Whoops! Accidentally hit the publish button before I was ready, again… Tomorrow we will be two weeks into our six week whirlwind adventure, which includes six countries, multiple cities and countless experiences! Keeping track of everything over the course of six weeks will be a challenge, so keeping a daily log of everything we are doing, eating and seeing will ensure that I can share it with all of you! Oops! My plan was to work out the correct spelling, punctuation and small details later, but things don’t always go as planned. I’ll chalk it up to spending the day traveling from Belfast to Glasgow and settling into our 5th hotel in just under two weeks time.
Though we haven’t had time to see very much of Glasgow as of yet, what we have seen is pretty great! I’ll look forward to writing all about it later, but until then here are a few photos from this afternoons first glimpse!
I won’t lie, I’ve always been a backpack hater, but maybe not for the reasons you might think. Though it’s true they are often far from stylish or fashion forward the main reason I hate them has more to do with the people wearing them…
Yes, I’m talking to you oblivious backpack wearer!
You know who you are. You, who fill your giant pack with as much stuff as it can hold and head out for the day, completely oblivious to the fact that every time you move to the right or left you’re knocking down small children and hitting people in the face.
Of particular annoyance, backpacks on airplanes! As soon as I see one coming I just know it’s going to hit me in the head, its wearer completely unaware that they’ve just taken out half the plane on their way down the aisle.
Another pet peeve, sightseers with backpacks! Historic monuments, castles and other similar tourist attractions weren’t built with millions of visitors in mind. You might not notice, but when you try to squeeze into these spaces it’s not just your pack rubbing on the wall, but the zippers and plastic buckles as well. As the years go by, the countless backpacks, zippers and buckles rubbing the walls of these amazing places cause extreme and often irreparable damage. Do I sound bitchy? It’s not just me! Really! In recent year’s I’m seeing more and more restrictions placed on the size and type of personal belongings allowed in when visiting popular tourist destinations. The Alhambra and Westminster Abbey to name a few.
Just Be More Aware, okay!
I get it, backpacks are convenient, they hold a lot of stuff, give you the convenience of having both hands free and are for the most part more comfortable than other bags. I’m not saying don’t use them, just that I wish backpack wearers would be more aware and therefore more considerate of their fellow travelers and surroundings. If you do hit someone with your bag, at least notice!
But really, who needs em?
Apparently, I do.
Wait, what?! I know, I know, how could I? After all that bitching, what happened? What changed my mind? Well… wandering in New Orleans we stumbled across, Vegas, a men’s shop on Magazine Street where I discovered an adorable backpack! This alone would not have been enough to sway me, but combined with the padded laptop pocket, and my desire to blog while traveling through Europe for six weeks and I was sold!
Where I found my awesome new Backpack
Kinda cute, right?!
Holds lots of stuff too!
Tim says I won’t like it and probably won’t use it, and he might be a tiny bit right, but I’m going to give it a try. It is my hope that it will do the double duty of holding my carryon necessities and be perfect for protecting my laptop during the air and train portions of our trip and I promise not to hit anyone in the head when boarding!
Not a true convert, I plan to pack my Hobo tote in the bottom compartment of the suitcase; it will hold just what I need for day trips and visiting historic places while my backpack and laptop stay put back in the hotel!
So… What’s in my backpack?
For the most part my carryon bag is holding those items that I want to make sure are with me at all times in the event that my carryon suitcase is lost or in the event I am forced to check it.
Laptop computer
Prescription glasses & sunglasses
Liquid toiletries
Makeup bag
One each extra socks and underwear
Wallet
Phone
Pouch with charger, Advil, pen, business cards, hair ties and lip gloss
We’re in the dark about so many things before becoming parents. One of them is how your heart literally breaks the first time your child suffers pain of any kind, and each and every time it happens thereafter. I will never forget the first shots, the first time they fell down, or the first time their feelings were hurt at school.
As far as physical injuries went it wasn’t long before my boys grew to hate bandages. While it soothed their initial pain, the fear of having them ripped off was too great.
I wasn’t ever sure how to handle it… How should I rip off the bandage? Slow or quick? Should I rip at the count of three, or fib and say I was counting to three, but rip at one? Maybe I should just do it a little bit at a time?
The Proverbial Bandage
As they’ve gotten older (and more coordinated) it’s become more about soothing emotional injury. In my opinion this is the much more difficult of the two… It’s even worse if you’re the cause. For example, giving your child bad or difficult news?
How do you deliver? Slow, or quick? All at once, or a little bit at a time? Is complete honesty the best policy?
1…2…3…RIPPPPP!
Recently, when I had to tell my boys 1, 2… WE’RE MOVING 3! I had the chance to find out.
Yep, see how I did that? Started out a little slow but then… riiiiip!
Wait! What?
After 8 years in the Bay Area we will be heading back to Southern California at the end of this summer.
While we are very excited about our new home and life in SoCal we are equally as heartbroken about leaving our NorCal family. We were so lucky 8 years ago when we landed in one of the best communities anywhere and leaving will be incredibly difficult. Friendships like these don’t just come and go and we know we’re in it for the long haul no matter where we call home!
Actually this wasn’t how we told the kids, this time…Oops! Yes, we tried that method previously and it didn’t go over well. Lesson learned. This time we included them in the decision making and house hunting process as much as we could and though it’s bittersweet they’re pretty excited about their close proximity to many of the fun things SoCal has to offer!
In the meantime we’ve got a lot of fun happening around our house between now and our upcoming move, which means many more posts about not only recent travels but future travels as well. we are looking forward to a six week journey around Europe to keep us very occupied! So exciting!
Hopefully I won’t need to rip off any bandages in the near future but should the need arise… How should I do it? 1, 2, 3…
Though not in anyway complete here are just a few photos representing some of the amazing memories we’ve created over the past 8 years.
I always knew I’d be a mom someday, or at least I certainly hoped so! However, when considering parenthood there were SO MANY things I could never have imagined. That’s a good thing too, because had I known otherwise I might have made different choices. I suppose this naiveté is part of what enables our species to go on!
Very quickly I learned that I had literally been clueless about what to expect prior to motherhood. Looking back I had definitely been judging others and felt so smug about how when I was the mom I would do it differently. I would do it right.
Had I listened, really listened, I might have learned a thing or two from friends with kids, like how letting your kid cry it out is much harder than it actually sounds, and that picking your battles isn’t always easy, and sometimes it’s just easier and more fun to say yes even though you shouldn’t, and most importantly that everything doesn’t always go according to plan! Sometimes you’re still laying with your seven year old every single night even though you fully intended that he was going to sleep on his own from day one!
Of course, in hindsight, I know I simply wasn’t ready to learn these things. That is until I had a child of my own then I’d joined the club!
Since that time I’ve learned so much! Here, in no particular order, are just a few things I’ve learned over the past 13 years as the mother of two boys:
Never go into the bathroom barefoot.
Rain or shine I drive teen carpools with the windows down. The other alternative is a gas mask. Deodorant people. Deodorant!
Love the name you choose because you’re going to say it A LOT.
There’s no reason for a baby to cry!
You’re the boss!
Wipe warmers are awesome. Did I mention there’s no reason for a baby to cry?
Keep those little scented baggies in your diaper bag for dirty diaper disposal.
Be prepared for vomit. Anytime. Anywhere.
You will make mistakes.
Your kids will get Lice. Yes, lice, and you probably will too.
Don’t threaten a punishment you can’t or won’t be able to follow through on.
It’s okay to change your mind.
Wait as long as possible to potty train, buy cheap underwear and throw it out when accidents happen.
Whoops! Earlier today I accidentally pushed “publish” on an idea for a possible future post… The title was Why So Rude?, and while I’m not sure I was ever going to finish writing it, let alone publish it, this morning’s publishing mistake is forcing my hand and I’ve decided to put it out there.
The post was part of a series of ideas I consider taboo for my blog about Travel, Fashion and Fun! They are subjects I have definite feelings about, but either I am not sure they warrant an audience or they are topics I am sure will invite trouble of some sort. For example: religion, politics and volunteering at my child’s school to name a few! Don’t laugh, that last one is a pretty hot topic where I live!
Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself very lucky! My family and I live in a fantastic community filled with great people. It’s pretty much impossible not to run into someone you know, everywhere you go, and we love that! Most days are filled with pleasant exchanges with people we know and love. Occasionally, the rare unpleasant encounter occurs and when it does I’m always so surprised.
So What Happened? Who Was Rude?
Recently my son, Elliot, started taking ice skating lessons and he really loves it! I’m so happy for him because it’s the first time he’s shown excitement about any after school program. Parents are allowed to watch the lessons, but only from outside the rink through a series of windows. There are three full classes going on at any one time. Anyway…
The lesson was starting, so I made my way to where I would be able to see Elliot’s class. When I arrived, there were only three other people watching and there are four full-length windows. Perfect! There’s room for at least one more…
I stepped up to the window, whoops! Apparently there wasn’t room for one more. As soon as I placed myself in front of the window the woman next to me stiffened and gave me a pretty hard stare. Had I done something wrong? “Excuse me, is something the matter?” I asked. “You’re too close!” she said. “Oh! I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, I was hoping to watch my little boy” was my response. “But you’re still standing here.” She said with an evil pointed look. For just one moment I was speechless. Was this really happening? Had anything really happened to warrant this attitude toward another parent? I was sure I’d put on deodorant that morning and looked and smelled presentable. WTF?! I’m friendly, right?! These were the things going through my head, just before I decided I wasn’t having it!
You know those times when someone treats you badly and you aren’t sure what to do, but then later you know just what you would have said? Well, this wasn’t one of those times. I knew just what to say! I looked her right in the face and I said, “You’re a real asshole!”
I felt, hurt, exhilarated, angry, and strangely giddy. I wasn’t able to watch the lesson, but I had stood up for myself. Even if it was a bit childish… I sat down on a nearby bench, logged in to WordPress, and created a new draft… Why So Rude? Isn’t there enough room at the windows for everyone…