SchutzForTheMoon: February 2015

All this travelling and somehow my writing has stalled. Let’s be honest, I’m not sure anything can top my last blog post. The truth is, I haven’t peed my pants since then and I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again.

Some of our biggest lessons of living abroad come from the travels we take with our children. Some people have said we are crazy to travel all over with kids so young (5 and 2) and others have declared this the best time to do so. Well, I think they are both right. I know it would be easier to travel with children who can pee on their own, read, not need to be strapped onto my body once 1pm hits, or need multiple superhero figurines to come with us wherever we go. That said; it’s amazing to see the world through the eyes of little ones.

K1 said his favorite thing in Cardiff, Wales were the paintings at the National Museum. He talked up the Hypogeum, an underground tomb dating back to 4000 BC, in Malta. And he’ll tell anyone who listens about his field trip to the National Gallery in London.

K2 keeps us on our toes spying any playground or climbing surface within reach. This is often the best part of everyone’s day because the kids get to play and the adults get to sit on a bench and drink a coffee or alternative beverage. Bliss.

And then there are the tricky parts. Both kids are great following the curve of a sidewalk and holding hands when we cross a street, but we’re never quite sure when one will trip or fall into oncoming traffic or a bicycle. We’ve had numerous close calls. Dave and I pride ourselves on packing our backpack perfectly for the day with lots of snacks, travel puzzles, cars, diapers, and wipes for all of us. It never fails though that K2 calls for a snack within minutes of leaving the apartment and any time we are sitting still he wants to be eating. Have you seen the kid? He’s a skinny little dude, but he’ll eat just about anything. So it’s inevitable that by the time we hit noon, we are almost out of snacks and the kids don’t even want lunch.

This is when a beach vacation is fabulous for kids. They forget about food when they are digging in the sand and playing in the water. Then lunch will be a wonderful time for everyone. Yeah…we haven’t done one of those yet while in Europe.

Here are my Top 5 Tips for Travelling with under 5's:

1- Even rookie travellers know that parents always need crayons, a coloring book, and blank papers on hand. But what’s even better?
A pot of play-doh works wonders on a plane or bus and is not as messy as you’d think. Pipe cleaners fit in tiny pockets and a lift-the-flap book keeps ones attention for quite awhile.
2- Try to have a variety of snacks so it’s not all sugar…fresh fruit, nuts/seeds, rice cakes, and yogurt covered things are great. And when all else fails, a lollipop keeps kids quiet for at least a few minutes!
3- A sweet treat is typically a must for us on vacation. Kids don’t get chocolate milk at home, but on vacay it’s a great way to end the day. Use a sweet treat as a reward for good behaviour after an attraction or site-seeing and everyone is happy. We love sitting down to share ice cream cones, pastries, and desserts we’ve never tried before.
4- Keep to routines with as much flexibility as possible. We still make sure K2 has naptime, but we plan ahead that he’ll sleep in the Ergo carrier or that we have a break in the day to stop at the rental or hotel room. Sometimes we’re an hour or even two later than normal, and that’s okay.

5- How do you turn a dicey situation into a memorable one? Mini dance parties! These can happen in your rental/hotel room, on a bus, in a park, and even in a museum is you have headphones! Keep music at the ready on your phone. We recommend: Okee Dokee Brothers, Jazz for Kids (with Ella, Louis, etc), Katy Perry, anything by Stevie Wonder, and of course Prince (yes…this is Dave’s influence).

Here are some of our pics from Malta!