it. I loved the Renaissance buildings, art everywhere. It was hard to finally believe that this was where some of the most creative minds in the world had worked. Being on a short timeline, I would recommend taking a tour. Sandra gave us some insight into Italian life. What I remember the most was - Gelataria Artignale means handmade ice-cream. Thats the one to take. And, Italians never get one flavor if gelato, so don't hesitate to mix flavors. She also told us that Palazzo Pitti was a must see, even more than the hyped up Uffizi gallery that was always packed. I enjoyed the stroll through the famous bridge Ponte Vecchio. If I were staying in Florence, I would do a tour of the hidden passages on that bridge where the Medici family would secretly oversee the city.
The "Gates of Paradise" of the baptistery to the Duomo were marvelous - they took Lorenzo Ghiberti 21 years to make and the panels are exquisite - scenes captured in 3D. The Dome of the cathedral is wonderful, being the "Mother Dome" of all, but the cathedral is quite sparse since the marble on the walls used up all the budget.
Michelangelo's David was breathtaking. The scale is so amazing, and his facial expression is so well captured. When you read that Michelangelo carved it out of a discarded marble piece, it seems even more dramatic.
It was exciting to see life like sculptures of the "gurus" outside the Uffizi - Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci etc, to see how they must have looked like in real life. Experiencing the sculptures in public places in Florence was way better than Rome where its mostly been pilfered, and can be found in museums. I felt that Florence still retained its old charm - I could still see it the way it was years ago, unlike Rome.
We had good inexpensive lunch on arrabiata and pesto pasta and coffee at Caffe Martelli Snack bar near Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo's David. To Be Continued..
We took the #2 transit water bus to Piazzale Roma stop, and walked to our Hertz rental. Of course a reservation at noon wasn't ideal, considering that it was Italy, and siesta time is not a myth. So we waited in the chilling breeze for 40 minutes before the personnel showed up and gave us our (expensive) one way economy car - class D (from Venice to Rome). We did get the GPS (thanks heavens) even though we had to pay 50 euros extra to return at a different location.
Our first experience of "What am I doing here" kind of driving was in Padua. I wanted to see Galileo Galilei's house in Padua but the GPS led us through extremely narrow roads, and we had to avoid the "Zona Traffico Limitato" signs in case they were pedestrian roads. Needless to say we did not make it to the house, and it removed all chances of stopping by Vicenza where I wanted to see Andrea Palladio's work. Well, next time!
We reached the farmhouse Borgo al Cerro in Casole d'Elsa at dusk. After settling our bags, we drove up to the beginning of the town and stopped at a friendly family owned pizzeria, where I brushed up my Italian. Well, actually, hubby understood what they were saying based on their hand movements, he claims. Like "Leave the beer in the fridge so it stays cool till you leave". The farmhouse was nice. Ours was Monterriggiano - 2 beds and one functioning bathroom. Not bad for the price we paid. No breakfast included.
Day 5: Went to Florence. We had taken a tour with Presto tours and Sandra was very good. We were a bit late having circled the train station parking area a few times, after missing the small sign with a downward arrow pointing to the parking. Though expensive it was a good place to park and walk since Florence is notorious for its tickets if you cross the "Zona Traffico Limitato" sign. These were good resources for parking in Florence:
http://www.reidsguides.com/italy/destinations/tuscany/florence/transport/to_by_car.html
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187893-c145503/Tuscany:Italy:Parking.In.Florence.html
http://tuscany.travel/en/transports-in-tuscany/getting-to-and-around-tuscany/parking-in-florence/
Since we were late we only got an overview of the city but I loved it. I loved the Renaissance buildings, art everywhere. It was hard to finally believe that this was where some of the most creative minds in the world had worked. Being on a short timeline, I would recommend taking a tour. Sandra gave us some insight into Italian life. What I remember the most was - Gelataria Artignale means handmade ice-cream. Thats the one to take. And, Italians never get one flavor if gelato, so don't hesitate to mix flavors. She also told us that Palazzo Pitti was a must see, even more than the hyped up Uffizi gallery that was always packed. I enjoyed the stroll through the famous bridge Ponte Vecchio. If I were staying in Florence, I would do a tour of the hidden passages on that bridge where the Medici family would secretly oversee the city.
The "Gates of Paradise" of the baptistery to the Duomo were marvelous - they took Lorenzo Ghiberti 21 years to make and the panels are exquisite - scenes captured in 3D. The Dome of the cathedral is wonderful, being the "Mother Dome" of all, but the cathedral is quite sparse since the marble on the walls used up all the budget.
Michelangelo's David was breathtaking. The scale is so amazing, and his facial expression is so well captured. When you read that Michelangelo carved it out of a discarded marble piece, it seems even more dramatic.
It was exciting to see life like sculptures of the "gurus" outside the Uffizi - Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci etc, to see how they must have looked like in real life. Experiencing the sculptures in public places in Florence was way better than Rome where its mostly been pilfered, and can be found in museums. I felt that Florence still retained its old charm - I could still see it the way it was years ago, unlike Rome.
We had good inexpensive lunch on arrabiata and pesto pasta and coffee at Caffe Martelli Snack bar near Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo's David. To Be Continued..
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Italy with young kids - part 1: Venice
I'm back, in one piece, from Italy. That's a good thing - considering the brave venture - Italy with kids ages 2 and 5. A last minute plan is the only way it could have happened, because if I'd reasoned, I would have given up on it. So how was it, you wonder? Nothing short of spectacular, AND totally doable with kids.
The itinerary - fly into Venice, spend 2 nights there, then drive to Tuscany, with 4 nights in a Tuscan farmhouse, and drop off the car in Rome, with a stay for 3 nights.
The trip planning - I did not use a travel agent, though I would ask Costco or AAA next time for a quote. I didn't know any other agent. Air France was offering package deals to Italy, but I thought the hotels were a bit far, and wasnt sure if they would charge my kids for the price of the package (which would be a waste as they were mostly free in hotels). I found and tracked flights at www.yapta.com, and checked reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. I wanted to live in the city center (Venice and Rome), so I didnt need to take too much public transport, and we lived in apartments wherever available, so I could have the convenience of a fridge and such.
We packed light, which was a huge advantage - We only had one suitcase, one carry on (to keep in the flight in case our bags were lost by the airline), and 2 backpacks... and 2 strollers. Which was pretty good for 10 days, I'd say. We totally didn't use the swim stuff, and could have used extra jackets/warm clothes. I should have carried one more tour book, as Fodor's guide book on Italy was just average.
Trip prep for kids - reading children's books on Ancient Rome (my favorite was
See Inside Ancient Rome by Katie Daynes) and the Magic Tree house series on Leonardo da Vinci (Monday with a Mad Genius) and Venice (Carnival at Candlelight).
I'm based in California, so it was a long flight on Air France to Venice. We had the middle four seats, so kids could stretch a bit and sleep on the flight. Rest of the time they were entertained by cards, doodles and stories. The flight to Paris did not have individual screens (but the return did, thankfully). We did run into an issue with the stroller check-in at the gate. It turns out that Air France sends the stroller straight to the final destination. We spent a lot of time at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris before figuring that out. Another note - there is an HSBC ATM at this airport which has a better exchange rate than the airports in Venice. We didnt stop as we were short on time, but wish we had.
Day 1: At Venice, after picking up the bags, we exited the airport and saw the Water Taxi booth. Cost to hotel San Zulian, which is inside a narrow waterway off the grand canal, was E110, versus E100 for drop off on the canal. We went for the "drop closest to doorstep" but it was quite a waste as you'll see.
Like a good tourist, I saw Rick Steve's Venice episode before I left. He said - You'll get lost in Venice, and I thought - not me, I'm good at directions. Well, I'm humbled. The maps hardly make sense, and the street names are rarely didplayed. With all the waterways, and walkways through buildings, we ended up walking for an hour before finding the hotel. That was our least fun part of Venice, but did help us get over the jetlag.
The hotel was lovely, small but efficient, with modern fixtures, free breakfast in bed and an elevator! It was centrally located, right next to St. Mark's Piazza, which is why we booked it. Once we, ahem, understood the directions, it was quite convenient.
Our first stop was to an ATM. I had checked that Bank Of America has an affiliation with BNL Italia, so transactions have no fees. I'd mapped out the location (ahem, again) and we eventually found it. By now, we had seen most of our neighborhood and we went to a street near our house for dinner. Being a tourist hub, with waiters beckoning people, we gave in and went to one. We took a seat in the patio, with an outdoor heater and ate really bad food. That pasta was the blandest I've eaten. And we were in Italy! The hotel was San Tommaso and we should have checked the reviews...
We were on a trip to Italy, so we were prepared with money belts, except, we didn't realize how uncomfortable they are. So, on our first night, while removing cash, my husband dropped his credit card. Of course, we didn't find it, and now we only had one backup card, which we had to keep safe for the upcoming car rental. Ah, such adventure! We had to re-learn the art of carrying cash around.
Day 2: We started the day walking to St. Mark's square, and saw Doge's Palace. The most fascinating part for the 5 year old boy was the larger than life sword. For me, it was the Golden Staircase, and the rooms where the king held court. The celings were so beautiful! Cranky kids prevented us from checking out the prison.
We ate lunch at an open air restaurant in a piazza that we chanced upon on our way to Rialto bridge. It had amazing bruschetta with cherry tomatoes, and spinach cannelloni in tomato-alfredo sauce. Soon after, but of course after leaving the restaurant, my son needed to rush to a restroom! We learnt that the huge WC signs around lead to paid, but clean, public rest rooms. From there we took the water bus (vaporetti) number 1 (which stops everywhere in the Grand Canal), and got familiar with the Piazzale Roma stop where we would be renting a car from. We then decided to go to Murano, even though it was 4:30 and the boat ride was long. By the time we reached, the factories were closed, and it was time to return. Dinner that night was at a pizzeria under the Rialto bridge where I had an exhorbitant caprese salad of E17 because they didn't have any vegetarian options except pizza. I did not realize till later that the other side of Rialto had a ton of restaurants which were less posh but served better food with more options. Food was terrible in Venice, and I would suggest carrying a list of good restaurants (that you can try if you don't get lost). I found this amazing site (after I came back, sigh) - http://wikitravel.org/en/Venice
Day 3 - We checked out in the morning after breakfast but left the bags behind at the hotel. We saw St. Mark's basilica, shopped for souvenirs, and then took Vaporetti #2 to Piazzale Roma for the car rental. That was an awesome water bus - we should have taken that instead of 1 the previous times...
The car rental office (Hertz) was close, but at 1pm when we reached, all the staff disappeared for 45 minutes - probably to lunch, leaving us in the cold. Once back they were efficient, and we got a "Vehicle Type: (D) Ford Focus or similar" manual transmission car. We managed to fit 2 bags in the hatchback, and the 2 backpacks and strollers were in the backseat.
Next stop - Tuscany, in the next part...
Helpful Resources:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Venice - should have found this before the trip.
The itinerary - fly into Venice, spend 2 nights there, then drive to Tuscany, with 4 nights in a Tuscan farmhouse, and drop off the car in Rome, with a stay for 3 nights.
The trip planning - I did not use a travel agent, though I would ask Costco or AAA next time for a quote. I didn't know any other agent. Air France was offering package deals to Italy, but I thought the hotels were a bit far, and wasnt sure if they would charge my kids for the price of the package (which would be a waste as they were mostly free in hotels). I found and tracked flights at www.yapta.com, and checked reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. I wanted to live in the city center (Venice and Rome), so I didnt need to take too much public transport, and we lived in apartments wherever available, so I could have the convenience of a fridge and such.
We packed light, which was a huge advantage - We only had one suitcase, one carry on (to keep in the flight in case our bags were lost by the airline), and 2 backpacks... and 2 strollers. Which was pretty good for 10 days, I'd say. We totally didn't use the swim stuff, and could have used extra jackets/warm clothes. I should have carried one more tour book, as Fodor's guide book on Italy was just average.
Trip prep for kids - reading children's books on Ancient Rome (my favorite was
See Inside Ancient Rome by Katie Daynes) and the Magic Tree house series on Leonardo da Vinci (Monday with a Mad Genius) and Venice (Carnival at Candlelight).
I'm based in California, so it was a long flight on Air France to Venice. We had the middle four seats, so kids could stretch a bit and sleep on the flight. Rest of the time they were entertained by cards, doodles and stories. The flight to Paris did not have individual screens (but the return did, thankfully). We did run into an issue with the stroller check-in at the gate. It turns out that Air France sends the stroller straight to the final destination. We spent a lot of time at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris before figuring that out. Another note - there is an HSBC ATM at this airport which has a better exchange rate than the airports in Venice. We didnt stop as we were short on time, but wish we had.
Day 1: At Venice, after picking up the bags, we exited the airport and saw the Water Taxi booth. Cost to hotel San Zulian, which is inside a narrow waterway off the grand canal, was E110, versus E100 for drop off on the canal. We went for the "drop closest to doorstep" but it was quite a waste as you'll see.
Like a good tourist, I saw Rick Steve's Venice episode before I left. He said - You'll get lost in Venice, and I thought - not me, I'm good at directions. Well, I'm humbled. The maps hardly make sense, and the street names are rarely didplayed. With all the waterways, and walkways through buildings, we ended up walking for an hour before finding the hotel. That was our least fun part of Venice, but did help us get over the jetlag.
The hotel was lovely, small but efficient, with modern fixtures, free breakfast in bed and an elevator! It was centrally located, right next to St. Mark's Piazza, which is why we booked it. Once we, ahem, understood the directions, it was quite convenient.
Our first stop was to an ATM. I had checked that Bank Of America has an affiliation with BNL Italia, so transactions have no fees. I'd mapped out the location (ahem, again) and we eventually found it. By now, we had seen most of our neighborhood and we went to a street near our house for dinner. Being a tourist hub, with waiters beckoning people, we gave in and went to one. We took a seat in the patio, with an outdoor heater and ate really bad food. That pasta was the blandest I've eaten. And we were in Italy! The hotel was San Tommaso and we should have checked the reviews...
We were on a trip to Italy, so we were prepared with money belts, except, we didn't realize how uncomfortable they are. So, on our first night, while removing cash, my husband dropped his credit card. Of course, we didn't find it, and now we only had one backup card, which we had to keep safe for the upcoming car rental. Ah, such adventure! We had to re-learn the art of carrying cash around.
Day 2: We started the day walking to St. Mark's square, and saw Doge's Palace. The most fascinating part for the 5 year old boy was the larger than life sword. For me, it was the Golden Staircase, and the rooms where the king held court. The celings were so beautiful! Cranky kids prevented us from checking out the prison.
We ate lunch at an open air restaurant in a piazza that we chanced upon on our way to Rialto bridge. It had amazing bruschetta with cherry tomatoes, and spinach cannelloni in tomato-alfredo sauce. Soon after, but of course after leaving the restaurant, my son needed to rush to a restroom! We learnt that the huge WC signs around lead to paid, but clean, public rest rooms. From there we took the water bus (vaporetti) number 1 (which stops everywhere in the Grand Canal), and got familiar with the Piazzale Roma stop where we would be renting a car from. We then decided to go to Murano, even though it was 4:30 and the boat ride was long. By the time we reached, the factories were closed, and it was time to return. Dinner that night was at a pizzeria under the Rialto bridge where I had an exhorbitant caprese salad of E17 because they didn't have any vegetarian options except pizza. I did not realize till later that the other side of Rialto had a ton of restaurants which were less posh but served better food with more options. Food was terrible in Venice, and I would suggest carrying a list of good restaurants (that you can try if you don't get lost). I found this amazing site (after I came back, sigh) - http://wikitravel.org/en/Venice
Day 3 - We checked out in the morning after breakfast but left the bags behind at the hotel. We saw St. Mark's basilica, shopped for souvenirs, and then took Vaporetti #2 to Piazzale Roma for the car rental. That was an awesome water bus - we should have taken that instead of 1 the previous times...
The car rental office (Hertz) was close, but at 1pm when we reached, all the staff disappeared for 45 minutes - probably to lunch, leaving us in the cold. Once back they were efficient, and we got a "Vehicle Type: (D) Ford Focus or similar" manual transmission car. We managed to fit 2 bags in the hatchback, and the 2 backpacks and strollers were in the backseat.
Next stop - Tuscany, in the next part...
Helpful Resources:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Venice - should have found this before the trip.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
top 10 tips for getting away with great family travel deals
This blog is as much for me as it is for you. Its easy to forget how to plan a trip with young kids, and this would serve as a good reminder...
A little about me - I have a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. We live in California. My son's first airplane trip was at 6 months, to Seattle, after which we've been to Florida (Disney World), India, Utah (Yellowstone National park), New York, Palm Springs, camping at Yosemite (with a 3 month old daughter), and so on. Our latest trip was to Seattle (again, in February), and we're planning one to Europe soon. I am very passionate about travelling. "The Vagabond" by R.L.Stevenson, is one of my favorite poems:
Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.
...
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.
...
Well, I can't be quite the vagabond, being a mom and wife, but I can give them my passion, and take them along with me.
Here are some travel tips:
1. Vacation rentals have been our saviour with 2 kids. Having a kitchenette ensures a breakfast to start the day, even if its just bread, butter and milk.
Fed kids = less cranky kids
During our (extremely hectic) trip to Disney World, Florida, we stayed at a Marriott vacation villa outside town, and it was wonderful. The kids had their own space, we would eat dinner at home if kids were tired after a long day, and there was a pool to unwind in.
2. Travel before your kids start kindergarten (if this is an option). That way you can have off season advantages. Less money, fewer crowds and smaller lines make the vacation more meaningful and fun.
3. If possible take long distance trips before your child turns 2. That way kids fly free or on international trips you only pay the airline taxes. Yes, the disadvantage may be that the child can’t run around or remember the trip when she's older, but it works great if your child can take afternoon naps in a stroller or is at least a little stroller friendly.
4. If you have 2 kids, and are doing a big walking trip like Disney World, I highly recommend the sit and stand or double stroller. Since my kids are 3 years apart, my Joovy Caboose Sit N Stand stroller was an immense help (for straight roads)
5. Travel with other families, if possible. That way the kids have company as well as you. Finding like-minded people is more important than the exact same age group. It would be possible to babysit the kids alternately, and each couple could enjoy some alone time!
6. I recently discovered yapta.com, which allows you to track flights, with emails if the price changes. It’s a great tool for a vacation in works.
7. Carry all the possible children’s medications as its best to be prepared for emergency situations.
8. Carry extra pairs of clothes in a carryon for air/car travel, in case they get air/car sick and throw up. Don’t forget to pack a pair for you.
9. The portable DVD player really comes in handy on long flights. For long car drives, we love children’s audio books. For the young ones, there are many early reader books in the library that come with an audio cd, which comes in handy.
10. Have your kid carry his own bag or backpack with toys/books packed specially for the trip. Read books to fill time and carry crayons, activity books and even play dough to keep them busy.
11. With kids travel is unpredictable, so if it’s a trip you are investing in heavily, pay for extra trip insurance for peace of mind.
Happy traveling. Remember, its good to start them young on the joy of travel. Hope you
find these tips useful and please feel free to drop me a line if you have comments or questions.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
A little about me - I have a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. We live in California. My son's first airplane trip was at 6 months, to Seattle, after which we've been to Florida (Disney World), India, Utah (Yellowstone National park), New York, Palm Springs, camping at Yosemite (with a 3 month old daughter), and so on. Our latest trip was to Seattle (again, in February), and we're planning one to Europe soon. I am very passionate about travelling. "The Vagabond" by R.L.Stevenson, is one of my favorite poems:
Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.
...
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.
...
Well, I can't be quite the vagabond, being a mom and wife, but I can give them my passion, and take them along with me.
Here are some travel tips:
1. Vacation rentals have been our saviour with 2 kids. Having a kitchenette ensures a breakfast to start the day, even if its just bread, butter and milk.
Fed kids = less cranky kids
During our (extremely hectic) trip to Disney World, Florida, we stayed at a Marriott vacation villa outside town, and it was wonderful. The kids had their own space, we would eat dinner at home if kids were tired after a long day, and there was a pool to unwind in.
2. Travel before your kids start kindergarten (if this is an option). That way you can have off season advantages. Less money, fewer crowds and smaller lines make the vacation more meaningful and fun.
3. If possible take long distance trips before your child turns 2. That way kids fly free or on international trips you only pay the airline taxes. Yes, the disadvantage may be that the child can’t run around or remember the trip when she's older, but it works great if your child can take afternoon naps in a stroller or is at least a little stroller friendly.
4. If you have 2 kids, and are doing a big walking trip like Disney World, I highly recommend the sit and stand or double stroller. Since my kids are 3 years apart, my Joovy Caboose Sit N Stand stroller was an immense help (for straight roads)
5. Travel with other families, if possible. That way the kids have company as well as you. Finding like-minded people is more important than the exact same age group. It would be possible to babysit the kids alternately, and each couple could enjoy some alone time!
6. I recently discovered yapta.com, which allows you to track flights, with emails if the price changes. It’s a great tool for a vacation in works.
7. Carry all the possible children’s medications as its best to be prepared for emergency situations.
8. Carry extra pairs of clothes in a carryon for air/car travel, in case they get air/car sick and throw up. Don’t forget to pack a pair for you.
9. The portable DVD player really comes in handy on long flights. For long car drives, we love children’s audio books. For the young ones, there are many early reader books in the library that come with an audio cd, which comes in handy.
10. Have your kid carry his own bag or backpack with toys/books packed specially for the trip. Read books to fill time and carry crayons, activity books and even play dough to keep them busy.
11. With kids travel is unpredictable, so if it’s a trip you are investing in heavily, pay for extra trip insurance for peace of mind.
Happy traveling. Remember, its good to start them young on the joy of travel. Hope you
find these tips useful and please feel free to drop me a line if you have comments or questions.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tools of the Mind
Like many parents I'm browsing through books to give me some insight into parenting. I started reading Nurture Shock and while I agree that it is thought provoking and full of facts, I don't see much of the solution to fix the issues found. I am however, intrigued by the "Tools of the Mind" information. I'm on a quest to discipline my son without too many arguments (yeah, like that's possible). The first step was to enroll him in martial arts. Now, I want to try "TOTM" in our spare time. I'm always wondering how to play to engage him, and I got some tips here:
http://www.mscd.edu/extendedcampus/toolsofthemind/parents/playgroupideas.shtml
Hoping that I can include my toddler in these "games" and learn a bit myself!
http://www.mscd.edu/extendedcampus/toolsofthemind/parents/playgroupideas.shtml
Hoping that I can include my toddler in these "games" and learn a bit myself!
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