Long flight…a lot of fun: How to keep the sanity while traveling with babies/kids

I just read an article regarding a family journey and experiences while flying across the country with two young kids, the husband and wife team reveal the high and lows. And really this article make me reflects on my own traveling experiences.

Well, we have been married for nearly 6 years; we have a great life and a wonderful marriage. We do just about everything together. We are raising our baby boy which is nearly 3 year old and we are expecting our second baby boy this coming February 14, 2011.  Our son is getting used to traveling a lot, he is traveling since he was newborn / 6 month old.

But like many married couples, we sometimes seem like we are living in two different realities. Every year shortly after beginning the Spring and Fall seasons we packed up the family, left our Kentucky home, and headed to visit my parents at my country in Puerto Rico. We have to cross Atlantic Ocean to reach the Caribbean Sea, seems like a cross country trip marathon. Even though each same traveling experience has been very different and very hectic we always managed to get there alive.

Traveling through the airports with little kids during the holidays is a nightmare. Joe and I have to cover each other. Our little man is unreliable at best and his mood can turn on a dime.

Up until now we’ve always flown first thing in the morning. This has its own problems, such as delirium, nausea and crankiness on all of our parts. But it’s also over before you realize what’s happening. We always try to leaving at 6:00 a.m. – a nice morning flight.  My husband hate to pack, he waits until the last minute and then goes crazy asking me where is this or where is that, exclusively when I’m at my busiest. It’s a big job, so why not start earlier? It’s a simple idea.

My husband can feel when I am starting to get anxious. I am always annoyingly punctual. I’m running around doing my husband last minute packing, cleaning and trying to dress up and pacify the little man.  I’m the planner. I have to be. If not, we miss our flights, end up in traffic and shortly thereafter, divorce court. I normally check with the airline before leaving the house and normally our flights are on time. 

Joe always is very good and extremely particular with our house dog “Regalo” care and house care arrangements. He always does an excellent job!  We left our dog in our house and he go in and out through the doggy door at the basement. Regalo is the king of the house for two weeks and he might feel like he is in heaven.  A lot of food and water with several areas of sleeping and napping rugs; which he loves. So, right before we leave the house, Joe takes Regalo and left him out and close the gates form our deck.

Joe starts the car, he is out and loading the car before I’ve even filled the sippy cups and pack the snacks. I am always felling we are late; I always want to be 20 minutes early for everything. Let see, two giant luggage, carseat, carseat cover/carry on, four pieces of carry on, a giant bag of snacks, a lunch box for the milk/juices and the laptop the baby’s entertainment. . It’s my hubby’s job to get it all into the car as I buzz around the house one last time doing God knows what with my little boy chasing me around like a doggy. Then he goes inside the house again, whatever he is doing it takes an extra five minutes and he’s out of breath.

The road trip to the airport begins and the Caribbean adventures is on schedule so far...

To be continued…

My Quote of the day:  When you’re a mom, it’s easy to overlook your own needs. 

Notes and updates...

I am back...back again. 

I've been very busy lately, but I want to share with you all, officially we are expecting for third time but thanks to our God a second successful pregnancy so far. We had a miscarriage last year on March 2009 and we really suffered a lot. Right now after 17 weeks of pregnancy and a lot of pregnancy symptoms and morning sickness I can share the greatest and blessed news.

Pregnancy Time is the best stage or personal achievement of my life as a woman, well after having the privilege of being married for 5 years to my adorable and humble husband, JFW.

Right now I am multitasking, watching the  movie “Julie and Julia”, cooking and planning the weekend with my family (hubby and my little man) and excited to go to a girl-date with my great friend B tomorrow Saturday.  My baby will love the Farmer’s Market and all the great produces that we are going to buy this weekend, then have a nice lunch.

I have been working in several projects at work and home. But I love it and WE BOOKED OUR FAMILY VACATION...we are going to the Caribbean/Puerto Rico to visit my parents, family and friends. It would be the experience of the lifetime, like always we have.

For now, I like the hectic routine and tiredness of being pregnant and the fact that I have a very demanding men at home…I am joking. I love these two men and the baby I am growing, carrying and loving in my tummy; they give me the reason to continue this journey so many time called LIFE.

Have a great weekend and I will keep you posted.

Quote of the Day: Not my quote but I love it!
Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love.  ~Mildred B. Vermont

Working with the simple, organic and healthy method

For most of us, during the work week, the majority of our waking hours are spent at work. Like everyone else, I look forward to the weekends. Call me delusional, but even after 2 years of motherhood and 5 years of marriage, every Friday night I still imagine that I’m going to sleep in until 10 am the next day. I was wrong!!!!! Of course, it never happens. Most Saturday mornings, I’m up by 7 am, and by 9 am I’ve made breakfast, done a load of laundry (or two), cleaned the kitchen and the stove, cleaned around the house, started an art project o music session with my 2 year old, and looked the paper to find something exciting to do with the family. We like to go to the flea market, public auction or to garage/yard sales.


I suppose it’s the same for many working mothers, this transformation from Monday to Friday career woman to weekend domestic goddess, but until recently, I wasn’t much aware of this transformation in myself. Then one Saturday evening, happy and exhausted, I reflected back on my day and giggled at the thought that my colleagues at work would never recognize the woman who spent that day doing 3 loads of laundry, cooking French toast or a healthy warm oatmeal for the guys, gardening / harvesting / storing products from our organic garden, coloring children’s book, jumping and clapping with the music, planting herbs, making homemade tomatoes and mozzarella wheat pizza for lunch and walking the dog while I am pushing the stroller to exercise and entreating my little man. I was exhausted, but completely fulfilled.


The morning was off to its usual start – laundry and Greek yogurt granola snacks – and then my son toted out the crayons and paper and began to draw. Minutes later I heard a frustrated whine and the tears began. He had decided that today was the day he was going to draw a perfect circle, only it wasn’t working out very well. I drew stars with pencil for him to trace, I guided his hand, I did my best to explain that circle come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes they’re so round that they look just like donuts or crazy dots! I am not quiet sure if he understood me that well but at least he stopped crying and maybe my attention toward him with some instructions gave him the security he was looking for. Then I asked him to help me to finish laundry, he put his clothing in his wardrobe and throws the blankets and socks at his baby bed but it was magical. I had managed to usher him through his frustration and find something that we could do together, that he could do well, the end result of which was a teamwork effort! It was empowering for both of us. Why I did not think about this before, something this simple and not complex such as finishing laundry and folding clothes, we love it.

My Quote of the day: You are acceptable and you are valuable!

Work-Life-Balance

What to write for you all?
About working, what I can share with all is that I have been working since I was 14 years old and that is the only thing I know real well. Until I got married, so working passed to be my secondary job. Marriage is a full time job with an unpaid over time but a lot coming of revenues and rewards.

About motherhood, what can I share with all? Oh yes I know: “I didn’t have a clue” how tough first-time motherhood can be. “I don’t think that’s something you can know,” “There’s no way to prepare for the challenges, the immense joys, the surprises, the disappointments and the shocks. Your heart just rips open.”
But we all will get the rewards as a surprise and unexpectedly like me, “my kid has helped me be more patient, have more empathy and be more nurturing."

Now getting more serious in the working mother topic; working moms talk about being overwhelmed by competing demands on their time. And, what happens when the kids get sick or gets rejected by day care, all the working schedule get moves and it turns in a health alert and/or bio-hazard watch for the family and the most close peers. I am very blessed that I have the support from my Company and my boss but guess what, many U.S. working mothers still don’t have workplace flexibility, let alone paid sick days or paid maternity leave. So let’s be appreciative and grateful for what you have and to embrace more the flexibility of being a working mother will bring to us!
I am always reading real mom stories that are working public’s jobs to get some wisdom and moral support. And I really need to find the magic key to reach the ability to keep perspective about what’s important and has a great sense of humor,” but for now I am still working on it.

My Quote of the day: Time for myself?” That’s really funny, LOL. “Time for myself!”.

Discovering the real purpose of LIFE

What to say and what to write for you? Well, let me start saying that was very difficult to make the decision of creating this blog account but I finally made it. So, I am sharing my thoughts and experiences with you all as I try to find the perfect spot and equilibrium in Life.

I am mother of a 2 year old son named Joseph Frederick, he is a perfect creation of God and wonderfully funny and I am wife of a great and thoughtful husband born and raised in Kentucky (country side). I love the life in Kentucky and I will die here. I am a working Mommy and was very difficult for me to decide and to accept this challenge; me and myself with another role on life that was scary, I really enjoyed very, very much been a career woman but after motherhood entered and touched my life, I always try to put my husband and family first and just make good choices so that it is all in balance.

How I do the balance, if there is any? Well about balancing my life as a mom and working Mom and wife. “It’s just balance. You have to take it day by day. I’m just like another working mom; some days I’m really good at balancing it all and some days I’m not very good at it.”

My Quote of the day: Yanna’s Pieces of Life.