We've got some stuff going on.Ed's mom was here visiting last week. Tomorrow I leave for a long weekend in Utah (Hickman women bonding at Women's Conference.) Four days after I get back we leave for a British adventure, visiting Dave's family and some other touristing, including the most awesome ex-pat ex-mission companion ever in London. (So this is also a call for clever ways to keep kids occupied on a long trip.) And a week after we get back we close on our new house (here in Arlington, see picture above - it's yellow!; there will be a post about it eventually.)
Meanwhile trying to keep everyone fed and healthy, and the (current) house clean for potential renters to see. And, ahem, yes, lots of baking. So the blogging has fallen a notch or two on the Must-Do List, but I'll be back, here and there. Thanks for checking. Happy Spring.
15 comments:
congratulations on the house! fun fun fun! and on the travels. i'm jealous.
here's another idea for the long plane ride: aquadoodles. you fill the little pens with water and then go crazy. the little pad deal dries and you're good to go again. you've probably already got these - in target they're housed with the other drawing board stuff - but i just think they're fun to play with.
WOW Kari congratualtions on all of the blessings you and your family so deserve to have!! And I love the idea of women's day at the Women's Conference in Utah. ENJOY!!
kat - yes, love aquadoodles. i got two new ones just for the trip. will get pipe cleaners & fruit loops too. toss over any other great ideas!
Congrats on the home purchase and the upcoming trip to England. I shall curb my jealousy and revel in the blogposts that are to come.
What a busy time for you guys! It sounds so exciting too! I wish I had more ideas for you to keep kids busy but I'm looking for some too for our 2 day drive/move to Phoenix. I'll keep checking back to see what else everyone suggests!! Have a great time and Congrats on your house!
lacing boards are fun and keep them busy for awhile. are they old enough to learn go fish? paper dolls?
Wow!! New house?? That's Awesome.
Good luck in all your travels.
Some things that have worked for us while traveling -
1) Paying for the movie player on the flight (expensive and ridiculous, but saves the hassle of bringing our own supplies and the ones we have been offered are usually loaded with multiple shows, movies, etc. We get one and bring a splitter and extra sets of headphones)
2) Loading our iPods with a couple of kids playlists. Both kids like to listen to the songs they love and they feel so grown up. They lose interest quickly, but even 20 minutes of entertainment and quiet is worth it.
3) We use the Color Wonder coloring books so that they don't mark up the seats/tables/etc.
4) Small guidebook of where we are going. Give it to them and tell them to find things they want to do. Enoch and Hilde loved that, every picture Enoch sees he says - can I go there sometime?
5) Some small books to read.
6) A blank notebook and pens/crayons/pencils for drawing/writing.
Shells,
excellent ideas. Ed may have to bring his laptop anyway for work but if he doesn't I didn't really want to bring one or the portable dvd player and lug it around. I've never rented one at the airport but I can see the advantages. I was also thinking about getting a kids show or two on my ipod, I assume you can get them on itunes for a price? The kids music playlist is a great idea. So far I've got:
- aquadoodle/water fun pads
- color wonder books
- froot loops & pipe cleaners
- new coloring books or blank notepads to color
- we also have two of these magnetic tin sets (silly faces and fashion doll) that we keep in the church bag and only bring out at church. there is potential to lose some pieces on the plane but the girls love them and they are relatively small and light so I may get another one.
- lots of snacks
Unfortunately my kids don't like puzzles or lacing cards. Hazel did get a set of princess card games for her birthday (crazy 8's, go fish, etc.) Maybe we'll bring them. Hopefully they'll also sleep a little - it's an overnight flight - but I can't count on it.
OK... life looks fabulous for you right now! So envious of the british adventure! Have a blast at women's conference and in England! I look forward to hearing all about it! BTW, long plane ride to GB not a big deal, they should sleep most of it. Be sure not to sleep the next day away; only take a nap and then make everyone get up, push through and then you can get to bed at a reasonable hour that night. On the way back, though, be sure to pick up a few fun new goodies while over there and save them for the plane ride home, like coloring books and regular books, little touristy toys, etc. Always works for us. if you are flying Virgin Atlantic, they give the kids great bags full of goodies, too. Plus some treats for bribes, of course! The best thing is to take your kids on planes often and it's easier, because they are used to it! :-)
We've done the international flights so many times, and every time you just get through it somehow :) It's really not that bad. My best trick was to buy some new, never before seen toys from the dollar store (little action figures, finger puppets from IKEA, new coloring books) and pull them out as a surprise when things start to get dicey. Even if they're cheap toys, the novelty is enough to keep them interested for a while. I also don't care if they get lost.
Another thing to remember is they give you a lot more perks on international flights than domestic. You can go to www.seatguru.com and find out what amenities are available on your plane. Usually the seat back entertainment is standard and free. But we always brought our own headphones because the ones they give you on the plane usually aren't kid-friendly.
Congrats on the house, by the way. We're closing on ours tomorrow!!
seriously cool house. it's yellow and has a blue door. my ideal!
Yay! I hope you got a killer deal on your casa. Have fun across the pond and give those GBYounces a big hug for me!
I like the Kumon workbooks (available on Amazon and Target in the book section)--they have skills for all ages: practice coloring for little ones, connect the dots, practice cutting, writing, whatever.
We also have some sew 'n sews that keep the kids engaged for a while when we pull them out. I think I got them from Coffinberry.
Also, play-do in a zip-lock. Great for airplane seats and if it is grody at the end of the trip, toss it.
Keep a few new things for the trip home.
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