Bubble Bum Inflatable Booster Seat Review

We use a five point harness car seat for our 4.5 year old who now weighs 42 pounds.  So, on our recent trip, we thought we would try a booster seat.  I found the Bubble Bum on amazon and bought one (I actually checked out their website as well- turns out it's made from the stuff of life jackets).

It was AMAZING to fly with one car seat (little bro) and to have our older son's seat deflated and rolled up in our luggage.  How easy to get through the airport!!

Once we got to the rental car, it blew right up and had all the right clips to make the car's seatbelt adjust to the right places on our (bigger) little guy.  What a great invention!


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Preschooler/ Toddler Travel Toys

We just took a trip on a plane with a preschooler and toddler and found these toys great:

 


The memory game has a variety of cards, and is a nice two-player game.
The travel tangoes are small and can be made into many shapes, and the magnetic pieces are harder to lose.
Wiki Stix are fun to make into shapes and letters, though plain pipe cleaners would do the same. The wax on these are nice and tactile, though.
The mini slinky was good for both kids.
The farm animals were fun for the toddler, who is learning to talk, but makes some great animal noises.





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Nepal Travel Tips (many years overdue)

learn a few useful phrases (like how to ask for boiled water)
clothing tips- cover your shoulders and knees (men, too)
clean hand/ dirty hand (use the left to touch stuff and right to eat)

wild dogs (avoid them- carry a rock)
don't drink the water (or ice)
peel it

avoid flies on the food

don't eat fresh raw veggies

bring a sarong
bring 2 black bandanas
how to bargain (cut price in half as your starting point)
avoiding theft (carry items on your body, under your clothing)
visit Boudha

check out the sunrise

buy medications there and bring them back (they are all legit)

ride an elephant

try some tourist stuff like kayaking

trek a little- and carry a light pack (the tea houses have everything you need)

try to go to a wedding or a festival of some sort

Have so much fun!!  I haven't been there for so long! But it is such a wonderful place.

(and sorry my scans are at weird angles)

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Gold Leaf Paintings from Agra, India - Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan

I was taking the top photo as my older son was getting the fabric paints down earlier today to make a shirt.  While taking them, I was again struck by the beauty of the gold leaf paintings in my office.  I bought these in India in1998 from a street vendor.  I am so grateful they are still in my possession!

The one on the left is Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.  It is her final resting place and took him 22 years to build.  Talk about a sign of his adoration!

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Travel with Two Kids (Baby and Preschooler)

We made it!  There... and back...



I made a monster list before we went, and ended up bringing all of it except the music toy, which I thought I could substitute out for a different mobile.  Alas, the other music didn't do it for the baby, so we slept sans that part of our routine for a week.

So~ we had a good time, except the series of tiny naps the baby took (in lieu of long naps).  Sleep is HARD when traveling... blame it on altitude, time change, teething (a tooth actually did cut through while away!), different bed, whatever.  I just always get less when we are away.  And my base amount is barely enough.  But anyway... on to the highlights...

The preschooler learned to ski...

The baby discovered doorstops as fun...

And ate some good food...

We got THREE pairs of new shades... (yes, I forgot mine and the kids needed some for the sun.  We also forgot sunscreen)...

We rode the bus (which I think was the highlight for a certain preschooler in the crowd)...

And we celebrated Hanukkah...

And now we are home!  Whew... and happy holidays...

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Packing List for Travel with Baby and Toddler, A to Z

Yes, we are going to do it.  We are going to leave the house with two children and sleep elsewhere.  We are going to travel there by airplane.  It is going to be winter there (we live in a semi-winter climate), and we plan on tubing and some of us will ski.

The place we will stay has beds and a crib, bath toys, a baby bath tub and towel, baby and toddler toys, a high chair, a full kitchen, toilet seat reducers and bathroom stools, appropriately sized ski clothes and ski gear and winter boots, a little sled, and a hot tub... should be fun...

A Menorah out of Blocks.

Regardless, we need to bring lots of our own stuff.  Here is our list-in-progress.  The baby is now 6 months old (read: eats food and is starting to crawl, but is mostly nursing and naps a lot), and the toddler is actually a 3.5 year-old preschooler.

• airplane toys
• apples (airplane food)
• arrowroot powder (to make special holiday sugar, egg, and wheat-free cookies to eat when everyone else has sugar cookies)
• baby legs
• baby monitor
• backpack
• bathing suits
• beef jerky (airplane food)
• bibs
• Blue, pillow (this is preschooler's special blanket and pillow)
• boba 
• camera
• car seats
• chargers 
• chicken water and food (chore to do as packing)
• clothing (yeah, I agree it is a bit nebulous. Refers to everyday stuff)
• diapers, covers, overnights (ah, another nebulous one)
• elephant music maker (music baby sleeps to)
• gifts
• green powder 
• hats
• IDs
• itzbeen (baby timer)
• jackets
• kindle
• long underwear
• lovey (baby's)
• luggage on wheels (we hook a car seat on top so the whole unit rolls together)
• pills (prescriptions)
• receiving blanket (for nursing cover or crawling mat or warmth on plane)
• sleeping mats 
• sleepsack
• sling
• thermometer, motrin, A+D
• toiletries
• vitamins
• wet bag (for wet diapers)
• wool socks
• yoga shorts, sports bra

Wish us luck on our journey!!  And check out this cute post from Rookie Moms...

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Life's A Dream and Bonaire Trip (2007)

In April/ May of 2007, we spent nearly a month on a friend's boat named "Life's a Dream." This was our last trip before starting to make a family.

We met a friend and crew, including his son, in Trinidad and Tobago and had planned to travel with them for a month and end up going through the Panama Canal.

After island-hopping for a few weeks around the Caribbean, we ended up on Bonaire. After one SCUBA dive, we were hooked! It was glorious! So we left the boat and stayed in a studio hotel for 10 days, diving and relaxing.

It was a great trip, and the perfect end to our child-less days.

Our friend's son is still on the boat and is chronicling his journey here: http://migrantbirdrobin.blogspot.com/

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