It’s been 5 long days of non-stop information overload and learning at the Dan Kennedy Information Summit.  A room full of 900+ information marketers.  We learned a ton but now to really try to find the time to do something with it.

I continue to struggle to be a good mom, wife and entrepreneur… times like these (that is, incredible learning and networking opportunities) I realize how hard it really is to balance it all and do them all well.

Thankfully, my ever social husband, handled all of the networking for us.  Being pregnant did not really allow me much energy for socializing after the events ended each night around 8/9 pm.  And, Stella needed a little mommy time (and mommy needed a little Stella time) each night.

Granddad and Stella

We were blessed to have Justin’s Dad here to help us out.  His girlfriend Teresa also came for a few days and helped spoil Stella rotten.  They made her fresh hand squeezed orange juice each day…need I say more.

I have been to St. Louis several times when I worked for Senator Bond from Missouri but this time I actually got to see the Arch, it was beautiful and we were lucky to have gorgeous and warm weather the day we checked it out.  The downtown area continues to be a ghost town which is quite sad considering that it seems to hold a lot of potential.

The St. Louis Arch

The travel is beginning to wear on us a bit but we were lucky and had a suite for the week here in St. Louis – which is one of my baby travel tips I’ll share with all you families out there.  When you check into your hotel, ALWAYS ask if they have a bigger room.  Quite often you will get a free upgrade.  We actually didn’t even ask in England and got a bigger room as they said we’d be more comfortable with the crib if we had a bigger room.  It never hurts to ask.

If I’ve learned one thing while traveling, overall, you get a lot of free upgrades, pass the line, etc. when you have a baby.  It’s a nice perk given how exhausting travel can be sometimes, especially with children.

Another tip is during cold weather months, is to be sure to bring a large carry-on bag to put all your coats in.  On our flight over from England, the bag I had only had room enough for Justin’s light coat and Stella’s so I just put mine in the overhead.  Well, 8 hours later and exhausted, I left mine on the plane…never to be seen again.  And it was new…nothing special but a bit chilly without it.  I’d actually recommend tucking a lightweight collapsible bag inside of your carry on that you can pull out after you get through security, etc. to store all the coats.

We are off to Pittsburgh in the morning to visit Seth and Jen Holst and their 2 little boys as well as Chris and Stacy Dee and their 2 boys.  We haven’t seen them in ages and we are looking forward to our visit!

Stella and Mommy Having Some Fun

Clearly, Mommy must prepare for her little bird to take flight sooner than she had expected!

Train to London

Last weekend we went into London to visit with some friends, do some shopping and eat some yummy meals. We met up with Emma, Simon and Tiffin on Saturday at “Inn the Park” and had a nice long leisurely lunch in the park. Emma and Simon live in London and Tiffin was in town on his way home from work travel. They are friends from Vancouver and went to high school with Brandon (Justin’s brother).

Stella took some breaks and walked around the park carrying her new Louis Vuitton purse and was quite a hit. It’s her favorite thing to do, that is, walk around and carry her purse. And by the way, no, I’m not crazy, I did not buy her a real Louis Vuitton…she got a really nice fake while we were in Greece.

Lunch with Tiffin, Emma and Simon

Dinner at Aaya - yes, it was "HIP" and Stella loved it

Saturday Justin, Stella and I went to a very stylish and hip Japanese restaurant, “Aaya,” and all ate well. Stella even gobbled up her favorites: edamame, barbeque ribs and yam tempura. It was a great evening even with a small baby at a non-kid friendly restaurant. We had contemplated a babysitter but after finding out the prices (nearly $200 for 4 hours) we decided to risk it and take her with us. She was fantastic and it was an enjoyable meal. Don’t miss the lobster salad if you ever go! Yum.

After a very un-restful Saturday night…we were staying at the Le Meridian, Piccadilly, great location but incredibly loud and “wild” on the streets (and of course Justin had to stay up to watch the Penn State game and woke Stella and I up several times)…we were off for yet more great food at the very famous and old “Wolsley’s” for breakfast and then a bit of shopping at Selfridges and Zara (there was a line-up at noon to get in the door at Zara).

Tip: If you are in need of a stroller repair and are in a big city, hit some of the high end department stores. Selfridges had a bike shop and we think they “finally” fixed our tire issues on the Mountain Buggy.

We capped off the trip with an early dinner at a dim sum and tea house. We had some great dim sum and the place was just beautiful to look at.

Clearly the food was the draw for us to London and since we hadn’t had much Asian food in awhile we were all about getting our fill. (We eat Asian food at least 2-4 times per week in Vancouver so we were definitely missing it).

A few tips for traveling with a baby in a big city: As I’ve said before don’t over plan and wear very comfortable shoes. We failed on both regards. We had big plans to do a ton of stuff while we were in London but we only ended up doing about ¼ of the things we had planned. We both wore shoes that killed our feet and we even ended up buying Justin a new pair.

Plan for at least one nap in the hotel for your baby if they are still taking 2 a day. Stella only got 2 full naps the two days we were in London and both were in her stroller. It did not make for a very happy baby for much of the time we were gone but we still made the most of it.

Take cabs. While we tried to use the tube to be more environmental and save money (at the end of the day it was NOT much of a cost savings anyway) it was so much work with a stroller. There were few lifts/elevators and carrying bags and the stroller up stairs is not ideal, especially after being tired after walking and sightseeing, shopping, etc. all day. We finally just gave up and walked to most places and then cabbed back.

Be prepared for crowds. While we had just visited Munich and we live in Vancouver (both reasonably sized cities) I had forgot how crowded the streets are in London. I guess you also pay more attention to it as well when you are navigating with a stroller. Have patience and breathe…

We have a lot going on with our business right now but hope that the end of the week will bring some success and relief from a bit of stress.

The weather in England has actually been very nice and we’ve been enjoying walks along the Thames and exploring a bit. Stella still loves her daily trip to the park.

]]> http://simplebabytravel.com/good-food-and-good-company%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0 http://simplebabytravel.com/goat/ http://simplebabytravel.com/goat/#comments Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:37:32 +0000 Dreama Lee http://simplebabytravel.com/?p=193 Well, this trip has given us the old Muhammed Ali “one-two punch,” but we can now say that it has been the “Greatest Of All Times.”***

If you do anything, you must watch this video…you have to see it to believe it!

Goats Invade Our Villa

To give you a preview…there are goats everywhere here in Rhodes.  On the streets, in people’s yards and I even saw one hanging from a cliff munching on a small bush.  Well we’d seen quite a few in our neighbors yards in the early mornings chewing on grass and drinking the pool water.  We had made a point of keeping our gate closed to keep them out…

Well we finally got the gate remote control and had started parking our car in the driveway.  On Sat. night we went out to dinner and couldn’t get the gate to close.  I said, “it will be fine, the goats only come out in the AM…”  Well, to our shock, when we arrived home, parked the car in the driveway and finally shut the gate, there was a HUGE herd of goats (and later we realized, sheep) in our yard…  I’m talking a lot of GOATS.

So Justin and Brandon (Justin’s brother who was here visiting) opened the gate and herded them out.  You must see it to believe it.

Uncle Brandon and Stella

We have actually enjoyed the last few days.  We have just been relaxing and doing the things we came here to do (hitting the beach, eating a lot of seafood and hanging out by the pool).

Enjoying the Beach

Dinner at our Favorite Restaurant, Dionysus

Uncle Brandon arrived on Saturday and we went out for some nice meals and just relaxed.

When he left we hit the Old Town of Rhodes again and it was really nice to see the area at dusk.

Things seem to be quieting down and we are settling into a groove.  And the problems have subsided (if you don’t count the goats)!

My neighbor and good friend Richenda reminded me that when traveling it’s best not to have too many expectations.  While I know this, it was a very timely reminder.  I think often when we go away (especially for an extended trip with so much excitement and anticipation) and if things don’t end up as we had hoped it overshadows the entire purpose of the trip…to have an enlightening experience and to live something different.

So on to sunnier and laid back days.

I’ll leave you with a “cheers” as it is now Stella’s favorite thing to do.  We had been teaching her to do this since the beginning of the trip and now she wants to do it at every meal, the entire meal.

CHEERS!

Baby tip:  you’ll see in the picture Stella’s “Klean Kanteen.”  I have brought along 2 sippy cups, both “canteens” which have been great for keeping her water cool in the heat here (as long as you keep them out of the sun).  And they are plastic-free so no BPA worries.

***Thanks to my brother-in-law, BLee…always a catchy phrase when you need one!

Well, we’ve tried but the lemons keep being too tart (or rotten), the sugar is infested with ants or the water is tainted.

The truth is, it’s been a rough road since we landed in England.

Justin and I finally had a moment of truth and confessed that this just hasn’t been the trip we had planned.

I could give you a run down of all the hurdles and issues we’ve had in the past month but you would not believe it.  We are pretty certain most people would have given up at this point.

And we can’t say we haven’t tried really hard to make the most of it.  Each day we wake up and think, “oh, this is going to be a better day,” but something inevitably happens…yesterday it was our kitchen sink overflowing, raw sewage in the backyard (we apparently aren’t supposed to put toilet paper in the toilet – or any toilet on the island for that matter…no one told us) and a hour drive to the airport to find out Justin’s brother (Brandon) missed his flight…it was an hour back at 11 PM as well.

We’ve also been trying to stay on top of work.  Using a dial-up connection and cell phones that don’t always work have made this rather difficult.  And also means we are working way more than we had planned.   Just more frustration that we don’t have any control over.

So this morning we decided let’s just try even harder to make the most of it.  We’ve put some limitations on ourselves with the email/interenet (only when Stella is asleep and we are also going to have one of us go to an Internet Cafe a few days a week to be more productive).  Visits to the beach are mandatory at least every other day (if you can believe it, we haven’t even spent more than 20 mins. on a beach yet…I had planned to go every day but with all the headaches we’ve had and running around it’s just not happened).  And not so concerned with trying to have meals in.  Stella has done really well going out for dinner and lunches (even a 9:30/10 pm dinner) that we can now pretty much go out anywhere and anytime (within reason).  It helps that she is on a later schedule and takes massive naps and that in Greece it is perfectly acceptable for your child to crawl all around the restaurant and half of the diners to pick her up and play with her.  (VERY CHILD FRIENDLY here)!

We went for a great long late lunch on the beach today and spent some time at the beach playing in the sea and sand (Stella the little prima dona did not like the sand at all and squealed everytime it got on her and refused to put her feet down…).

And I’ve tried running in the afternoons which has been great.  A little break for me away from it all and some great scenery.  I guess I’m getting used to the heat finally.

On a lighter note…we thought we’d give it a try at potty training Stella while we were here.  She seems to “get it” if she has her swimmer on that she has to go the bathroom now so we’ve been leaving her in that to get her used to knowing when she has to go.  Today we took her swimmer off for a bit and let her run around…well, actually, we did this twice…and both times we had quite a mess to clean up!  Not sure how much more we will try this tactic but she seems to be catching on a bit.

So on to happier days.  We have 3 1/2 weeks left here and we fully intend to enjoy them.

Enjoying the Pool in the Boat!

Baby Tips:

Bring something to the beach that keeps the sand off of baby for her/him to play in (we’ll be taking Stella’s inflatable boat next time).

Bring plenty of liquids (water!) to the beach for baby to drink.

Don’t forget to reapply sunblock and stay in the shade or under an umbrella as the suns rays are very hot and you’ll still get sun from the reflection of the water.

If you’ve been reading you know that we’ve had a lot of issues and road blocks along the way. I can’t say that arriving in Greece has been much easier. Not to dwell on the negative here but I’ll just say that if something could go wrong, it has.

The good news is our replacement villa is brand new. The bad news is that the villa is brand new. If you’ve ever bought a new house you know that it takes nearly six months to work out the “kinks…” We are only the second group of people to stay here so we are working with the management company to fix all the issues. They are trying their hardest but it is an island mentality here and a country in Europe where they still take siestas and consider them almost sacred.

The owners (the Sleepers) of our previous villa actually met us when we arrived and brought over loads of food and drinks for us. They really helped us settle in and were very apologetic about what had happened. If you are ever going to Rhodes I’d recommend the Sleeper’s villa.

On the positive side, I’ve been checking email poolside and we’ve had some nice meals out and been exploring the island of Rhodes quite a bit. I’ve also caught up on a lot of sleep which has been really nice. Justin and I finally seem like we are almost in our “travel groove.” For anyone who has “traveled” for a few months to a year you can relate. It takes nearly a month to actually shed the mental baggage of home and actually figure out what your groove is. I think we are almost there which is really nice.

Some highlights so far are:

1. Our first night out in the town of Pefkos we stumbled upon a bar that actually had a playground…Stella was thrilled and we were able to have a nice cold beer while she played. Note that this was at 11:00 PM…Stella has adjusted to Greek nightlife very well! (She takes some serious naps now that we’ve been here due to a combination of the heat and much playing and activity – and is also able to stay up quite late).

2. Exploring the village of Lindos. It’s a beautiful old Hellenic village that is traditionally whitewashed and tucked into the hillside with winding streets. We plan to explore the Acropolis there this week as Nana (Justin’s Mom) arrived today and she wants to check it out.

3. Attending a wine festival in Lardos. Very quaint town that we’ve actually been to three times. Our favorite town so far and quite Greek. We already know quite a few of the locals there already which is nice.

4. Rhodes Old Town. We only got to explore for a bit today on our way to the airport but it looks amazing. We plan to go back a few times to the walled city when we pick up or drop off family at the airport.

5. Our pool at the villa. We love just hanging out there and playing with Stella in her little boat. She loves the water and now crawls along the edge faster than I can swim to keep up.

Some lessons I’ve learned along the way traveling with baby…

I’m still not organized enough. I thought I was a very organized person and had everything sorted but it seems we keep losing things or realizing we should have brought something.

Things we wish we had brought:

Backpack carrier: We never bought a back-pack carrier thinking we’d get one in Europe… no luck finding one so all we have is my one small sling. This would be fine but with some of the sightseeing we want to do it really is making things difficult.

Mountain buggy tire pump: See problems below.

Aqua socks: While the Mediterranean is my most favorite place to swim most of the beaches are rocky. It’s really hard to get out into the water on your own without having aqua socks but to also carry Stella is almost dangerous.

Extra baby sunblock: Thanks to Nanna, we have a big supply now.

Beer huggies: I know, pathetic, but do you know how hot your beer gets here before you even get a sip…

Things we really didn’t need:

Baby clothes: We have way too many. For the most part Stella is in her swimmer or running around in her “birthday suit.”

Disposable Swimmers: I only brought a handful but realize they are completely unnecessary. The cloth swimmers you can buy are great for the pull and reusable and when she’s at the beach it just seems silly to even bother with one.

Half the clothes we brought for ourselves: We really didn’t bring a lot but I’m realizing we aren’t even going to wear half of them. But this is usually the case anyway.

Workout clothes: It is entirely too hot to actually think about running. But I do hope to get a run in here or there in September if it cools down a bit.

Unforeseen Problems:

Mountain Buggy…still my favorite stroller and glad to have the all terrain tires and shocks but it has been an utter nightmare dealing with the tires. So far this trip I’ve had to change out 4 inner-tubes…We have now realized the heat here is making the tube expand and bust inside the wheel…We think the solution is to not leave it outside or in the car when we aren’t using it and to deflate the tires a bit so they have room to expand. If anyone has any suggestions PLEASE pass them along. This has become the biggest pain of our trip in many ways.

Losing things…I never lost anything in my life really until I had a baby. Now add to the mix traveling thru 4 countries in less than 4 weeks and you can imagine how hard it is to stay organized. I’ve now started putting things into bags and organized for different outings and Justin and I have now designated each other in charge of keeping up with different things (he’s got the camera, I’ve got the passports…).

Translating detergent, cleaning supplies and washing machine instructions (just to name a few) into English. This is the first time I’ve actually “lived” in another country where I don’t speak the language. I didn’t even think about the little things of “living” in a different country that we’d have to deal with and figure out. It’s definitely been fun and all a part of the adventure.

A final word on traveling. Justin and I love to travel. We’ve learned how to meld our tastes, desires and interests into a mutually enjoyable adventure. I love traveling with Justin. It’s honestly our most favorite thing in the world to do. I think that experiencing life on the road with your partner – especially a long-term trip- has to be the biggest test of your relationship. We’ve always come out stronger and happier.

However, this trip is different. We are now a family with little Stella. It’s funny how your priorities change. Last night it wasn’t trying to find the best restaurant and club to go to but rather picking out the best balloon to buy Stella at the wine festival…

I know that Justin and I both have amazing memories of trips the two of us took on our own and sometimes look back longingly for those days (especially as we passed all the hip bars in Lindos tonight), but watching Stella take in all the new sites and experiences I get so overwhelmed with happiness that we are doing this together as a family.

If anyone is contemplating a long trip with your child or future child/children, I highly recommend it. It takes a lot of patience, planning and flexibility – and I mean a lot – but you will be richly rewarded.

Stella Having Her First English Sunday Roast, Two Brewers

It’s amazing what a little bit of sleep will do for everyone.

Stella had her own room last night and slept nearly 11 hours…down at 7:30′ish (her normal time) and up at 6:30′ish (her normal time). We all couldn’t be happier.

For parents sleep is like when you are a teenager and you are waiting for the phone to ring and can’t wait to gossip with your friends. Or when you are in your twenties and you are looking for the next big party and getting VIP access…Sleep is everything when you have a child.

Justin and I got over 8 hours  of sleep last night.

Today we had a Sunday roast at the oldest pub in Marlow, the Two Brewers. It was nice but I forgot how bland the English diet really is.  As my Dad reminded me tonight . . . meat and potatoes!  And a few steamed veg thrown in for good measure.

Stella is finally over jet lag and enjoying herself.  I think the big issue was sharing a room with us.

Having a Pint on a Lazy Sunday Afternoon

We even took her to a pub this afternoon as it was a dreary wet English Sunday (not what we had planned).  She was quite good considering.

And now to the title of this post “Mayor of Marlow.”

Stella sits at the back door of Angela’s flat which backs the Thames.  She must say hello to everyone who passes by.  Quite sweet and people have even stopped to take a picture of her.

She also “pants” at every dog that trots by (sign language for “dog”).  She also points out all the planes that pass overhead from Heathrow as her PawPaw taught her all about planes in Atlanta.

The Mayor of Marlow says Hello to Everyone along the Thames

The Mayor of Marlow

Tomorrow it’s back to business as usual as Justin and I must catch up on some work.

It has been a real treat to spend the past 6 days in Atlanta.  For anyone in need of “hug therapy” I highly recommend you visit Atlanta.  I’ve gotten more hugs in the past 6 days than I can even count.  Nicest people I’ve met in a long time.

Which brings me to my great review of Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel Atlanta

The people there couldn’t have been nicer.  From “Ernest the Engineer” who spent nearly a half hour fixing my Mountain Buggy tire, to Sally the very nice lady who brought us room service twice and loved Stella.  And ofcourse there were the very friendly waiters and breakfast server in the Club Level lounge.

Ernest the Engineer Deserves a Raise

As well as the shuttle driver from Peru who drove me to the grocery store, waited on me to get the few things I needed and then drove me back.  All around the nicest hotel staff I’ve encountered in a very long time.  For more details on the Sheraton Gateway Airport Hotel see my Hotel Reviews.

My Dad left yesterday in a “tearsy” goodbye.  It’s always hard to say goodbye.  We will miss him but we’ll see him soon in Greece!

Saying Goodbye after a Nice Weekend

Atlanta airport redeemed itself today.  The terminal we flew out of had a really nice little sunlit area and we had a quick bit at Atlanta Bread.  I recommend it as it is quite good.  It was also amazing to see how many military go thru that airport.  Having been out of the US for nearly 3 years now it was a reminder that the US is at war.  Those men and women deserve a lot of respect.  I overheard a few of them leaving our airport say”take a good look at the green grass as you won’t be seeing any for quite a long time.”  While we were standing in the airport a group came thru and there was a huge loud standing ovation for them.  Quite moving.

Chad, Kathy, Addy and the Lee's at Tony Lukes

We flew into Philadelphia for a long lay over so we met up with Chad, Kathy and their sweet new baby Addy.  It was really nice to see them and we all got a fantastic pork sandwich from Tony Lukes.  Justin and I were looking forward to it for weeks (along with a Yeungling Lager) as we can’t get either in Vancouver.

We were lucky to have a very nice cab driver from Morocco who gave us some good ideas for a trip to Morrocco.

Our Friendly Cab Driver in Philly

The Philly airport is quite nice.  I have to say though we did decide to splurge and fly first class this leg so we spent the rest of our long layover in the Star Alliance/Envoy lounge which is fantastic.  Stella is sound asleep right now in the work area.  She was quite a tired girl (as you can see in the picture above).

We are off to England shortly and it will be nice to be back in the UK for a bit.  I always enjoy my time there.

Some tips for flying:

All in One Wallet: Holds passports and plane tickets

1.  All in one wallet:  I finally broke down and bought one of the all in one travel wallets.  It has been great and for “family” travel and all the documents you have to carry it’s worth it.   I must admit though that I almost lost it today…I decided to get a black one which blends right into my stroller bottom…

2.  Muslin blanket:  I got the blanket for a trip to Florida last year but it has been invaluable for flying as it’s light weight and doesn’t get Stella too hot; I can use it to cover up while breast feeding and it’s also great to drape over her stroller to keep sound/noise out.  Tonight I’m using it for the first time to see if I can drape it over her bassinet that will be attached to the wall for the international flight.

3.  Toys:  I try not to bring too many but have found ones that have rings attached or can have rings attached to them are best as you can easily attach them to the stroller, your purse or bag (sorry folks, I’m ant-diaper bag but if you must, you can attach them to your diaper bag too), and the best part is you can hang them on the back of the seat pocket so they are at easy access.  Some people have recommended buying new toys for a flight but as a minimalist I think this is unnecessary.  If your child is like Stella, just hide a few toys for a few days and she’ll think they are new…but more importantly, she doesn’t usually even want to play with them…she’d rather play with an empty cup or bottle…and I’d guess so will your child!

Ringed Toys for easy access

4.  Small bags for dirty diapers (note:  take these to the bathroom to dispose of, the stewardess doesn’t want to have to throw them away for you)

5.  Snacks.  Depending on how old your baby is you can decide what’s best.  I also like bringing along some old plastic breast milk storage containers as they have screw tops and don’t come open like other tupperware.  I can store fruit in there without it getting squashed.  I find ziplock bags are fine but they often get holes in them and a mess in your bag.

6.  Changing pad, diapers, wipes (PLENTY OF THEM):  I personally don’t bother with a big changing pad but instead carry a cloth diaper.  However, my friend Kim swears by this all in one gadget http://www.patemm.com/ She’s used it on 12 trips alone with her little Mason who turns 1 soon!  I may look into it as it looks like a great find.

Enough for tonight.

Off to relax a bit before our flight.