The damn carseat on the plane-

Everytime I get on a plane- the whole carseat debate starts up again- and on our recent trip last week from Sweden to the States- it was no different. Because there is no consistency I hear different commands each time: "it has to be next to the window", "it can't be next to the window" "you have to buckle it in the back" " you have to buckle it on top" "it's too big" "it should be rear facing" (even though it is a forward facing seat) To be honest, I don't really care as long as I have it buckled in and the kid is safely in it. When I get the too big comment, I turn it over and show them the sticker to pacify them. And I try to pick my battles. So don't be alarmed if you get on the plane and you hear something completely different from your last trip (even on the same airline.) The worst thing that could happen is that you are not allowed to use it and that could make your trip extra long.

A must have when you are traveling: Adaptability (a note from Stockholm)

The munchkin and I arrived in Stockholm this week. We are just here for 8 days to visit my husband before heading back to Canada for a month. The "corporate" apartment that his company has found for us is teeny tiny but when we got here I thought- "it's fine, it's only a week". To put it in perspective, it is like a small hotel room, open the door and there is just a bed (no table, no couch, chairs)- but this is not a hotel room so you can't call room service or drop your laundry down at the desk. So it has been about 5 days now and I have decided the following-

First, to my surprise, the small size is not a problem- our little one seems to be perfectly happy running in circles, and I am not worried about what she is up to at anytime. So as I put clothes away she is busy pushing a little walker thing I bought into the wall and then turning it around to take 6 steps in the other direction before turning it around again. She thinks it is quite funny, and consequently, so do I.

And second- I have adjusted to not having a bath tub, washer dryer, high chair, kettle, and dishwasher but accordingly am counting the days til we leave. I realize now that it is easy to go without one or two of them, but all of them makes things a little unpleasant. There is the small voice in my head saying- "most of the world has none of this, and they are just fine, so grunt up!" but still- just one or two would make a huge difference. We came prepared- we brought our little chair that clips on any table- but the problem came when there was no table. So it was time to adapt- We have friends here so I managed a mid-trip laundry yesterday at their house and now that problem is solved. I also managed a long bath for the baby there so now I don't feel so bad for the 30 second showers she gets. We sit on the floor for a picnic most meals- and it is generally working or I wouldn't be changing so many diapers. And a little elbow grease on the bottles and dishes is not a bad thing. Honestly, we are managing just fine- this is Stockholm, not remote Nepal.

So, I am going with the flow (or the lack of flow I guess) and am reminding myself about that humor thing that always needs to be top of the packing list. Stockholm is an awesome city for babies and kids, and there are honestly playgrounds on most blocks. Public transportation is incredibly easy, and the restaurants and public bathrooms are ready for kids. It can be a tad bit expensive (especially for our declining U.S. dollar) but I found a fantastic second hand toy store here and we now have some fun little Swedish toys covering the one little empty spot in our room...

The Pea Pod- Handy Dandy when you are on the move....

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We originally got the Pea Pod from Kidco upon a recommendation from a friend. It is a small pop up tent that can also be a bed. It protects from sun and bugs and also comes with an inflatable matress and a comforter type sheet. We loved it-used it inside and out at the beach and the hotel. It is generally geared to younger babies because they will grow out of it- but it fits nicely in the bottom of a suitcase and pops up by itself. The Pea Pod takes a second to learn how to fold up- but after the first time, you will be a champ. It makes a great gift...



The Kidco website has a lot of good information about how to fold, size dimensions, uses, etc.