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Be Kind to Traveling Families… Or Else

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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.

First Week at School: Who’s Crying Now

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We made it through our first week at Montessori Camp– woohoo! Lira is an old pro, but this is Zana’s first time in a school environment, and we were a little worried about how our wild child would handle it. We’re doing camp for these few weeks before pre-school starts so her sister can show her the ropes, and help get her used to how this whole school thing works.

Ready for School!

Of course, we never did anything like this for Lira; but don’t all parents baby their baby? [Read more…]

Four Places Your Kids Can Run Wild in DC

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My experiment as a mother of three has ended, now that my lovely niece is on her way home. It has been an intense and high-energy week. As one mom remarked, “I thought only boys acted that wild. You sure have your hands full.”

After some trial and error (and a few important lessons), I discovered some perfect places to take kids in DC. These aren’t new in our family rotation, but we rediscovered them this week, and I’m so glad that we did.

1. National Building Museum.
If you’re not a member, become one. Trust me. This place is far less crowded than the free museums nearby. Plus, it caters to younger children. Ever since Lira had a birthday party here a few years back, it has been a family-fave. The great hall is a huge open space where kids can run free. There’s a Lego exhibit where your little ones can build things and make a mess that you don’t have to clean up! And there’s indoor min-golf here through Labor Day.

Building Museum Divas

Tip: Sign up for a spot in The Building Zone (for kids ages 2-6) as soon as you get there; you’ll usually have to wait at least an hour. [Read more…]

Lessons in Life With Three Kids in the City

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My niece is visiting from Houston, and she and my girls have been tearing up the house, changing into priness dresses, coloring with Sharpies and fighting about Barbies (even though we have at least 30 of them). After sitting on my couch watching them whirl around me, I decided to quit acting like a tornado victim and leave the house.

The plan was to go visit one of the Smithsonians that stays open late during the summer. Not a big deal, right? Ha! Going from 2 kids to 3 isn’t what I thought it was. I forgot about the fact that they feed off of each other’s energy and get progressively wilder as they multiply.

I also forgot about a few other things:

A Stroller
When I take the metro, I never want to bring a stroller. It’s a pain; when you metro with a stroller, you either have to walk extra blocks to find an elevator or risk your child’s life by taking the stroller up and down the escalators. However, not bringing a stroller is worse.

Don’t we look sweet and innocent?

Zana either sprints from block to block, forcing me to chase her so she doesn’t run into traffic or sits down to pick flowers every few steps. I always end up carrying her, which is especially fun when it’s 90+ degrees out. Then she screams because she wants to get down, and sometimes (on lucky days like today) she throws a fit and smacks me in the face. Then she gets her way because I have to put her down in an effort not to smack her right back (man, that takes a lot of restraint). After a “saw-wee Mommy,” the cycle begins again—sprint, flower picking, scoop her up. [Read more…]

How to Raise an Olympian

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The start of the Olympic Games always makes me feel nostalgic.  When I was young, I had big dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. I’d spend hours in the pool (by myself) practicing (in the shallow end, so my toes could touch), and then call my mom into the backyard to watch. She was so encouraging– never once telling me what “synchronized” meant or that I was supposed to be doing those moves without touching the bottom of the pool.

This got me thinking about my girls’ future. Will they ever be Olympians? They need to be at least athletic enough for a college scholarship, because I’m certainly not paying for it—unless they go to the University of Texas; I’d make an exception for the best school in America.

What would Lira and Zana compete in? I think they have a few good options, based on their current activities, which are:

  • Fighting. They’re both really good at this, so I’m thinking Wrestling might be a good event for one or both of them. They might get disqualified for scratching or hair-pulling, but I think it’s worth a shot. This picture kind of reminds me of them:

    Courtesy Ed Wray / Associated Press
  • Scaring the crap out of me. This is Zana’s specialty. She jumps, flips, balances on things and has absolutely no fear… kind of like the Olympic gymnasts and divers. Also, she doesn’t eat, a critical part of the Karolyi training plan. [Read more…]