Thursday, August 27, 2009

Bernardo who??

So my son is no where to be found. I can call him all day and keep getting a stare look as if I was completely insane. "Spiderman mommy, I'm spiderman"!



Welcome superhero phase, welcome! I guess I'll have to be washing you at midnight and have you ready in the morning for another hot and long day! And did I tell you that to get my 'spiderman' to pull down his pants and use the bathroom is also a battle? "Yes mommy, I want to do pipi... but don't take my spiderman off okay?" or "Oh my gosh mommy, the bad guys are coming! Hurry up we need to fight them!"
Not even Bernardo can believe his eyes when he looks at himself in front of the mirror!


I know what you're thinking... I need to get my video camera out of my closet!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Yes you can!

Every time I tell someone we have been away on vacation, I always get the same question and puzzled expression from my friend - but how??

One of our foremost priorities when we decided to start a family was to never stop doing the things we loved to do because of the kids. Just the opposite, we've always thought that our kids would add on to all that we loved to do: spending time with family, friends and traveling! Hopefully by experiencing all the differences that are out there, we will be raising decent and curious human beings. Like my dad likes to say, 'curiosity is what makes the world go around'!

But back to my survival tips.... grab your better half, a world map, some of my tips and start dreaming!! Here they are:

#1. A hands-on spouse. Seriously, you can't pack your bags and kids and take off anywhere, not even to your neighbours, if your spouse doesn't help you. I mean someone that changes diapers, gives them a bath, lunch, dinner and all that is necessary to get through the day.

#2. Take advantage of your early risers. Your kids are up around 7am? Get them dressed, fed and out the door. It truly is one of the best times to wonder around the city, attend local street markets to buy some fresh pastries and fruits, and take your pictures.

#3. Still related to #2, be respectful of your kids. Are they used of taking a nap? Maybe you can stretch it to be a little later than usual, but it has to happen. Do they generally sleep around 8pm? I'm sorry to tell you but you won't be doing much late dining with wine and candles during your trip.

#4. Be smart when spending your money. We barely do any shopping when on vacation.... but we spend a little extra when choosing accommodation. It has to be center located, it has to have enough space to accommodate everyone comfortably and whenever possible it has to provide us with kitchen appliances. In Europe is easy to rent actual apartments instead of staying at a hotel, and we always jump at that opportunity. The extra living quarters (kitchen specially) are always welcomed. I even try to cook home made meals whenever possible - there's just so much nuggets, fries and pasta your kids can eat on the road!

#5. Research, research, research. Make sure you go places that will spark some interest in your kids, regardless of age. Also plan accordingly so your little ones have time to crawl around, go up and down elevators, run around the park or playground. I use tripadvisor.com a lot, I love their forums and all the tips from real travelers.

#6. Rent a roomy car with car seats. Two less bulky things you don't have to drag around. First time I did it I brought an extra/clean cover for the car seat... but taking it apart and putting it back together, after a 10 hour flight and a cranky toddler, it's a task easily forgotten.

#7. Pack lightly. You've heard this before, but you really don't need to carry a whole lot to travel. For a 14 days trip I bring about 8 outfits for each person, and half way through the trip I send some essential pieces to be dry cleaned at the hotel. Yes, it is expensive... but who cares? Much better than tagging along 4 huge suitcases and a cranky husband for 2 weeks.

#8. Laundry/Dishwasher essentials. I always bring a bottle brush, a little plastic container with detergent, a small laundry brush and a coconut bar soap. All our underwear is washed while we take a shower with the soap and little brush... and the kids bottles we wash in the bathroom sink.
#9. Don't have a microwave to warm up your milk? Don't panic!! Close the drain in your bathroom sink, fill it up with hot water and soak your bottles there for about 10 min. Perfect temperature every time! Make sure you buy those travel size milk cartons that don't need to be refrigerated.

#10. Last but not least.... here goes my check list of things to bring so I don't leave any important item behind!!

CLOTHING:
1. PJs
2. Socks
3. Shoes
4. T-Shirts
5. Pants
6. Shorts
7. Jackets / Sweaters
8. Underware
9. Hat
BATH TIME / PERSONAL HYGENE:
1. Towel
2. Shampoo
3. Lotion
4. Q-tip
5. Corn starch
6. Baby Powder
7. Hair Brush
8. Tooth Brush
9. Tooth Paste
10. Diapers
11. Wipes
12. Foldable potty top
FIRST AID:
1. Nose drops
2. Tylenol
3. Thermometer
4. Nail clipper
5. Nose suction ball
6. Teething tablets
7. Nenedent
8. Allium cepa
9. FeverAll
10. Sun screen

FEEDING:
1. Sippy Cups Bernardo & Miguel
2. Cookies
3. Cereal
4. Milk for flight
5. Juice
6. Bows
7. Spoons
8. Bottle brush
9. Detergent
SLEEP TIME:
1. Portable crib
2. Inflatable mattress
3. Crib sheet
4. Pacifiers
5. Security Blanket
6. Blanket
7. Pillow
MISCELLANEOUS:
1. Small toys
2. DVDs
3. DVD Player
4. Flight entertainment (coloring book, crayons)
5. Coconut soap
6. Laundry brush
7. Bottle warmer for car
MOM:
1. Camera
2. Camera charger/cables
3. Video Camera
4. External HD
5. iPhone
6. Phone charger
7. iPod
8. Laptop
Please don't forget I'm always striving to improve... more tips are always welcome! Happy travels!!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Hot like hell vs. Pretty like you've never imagined

Yes you've guessed it.... we were out and about again! And yes, we do have wheels instead of feet! Even worse, we've been back for only 2 days and I'm already dreaming about our next adventure: a RV trip to Orlando with the kids! But we'll leave the RV trip for a future post...


So we wanted to go to Alaska on a cruise... but having emptied our piggy bank on our trip to France, we just couldn't afford it. One day for sure! But before I knew we couldn't pay for the cruise, I had sent my good friends Crica & Vudu (aka Cristina and Antonio) an email asking them if they wanted to join us on that trip. To my surprise, those two were already booked to spend a couple of days in Vegas and then the Grand Canyon and invited us in. I was so excited to see them again that Chiquito booked the tickets that same night :)


A little bit of a background: Antonio and I met during our MBA in Halifax, Nova Scotia... and became instant friends. Better yet, he immigrated to Canada with his better half, Crica, who became a sister to me. We spent 2 years glued by the hips... and I was there glued to her right leg even during the delivery of their daughter Buzuca (aka Victoria). Got the picture? I LOVE these people!!!


Back to the trip. I don't want to whine too much but Vegas is not my bread and butter kind of trip. It's all about sex, gambling, alcohol and cigarettes. urrrgggg. To make matters worse the heat is like I've never felt before in my life. You don't know if you run from the heat into the smoky casinos or vice-verse. But hey, we had our friends so in some ways we were in heaven!


Now the Grand Canyon was a different story. We arrived at the hotel, dropped our bags, went for a 5 seconds pipi stop and immediately headed over to the park. As soon as you start driving into Grand Canyon National Park, you see all these cars parking on the curb and folks leaving the cars in a hurry, armed with their cameras and curiosity. We were no different.... and WOW!! The first time you see the Grand Canyon it literally takes your breath away! And the second, the third, the forth... there's really no end to it. The magical thing to me was to see how the canyon changes before your eyes during sunrise and sunset - yes, we've attended both spectacular occasions - and it was unbelievable! The other amazing experience we had was the helicopter ride... what a treat!! Again, it took our breaths away! Like I told the pilot Ryan... I don't blame the rich and famous anymore :)


Crica, Vudu and Buzuca - seeing and spending time with all of you was priceless! It's really like we've been together all these years. The jokes, the friendship, the love has never left us. Thank you so much for everything, we had a blast! Seeing Antonio enjoying the boring lecture about rocks, plants and billions of years, shaking his head like he's in heaven was great! Seeing Crica paying $225 for the helicopter ride to later throw up all her fears was also funny (sorry), and Buzuca you are so smart and funny, I'm not sure who you got that from! And thanks for being so sweet to Be and Miguel... you indeed would have been a great big sister! Hey, you can be their big sister, how about that??


Love you all and miss you already...

:) Maricota



Here are the Fogaca-Goldins at hot like hell Las Vegas

Be and Buzuca having fun at the pool at MGM Grand

Be and Miguel astonished by all the lights and neon on the strip

Fake, hairy and tacky Elvis Presley

Miguelito and daddy taking a first glimpse of the Grand Canyon

Familia trapo....


Familia trapo #2

Lucky guy :)

Sunset at Hopi Point

Sunrise at Mather Point with freezing temperature at 5:50am

Be looking for the 'bald eagle' - when in reality he was looking at the condor!

Miguelito with his signature 'trouble' look!

Here he is just plain adorable!

Guided tour about the Canyon... and Bernardo still looking for the bald eagle! I think he is just in love with his binoculars, period.

Family that travels together......

Helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon - and Miguelito slept through the entire flight!

Aerial view of the Grand Canyon

One more.....

Bernardo playing pilot and having a blast!

Fogaca-Goldins with the Gama-Da Silva. Crica still looking good... but not for long!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Monkey

No words necessary on this one :) Enjoy!