It's the Small Things...(Plus a policeman named "Ariel.")

Hooray for free Wi-Fi at Starbucks!

It's the small things. It really is.

At the end of our drive, the only thing I wanted in life was a quiet corner with a plug and an iced latte. That is all.

And I remembered I had my "after 2pm coupon" with me because I have already partaken in a Starbucks earlier. Shhhhhh. Don't tell. So that meant my drink was only $2!

An outlet, a $2 iced latte and free Wi-Fi. Seriously. Does it get better?

My mom and I left my dad at the hotel with three toddlers in the same hotel room and when I left they were all bathed and jammied up and in their beds, but sooooo not happy about it. Hope things are looking up for him by now! *snicker*

It's nice and quiet here.

The drive to South Florida went really great with these little beings! It was only a 5 hour drive, and we would have left much earlier had it not been for Michaels and its irresistable magnetic force it has over us. I wonder each time I visit, why does Michaels have the power to suck me in and keep me there and not want to let me go? It has a sort of magnetism that just when I am getting ready to walk toward the cash register it finds a way to divert me all the way back to the back of the store and down each aisle again. I do this again and again and again, and when I am in the store with my mother and Michaels is doing this to her too (we have no defense!) then it's twice as bad. We start walking to the front and then she's diverted and I'm diverted. And it takes forever for us to meet up again and then as we walk toward the front the cycle starts again.

2 hours later...we're on the road.

Really, I wonder, it is like a craft caffeine or craft crack, it's brilliant. It's like what the Colonel puts in his Kentucky Fried Chicken to make it so addicting. Or used to, anyway, back when it was yummy and had all those terrible trans fats in it.

Well anyway, the drive was great. We watched a lot of movies, drew, sang, slept, and ate snacks. (Well, not me, I was driving.) It wasn't until we arrived at the hotel that the madness (and of course the sweating, my God the sweating!) ensued. The restaurant of course is always the most stressful (the squealing, the ceremonious knocking over of the water, all the banging and the of course, the not eating.)

And then I got to skip out of the room while my dad hunkered down in a darkened hotel room trying to convince three toddlers to go to sleep! OK, I feel sort of bad now. But he offered!

I am, however, much more better prepared than I was for our last roadtrip, which means I actually have items that are keeping them busy besides snacks (which was where I was a huge miserable failure of a mother last go round.) Each of them have the following:

• A backpack from the $1 section of Target (actually each one was $2.50) but they are so cute. One is shaped like a puppy, another is an alligator and another is a butterfly.
• A kid-sized travel pillow, the kind that wraps around their neck like for the airplane, they're so tiny it's priceless! Also Target dollar section.
• Stickers and paper
• A friend (Two Buzz Lightyears and one Strawberry Shortcake - all on clearance.)
• 3 magna-doodles.
• A partridge in a pear tree.
• I have a ton more tricks up my sleeve over the next week and a half -- Leapster, books, activity books, new movies, etc etc but I'm going to ration them all out as necessary for survival.

Also, the Disney Store had these cute little figurine sets on sale for $8, so I bought three sets, and each day I will give them each one of the figurines from the set and I have a tiny little cute bag for them to fill up with all the figurines by the end of the trip. Because once we're done with this one, we're headed to North Carolina and that's a 12 hour drive. Which will probably be much funner *sarcasm*. Anyway, I got two Toy Story sets and one Little Mermaid set. And some of you might be thinking that the Little Mermaid one is for my 2 year old but no, it's for my niece. And the rest of you are now wondering why I would buy the Little Mermaid set for my 2 year old son, so if you must know, it is because he calls himself "Ariel." Yes he does. No, I'm not worried. Not that I should be. Whatever with that. Tonight, when they were running around the hotel like rabid lunatics, I gave the boys some Police Man trinkets (a badge, fake binoculars, a police shield and fake walkie talkies -- also Target dollar section), the little one went by the name "Police Man Ariel."

You go figure that one out.

Anyway, that's a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother day. "Police Man Ariel" is as good a place to end as any!! Have a wonderful Saturday!

And ps. If you're wondering how to blog from your Blackberry, you go onto blogger on your computer, you got to 'settings', you find the "mobile & email" section, scroll down to the bottom and there is an "e-mail posting address", and you can send an e-mail to that address from your Blackberry and it will post to your blog. Nifty! The only thing is, I haven't figured out how to title it, it doesn't seem to have a link (thanks Pubsgal!) But I can live with that for now because I'm lazy.

I will spend Saturday and Sunday trying to post silly pictures.

Oh! And there is a ridiculous pool at the hotel I am SOOOO swimming in first thing in the morning. Because Coach Joe came through! I have a plan now! That means I am officially training for a half-iron distance triathlon and a full marathon. I am officially "in training"! Shoot. That means I actually have to do a half-iron and a marathon now, doesn't it?

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It's the Small Things...(Plus a policeman named "Ariel.")

https://babytealeaves.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-small-things.html

Harnessing the Power

Today marks the start of our roadtrip. A very many hours in a car. In fact, when all is said and done, over the next week, we will have been in a car for more than 35 hours -- depending on stops, of course -- with 3 toddlers (my two and my niece.)

Yes, I am looking forward to a great trip!

But make no mistake. I will be harnessing the power of the pink power ranger as necessary.

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Harnessing the Power

https://babytealeaves.blogspot.com/2010/07/harnessing-power.html

How Much is a Red Firetruck Mall Stroller Worth to YOU?

Because I was wondering the same thing myself the other day when I passed by the red firetrucks of love that you can rent at the mall that my two little mens ogled over.

They gushed. They begged. They believed this was a slice of heaven on earth. They didn't say it. But I knew.

Then I looked at the $5 price tag as I walked by.

Five bucks to rent this germ trap? Really? Because they see a fantastic shiny red firetruck but all I see is a place where zillions of children have drooled before them and a vast empty space for germs to live and breed. No chance. No chance in hell. Sorry guys.

But then I found myself in a "situation." And my tune changed just a bit.

I was at the mall yesterday (again) to go to the Disney Store for a present, but I was with the two mens. And I had forgotten my stroller.

*Gasp*

This was not good.

So I thought about it.

I weighed my options.

And I came up with the answer.

$5 for the germ trap stroller? Or $1,000,000 in Disney Store damages?

Hmmmm.

Stroller it is.

Well the kids of course were over the moon, so we walked to the only place where the double-decker germ traps were located, which was across the mall at the entire other end and level than I had parked (of course) and I went to pay. And it didn't take my $5.

What?! Come on! 

I couldn't understand why.

Until I saw that it wasn't $5. It was 7! 7 bucks! Because it's $5 for the single and $7 for the double!

Ugh.

OK, fine. So then I bit my tongue and made an executive decision and put the damn card in already and rented it and as I pulled out the firetruck from its holder, I thought, "OK, this doesn't look so bad."

Because not only was there a HUGE basket underneath for my giant purse, there was a DOUBLE cup holder for a mommy beverage! Or two!

Things are looking up!  Hooray!

I wiped it down with a bunch of wipes and put the kids in and everyone was happy. Smiles everywhere! And mommy's going to get in and out of the Disney Store without incident!

Of course, then I find myself standing in line at the place that offers these delectable mommy beverages because I have to, since there are cup holders staring at me and I must put something in them. It would be practically rude not to.

But when all is said and done, we are now $11 into the mall trip and I hadn't even gotten to the Disney Store yet.

Yes, they're looking inside longingly. Sooo the point of the firetruck.

We finally get inside the Disney Store for what we went for, which was a Tinkerbell backpack for my cousin's daughter and some little trinkets for my kids who are about to go on back-to-back road trips. So I am in cohorts with the Disney Store lady and I'm handing her things to put behind the register so my children don't see them and I zip around one of the displays with my giant firetruck and CRASH!

I hear the lady gasp as this giant firetruck wheel smashes into the display's bottom shelf, which of course is glass, and all of the plastic princess dishes fall over. I lose all color in my face and the kids comment about the mess I just made. And then I begin to hate the firetruck again. This thing has a huge wingspan! I can't move anywhere! Its turning radius is ridiculous!

Have I mentioned that it is now past lunchtime and even the golden firetruck of love can't keep two toddlers from starving and yelling and begging for everything in the store? Again, I am sweating. And I have just destroyed a display. And I overhear the lady say to the other lady something about remembering about how "fun" it was to have a 3 year old. I'm pretty sure it was because I, with my firetruck and two screaming toddlers, jarred some spectacular memories.

The lady assures me it's all OK and she'll clean it up but I still feel like a jerk and think to myself that maybe if there were a super-giant firetruck that would fit all three of us that maybe we could have gotten out of there without breaking anything.

But let's face it. The firetruck was extremely useful for the two of them and for keeping them from destroying anything at least, which was its entire purpose after all and for that, I am grateful. Especially since we spent probably an hour in there and the only damage done was make a lot of noise and wreck a display and that wasn't even their fault, it was mine. Right?

Well, I learned on this day that a) this particular firetruck model should not be wheeled around in tight places; b) $7 is a small price to pay in certain situations like this one, where the emotional + physical toll could possibly be much greater and c) don't forget your stroller.

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How Much is a Red Firetruck Mall Stroller Worth to YOU?

https://babytealeaves.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-much-is-red-firetruck-mall-stroller.html

Traveling with Toddlers: part I, De Plane

And I call myself a "blogger".

I took pictures of everything when we went to my niece's Christening two weekends ago. But what I didn't take pictures of was the most important part.

The gear.

Oh.Mi.God, the gear.

(That's my dad. I caught him at the end of a really long day making friends with giganto-carseat.)

I'll get right down to it. There really has to be an invention better than a luggage cart that will help you with all your gear. Like a luggage butler or something. Where there are an extra pair of hands with you at all times to stop the baby from screaming in the security line because you were dumb enough to let his (empty) water cup peek out from one of the pockets of the diaper bag.

Or an extra pair of hands to smack the guy behind you in the security line, the one who's hemming and hawing and rolling his eyes because his life and existence is so much more important than yours. And he's doing this while you're taking your shoes off, collapsing the stroller, taking the laptop out of the bag, jamming the carseat through the conveyor, taking the kids' shoes off, all with one arm because you're holding one child on your hip and all while sweating profusely and trying not to leave anyone behind (sorry sir, that you got slapped, but it wasn't me, it was the butler...and honestly? You deserved it. Because, sir, we are ALL TRYING TO JUST GET THERE.)

LISTMAKER, M.D.

So ahead of the trip I was a person made up of lists. Three of them, to be exact. There was the "diaper bag" list, there was the "Mommy Miscellaneous list" and there was the "Kids everything else" list.

These were lists entirely separate from the clothing lists, but I consider them more important because we can live with clothing mishaps. We cannot, however, live without the items in the aforementioned lists.

So, for your enjoyment, I have saved these lists because I feel you will benefit from them. And honestly? If you have anything to add to them or any way to combine, condense, or minimize these lists, I would love to hear your tips.

Here it is, list number one: The Diaper Bag. Because this is literally the only thing you have for the most dire essentials whilst on the plane away from your luggage.

-Snacks. Because they can't scream while their mouths are stuffed. I was not above bribery in this category either, these were only about 50% healthy. On purpose. Included animal crackers (the real boxed kind), Little Debbies, apples (because pilots eat them), pop tarts (which were breakfast because our flight was AT 7 a.m.), and miniature oreos. Ok, so maybe not even 50% healthy. Oh well. They'll live.
-Dvds and computer (which turned out to be a flop because you could hear approximately NOTHING over the loudness of the plane.)
-Toys (cars, magnets, magnetic strip for Lightning McQueen magnets, crayons, coloring book, stickers, blocks)
-Extra kiddie undies and plastic liners (because we're traveling with a toddler who's potty training.)
-Wipes
-Diapers
-Hand sanitizer wipes
-2 empty sippy cups (empty because of security remember)
-laptop charger

OK. Yes, as you can imagine, this was a great deal of crap so I had to split it up into two bags, one for me and one for my husband. So it turned out to be a doublediaperbag and did I ever give my husband business for trying to put one of these in the overhead compartment, rendering it completely useless at various points on the flight, like takeoff.

List number two: Mommy Miscellaneous because these are the things I would forget if I did not write them down.

-My head
-Christening gift
-camera and battery and since we have a Nikon it also required its own bag/case. Must invest in smaller camera for this purpose.
-phone
-phone charger
-ID
-Birth certificates for children (not mandatory but good to have while traveling just in case.)
-Hairdryer (because every time I believe whereever we are going will have one, they don't and I end up buying one. Of course the opposite is true when I do bring it. Everyone has one and there is an influx of hairdryers and a fuse eventually gets blown.)
-Makeup
-Toothbrush. Which, despite list, I forgot.

And then there's the final list, the "Kids Everything Else" list of things that are mandatory but cannot exist in diaper bag(s) or mommy bag.
-Clothes
-Jammies (yes, separate from clothes because I always forget them.)
-Diapers
-Wipes (The mother load. Just in case there are no stores in Washington, D.C.)
-Baby monitor
-Sneakers for both kids
-Dress shoes for both kids
-Pack n play/sheet (my sister had another one for us to use so we wouldn't have to travel with two, thank God)
-Coat. Even though it was only really cold for about a minute and a half.
-Most important of all, the kids' blankies. Mr. Green Blankie and Mr. Blue Blankie.

So, if this isn't exhausting just looking at it, I'll give you a moment to picture the four of us.

Mommy with camera bag and shoulder bag, pushing stroller with two half-asleep kids. I got the better end of the deal. Because there, trailing along behind us, is a (very helpful) daddy with a diaper bag backpack, carrying a pack n' play and wheeling two suitcases, one of which has a bum wheel. (Oh and did I mention I packed myself and the two boys in one of those smallish suitcases? I still have not become masterey of the packery.)

Of course there were no luggage carts where we parked.

(And when we got to the tram we realized we forgot the carseats.)

We proceeded ahead to check-in anyway and decided he would run back to the car to get them. And here is where I (again) sing Tampa International Airport's praises. Not only is it easy to navigate, there is an entirely separate line in security for the poor folks like us with two kids and a ridiculous amount of crap. It was luxurious and we were spoiled. It wasn't until the trip back when there were only two lines of security at Reagan, where there was hemming and hawing and "come on!"-ing going on behind us (my husband was so frazzled he kept having to go in and out of the x-ray machine because he kept forgetting that things like his wallet or his sunglasses were in his pockets.)

Helpful tip alert: Children under 2 can ride on your lap for free. But, if yours is like mine, 15 months old and refusing to sit still ever, you can bring the carseat and if the flight's not full, you can use the carseat in a seat of his own without paying for an extra ticket. If the flight's full, you're out of luck and you have to gate-check the carseat. But so what? It's worth a try. Check with the airline though. I know for a fact U.S. Air does this. Even though they make you pay $15 to check one bag. We checked three. 45 bucks. Thanks a lot.But at least they brought back the free inflight beverage. That (almost) makes up for it.

Now, a trip wouldn't be a trip if we didn't do what we do best and do things like lose the keys. So it was utter madness a half-hour before we left for the airport to come home, the bags in disarray, my sister's house turned upside down... And then upon returning home having to take a van-cab home, get the spare key from my mother-in-law, and then take the van-cab back to the airport to pick up the car. At 10:30 at night. Of course, I stayed at the house and put the kids to bed while my husband got to know the cabbie and go back to the airport, but you know, $70 bucks later... Oh yes, and the keys are still missing.

Believe it or not, the going to and fro was the most difficult part. Because there was peace on the plane and it looked like this.

I could only imagine what it would be like if the kids were tired, cranky or tantrumy. But they really did roll with the punches. (Except for the short bout of screaming in the security line...) If it weren't simply because of the gear, the traveling part would have been easy. But I really can't see any way around that madness, at least for now, while we have two in carseats. And the counter to traveling without carseats resets if we have a third child one day, a fact that my husband was quick to point out at the end of the trip. But oh, wait there's more. See what happens when a family of four shares a room and a Christening after-party gets out of control (some names may be changed to protect the innocent) in part II...Oh yes, the scoop on what my family's really like. It's what makes the travel part all worth it!

Traveling with Toddlers: part I, De Plane

https://babytealeaves.blogspot.com/2009/03/traveling-with-toddlers-part-i-de-plane.html