Pure Insanity

This last year we have done a fair amount of traveling. Most of that traveling has been without Dad. Yes, you read that right. I have been on a plane with two small children and stayed away for 2-3 weeks by myself! Matt calls it insanity and I call it desperation to get out of rainy Seattle. However, I have learned a few tricks that I thought I would pass along.



1. Dress your kids in costumes. Cole happens to be in a batman phase and wore his cape and mask flying home from Utah one time. Everyone had to talk to "Batman" and everyone wanted to help us! It was great. I had the stewardess take the carseat, buckle it up and they even gave us extra snacks instead of angry scowls. We repeated this for our last trip and we had the same success.

2. Ask for help. I started saying "could I trouble someone to..." and I always had several volunteers to fold my stroller or even take a crying baby for a minute!

3. Have good snacks and toys. You can usually postpone a meltdown with the right mixture of toys and snacks. Fruit snacks and chocolate milk work for us. As well as mom's cell phone.

4. Be calm. It will all work out even if your kid cries the entire time. My kids feel my energy and act the way I act.

5. Smile. People probably think you are crazy but they are much happier to help if you are happy about your situation!

We are currently in Georgia and the flight here included a three hour lay over and it was fabulous! The boys did great. When we got on the plane you could feel the uneasiness of the passengers near us and then when we landed everyone commented on how well behaved they were. So, if you are thinking about it, take the trip!

Thanks Grandma for helping us pass the time in Utah and a fun trip to McDonald's.