Backpack to Buggy

Family visits at Christmas: UPDATE – Illness, Playtime, Restaurants & Snacks and Packing

January 5th, 2009 · Destinations, Tips & Tricks

Ok, my series was cut off quickly huh? Planning intentions were thrown out the window when Mirielle got sick the week before we left. I am thankful the worst of her cold was the week before rather than during, but I was left with little time to work on the Christmas trip. In fact, I was going by the seat of my pants most of the time (or more actually on the screen of my new iPhone which I am glad I bought.)

This is what parenting, and traveling with kids is all about.

A very sick Mirielle with Santa.

Playtime

While I hoped to map out toddler-friendly stops along our drive, it didn’t happen. Thankfully, rest stops are busy during the holidays and lots of people is entertaining to a two year old. We extended our usual stops so Mirielle could walk around while holding a hand.

During our trip, we planned to meet up with other parents for a playgroup where parents could catch up. As I am “cold wus,” I wanted an indoor location. With all the museums in Washington, DC there was not a children’s museum (opening 2012) nor little kid play areas in the child-friendly museums. My backup was finding an interesting yet quiet room in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, but we ended up in the playroom of my friend’s house which worked out fine.

In looking for playgroup locations, I discovered the Chesapeake Children’s Museum near our hotel in Annapolis. This ended up being a wonderful stop when we had a couple of hours to kill. Look for more details soon.

Playing at the Chesapeake Children's Museum.

I did zero research on what to do in Manhattan with a two year old and a cold-wus mom, but figured I could fall back on the MOMA or Met. It turned out OK, as the excitement of the city – people, lights, horses and escalators are plenty for a toddler.

Restaurants & Snacks

The snack front was successful. A visit to our farmer’s market, cleaning out our snack stashes and grabbing shelf stable milk from our earthquake kit, prevented hunger without the canceled trip to Trader Joe’s. Our snack bag included – the rest of the clementines & bananas from our fruit bowl, almonds, sun dried tomatoes, peanut butter crackers (quickly became breadcrumbs), crackers, milk boxes and two bolanis. We picked up fresh milk, juice boxes, more bananas, apples (a fruit California has not figured out) and yogurt on the road.

Clemintines make a great ball as well as snack.

I picked one dinner location for our post-playgroup, but I relied on other people for everything else. The playgroup dinner location ended up being a big win. We went to Lebanese Taverna near the National Zoo in Washington, DC. I picked it because it was near a metro and the zoo, and Lebanese food is kid friendly. Bonuses we discovered were validated parking, a great wine list, delicious food, and understanding staff and clientele as our three kids plus one infant made their presence known.

Packing

Ha!! I suck at packing. The planner in me loves it, but the rest of me hates it. I am a chronic over-packer and spend the last hour before leaving running ragged. My official, public New Year’s resolution is to try and pack less!! I have done it before as a solo traveler, and now I have to try for two (or three or four depending on how much my husband forgets and if our dog joins us.)

With that caveat, a couple of things worked well. I intended to pack a small bag I could pull out for the first few nights when we were staying with family. I brought the small duffel and it ended up as a carry-on for Mirielle stuff. The one-bag concept finally worked on our third night. I also brought a bag with our gifts to give. Many suggest mailing gifts ahead, but gifts given were replaced with gifts received and it came home as full as it left.

Things I should have left home – gloves & boots for Mirielle (she won’t wear them at home, why do I think she will wear them in freezing temperatures?), half of Mirielle’s clothes (she has learned to get mom and dad’s clothes dirty rather than her own), extra toiletries that I bring on the naïve notion I will be able to have a mini spa in our hotel room (HA!), and peanut butter crackers in the plastic bag (can you say instant crumbs?)

Things I was glad I brought – the travel potty (travel constipation in toddlers is not kind), my iPhone (real time source of information, traffic and navigation), a magazine (Mirielle slept on the plane this time - it was a first), my winter shoes, hat, scarf & gloves (it was COLD), and a new ballet book plus SF Nutcracker DVD (feeding your child’s latest obsession while traveling has advantages.)

I will keep you posted on my packing progress throughout the year.

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Photo Friday - Postcard Beach

January 2nd, 2009 · Destinations, Photo Friday

View from cabanas at Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, Florida

Looks like it should be on a poster, huh?

Growing up, this was the view from the cabana we would rent most Sundays at the beach on Key Biscayne, across a bridge from Miami. It was never this quiet, but this visit was in November, between storms, and while it was a cool 70 degrees.

Crandon was and still is the perfect kid beach. Over 2 miles of lifeguarded beach protected by an off shore reef and with extensive sandbars that can leave a wading pool stretching a quarter mile out. Cabanas for rent are a great place for shade and parking coolers of food an drink. The park also includes a zoo and a train. What more does a little kid (and their parent) want?

I hope to take Mirielle here this year if budget allows. She will be disappointed with no waves, but I think she will love the sandbar.

Playing in Balinese waves.

I am participating in DeliciousBaby’s super cool Photo Fridays, where everyone is invited to link to a travel photo. Please click here to see more of this week’s photos & stories.

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2009 Travel Wishes

January 1st, 2009 · Destinations, Experience

While many use the new year to make resolutions, I make my travel wish list. The first weeks of the year, I look at last year’s spending and put together the new year’s budget. With finite funds, it is a lot easier to give up a new pair of shoes, cut subscriptions, or eat more pasta, when I can see where those savings will take me.

Possibilities

In 2009 I would like to visit:

Egypt – I would love to spend a couple years traveling the Middle East and north Africa, but I picked Egypt this year after hearing about Siwa during Pam Mandel’s tweeting of the World Saver’s Conference. (FYI - it was how tourism was hurting it due to the fragile environment) Read about Travel Betty’s trip.
The Big Island of Hawaii – We have never been, but love things volcanic and really need some R&R. Know any great deals?
Vancouver – I keep hearing how wonderful it is. We can see a lot of it over a long weekend, but I would love to stay longer and get a little slope time at Whistler. Check out Delicious Baby’s trip.
Hainan & Xian China – Probably the same as saying I want to visit Key West & Helena, MT, but I would love to see the tourist development on Hainan and I never got to Xian on a previous visit to China.
Florida – This would be a combination visits and tourism with stops in Miami so Boo can swim at Matheson Hammock and Crandon Park like her mom did, friends and family visits in Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville, and maybe some R&R in the keys. No Disney this trip.
Death Valley – This California site has been at the top of my list for years but the drive is long as there is no direct route from San Francisco. I prefer humidity, but think deserts are spectacular up close.
Mendocino – Really this trip is to replenish our wine cellar, but the area is beautiful, dog friendly and Boo will love the Skunk Train. Check out Nancy D. Brown’s site for great information.
Half Moon Bay & surrounding coast – While it could be a day trip, I would love to spend two nights in this area of the coast visiting Moss Beach, Aña Nuevo and other local sites at a slow pace. Thanks to Travel Savvy Mom, a visit to the goat dairy will be included.
Mono Lake & eastern Sierra – The terrain here looks extraterrestrial. Plus, I have always wanted to visit Keough Hot Springs.
Italy – This has been on the top of our list for four years, but we have postponed due to the cost of the Euro. As soon as the Euro drops (steadily) below $1.30, I am booking.
Christmas in St. John’s or Hawaii – After our marathon Christmas trip this year and related drama, I let our families know that I am booking next Christmas away from cold. They are welcome to join us.

It’s a long list, but there is a range of time and money commitments so I can work as many in as possible.

Where do you want to go in 2009? What are you doing to make room in you budget for that trip, or extra trip? Have you been to the places listed before? Where can I go for more information (plug your site/articles)?

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Family Visits at Christmas: Planning Travel with a Toddler – Parking with Perks

December 15th, 2008 · Experience, Tips & Tricks

If you are flying during peak holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holiday weekends), book your airport transportation in advance. Rides from friends and family are usually the best, but not always available. Depending on how far you live from the airport, there is a trade off between shuttles, cabs, cars/limos and just parking at the airport.

My first choice is a car/limo due to the convenience, but we currently live far enough from the airport to make it expensive. For trips over 10 days, a shuttle is the best value, but for shorter trips, airport parking is cheaper. In reading Budget Travel’s “Holiday Travelers’ Survival Guide 2008,” they listed three websites where you could reserve your parking online:

See the name of the third? Park, Sleep, Fly. It turns out many airport hotels offer deals where if you stay one night before or after your trip, you can also park at the hotel for a certain number of days. Well parking alone was $85-$150 and the hotel and parking was $119-350 (all without tax). With an 8am flight and an hour drive to the airport, the hotel option was lucrative.

Early Morning Flight

I looked beyond the hotels on Park Sleep Fly and found the Larkspur Landing South San Francisco’s Park and Fly package for $119 plus tax for one night hotel plus 7 days parking. Larkspur Landing is a small chain of upscale suite hotels, currently on the west coast. The hotel includes – down bedding, a pillow menu, full kitchen, continental breakfast, spa (by exercise room), in room DVD player and DVD library, plus cookies and coffee in the lobby. Right now, they are offering 20% off a stay if you make a donation to Toys for Tots. While we gave a stroller full of toys through our fire department, I happily gave $10 and saved $35 including tax. (Another great place to donate $10 to get something great is Passports with Purpose, which I am participating in.)

Full cost of our regular discount parking lot: $94.46
Full cost of hotel, parking & donation : $107.25
Cost of a couple of extra hours of sleep: $12.79

Yeah!!! We are going to check in as early as we can to enjoy a lazy dinner in the room, time in the spa and a movie in bed. Think of if it as a vacation to prepare us for our trip.

Coming soon:
Family visits at Christmas: planning travel with a toddler – Playtime
Family visits at Christmas: planning travel with a toddler – Restaurants & Snacks
Family visits at Christmas: planning travel with a toddler – Packing

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Photo Fridays - Quack and My Shadow

December 12th, 2008 · Destinations, Photo Friday

Me and my shadow, swimming at the Lake Tahoe Dam.

Quack and my shadow.

What is it about ducks? They can provide hours of entertainment for little kids. This was the most curious of several ducks we met on the Truckee River side of the Lake Tahoe Dam. You can get a sense of the famous, crystal clear water of Lake Tahoe as well has what a beautiful, sunny day it was. Even with snow on the ground, when the sun is shining, it can feel quite warm. (And that keeps me coming back).