Christmas was a big 2 week trip back East to visit my family.  And recently we hit Vegas!

Vegas with kids you say?  Yes!  It was actually a fantastic trip.  We had both of our Dads there with their respective girlfriends and of course Uncle Brandon lives there, so it was quite the family vacation.  We stayed at Mandalay Bay, THE Hotel.  Highly recommend this hotel if your going to Vegas with your kids for a few reasons.  THEHotel does NOT have a casino so you can escape the chaos (and avoid the nagging “I want to play that game” – ie., the slot machine, each time you pass one on your way to your room – we got this request about a 100 times).  The rooms are also all suites meaning you get both a bedroom and a living room – key for nap time.  And of course the beach, lazy river and wave pool in The Mandalay Bay is a hit with the kids.  Though, children under 4′+ can’t go into the wave pool.  And, the rate was incredibly affordable ($139/night…we are paying more for a cabin in Big Bear this summer per night).

We also took the children to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  Great aquarium and pretty amazing to see the sharks swim above you as you walk through the aquarium.

Stella and I hit Disney’ The Lion King show…absolutely amazing.  The opening Act alone was worth going back again to see.  It was Stella’s first show and she loved.  Sebby didn’t get to go as we thought he was too little to sit through the entire thing but in retrospect I think he might have.  Every time we passed the theater they both went wild with excitement and insist on reading the book every night now.

As for dining…there’s not a ton that is both Mom/Dad friendly and kid friendly.  We hit a few “burger” joints but the hit meal of trip was definitely brunch at Simon’s at the Palms.  Definitely a crowd pleaser from anyone aged 0-100 (our Dad’s really enjoyed)…Not only do they have amazing made to order selections and small but high quality buffet items but they had plenty of healthy options (beet root juice and green drink) and a candy bar…They also have an old school dessert plate (think homemade ho-hos, snowballs, rice krispy treats, caramel corn and cotton candy).

We actually drove this trip which ended up being pretty easy (5.5+ hrs) with no problems except early in the trip on the way out there Stella kept crying hysterically saying “there is a toy stuck in my nose…”  Some how we averted a trip to the hospital when I finally got her to “blow” the small ball out of her nose…She later asked when I told her never to put anything in her nose again if she could put something in her ear then…

Anyone who knows us knows that neither Justin nor I enjoy long car journey’s but we figure that if it’s going to take us about the same amount of time door to door to fly then we might as well drive now that we are party of 4!

We also recently broke down and bought a DVD player before our Christmas trip…it was well worth the purchase though I do have to admit Justin and I had a bit of a “smug” sense of pride that Stella was 3.5 and Sebby 1.5 before we actually bought the DVD player and we’ve made hundreds of trips (both car and plane) without one.  And even now, it only comes out on long (think over 2 hour) car drives or plane trips.

Here’s my thoughts (and some tips) on why you should postpone bringing out the DVD player on trips as long as possible.

1.  Once it’s out…it’s hard to put it away…

2.  Part of the road trip or plane adventure is taking in the scenery, learning to entertain yourself with simple things like reading or coloring or writing vs. being entertained.

3.  You can use it as a reward for good behavior…now I’m sure I might be getting into trouble here by saying that it should be used for a reward but it seems to work for us…

So, consider turning of the DVD player, kick old school and enjoy a road trip like you used to with Mom and Dad, radio sing-a-longs or games of “I Spy” or “Punch Buggie…”  You might just have some fun.

We have a few adventures planned for the summer so I hope to post more soon.

Until then…see for yourself how much Stella and Sebastian enjoyed Vegas….this was shot soon after we returned home.

Stella and Sebby Want to Go Back To Veags

Probably not…

Anyway, Justin is away drumming us up some more business partners this week and again next week.  I should be there too but the reality is we have two very small children and I love them and don’t want to leave them that long.   Not to mention, who would they stay with?  The problems with living in a town where you know no one (outside of business colleagues, a few parents I’ve met and our nanny) and have no family. You are alone in the parenting.

I have to say, parenting alone the past few days hasn’t been that hard.  I did complain this AM to my nanny (she’s come in today for her twice a week nanny gig for me to work) that my arm was hurting from carrying Sebby and Stella so much….that’s my only complaint?

In some ways things have been easier.  No fussy dinner to make (the children will eat just about anything as long as there is some meat and fruit).  No cleaning up after my “third child” (now that he’s gone “paleo” the grease clean-up from all his “healthy breakfasts” has become an overwhelming YUCK feast on the cleaning front).  No waking up in the middle of the night when the “third child” decides to come to bed after falling asleep on the couch…No coordination of plans.

But on the flip side there’s also no help with baths, no help with bedtime, no help with delivering Stella to school on time and picking her up.  No help with meals.  But more importantly I’m lonely.  No one to share a laugh with over something funny the kids did.  No one to strategize with on how to best discipline …does anyone really know?  That’s something Justin and I work on together as neither of us have it figured out…who does?   And no one to kiss goodnight and snuggle up with in the morning.  No one to fall back on if something goes wrong.

As Hillary Clinton made famous the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child,” I reflect, how do single parents raise a child?  It’s not easy.

I feel blessed to have a loving husband and caring father to help me on the road to raising our children.  What of those who do not have that spousal support on a daily basis?  What about those fathers or mothers who have to travel weekly for their jobs?  Is the parent left at home basically a single parent?  I’ve heard many a parent lament over this issue.

And I fear that my children don’t have a “village” to raise them.  We’ve moved to a new city, that we are enjoying as a family and as we grow our business, but we lack a village.  No family, no close friends.

I grew up with a huge “village” of close family and friends and I reflect fondly on my younger years.  I truly believe it formed who I am today in many of the good ways.  I had many teachers.  I learned different ways of doing things.  I received feedback (good and bad) regularly from different people who loved me.

While I complain a bit about being alone the next few days to raise our children I actual worry more about the village I don’t have.

My sister and her son are flying out next week to spend some time with me and the children while Justin is away.  My “fly-in” village.  Our parents come often for visits with the children.  Their weekend “village.”

Friends come for a day her or there for visits.  The children love it and in some ways it’s still part of “our village.”

We have hired a nanny who comes twice a week and is from a different culture (Hispanic) who provides “our village” with different ways of doing things.  She brings her daughters some times, fun “stand in cousins” for the children.

Stella has started pre-school at an elementary school with 24 other children and 3 teachers.  “Our village” is growing.

But at what point will I not feel alone in this parenting thing? When will “our village” be big enough to shoulder the enormous responsibility of raising a child?

In the midst of holiday travel planning and getting excited about our next adventure as a family.

I’m off to Vancouver next week on a solo mission to pass my Canadian Citizenship Test. My first 2 nights away from the family since we had Stella. Justin has some back-up day support but will be on his own at night…wish him luck!

I’m one of those mom’s who can’t leave their children for fear that something terrible will happen. Like they might wake up in the middle of the night crying (gasp) or what if they go hungry (have you seen our children eat)?

Or maybe I’ll miss some major event (Sebby is going to walk any day now, I’m sure of it…Note: he barely wobbles in a standing position…he ain’t walking any time soon…).

Not that I don’t leave them for the date night or to finally get back to my career and work a bit. It’s just the overnight thing. I want to be the last person to tuck them in at night. Give them a kiss. And the first to see them when they wake up. Is that so bad?

But I also know that I’m in desperate need of a few things for me:

1. A night of un-interrupted sleep.
2. A morning where I wake up when I want.
3. A night when I go to sleep when I want (most nights, it’s early because of #2)

….are you noticing a theme here…SLEEP!

4. Some alone time with a book by the pool without an “expiration date” or someone asking me to help them with 1 of about a million things.
5. And of course some serious QT with my hubby.

Next weekend we are finally going to get that time. We’ve just booked a night in Los Angeles for a work event and more importantly some adult time.

Justin’s Dad is coming down for a visit and he and his girlfriend are going to watch Stella and Sebby for us.

Of course I’ve got a laundry list of things to get organized to make sure things are easy for Grandad and Teresa while we are away.

But this trip it’s fun to actually get to plan what I’m going to wear. Where we are going to eat. What club we are going to hit. What book and magazines I’ll be bringing to the pool!

Not:
How many diapers should I bring;
Do we need both strollers?
What snacks, toys, books, etc. should I bring?
When should we plan to drive up so it coordinates with naps?
What will we do while we are there that children will like?
Call to book a crib for the hotel…
Yada, yada, yada…

Nope, none of that.

So easy!

The simplest “baby free” travel.

A word on my absence from writing…

Life has been pretty chaotic for us over the past 8-9 months. We moved 4 times…were homeless for a month (not bad “homeless” but just in between houses and spent time with family and friends), bought and furnished a condo in Vancouver, started a new business, moved to San Diego…the list goes on. But hopefully I’ll be back to writing more. We don’t have a lot of trips planned (staycation is in our vocabulary now…a bit tired of travel) but I have quite a few to catch up on.

There was quite a bit of organizing and planning involved for this trip as Stella is staying behind (Grandad, Justin’s Dad, is here and taking her to Sea World and Disneyland) and we are just taking Sebby.

A little QT with Sebby (something he hasn’t really had being “the second born”) and also some time for Stella to enjoy her Grandad and his girlfriend Teresa. And of course a little break for Justin and I. Our old and dear nanny, Ciska, is going to babysit a bit for us as well. We are looking forward to seeing her.

Tomorrow night we are going to the Swiss House (most of the big countries represented at the Olympics have a “house”). Saturday we are going to just enjoy the Olympic venues downtown or in Richmond. Sunday we are going to a venue downtown to watch the USA vs. Canada game. Should be a good time. No events on the agenda for now…tickets are crazy expensive or not so exciting (curling anyone…).

But who knows!

Will miss my little girl dearly but should be a great weekend. It will be our first time away from her.

It’s weird to be traveling again with just one baby and it seems so simple since he’s still breastfeeding and doesn’t really need any toys. We aren’t even checking bags…

Vancouver here we come!

Yes, life has been one big adventure since we sold and moved out of our house at the end of October.

In a time that I’ve had so much that I could have blogged about in regards to travel with a baby/children, I’ve had no time or to be honest…creative inspiration to write.

Since October 30th we have:

Moved out of our townhouse in Vancouver

Lived for a little less than a week at Justin’s Dad’s house while we were in “transition” before our trip back East

A night at my friend Katina’s house in Ashburn, VA

9 nights in State College, PA (at Justin’s alma mater, Penn State) so Justin could do some networking for a new business idea, met with our PSU intern and of course attended 2 football games and visited with friends. (Stella became “officially” potty trained here).

Back to Ashburn, VA for a night at Katina’s again to break up the drive/journey to my Dad’s and help her celebrate her B-Day and visit with some friends.

Then it was to my Dad’s in Salem, VA for American Thanksgiving a lot of quality time with my family (2 weeks). Stella transitioned to a “big girl bed” and Sebby started eating solids during these 2 weeks…

Back to Vancouver on Dec. 2 – 2 nights in a hotel before we moved into our new investment condo downtown…

We spent all of December in the new condo in downtown Vancouver getting it ready to rent out furnished. We loved living downtown but a 2 bedroom didn’t really suit a family of 4! But all the hardwork paid off and we already have an Olympic rental through March 4…

So here we are on our newest adventure, driving to San Diego where we are going to live for the next year or so.

We left Vancouver on December 31st to a tearful Grandad and Teresa and I have to say I was pretty sad myself.

We spent a quiet New Year’s Eve as a family in a hotel in Seattle (we saw the ball drop on the East Coast but were asleep before 10 pm…).

New Years Day was football all day with our friends Kate and Ash and then off to Oregon today…

We’ll be in San Diego by Jan. 5 when we move into our house on the beach. We are all getting really excited for some sun and stability…

I have a lot to say on travel (planes, trains and automobiles) but it’s late and my mommy duties call.

I will address all those questions about strollers, etc. just give me some time!

We are off to Sacramento tomorrow to have dinner with our friend Randy who is a Doctor there.

So life on the road with two is definitely more juggling and lugging.

But we continue to enjoy the thrill of the adventure!

Adjusting to the time change and different beds/houses/hotels was a little more difficult for Stella than it had been in the past.  Partly I’m sure due to the major life change/upheaval of selling our house and moving out and partly because we had a few days of a change in routine.  Now that she is two routine seems to be the most important component to having a happy child and of course as we have seen in the past, sleep is key – both of which, the first few days of our trip lacked.

We spent the first two nights at my good friend Katina’s new house in Ashburn.  Stella got to play with her daughter Bailey and her TONs of toys, Stella keeps asking to go back to Bailey’s house.  We then headed up to Penn State for a weekend of football and catching up with some old friends.  Unfortunately Penn State lost their football game but it was still a nice weekend.

Now that things have settled down a bit and we have begun to relax here in State College for the week we all seem a bit happier. It’s the first time since August I think that I’ve “slowed down.”

We’ve had time to enjoy each other as a family and take a little time for ourselves. Stella seems to be conquering potty training this week (could it be we have more time to focus on it?) and we are all catching up on our sleep.

I always say travel helps you stop and think and just enjoy the now. I continue to be reminded of this every time we go on an adventure.

I do have to admit though in the midst of another terrible two tantrum with Stella that I had doubts about what we are doing. Part of me worries that are we doing something wrong not having a “home” and just living a normal day to day life right now for our children. But given our personalities (mine and Justin’s that is), that would just be boring. So we must take a little of the bad with all the good. And hope that all this exposure to different sites, smells, cultures, accents, experiences, etc. will only build smarter and more adaptable children.

Speaking of exposure…as you could imagine all this H1N1 stuff has me a bit worried with travel. We chose NOT to be vaccinated. Justin and I never get the flu shot and felt that perhaps all this is being blown out of proportion with the media. Only time will tell. I continue to be diligent with everyone (including Justin) about washing our hands and have now purchased liquid sanitizer, antibacterial hand wipes and Clorox wipes to wipe everything down (strollers, toys, tables, chairs, ourselves…) periodically. I’m sure we will get a cold or something by the end of this month but right now we are focusing on staying healthy: eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, exercising and washing our hands.

We are here at Penn State through next weekend for another Nittany Lion game day. Hopefully they will have a victory next weekend. On Sunday we are back to DC to visit with some friends and then head to my Dad’s on Monday for 2 weeks and to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of my extended family and catching up with some friends.

I desperately try to pack light whenever we travel and try to only take what I think we will actually wear.  Which is usually still too much!  I often bring an outfit or 2 for myself and the children that I think we will wear if we have something nice to do, etc.  And we never wear the clothes.  Especially for the children it’s hard as they are blessed and have a very nice wardrobe of clothing that I feel is a shame not to bring along…

It doesn’t help that while Fall is my absolutely favorite time in VA and PA it is often the time of year you don’t know what to pack in regards to clothes…will it be warm (I’ve worn flip flops for Thanksgiving before) or will it be freezing (I’ve been so cold at Thanksgiving I couldn’t get warm even after a hot shower).  So we are bringing a bit of everything…

With airlines cracking down on baggage and even charging you for 1 checked bag it has become even more important to pack lightly…our “reward points” trip this time is going to end up costing us close to $325+ for the 4 of us to fly back East…mind you we redeemed 75,000 points for these seats too. Here’s how the $325 adds up…

$200+ for taxes/fees

$125 for checked baggage

Air Canada (our outward bound check-in desk) allows you to check one bag per passenger free as well as one car seat or stroller each (not including any you take on the plane with you).  So on the way out we’ll be fine.  We have 3 tickets (Stella being 2 she gets her own seat, but Sebby at 5 mos. will still be in my lap).  So we get 3 checked bags for free plus we can check 2 car seats for free.  We’ll be gate checking the double stroller and bringing 2 carry-on bags (backpack for Justin and a very large hand bag for me).

On the way back we check-in at United (Air Canada and United have merged).  However, United charges $25 for every item you check…That’s $125–3 bags plus 2 car seats X $25.

It’s not cheap flying a family of 4 anymore and we are pretty minimalist…

We contemplated not taking the car seats but since we’ll be gone for so long and driving a lot we figured the comfort and familiarity of the car seats would be better (not to mention “safer” though I challenge that assumption that a lot of parents make thinking rental car car seats are crap…if you use a reputable/international company you are going to get a decent car seat).  And from a purely financial point of view…car seat rental is $15/day to a max of $45 (for most car rental companies) – so that’s 2 X $45 which is $90 vs. $50 to bring them with us…Not a huge savings but it all starts adding up over time.

We’ve packed minimal toiletries (we can buy them once we arrive) and just enough wipes and diapers to get us there.   If we weren’t going for so long I wouldn’t have packed so many toys.  One small bag checked and a few for the plane.

So a bit of laundry to finish and several loads of things to take to our office for storing until we get back and we’ll be all packed.  Justin still has his clothes to do but it’s mostly done.  I hate leaving it all to the last minute (unlike my husband) as I like a good night’s sleep the night before and I HATE rushing around the morning of the flight.

So we are off at 8AM tomorrow.  Looking forward to seeing all our friends and family back East.

Last week we moved into Justin’s Dad’s place after moving out of our home.  I cried like a baby when we said goodbye to our house.  It was our first “family home” and we were all sad to say goodbye.  Stella still can’t quite grasp the concept that it’s gone as last night she had an accident in her bed here at Grandad’s and said “Mommy, we need to go home.”  Ofcourse I’m all mommy guilting myself into worrying that “oh no, my children aren’t going to have a home for awhile.”  But as everyone has reminded me, it’s not the house that makes the home but the people who are in it.

It’s funny, now that we are homeless and the chaos of the move has died down I feel amazingly relaxed.  The most relaxed I’ve felt in awhile.  Home ownership is a wonderful thing but the freedom of just having the bare essentials and no worries and stresses of a home is somewhat liberating.

So I’m sure there are some of you wondering why the heck are we homeless?  What are you doing?  Where will you go?  What will you do?

Well, we sold our house because it really wasn’t going to work for us long term with 2 small children and we believe the market here in Vancouver can not handle much more of an increase in value.  Unlike the US, Vancouver real estate has stayed really strong.  So strong that we can’t really see ourselves investing in our next long term home here until prices stabilize.  We did very well on our home in Vancouver and have decided to sit on the sidelines of Vancouver real estate for awhile and possibly “play in the US real estate market” in San Diego.

A lot of people have asked what are your plans?  I have hesitated to even try to explain the next few months as it exahausts me just retelling our plans but here you go for all those who are curious…

On Wednesday we leave for a flight to Washington, DC where we will spend 2 nights visiting with some of my college friends.  Then we are off for 10 days in State College, PA, to Justin’s alma mater, Penn State.  As anyone who knows Justin knows he is a die hard Penn State fan so our stay at PSU is going to allow him to go to 2 big games and also pursue a business idea around Penn State football.  I am so very excited for him and feel that all his hard work over the years starting and running businesses is really going to pay off and he is going to be doing something he loves.  So stay tuned.  My husband is surely going to rock it out at PSU!

Then we will be heading back thru DC for another quick hello to some friends enroute to my Dad’s house in Salem.  I haven’t seen my brother and his wife and my 4 nephews in a year.  I can’t believe it.  It saddens me to think how much I’ve missed seeing them grow-up but excited to be able to spend 2 weeks with them.

We will be heading back to Vancouver on Dec. 1st to close on our investment condo here in Vancouver and spend 2-3 weeks furnishing it to rent it out.  Then we’ll be heading down the West coast to LA for Christmas and then on to San Diego for 4 months to 2 years…  We’ve rented a beach house in Encinitas (north of San Diego) for 4 months to give it a try down there and see if we like it.  We may buy a house there and stay a few years but ultimately plan to come back to Vancouver for the children to go to school here.

So that’s the plan in a nutshell…or rather a tortoise shell..far too big of plans to fit into a nutshell!

Now off to pack our bags.  Given all the airline restrictions and charges for everything we are trying to pack light…no easy task for a month long trip with 2 small children.  But I’ll be doing my best to pair down to the essentials.

We are taking our car seats again as it wasn’t that big of a deal on our trip to San Diego, though we will have to pay $25/car seat on the way back as United charges.  Flying out on Air Canada and they allow you 1 piece of luggage PLUS free check of a car seat or stroller per person.

It was the house Justin and I started a family in.  I labored with both Stella and Sebby here and brought them both home here.  We launched and ran a new business here.  We’ve hosted Christmas and numerous other parties and celebrations.  And enjoyed many a night on our roof deck soaking in the views and fresh air.  It’s been a great house.

If only we could have added one more bedroom on the 3rd floor it would have been a house to stay in for  a while.

But it’s time to move on.  And move on we will.  We are going on another “adventure.”

The itinerary is too long to really explain here but I can assure you that I’ll have a lot to blog about over the next 6 months or so. And this time it will be with a new baby and toddler…we are going to have our hands full to say the least.