Summer Fun!

It may seem that we've had all of the summer fun that we can handle here with our big trip and all, but we're just getting started!!  We have tons of plans this summer for when we're actually in this country.

To recap a bit: our Spain trip was amazing!!  We saw a lot of the country that I hadn't seen before, and lived with a great host family (I will not be posting their pics, as I did not ask permission).  We started in Barcelona, where we spent 3 days.

Chasing pigeons in a plaza in Barcelona

Then we moved on to Valladolid to stay with our host family.  While we were there, we took a few day trips.  We went to a city called Ávila which is a walled in city that is about 1500 years old.  We went to a city called Segovia with a 2000 year old Roman aqueduct, and we also were able to visit Santander, a beach town on the northern coast.

Skyping with M from our homestay

Our remaining summer plans are quite as exotic, but at least we'll be able to do (most) of them as a family.  Well, after I get back from Panama on the 15th that is.  I am taking a group of students to Panama for 9 days where we'll stay with Panamanian families to learn more about the language and culture there.  We will also be doing some work in a Panamanian orphanage as a service learning project.  We leave on Saturday, and as much as I'm looking forward to the trip, I'm also looking forward to coming home to stay for a while.  ;)

M is on vacation for a week and Evie's birthday is coming up!!  We plan to take her to Bay Beach amusement park in Green Bay during that week.  I went there a ton when I was a kid, and I can't wait to take Evie too!  I have such great memories of it, and it's so exciting to pass that on to her.

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It's going to be a busy summer, but I'm looking forward to spending some time just the three of us before the new baby is born.  Next summer will be a whole new adventure!!

This post was written for Toddle Along Tuesday, sponsored by Growing Up Geeky.  This week's topic is Summer Fun.  

Link up and join the fun!!

Flying for 8+ hours with a toddler: Easier than I thought it'd be

In order to get to Spain, we took a two hour flight from Chicago to Newark, NJ, then a 7.5 hour flight from Newark to Barcelona.  We were in Barcelona for 3 days, then took a 1.5 hour flight to Valladolid.  During our stay in Valladolid, we took a couple of car trips that were at least one hour each way, and also a 3 hour (each way) train trip to the beach in Santander on the northern coast of Spain.

On the way back, we had to fly back to Barcelona from Valladolid, then from Barcelona to Frankfurt, Germany, and then an 8 hour 20 minute flight back to Chicago.  Yikes!!!! Even now, I can't believe that we did all of that!

Evie had never flown before this trip.  I know, I know...I like to start with the high ropes course.  I was as prepared as I thought I could be: plenty of diaper, snacks, entertainment options, etc.  Of course, none of those things will work when you're dealing with a fussy toddler, but Evie was a trooper, and I learned a lot about my own levels of patience.

At El Parque Güell in Barcelona

A few things helped us more than I thought they would though.   First of all, when flying for extended periods of time with a toddler, tiring them out at the airport is key.  We ran Evie from one of the terminal to other during each layover.  It worked well for us on our way to Barcelona: she slept for 6.5 hours of the 7.5 hour flight!  On the way back, we had less luck, but we tried our best.  Fortunately, she wasn't too fussy and I was able to walk around the cabin of the plane for most of the flight.  I don't know what I would have done if there had been more turbulence...

Second, I never would have believed in the kindness of strangers to entertain my child.  From the soon-to-be grandma on our first flight who played peek-a-boo with Evie for at least half an hour, to the elderly Spanish grandma of 5 who held Evie for an hour of the train ride to the beach, it seemed like everyone was understanding of fussy babies and willing to help out if they could.  I will remember to pay this forward!!!

With my dad in the Plaza Mayor of Valladolid

 Overall, I was really impressed by others' attitudes towards my toddler being on their trans-Atlantic flight.  There were only two instances of people being snide or rude throughout the whole trip.  One was just a man on a train who did a lot of eye rolling and huffing.  The other was a woman on our first flight to Newark who said, "I guess you haven't heard of the Benadryl trick."   (Make sure that you picture this woman's lips pursed and very judgy wudgy looking as she says this.)  Ummm...no.  I am not going to drug my child for a two hour flight.  I will admit that I brought a bottle of the stuff along just in case it got really bad.  I was fortunate that I never had to use it though.

It wasn't all easy.  I had to hold Evie for about 16 hours straight on the way back because she refused to go by my dad, or go in her stroller in the Frankfurt airport.  Trying to entertain her on the long flight from Frankfurt to Chicago was tough too.  But really, the whole ordeal was better than I thought it would be. 

Have you flown with your child?  How did it go?  Do you have any tips for me in the future?

Estamos aqui!

Well, we made it to Barcelona. The trip actually felt pretty easy compared to what I had mentally prepared myself for.  Overall, Evie was great, all of our flightswere on time and everything that I expected to go wrong didn't.  

Updating from my tablet will be difficult because it's a touch screen and it's annoying to type 

on here. We have free wifi at the hotel though, so I'm trying to make the most of it.  I'll have to steal my dad's laptop when I have a chance, but right now I'm going to go enjoy an afternoon siesta with Evie. 

We're really doing this!

Well, Evie and I are really going to Spain. I wrote a few months ago about the possibility of spending a few weeks in Spain during the month of June.  Evie and I will have the opportunity to stay with a Spanish host family. 

M and I talked it over extensively during December and decided that we could make it work.  Evie will be young enough that we don't have to buy her her own seat on the plane, which cuts the cost in half.  Also, my dad offered to go with me to help me out.  He LOVES to travel, and the timeframe worked for him.  He won't be staying with the family with us, and will probably travel around Spain a bit on his own while we are there.  M agreed to letting us go for 2 and a half weeks, a compromise between my preference to go for 3 weeks, and his preference that we only go for 2 weeks. 

So, in January the planning began.  Now that it's only a few months away, everything is starting to seem very real.  We had to apply for a passport for Evie, and I had to renew mine.  We've booked tickets to Barcelona, where we're going to spend a few days before moving on to Valladolid, the city where we'll be staying with our host family.  The host family consists of the two parents, and three young-ish kids. 

I'm nervous about the traveling, but I know that it will go quickly enough.  The travel portions of the trip can only last so long.  It may be hell, but it will end.  I am looking forward to seeing how a family lives in Spain, comparing and contrasting parenting styles in the two countries, and learning more about the school systems.  I am also hoping that I can make some connections to set up exchanges for my students in the future. 

Oh yeah, and it's Spain.  The gorgeous weather, the amazing food, and the laid back lifestyle will make it all worth it in the end.  I never dreamed that it would take 10 years for me to get back, but I know that if I don't do it now, it may be another 10 before I have this kind of opportunity again.  Taking Evie will be amazing.  She may not remember it, but I will. 

Another weekend away...

Well we returned home this afternoon from another weekend away.  (That makes 6 out of the last 7 for those who are counting, i.e. me.)  Most of this time spent away has been to visit family for the holidays (we were gone the weekend of Christmas, New Year's, and the week after New Year's all for holiday/family stuff), or to visit friends, and there was our weekend in Wisconsin Dells.  This weekend, my mom, my middle sister, Evie, and I drove 4 hours south into central Illinois to visit my youngest sister. 

M decided to stay home to give us our "girl time."  We didn't do much.  We actually spent most of Saturday afternoon vegging out on my sister's couch watching "Legally Blond."  It was nice just to hang out with my sisters and my mom.  My sister who we were visiting got married last April and her husband is currently working on his Ph.D.  (That's why they live in Illinois.)  He was in and out all day from studying and working in his lab.  My other sister is pregnant with her first and due in April, so this will be the last time we could all go visit for a while. 

Evie entertained her aunts and grandma with her crazy toddler antics all weekend.  They were able to see her try to dress herself in person for the first time.  And they witnessed her game where she tries to scare people by running at them and yelling boo.  They were also really great by taking care of Evie for a while this morning so that I could sleep in until 7:30...I haven't slept that late in months!!

Evie was very good on the drive.  She really does pretty well, and I can't complain.  I was also fortunate to have the help of my sister and my mom in the car with me this time.  It's great to be able to visit family and friends, but I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed the next few weekends.  I'm just really happy to be home!!

Weekend in the Dells

  Sorry for the bad qualilty...Evie and I are the ones going down the slide!!

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have a free weekend getaway in Wisconsin Dells!!  M's department reached a sales goal for the end of 2011, so, as an incentive, his company put us up at a HUMONGOUS indoor water/theme park for Friday and Saturday night.  They also bought dinner both nights and we had free waterpark passes for Saturday and Sunday. 

I was very angry with myself because I thought that I had forgotten the camera.  Then, on the way home on Sunday, I found the camera in the console of my car.  AARRRRGGGHH!!  M was able to get a few pictures and videos on his phone (hence the crappy quality), so at least we have this.

Evie LOVED the water!!!  The resort had a great play area for little kids with plenty of tame waterslides and fun water squirt-y things to play with.  It was so much fun to see Evie enjoying herself.  She always says "wheeee" when she goes down a slide, but she was so excited that she just walked around the kiddie pool repeating, "Wheeee....wheee....wheee..."  It was so cute!  :)

Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to go back to the Dells sometime soon!

Traveling with a Toddler

We don't travel as far as some people do for the holidays, but we definitely have our share of time in the car.  My parents live about 2 and 1/2 hours away near Green Bay, and M's parents live in the completely opposite direction about 1 1/2 hours from our house(near the Iowa/WI border).

Each Christmas since we've been serious enough to attend each other's family Christmas events M and I have done the grand tour of Wisconsin between Christmas and New Year's.  Until a few years ago, we would even drive the 4 hours from  my parent's to M's parent's house on Christmas morning.  One year, we even slid off the road and went in the ditch on the way...glad we don't do that anymore!!! 

Evie was only 6 weeks old the first time she made the trip to my parent's house.  She used to just fall asleep.  As she's gotten bigger, it's become a little more challenging to entertain her.  I keep a stack of graham crackers handy to send back to her if she starts to get fussy.  I'm also probably a hazard on the road when I make faces at her in the rear-view mirror...

This afternoon we'll be making the trip to my parent's house just the two of us.  M has to work all day, and he'll be meeting us there when he gets done.  I'm a little anxious about doing the trip for the first time with her forward-facing carseat.  When she drops her toys it's hard for me to reach them, and she gets frustrated with this too.

I'm sure we'll make it just fine, and we have all kinds of family waiting for us to get there.  ;)

YAY!!!!  Christmas is here!!!!!

Tell me I'm crazy

Over then summer I set up homestays for some students from Spain to stay with some of my students here in Wisconsin.  In the process, I met the Spanish students' teacher.  She is a woman who is originally from Wisconsin, who married a Spaniard.  She has lived in Spain teaching English for about 10 years.  She and her husband have two kids who are a little older than Evie. While she was here, she offered a place for me, M, and Evie to stay for a month in Spain next summer. 

I didn't think much of it at the time, but it's been rattling around my brain since August.  I emailed her last week to ask about details, thinking that she probably was just being nice.  On Thursday morning she wrote back with 3 options for homestays for me, M, and Evie, all free of charge.  Our biggest expense would be the plane ticket over....which I could just buy for myself because Evie could still ride on my lap.  Because of his work schedule, there is no way that M could go with us for anything more than a week. 

I'm a world traveler.  I'd go pretty much anywhere I had the opportunity to go. M, on the other hand, is much pickier.  I feel lucky that, in less than 30 years, I've been to 3 continents,  and 7 countries.  He would be content to stay in our little suburb forever. 

It seems like a no-brainer.  Go.  How could I possibly pass up this opportunity?  It's been almost 10 years since I lived in Spain, and if we have another child in the near future, it's very possible that it will be anothter 10 before I have this chance agan.  The problem is that I can't imagine even a week without Evie, how can I ask M for 3- 4 weeks without her??? 

We're discussing it pretty intensively.  I know that there are many difficulties to travelling abroad with a 2 year old.  I'm ready to take them head on if I can have this opportunity.  I just feel so selfish for wanting this so badly.  Tell me I'm crazy, whether it's crazy to pass this up, or crazy to even think I can do this. 

Panama Bound!! Woot woot!!

Yup, I'm going here!!

Every other year, one of my co-teachers and I take a group of kids to a Spanish-speaking country.  In 2008 we went to Mexico City, did a homestay in Cuernavaca, and then spent a few days on the beach in Acapulco.  In 2010 our Spanish club took a trip to Costa Rica.  I couldn't go because I was 8 1/2 months pregnant.  Boo for missing out on the trip, but I got over it when Evie was born.  ;)

Next summer we'll be in Panama for 9 days in July.  We'll be staying with Panamanian families the whole time we are there.  We will get to see the Panama Canal, all kinds of jungle animals, and zip-line through the rain forest!  The kids will go to a language school for a few hours a day each day too. 

On the past two trips, we have done a small amount of service work and it's gone over really well with the students.  So on this trip, we are going to be spending three afternoons helping out at a Panamanian orphanage.  We went to an orphanage in Mexico too.  While it was a sobering experience, it was also great to know that we had helped out.

I can't wait to get some more stamps on my passport!!!