June 26, 2013
Cycling (and snoozing!) on the Fish Lake Trail
Sunday we had a break from the cold, rainy weather we've been having and my Uncle Cyrus organized a bike ride on the Fish Lake Trail. We rode with his friend Kay and sister, my Aunt Lynne for 15 miles on the flat, paved trail out and back. It was perfect weather, 73 and sunny, and we had a fantastic time. Coco fell asleep at about mile 5 and didn't wake up again until mile 12.5 plus a long chatting break at the half way point. She looked so sweet sleeping in her helmet. :)
Spokane's city motto is "Near nature. Near perfect." and I would have to say the Fish Lake trail supports this claim. The trailhead is only ten minutes from my mom's house and you really feel like you get away and into nature on the ride. We also saw walkers and runners on our ride, so it really is for everyone.
This weekend the weather is set to sky-rocket into the 90s, and 100s early next week. Unless we hit the trail right at dawn, I don't think we'll be doing much cycling. ;)
Last year, I had a brilliant plan. In order to fund travel while I'm not working, we would list our apartment as available during J's holidays on Airbnb. If we got a reservation, we would plan a trip around it. Since then, we've gotten numerous requests, but none of them has worked out. Then, last week, I got a request for July and we are going to Paris for five days! We are staying near the Eiffel Tower (in the adorable apartment pictured above) and I'm looking forward to taking Coco to the Jardin du Luxembourg and making a day trip to Versailles.
Airbnb is an awesome way to travel if you're on a budget. Once we subtract the money we'll get for renting our apartment from the cost of our Paris train tickets and apartment rental, it only cost us 188 CHF! Not completely breaking even, but very affordable nonetheless.
I'm a little nervous about preparing our apartment for Airbnb guests. I would love to hear about your experience, either as a host or guest. Any tips? Have you ever used Airbnb or done an apartment swap?
I'm finally ready (with photos) to tell you all about our amazing trip to Ibiza! The week came down to five things: Food, Yoga, Relaxation, Excursions and Female Bonding. It was absolutely perfect.
Each day began with yoga on the yoga deck overlooking the countryside and the pool. Most days were just the mamas, while the children played and went for walks with the Montessori caretakers. But the first day, the children joined us for a silly mama and me yoga practice, which was very sweet.
It felt so good to start the day with yoga in the warm late spring sun. A few days it was chilly, but mostly we had warm sun and yoga practice to start our day. Every morning I woke up sore in new places.
After yoga, we had a mamas breakfast while the children went to see the animals at the farm nearby. Then we had some time to shower and get dressed before collecting the children at noon. Lunches were a highlight of the day. We had an amazing vegetarian chef who provided us with delicious meals three times per day. The food was as beautiful as it was nutritious and satisfying.
In the afternoon while the children napped, we had time to relax. A cleaner came daily to make up the rooms and do laundry, and the chef prepared all of our meals, so all we had left to do was read books, soak up sun and have optional massages or astrology readings with practitioners who came right to the villa. Ten minutes' walk away was the Atzaro Hotel and Spa where we each took turns to use a day pass to enjoy the hammam, sauna and incredible chill-out space with Balinese daybeds. Bliss!
When the children woke up, we set out to explore the island. One day we went to a sweet little town with a cute playground and nice cafes and bars. We took over a small section of the town parking our buggies while we had a glass of white wine! Another day, we went to a nearby beach and the kiddies played in the sand and splashed in the waves.
Finally, on our last night, we had a women's shamanic circle under the full moon. While our babies slept in our gorgeous rooms, we blessed our wombs through a guided meditation, sang and cried together and bonded for life. It was magical, transformative and a perfect retreat from everyday life.
If you would like to learn more about the Holy Mama Yoga Retreat, click here. And to see pictures of the amazing villa, click here.
(Photos 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 12 by Amyjo Johnson Theiler)
Did you know that ERGObaby makes a carrier for little girls (or boys;) to wear their dolls? Coco would go positively over the moon if she saw that! She is always trying to wear her baby doll in our Ergo, but it's way too big, no matter how much we tighten it down. I think that is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. And, wouldn't it be a sweet way to acclimate a child to a new baby, too?
Long-haul, international travel with a toddler comes down to two very simple things: patience and a sense of humor. Let's be clear that those are simple things, which should not be confused with easy things. Remember that whole distinction in Julie & Julia? I thought that was the best part of the book and it's stuck with me. I spent hours, literally hours following Coco around the plane in circles. It was better than the times when I had to force her into the seat on account of the fasten seat belts sign as she flailed, screamed and tried to scratch my face off. So, yes. Patience and a sense of humor are simple, uncomplicated tools that will make flying with your toddler easy. But they are also rather difficult to manage at times! Keep reading to get my full list of tricks.
Fresh air and movement before take-off are key!
Pay attention to the timing of your flight, and if at all possible, avoid early morning. Our flight took off at 11:45, so we started out at the observation deck so Coco could have some fresh air and seat- and restraint-free time before we took off. She's a very active child and needs lots of time outside, so that worked out well.
Ask for an empty seat for your child and stick to your child's usual nap schedule.
When we checked in, the ticketing agent moved us to a seat in a row of two and blocked a seat so that Coco would have a seat. That really saved us. Babies under two fly free(ish) on your lap. But your lap is not that big. ;)
I also find it really helpful to follow the normal nap and eating scheduling to start out. The jet lag will catch up soon enough, but allow your child to follow their normal rhythm as long as possible. And try to sleep when he or she is sleeping!
Don't bring lots of toys and don't interfere when they find something interesting!
Lugging around a huge carryon is a nightmare, so just pack one favorite toy (small doll for Coco) and a few books. Instead, let your toddler play with things around them. For example, the buttons on the armrest are great fun. And so is putting the headphone jack into the port and then taking it out again and doing it all over. Just make sure you stay out of it. If your child is engrossed in something, let them be! Only get involved if they are truly frustrated and need your help. Otherwise, that concentration for 5 or 10 or 15 minutes is your chance to look out the window, or read a book or just have a moment's peace. Don't ruin it for yourself!
Have a travel buggy and carrier with you.
We brought the Maclaren and the Ergo with us. The Maclaren was taken to the gate and brought back out to us on the jetway after each flight. The Ergo was essential for boarding and walking her around to get her to sleep once it was "nighttime" for her. Having the Maclaren is the only reason we made our connection in DC. I ran all the way to our gate, while Coco chirped happily as we zoomed along, and arrived sweaty for the final boarding call. Phew! On the second flight, I didn't have her in the Ergo as we boarded and she ran (in a matter of four seconds) from where I was standing to the back of the plane where the rear door was open for the Gate Gourmet truck. The flight attendant who grabbed her told me she was headed straight for the big-enough-for-a-baby-to-fall-out-gap between the truck and the aircraft. Shudder! So, wearing the Ergo isn't just for when they're tired. That happened in the time it took me to put my bag in the overhead bin! Goodness. And, finally, when our flight was delayed from Denver to Spokane (somebody shoot me) I had the head bobs and literally could not stay awake any longer. Luckily, Coco was sleeping in the Ergo so I just lay down on the floor and fell asleep with her. If we hadn't had the Ergo and the Maclaren, it would have been miserable, maybe even impossible!
Bring snacks and water and milk in a bottle.
Plane food is plane food. Bring something your child will eat and bring bottles and cups they're used to drinking from. We brought Coco's Sigg for water, an Avent bottle for milk, oatmeal to add hot water to, sliced strawberries, a banana and chocolate covered rice cakes to bust out as a distraction during tantrums. Thankfully, we didn't have any full-scale tantrums and the flight attendants were more than happy to give a refill on milk. :)
I really thought that having the iPad in this children's case would be the key to a peaceful trip, but she wasn't the least bit interested in tapping away on a screen. She wanted to move! Keeping her out of business class was a bit of a challenge, but after a few laps she understood she had to loop back through coach and needed less and less redirecting from me. So the first leg of the flight, from Zurich to DC, was consumed mainly by following her while she ran laps. Not the worst thing and I didn't have to worry about deep vein thrombosis. Haha.
Our second flight was more difficult. We only had two hours in DC to get through passport control, which meant a long line stuck in the buggy for Coco. Then we had to go through customs, recheck our bags and get back through security before sprinting to the gate. That flight was full and Coco was restless and hungry. They didn't feed us, but only had food for purchase with a credit card. As luck would have it, I had cash, but had accidentally left my credit card in Zurich. So, that was when having snacks really came in handy.
The last flight, following the delay, we were both exhausted. The gate agents were so lovely and ended up giving us an entire row to ourselves when I asked for an empty seat for Coco. We slept almost the entire way to Spokane, which was really needed as we had been traveling for nearly 24 hours.
It's not the most fun thing you'll ever do, it makes you swear you're going to move back home immediately and it takes a few days to feel rehydrated and normal again, but it's doable. You absolutely can fly internationally with a toddler. Just relax, take a deep breath and remember to laugh.
Tomorrow I will have a full post for you about our long flight from Zurich to Spokane. But first I wanted to tell you all about the amazing Observation Deck at the Zurich airport.
After we got checked in, we took Coco up to the observation deck to play outside in the fresh air before we were trapped on the flight for 9 hours. She didn't waste anytime getting to it.
Then she and J watched a few planes take off.
She thought it was amazing!
And then she was genuinely puzzled as to where the planes had gone when they disappeared from view.
Then it was back to the fun and imaginative playground until it was time to get to our gate. Next time we will leave home even earlier so she can have more play time and so J and I have a chance to get a coffee at the little cafe there and relax a bit. Nice work, Zurich! Pretty much the best thing I've ever seen in an airport. :)
We leave tomorrow morning and I am looking forward to
Enjoying
* Everything bagel with cream cheese
* McMenamin's Captain Neon Burger
* Chipotle
* Stumptown Coffee
* Organic Valley Hazelnut Half&Half
* Morningstar Sausage Patties
Seeing
* My family
* The Columbia River Gorge (pictured)
* The North Cascades
* Spokane in the summer - it's been two years!
* Coco with her grandparents (we've been practicing saying grandma/grandpa)
* Friends in Portland
Shopping
* Nordstrom (especially the shoe and cosmetics departments)
* Baby Gap
* Lolo Boutique in Spokane
I can't believe it's already here. Send me good luck for the flight! See you all Wednesday. For now, it's down the rabbit hole of international air travel. ;) Ciao! xo
(Photo via here)
I cannot believe that Coco and I fly to the States on Tuesday. We are going to miss J so much! Especially now that the weather has finally turned to summer in Zurich. At last we could go on bike rides and watch Coco frolic in the fountains and wading pools. I'm dreading the flight (of course) and laughing at how I used to think long-haul travel was a pain before children. Ha! A ten-hour flight by myself sounds like a day at the spa: a pile of books, drinks, dozing off whenever I please. Instead, I think I'll find myself following a very enthusiastic toddler up and down the aisles, staring unobtrusively at the (not)-illuminated strip while she says, "HOLA!" to everyone she passes. It's going to be a long journey. Phew!
Tomorrow we're having a send-off brunch with friends and Sunday we are going to buzz around on our bikes and have a relaxed family day in the sun.
Here's what caught my eye this week:
How windy is it where you are?
Dealing with toddler interruptions.
I adore Sofia Coppola.
A seven-minute workout sounds rad to me!
Unless we're talking ballet, which makes me feel amazingly radiant. I'll take an hour of that, please. :)
Finnish babies in cardboard boxes.
Can't wait to introduce Coco to this baby we just ordered.
Iced coffee at home.
And, ignorance is bliss, but if you prefer to
Sunscreen 201
What drowning really looks like.
I hope your weekend is amazing and productive like mine (think packing;) and see you all back here Monday! xo
(Photo via Christie's)
Our lovely friends, Tim and Ève, who were in our wedding, taught me how to make this traditional Creole dish six or seven years ago on a visit to their apartment in Eugene. It is one of my favorite meals of all time and so easy to prepare!
Authentic Creole Rougaille Saussice
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp thyme
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (if desired)
4-5 small onions, cut into petals
4-6 links Andouille sausage
1 28 oz can tomatoes
Basmati rice for serving
Recipe
Prepare basmati or similar rice according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, slice onions into petals and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or similar. When warm, add onions and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the sausages. Add spices when the onions are ready and give a good stir to coat. Add sausage, cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes.
Once the sausages are a bit browned, add the tomatoes. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
Serve over hot rice.
I always cut the onions into a petal shape because once they're softened and in the sauce, they are nicer to eat in this shape and stay on your fork more easily.
Once the spices are added to the softened onion, if you choose to add red pepper flakes, be aware that the time between adding the spices and sausage and adding the tomatoes will determine how hot your spices get. For less heat, add the red pepper flakes after the tomatoes, just immediately before, or not at all. We leave them out so Coco can eat it, too. I also don't like to cover the sweet flavor of the tomatoes and turmeric together. If you want it really spicy, add your spices and allow them to fry a bit before stirring in the tomatoes and scraping up the brown bits with your wooden spoon.
After three years, I finally found a sausage in Switzerland that works with this recipe. It's a seasonal summer one, so when summer is coming to an end, my freezer will be full of these!
And, a little public service announcements about BPA-lined cans. Did you know that the white-lined cans have BPA inside of them?! It's extra terrible to buy tomatoes out of BPA-lined cans because the acid in the tomatoes releases even more of the toxic chemical into the food. After some searching, the only BPA-free can of tomatoes I've found in Coop is the Prix Garantie 800 gram can. It's only 85 Rappen per can, so cheap, cheap, cheap (and not organic;) but the tomatoes are Italian, taste great and not having the BPA in the can is a huge priority for me. So these are our go-to canned tomato for that reason.
I enjoy this meal regardless of the weather and it works really well with the Trader Joe's Andouille Chicken sausage. I'm sure it would also be delicious with smoked tofu or tempeh if you're vegetarian. Let me know how it turns out if you try either of those. Enjoy!
Have you heard of the Chinese gender predictor chart? It's rumored to be over 90% accurate in determining whether a baby will be a boy or a girl based on the mother's age during the month of conception. The story behind the chart is that it is over 700 years old and was found in an emperor's tomb in Beijing. Apparently it works because of the I-Ching, which is a combination of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. How is that for ridiculous? What would Yin and Yang know about which sperm will penetrate an egg?! Yet, despite all that reason, no one loves a superstition more than I do. So I decided to test it.
I asked dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of women, surveying more than 80 pregnancies and you know what? The chart is not accurate at all! I was really expecting a slam dunk on this one, but will you believe that the instances of correct vs incorrect were exactly 50/50? We had those odds to begin with.
I did have to wonder though, if the data were correct. Conception is a tricky thing. It can happen anywhere from half an hour to five or six days following intercourse. And, in Chinese tradition, age includes the nine months of pregnancy, so my Western age is 33, but according to the Chinese age calculator, I turned 34 over three months ago!
For Coco, the chart is correct, and I really want to have another girl for our second. Our plan is to start trying for baby #2 in September, which the chart says would result in a girl! I highly doubt we will conceive on our first try again, but if we do, I hope the chart is right.
Is the chart right for you? Would you try to time your conception to the chart in order to have a girl or boy?
PS - A scientific way to conceive a boy or girl. (It worked for my sister, who is the happy mom to one boy and one girl;)
(Photo via The Bump)
For years, I was the teacher, but here is Coco a few months ago receiving a lesson on the Cylinder Block from one of J's colleagues. She loved it and it was so fun for me to see her interact with another adult in that teacher-pupil way, if even just for a few minutes. ;) But then, when we went to Ibiza and I had to leave her with the caretakers while we went to yoga class, I was so worried it would be hard for me to say goodbye to her and go off on my own. I had counseled dozens of parents through separation anxiety and saying goodbye, but would I be able to do it myself?
It turns out, yes! It wasn't completely easy, but I followed my own advice and it worked. ;) Click on "Read more" below to read my tips on saying goodbye at school or daycare for the first time.
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