Was our vacation horrible? No, but it definitely was not paradise. Let’s just say that on the long flight from our wintry home in Canada, a very kind stewardess slipped my husband a complimentary bottle of vodka to go with his orange juice. She said, “Here, I think you’ll need this.” Boy, did he ever. 

The long flight was punctured with screams and wails of unhappy infants and toddlers (I was glad to see that our kids were not the only grumpy ones on the plane). It seemed as though the airline had grouped together all the families with young ones in a little corner which was fine, except I felt sorry for the poor souls who were within earshot of us. 

Ayla went crazy whenever the “Fasten seatbelt” signs flashed on while the aircraft was experiencing turbulence. For safety reasons, the stewardesses insisted that we hold Ayla on our laps with our arms clutched around her until it was safe to do otherwise. This made our rambunctious toddler go berserk; she squirmed and thrashed about like a fish out of water. 

Once we landed in Hawaii, the worst part was over. But every time I think about boarding an airplane with my toddler, I feel a little ill. Infants for the most part are easy-peasy to travel with. 

Don’t get me wrong; I love my kids to pieces and I still had a good vacation for the most part. It’s just that travelling with my two little ones, especially my toddler, was more challenging than I anticipated. 

So here are a few things that worked well with us when travelling with a toddler and things I would do differently for the next trip. 

Do’s: 

• Pack a small bag full of new toys or objects to distract your toddler and keep her occupied. We visited the dollar store to pick up a few things and also scoured our house for little things. The best “toys” are ones that aren’t really toys at all—things are always much more exciting when you know you’re not supposed to play with them. So random household objects and of course your cell phone will work wonders.
• Pack lots of snacks. The only thing worse than a fussy toddler is a hungry fussy toddler. Luckily grandma was smart and packed lots of healthy snacks like grapes and cheese. An unexpected bonus when travelling with babies is that you are allowed to bring onboard food and beverages you normally wouldn’t be allowed so long as they are “for the baby.” So you might as well take advantage of the fact that you can bring along that extra water bottle or beverage
•  Try to make sure your toddler is well rested for the flight. Ayla did not sleep well at all the night before our trip, but we thought that this would help her pass out on the plane – WRONG. The new environment, the crowded seats, and the noises kept her up all flight (and night).
• Remember to bring her favourite blanket or toy. Sometimes, the only thing that can get your toddler to sleep is cuddling with her blankie or baby.
• Forget about pre-boarding the flight to get settled in. When you have an energetic toddler, we found it best to let one person settle in with all the carry-ons, and another person run around the airport with the little one for as long as possible to burn up some energy.

Don’ts: 

• Don’t pack too many activities during the day. Remember to account for frequent breaks and naps. One of the worst days of our trip was when we planned a sight-seeing day with a long car ride and not enough stops. It was exhausting, and there wasn’t enough time for Ayla to stretch her legs and run around which made her and the rest of us miserable.
• Don’t forget the necessities and remember to pack for emergencies. Extra diapers, wipes, clothes, bottles and snacks will be your best friend in case your afternoon out turns into an unexpected day-long excursion if you get lost or get caught in a bad traffic jam.
• Don’t assume there will be nice change room facilities or child-friendly restaurants at the next stop. It’s best to play it safe and take advantage of things in the moment. There were many times when I deeply regretted not changing a diaper earlier when there were nice change rooms—changing a dirty diaper when the child is perched precariously on a toilet seat is not fun.
• Don’t have unrealistic expectations. You won’t be able to see everything and do all the things you’d like to do with little ones along for the ride, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

But with all the extra work that comes with bringing along young kids on vacation, they also bring about some of the best moments on the trip. One fond memory was when Ayla met a little boyfriend at a local beach park and they happily frolicked together for the afternoon. They even tried running away together, hand-in-hand. 

With a toddler along for the ride, we learned to appreciate all the little things grown-ups don’t give a second glance. The world is a new and wonderful place through the eyes of a little one and all things big or small are ravished up with delight – a truly infectious feeling. 

David Hughes, an entomologist at Penn State University, made the morbid discovery while studying various fungal growths and insect victims according to his study published March 2 in the journal PLoS one. Ophiocordyceps camponoti-balzani is actually comprised of four different species of killer fungi.

The infected insect victims wander through the rainforest until they reach a pre-determined location and clamp into the leaves of a shrub. At this point, the killer fungi bursts out of the ant’s head and neck.

Suddenly that cheesy B-list sci-fi movie about mind control and exploding heads doesn’t seem that far-fetched anymore. And this makes you hope that these so-called “zombie” fungi stay far, far away from humans.

To read more, check out National Geographic news.

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The Amorphophallus titanium, also known as the corpse flower because of the strong, nasty odour it emits when in bloom, is a large rainforest plant that has been growing in a greenhouse in Ohio State University.

The sweet smell of rotting corpses.

According to the Associated Press, Joan Leonard, greenhouse co-ordinator, has been lovingly caring for these exotic flowers for the past decade. One of the five flowers is set to bloom in May.

Once the 2 metre-tall flower blooms, it withers within a few days, which is unfortunate for the plant-lovers vying to see the rare plant, but perhaps a good thing for their noses.

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I love that this toy is not frilly and pink like most other baby dolls, and would be a good gift for a big-brother-to-be too. The plush baby is the perfect size for a little one to drag around the house, or cuddle up with in bed; and the adorable “pod” lets your child pretend to “tuck” the baby into bed.

At first Ayla treated it like just another toy, and would throw it off the bed. Now she kisses the baby good-night at bedtime and clutches it close to her heart – I think it makes her feel more like a big kid now that she has her own baby to take care of.

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Here is an excerpt:

Recently, I welcomed a baby boy into my life and have been simply exhausted. It’s been a whirlwind of activity and emotions. With the constant visitors, it’s been a struggle just trying to establish a new schedule for my family (which consists of my husband, 18 month daughter and new baby), and just trying to stay awake and feel half-human again. Believe me, nobody feels sexy after not showering for two days, having 3 hours of sleep, and wearing a shirt covered in baby poop and spit-up.

To read the full post, check out my blog, The Unlocked Life on HealthyPlace.com.

We had a hell of a time trying to pick out a name for our little guy. Boy names are so much tougher than girl names; girl names can be both feminine and masculine. But for boys, I find that no matter how progressive our society has become, and no matter how metro-sexual guys can be, we still favour strong, traditional monikers for boys. It also was not easy as my mom and mother-in-law both don’t really like the name Charlie. But I know that my good ol’ Charlie boy will win them over and make them love the name soon enough.

My husband and I always liked the name Charlie, but were not 100% sold on the name Charles. But after digging through 10 name books and countless websites, we discovered that Charlie is becoming an ever-more fashionable name for little girls too, so we decided to put “Charles” on the birth certificate to make it official. But now the name Charles is starting to grow on me too.

We love the name Charlie because it’s such a friendly name. As my friend said, it’s a name you can put your trust in. We came across so many cool and interesting boy names, but in the end, Charlie always came out on top for us. The name Charlie also has some sentimental value to my husband as it’s also the name of an old man who was like a second Dad to him.

I love that there are so many nicknames that you can make for it: Charmander, Charlo, Arlo, Chuckles, Chaz…Some parents hate the idea of nicknames, but when I was growing up, I always wanted a nickname. But nobody called my anything other than Theresa, or T.

It’s going to be quite an adjustment for Ayla. I can tell she likes her new baby brother but just doesn’t understand why we can’t hold her, or play with her as much as we used to. She already displays some maternal instincts though: when Charlie cries, she pretends to give him some food to make him feel better (even when her hands are empty). It’s the sweetest thing to see.

I’ll try to keep blogging as much as I can, but be patient with me if I’m not posting regularly. I’ll probably have my hands busy changing poopy diapers and wiping spit-up for the next little while until things settle down.

xoxo
Theresa

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In my post on HealthyPlace.com, The Competitive World of Parenting, I talk about those annoying “super-parents” that make us all look bad, and how there is still hope for the rest of us. Here is an excerpt:

Whenever a bunch of parents congregate with their children, one thing is inevitable: a little bit of competition flares up amongst the sticky sippy cups and cookie crumbs. Now, I’m not a competitive person by nature—you could run circles around me on the track field or beat me in a game of Scrabble, and it wouldn’t faze or bother me a bit. But when it comes to my daughter, my own flesh and blood, I can’t help but compare her development to other toddlers her age.

To read the full post, check out my blog, The Unlocked Life on HealthyPlace.com.

Well technically, my husband cuts my hair most of the time. And I prefer to call us frugal because spending $50 or more on just a trim that nobody notices (which is what I want most of the time), seems outlandish to me. I would rather spend the money on a yummy dinner, a new shirt, buying a garden gnome…anything, really.

And my husband is good at cutting my hair and he’s not a hairdresser by trade. I’ve had hairdressers comment on how well my hair was previously cut and praise his handiwork. He is always full of tricks and hidden talents. He’s been cutting his own hair for years, but how he got so skilled at cutting women’s hair is still a mystery to me. He explains that he grew up living with his mom for many years and spending time with her girlfriends. So, I guess he learned this invaluable trade through osmosis and being in an estrogen-filled house?

But what does it matter anyway now that I have my own personal hairdresser at my beck and call! The first time he offered to cut my hair, I was…reluctant to say the least. “YOU want to cut MY hair?!” So he first had to earn my trust by trimming my bangs a few millimetres. Now he has graduated to deftly layering and shaping my hair at my request. I sit back and relax while a frenzy of skilled snips and cuts transform my dull mop into a stylish-do. And unlike other hairdressers, this one actually listens to what I want (as he knows what’s best for him).

Fancy that…after years of being a hairdresser whore (hopping from one hairdresser to another in pursuit of that perfect one), I never imagined my hairdresser would live under the same roof. And the best part is that his services are free.

Well, actually there is one draw-back to living with your hairdresser. Like every woman, I still want to occasionally have that “salon” experience and feel pampered by luxurious shampoos and conditioners, and be offered complimentary tea, coffee or water. So, every few months I will make an appointment with a “real” hairdresser. And after the appointment, my husband’s typical response is, “Gee, I could have done the exact same thing for free. I don’t understand why you have to go to a hair salon…”

*Sigh*

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Here is an excerpt:

The longest recorded kiss in the world was set a couple of days ago on Valentine’s Day. The smooch clocked in at 46 hours and 24 minutes by a couple in Pattaya, Thailand, in a Kissathon contest in which they won a diamond ring and cash. This couple must really, really like each other to be joined at the lips for over a day, or they are the most competitive people I know…Remember in the movie Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts’ character, a prostitute, says her one rule is that she doesn’t kiss on the mouth. Why? Because the act of kissing invokes romantic feelings and indicates there is something more than just sex.

To read the full post, check out my blog, The Unlocked Life on HealthyPlace.com.

I miss the old days when we used to make Valentine mailboxes out of construction paper and exchange Valentine’s with our classmates. Those were simpler times when we eagerly waited to see if our crush gave us a “good” Valentine or not.

I found a website where you can download free vintage Valentine’s Day cards —you know, the ones where they use cheesy lines like “I’m heels over head in love with you” and each card looked like it was lovingly handcrafted.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

This year my husband and I are refusing to succumb to the commercialization of the holiday and made a pact not to spend any money on each other. So I am off to bake a chocolate cake and he is scheduled to give me a pedicure.

Happy Heart Day! <3

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