Re-entry

Well, we're back. It was a wonderful week of vacation with lots of family and many friends. We're refeuled (emotionally). We're refreshed (work wise). We're tired (physically.)


**singing her anthems with gusto**

A few scattershot thoughts:

*Our house feels so quiet when we get home from a trip. I get blue every.single.time I part ways from family. This time was no different. And given that my mom had been visiting for three weeks before our trip, it was amplified. Don't get me wrong--I was happy to be in my own bed, to unpack our suitcases, and to get the kids into a regular sleep routine again. But their is a rich quality to being around many family members, and I always mourn its departure for a season.



*If you are looking for travel tips with kiddos, check out the comments section of my Macgyver Mom post. Some great ideas from some travelers who are for more seasoned than I. I just might have stolen a few of them for this trip.


**ticket to ride....or to buy junk at Chuck E. Cheese's**

*Before I left, I had a conversation with a patient about travel with kids. I told her that I always dread being the mom with the baby who screams for half an hour straight. She said, 'My sister's kids were vomiting on the airplane. As in, vomiting on themselves, their mom, and their fellow passengers. So if all you have to deal with is a crying kid, consider yourself lucky."

I thought about that as my poor nephew vomited 5 times on our return flight. But you know what? Every time, he made it into the barf bag. Which is pretty good for a 3 year old. And you know what else? He sat still for the duration of the plane ride. So, I'm rethinking if my patient was right...

*I might have gained a pound or two from all the good food we ate.



Then again, I might have burned off all those calories with all the skee ball we played.


**The reigning family champion. Rockstar is not invited to comment.**


**Champion in training.**

*I didn't look at my task list (my equivalent of an inbox with messages from patients, lab results, consult letters, etc.,) ALL WEEK! It felt amazing. I don't think that's ever happened with the exception of the week or two after my babe's were born. I brought my laptop, because I always check in on vacation. It's mostly selfish--I can't stand the thought of how long the list will be if I don't. But then Rockstar's Grandma didn't have internet at all (a possibility that never entered my brain), and I decided--to heck with it. I'm on VACATION! There are plenty of doctors to cover, and they have my cell if there is an urgent question.

We made one drive by use of Starbucks' free wi-fi (literally...I used the internet briefly from the passenger seat of our car), but remained otherwise unplugged. And it really made a difference in my ability to relax. My nurse seemed surprised/a little put out that I hadn't been working remotely (which is my fault, because I normally always do), and it suddenly struck me as completely bananas that this is the world we live in. As a doctor, I think I can say that this inability to step away from work is not healthy.

A day away keeps burnout at bay. Can I copyright that?


**You want time away? It's gonna cost you.**

*My little man is walking! What started as 3 steps four days ago was 16 steps today. He seems too little to be doing this, and I laugh every time he toddles across the floor. It is, of course, bittersweet. Sad: my sweet baby is growing up. Glad: He no longer has to have his paws on the dirty floor when we're out and about!


**Oh, the passage of time.**

So, for now, it's back into the dailiness. And you know what? As long as that includes a little bit of this:



and this:



Re-entry will be just fine.

MacGyver Mom

In the land before kids, I didn't think a whole lot about what I brought onto an airplane. Running out the door, I'd throw my ipod and a few books into my purse, and call it good. Sometimes a fashion magazine and a bottle of water would make its way into the mix once I got to the airport. But really? That's about it.

Once I read a magazine article about things husbands found endearing about their wives. One guy, I recall clearly, loved that his wife was super prepared when they traveled. "She's like Macgyver,", he said, "anything that comes up, she's ready for. 3 hour delay? Here are some sandwiches I made. Headache? Tylenol and advil, here for the taking. A small cut? Here's my portable first aid kid."

I read that in awe, wishing I could be as uber prepared for every travel eevntuality as that woman. But the truth was, I didn't really see the need in most instances (my credit card and airport convenience stores seemed to fill the void) and I didn't have the energy.

But since being a mom?

I'm now a certified travel Macgyver. A Macgyver mom.

Packing the clothes part of a trip is still important. But this is not where I focus my energies. Since I realized that having the right equipment can avert on-board meltdowns, I focus on: the plane bag (dun, dun, dunnnnn.)

Travel with little ones can be crazy, and to me it, it is like a game to figure out which of their numerous needs may need to be met from the skies, and how I can plan the best way to efficiently meet them. In most aspects of my life, I'm a regular mix of organized and disorganized. But here? I've realized how mad preparation can benefit me, and I go for it.

I start with a list a few days before, listing out everything from changes of clothes, to baby Tylenol, to snacks, to toys, to reading books, to surprise coloring books, to rented Itune movies, to extra pacifiers, to sippy cups, to first aid kits, to diapers, to infinity and beyond. Yes.

Then when the packing begins, I temporarily abandon my efforts to reduce use of plastic bags and I go a little crazy. There's a 'Tiny Snacks' bag and a 'Drummer Snacks' bag. There's a 'medicine for the plane' and 'medicine for the suitcase' bag. There's a bag within a bag within a bag to keep it all straight and organized. And its all labeled. It helps me to easily reach what I need inside a big bag full of stuff.

I choose each thing carefully, and pack it just so. I feel like a mama warrior, preparing for travel battle.

The possibilities for things that can go haywire with kids while traveling are endless. And I think being a little OCD about my 'plane bag' helps me to feel a little more control. Obviously, I'm not. But it gives the illusion, and has helped things to go more smoothly.

And then when I'm able to be at the ready with some small thing I've packed? Oh, the satisfaction.

Hmmm....do I spy a dirty tray table? Excuse me while I just whip out my antibacterial wet wipes.

**what about you...what are your favorite tips for traveling with kids?***