we'll just glide, starry-eyed

It may not look like much, but this is potentially the best invention since air conditioning:


Actually, it's not much, which makes it even more impressive (why didn't anyone else think of this?!). It's just a panel with wheels that you strap to the back of your carseat.


Then, rather than lugging said carseat through the airport, you can wheel it -- and your youngun -- around like this!



Voila, happy toddler and free hands! Thank you, GoGoBabyz.

We did a plane trip over a long weekend and this thing totally saved the day. We buy tickets and have the kids in their seats on the plane for safety's sake, and we use the carseats back on land too.

As for keeping busy, obviously airports and planes are fairly busy places, and flying is pretty fun, The babe was mostly occupied with the Nuby teether


and a handmade stuffed cat from Tibet we found at Ten Thousand Villages -- perfect for chewing.

(Side note: everyone always mentions how babies are upset by the altitude change with take-off and landing. One reason we take the carseats on board is to do what we can to help with their safety during these two portions of the flight, so the wee one was strapped in (not nursing and not having a bottle) and didn't seem to mind a bit...maybe we were lucky, maybe it helped that she is producing buckets of drool to go along with the teething...)

Our other child was once again busy with books! This seemed perfect for a map-obsessed toddler on his first flight


reusable stickers were a big hit too!


And snacks for everyone, of course.

It was by no means easy for us to travel with two, but we did manage pretty well -- and without checking luggage to boot!

New Respect for the Pioneers

I've never thought I would have made it far on a wagon trail. The East is such a nice place, anyway. But even up and down the Right Coast requires some supplies when traveling with the little ones. Got some great recommendations from friends and had to pass along the best of the best.

Pix are links. Facilitation of shopping obviously a high priority.

All hail the Magna Doodle!
This little puppy got us at least three hours down the road. Three. Hours. When interest waned, I took and drew a story picture by picture, which bought us at least another 20 minutes. Not bad for $12.


One of our favorite rainy day books was a brilliant distraction, too. So many pictures and stories to explore! (Warning if you're reading it out loud, there are a few pages I skip. Not quite time for a Hansel & Gretel story for us.) Love the "what will you be when you grow up" pages!



This lap tray was bought on a lark.
Coloring has been a favorite activity lately and I thought it would be great in the car but for the whole "where do I put my crayons" and "how do I hold this flimsy book" problems. We used it without strapping it around, since some claustrophobic genes run in the family, and it still worked just fine. As hoped, very helpful for coloring and nice for snacktime, too.


Jumbo crayons were particularly perfect for travel. Many thanks to the ever-fabulous Amusing Pursuits for providing them!


I'd never played Crocodile Dentist, but several blogger mamas had this on their travel lists, and it was a fun little game. The bite is definitely not a dangerous chomp, despite some reviews seen here, but the action of the jaws closing was just exciting enough to make getting it out and watching Mama play a 20 minute activity, followed by getting up the nerve to try it oneself, and then playing...another hour down the road!


I was quite surprised when other moms of tots suggested books on tape. I thought we would seriously miss the book. Perhaps it was this specific set of stories (who doesn't want to hear Jack Nicholson talk about how the rhinoceros got his skin?!) but they were definitely well-received.

Obviously, frequent stops (note to restaurant chains near the highway: more playgrounds!), music CDs (I'll have to do another post on those) and snacking in the car get you a long way, too.

Happy trails!

I made this?

Are you sure?


In my little ol' kitchen?


God bless you, Jim Lahey.

AMOUR POUR HAÏTI

We were so grateful for the opportunity to drop off relief supplies at the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, DC today. It was an amazing experience to drive in heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic and hear not one horn nor have one driver try to cut around as we all inched along.



Police were allowing people to park right outside the embassy, to double-park, to park on the nearby traffic circle, to pull in or block neighboring embassy driveways...unheard of.



Volunteers were helping people unload bag after bag from their trunks and carry things up to more volunteers who were stuffing everything into plastic bags to protect it from the rain.



Local companies donated the trucks -- God bless people who have a solid understanding about resource allocation and doing the right thing.



It wasn't raining hard, but it was enough of a sprinkle that if you were feeling lazy, it could have kept you inside. But from the looks of the crowd and the piles and piles of supplies, that didn't happen.



We took so little -- tshirts, packets of tuna, raisins, shampoo, conditioner, soap, diapers, onesies, baby blankets, baby hats. My heart is heavy with those babies.



Thank you to the Embassy for being a collection point today in addition to all the other work they are doing night and day right now.

Please donate to UNICEF or the Red Cross. $10, $20, whatever you can do. Do not worry about the amount. Empower people who are in a position to help. Show the people of Haiti that we care, that they matter to us. Love for Haiti.

AMOUR POUR HAÏTI.

PASS

Ever see something, like a particular issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, that makes you want to go back and redo your whole wedding ceremony just to incorporate one particular thing? If I could go back, I would undoubtedly incorporate more peonies.

AND THIS:



THIS was totally worth a wedding rehearsal.

We love Whole Foods!

And we got a mention on the Whole Foods blog -- woo hoo! (Scroll down to "Moms love oats!")

It's all thanks to Mama and her fabulous Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars.



If they don't recommend them for breakfast, I guess maybe they won't be so pumped about SmallBean's Breakfast Cookies, huh? Well, that's okay: more for us.

sometimes you just can't pause mid-meal

Me, "Also, I---" (chomp chomp)

Husband, "Did you just interrupt yourself?"

Me, "Yes."

Husband, "THAT'S a good biscuit."