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Be Kind to Traveling Families… Or Else

June 26, 2014 by momindcity 12 Comments

Have you ever been comfortably sitting on a plane, minding your own business when someone asks you to move? Did you do it?

If you did, you probably felt good. Like you’d just done that person and/or their family a favor. If you didn’t, well… the rest of this post is for you.

As my family and I dragged our way to the back of the plane last night, we looked around hopefully. The 3-hour delay had left us cranky and tired. The girls pulled their princess suitcases and fought over ratty haired dolls while Dave and I tried not-so-subtly to make eye contact with potential seat-trading strangers. Our assigned seats were all over the plane, and Zana was already crying at the thought of not sitting with one of us.

People just stared. Most people, anyway. One man did jump up and offer to move saying, “I remember those days!” He even took a middle seat to help us out(thank you, thank you!).

But not everyone was eager to help, including one guy who had the pleasure of sitting next to Zana.

Good luck sitting next to this kid
Why wouldn’t you be nice to this face?

He learned a hard lesson. Since I don’t think anyone else should have to learn this the hard way, I’m going to lay it out for you.

If you’re not nice to traveling families…

1. You might get coughed on. (a lot)

2. You might get kicked. (hard)

3. You might be forced to listen to a very loud rendition of “Let it Go.” (on repeat)

4. You might get sprayed with vomit.

5. You might then be forced to eat your Lunchable while smelling that vomit.

6. You might be referred to as a “magar” (that’s donkey in Albanian) while you’re talked about right in front of your face.

Or if you’re the lucky guy sitting next to Zana during the flight because you wouldn’t change seats… you might just get the grand prize of all of the above!

So what have we learned?

When a family asks you to move so they can sit together, just do it.

And remember… you’re not doing them a favor. You’re doing yourself one.

Filed Under: Travel Time, Uncategorized Tagged With: family, family travel, flying with kids, kids, traveling with kids

Good-bye Vacay, Hello Real World… Womp Womp

September 3, 2013 by momindcity 10 Comments

For all 3 of you who’ve been stalking momindcity.com anxiously waiting for my next post… stop biting your nails, the wait is over. The summer of 2013 has definitely been one to remember. We took our first overseas family vacation! Kosovo, Albania, Germany, and Austria in 4 weeks. Plus, we spent a week at the beach in Delaware before that. How does a working mom get this much time off? My job gives a 5 week sabbatical every 5 years. Crazy, right?!

Here’s  a quick recap of why I’ve been off the grid for the past couple of months:

Bethany Beach Highlights included ice cream multiple times a day and the introduction of the “bra-kini,” which you may call a bikini at your house.

She hates the beach.
Wearing their bra-kinis.

Kosovo, the youngest country in Europe  This is where I spent every summer of my childhood; it’s home to my extended family, and now the place where Lira and Zana want to move (I felt the same way when I was a kid). The castle in Prizren had a breathtaking view of the city.

Yay Prizeren Castle!
People were taking pictures of me attempting to take this picture.

We also spent time in the mountains, and on the family farm:

Kid-friendly castle halfway up a mountain
Castle halfway up a mountain near Decan
Fresh garden veggies
Fresh garden veggies in Dubrava

Albania Add the Adriatic Sea to your list of beaches to visit. I won’t forget our wonderful time in Vlora, but I do hope to forget whatever stomach but took us all down; Montazuma’s Enver Hoxha’s Revenge is no joke.

The best of our 50+ attempts at a family photo
Don’t worry, I’m wearing my bra-kini.

Munich and Salzburg Our trip to Germany and Austria was quick– just 3 days. We explored castles, gardens (flower and beer), enjoyed hearty German food and exhausted ourselves properly for the 9 hour flight home.

Nymphenburg Palace, Munich
Nymphenburg Palace, Munich
Salzburg Castle
Salzburg Castle

Back to the Grind We got back to DC 2 weeks ago. The girls started school last week– 1st grade (gasp!) and pre-school, and Dave immediately went back to work. I decided to do a 10 day in a row Bikram Yoga challenge to cleanse the vacation damage out of my system and shock my body back into reality. Now it’s time to shock my mind. Heading back to work this morning… womp womp

Filed Under: Travel Time, Uncategorized Tagged With: albania, family vacation, kosovo, summer vacation, traveling with kids

Dear Punxsatawney Phil, You Are a Liar

March 24, 2013 by momindcity 2 Comments

Have you guys heard about that county in Ohio that’s charging Punxsatawney Phil with a felony for his bogus prediction that Spring would come early this year? They say it’s a crime punishable by death.

If that sounds a little harsh, then you probably live in the South and can go suck it. It’s snowing right now in DC. Snowing?! Very uncool, Phil– if that really was you and not some impostor.

Adding to the sucki-ness is the fact that we recently came back from a beautiful and very Spring-ey trip to North Carolina for a wedding.

No sleeves, no problem!
No sleeves, no problem!

It was so warm out that even a pashmina was out of the question. We spent two nights at the Washington-Duke Inn, which was surprisingly awesome for kids. It’s a 5-star hotel, so I knew it would be lovely. But I never imagined there would be bunk beds in our room, and a little nook with kids sized chairs and a mini-tv. The indoor pool was also a big hit, and the girls weren’t the only ones who were ready to move in permanently.

There wasn't much sleeping happening
There wasn’t much sleeping happening

We visited Duke Gardens, which have to be one of my favorite places in the state. We walked among the trees and then climbed them…

IMG_2593
Everyone should climb trees
Daddy-daughter stroll
Daddy-daughter stroll

We also met up with friends at Pullen Park, which I can only compare to Wheaton Regional and Cabin John in our area. The kids may as well have been at Disneyland. There was a train, a carousel, paddle boats, and an endless amount of climbing to do. And how cool are these little boats?

Boat ride at Pullen Park
Boat ride at Pullen Park

You’ll have to ignore Zana’s face (or just look at it and laugh). Even Disneyworld gets old when you’re in serious need of a nap. Also, my face kinda looks like that right now because I’m mad that it’s cold. Wah!

So all of this sunshine and cheer brings me back to Phil, a liar whose pants deserve to be on fire. Spring, where are you???

Filed Under: Travel Time Tagged With: groundhog prediction wrong, pullen park, punxsutawney phil, springtime, trips from dc, washington dc weather

First Family Putt-Putt: a Questionable Success

July 22, 2012 by momindcity 6 Comments

Earlier this week, I was looking for things to help fill the rest of our time at Bethany Beach. I shared my top 10 beach ideas list and received some great suggestions from MomInDCity readers. But the most entertaining one came from Dave; he decided it was time that we all channel our inner Tiger Woods (minus the cheating and inappropriate texts) and go play mini golf.

Things started out pretty well… Dave coaching on the Practice Green and the girls getting their game faces on.

 

So much hope and promise
Don’t they look excited?!

We made it through the first few holes without much drama, but there was a family in front of us, which means we had some down time before each turn. That gave the girls time to realize that a putt-putt course is like a playground on steroids. We could barely find them after the fifth hole– especially the 2-year-old.

Not a rule follower

Our most effective threat, “do you want to go sit with the lifeguard?”, which usually sends chills down her spine, did nothing. During those few times that we managed to keep her on the course, she’d sit in the middle of the green.

Get off the green!

When we’d ignore her, she’d find something else she wasn’t supposed to touch.

Big Sis thinks this is a great idea

Despite my pleas, Dave was determined to finish the course. We somehow managed not to get kicked out, which probably had something to do with the fact that we were the only people there who weren’t drunk. I obviously beat Dave, (this may or may not be true, but it’s my blog so I get to say whatever I want), and Lira perfected her swing. Also, those golf clubs are weapons, and nobody got hurt; I call that a success right there.

Thinking of going pro

I hear there’s currently a mini golf course at the National Building Museum in DC. Dare we try again?

Filed Under: Local Adventures, Travel Time Tagged With: beach, dc, mini golf, put put

10 Things to Do During a Weeklong Beach Vacation

July 19, 2012 by momindcity 5 Comments

It’s Day 6 of our beach vacation, and I’m still trying to master this relaxation thing. Bethany Beach, DE was, apparently, designed for this because I have horrible cell phone service. That means I can’t talk to anyone, text anyone, or check my email without standing on the bed and holding my phone toward the balcony window to get a signal. The girls can’t even watch The Fresh Beat Band, since the condo we’re staying in only has basic cable. It’s like we’re supposed to sit around and talk to each other or something.

Bethany Beach, DE

 

After getting over the initial shock, I managed to come up with ways to fill the time. I figure a lot of you will be taking vacations this summer and may need some suggestions, so here you go:

  1. Drink cocktails instead of lattes. You know how you like to stop by Starbucks on your way to work or playgroup in the morning? Scratch that. The best thing to do in these scenarios is grab a mangorita. If you’re staying in Bethany, you can do that at Mangos. Your whole day will instantly become brighter (or maybe hazier).

    Not drinking lattes
  2. Shop for things you don’t need. Ever been to Disneyworld? If so, you know how hard it is to fight the urge to buy character-embossed clothing. When you’re at Disney, you truly believe that Minnie Mouse shirts are the hottest new fashion trend. And when you’re at the beach, it’s fluorescent tank tops and hoodies with your beach-of-choice’s name on it. You’ll need at least 5 of these.
  3. Risk your lives at the amusement park. Trimpers, in Ocean City, is is filled with vintage (think industrial revolution-era) rides that will make your kids squeal with joy while you cringe in fear. The gears are squeaky, the carnies who run the rides look like they’re on supervised work release from the local prison, and the height “requirements” are merely a suggestion. It’s awesome. We stayed here way past bedtime, and the only meltdown happened when we wouldn’t let Zana ride the Merry Mixer. You have to put your foot down at some point.

    Danger be damned
  4.  Eat ice cream at least once a day.When you’re bored at home, you go to the fridge and munch on last night’s pizza. Here, you go downstairs and eat ice cream. And then you do it again. And again. There are 10 ice cream shops in a 2-block radius of our condo building… and those are just the ones I can see from our window. The current winning shop/flavor is Maureen’s Butter Pecan.

    Omnomnom
  5. Watch spy movies. Hooray for Redbox!  There’s nothing like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to put you to sleep (if you’re me), or keep you up all night (if you’re Dave). We also watched Smurfs, Muppets, Young Adult and War Horse.
  6. Find the delicate balance between tanning and burning. Some use baby oil; others use Water Babies SPF 70. Pick your poison, but prepare to pay the consequences, Either way, you’ll spend the entire week asking yourself “do I look like I’m burning? how about now? do I look tan?”

    Definitely not burned
  7. Go to the chiropractor. Since relaxing stresses me out so much, I managed to have a horrible first night’s sleep here and snap my neck out of place. Who drives 45 minutes for a chiropractic adjustment while they’re on vacation? This girl. I do feel much better now, though.
  8. Watch teen ballerinas perform. At the beach (or at least at Bethany Beach), there are nightly performances in the town center. Our favorite one to date… a dance troupe of young girls from Westchester, PA. Lira and Zana couldn’t take their eyes off of the Disney princess-themed program and stood at the foot of the stage for the best view. The show was very entertaining… minus the creepy old MC who also danced in a few of the numbers. The bonus performance of Whitney’s “I Will Always Love You” was a little too sexy for my taste, but I’ve seen Toddlers and Tiarasso I’m prepared for anything.

    Front row
  9. Develop and overcome new fears. When we got here, Lira was afraid of nothing. Ten foot waves couldn’t scare her… and there’s no way a silly ol’ elevator could. But somewhere along the way, Lira turned panic-stricken every time she’d come near the elevator. I’m not really sure what caused that, but I do know why the waves suddenly scared her. After an hour-long session out in the ocean, we headed back to the shore together and got pummeled by huge wave, leaving us both face down in the sand. Then, another one hit us. I lost my grip on Lira, and we were both terrified… me for a brief moment, her for a couple of days. It took time, but the scraped knees and fears are now gone. We are here for a couple more days, though, so who knows what other phobias could develop. I’m personally becoming deathly afraid of half shirts.
  10. Enjoy some heavy reading… like People and US Weekly. I had big plans to catch up on reading during this vacation, packing heavy hitters like 50 Shades of Grey and the final book of The Hunger Games. Maybe it was the fact that Dave kept offering to buy me a Penthouse magazine whenever I’d even look at 50 Shades… but I didn’t crack a book once. I did, however, learn a lot about Tom and Katie’s failed marriage and Kourtney Kardashian’s new baby. Also, Britney Spears looks great these days.
What do you do when you’re at the beach? I need suggestions for these last couple of days.

 

Filed Under: Travel Time Tagged With: amusement park, beach, beach with kids, bethany-beach, vacation with kids

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