pack a bag or two

I consider myself to be the traveling type. I don't mean that I'm a pro at backpacking or even remotely close, but I like to travel. I like flying. I like going places. I like leaving the house, leaving the city. Most of the time I get excited just going to the airport, because it contains the lure of faraway places... the out of the ordinary experience.

Well. Now, with two little kids... everyday is an out of the ordinary experience. And traveling has become a whole new word in the English dictionary. Truly, there should be a different word for "traveling" when you do it with little kids! I think I still like traveling, but I'm not so sure about the other word... the one that's not yet in the dictionary.

If you've ever been a parent, then you know that packing a stroller for the park is a mini chore. More then likely, within a few weeks it's worked out to a science for you. You know, we keep check lists in our head, like - Kleenex? Check! Wipes? Check! Extra diaper? Check! Etc. Etc. If you're traveling to a cottage for the week-end the list multiplies by 10 or so. If it's a week in a different city, again, we're looking at a few more things we'd have to bring along. Well, how about traveling for three months? You see what I'm getting at? It's crazy! And then there are things like extremely fast growing children. Yes, I'm talking about a four month old Stella! Three months from now she'll be wearing a whole new wardrobe. So, do I pack all the things she fits into now or do I pack half of her next size items? And then there is the May, June, July weather issue, too. In Latvia May can be absolutely gorgeous or absolutely miserable. I'm not talking just about sunshine or rain, but temperatures anywhere between +2 and +32. In fact even June at times can be cold enough to wish for gloves and a scarf, but the next week hot enough to sit on a beach in a bathing suit all day. I would have probably needed a week to figure it all out, if I was to pack wisely. Instead, I just dumped everything in a suit case and zipped it up. I'm only beginning to find out what I did manage to forget, like the baby monitor, for instance. C'est la vie! I'm finding out that everything can be borrowed, bought or begged for...

on the road

This picture was taken just after we got off the plane. A KLM flight attendant made this doll to entertain Kaspar while I was dealing with Stella during the flight. I was so impressed! He just made it out of scratch using some tissues, a white cloth and plastic forks for a base and drew a face on it with a pen. He gave it to Kaspar while apologizing that they did not have any other kid stuff to give away on this flight. Kaspar loved it and the man was so thrilled that he was able to make an impression. It was so sweet!

on our way and allready here

Well, we've arrived! It seems like it's been days since the morning I took the subway to the dentist's and sat there worried if I'd have enough time to finish packing before we have to go to the airport. But it all happened only yesterday. And today we're here. A whole different scene...

About a month ago we decided that "mommy and the kids will be spending the summer in Latvia, while daddy works and travels with the band in Canada." Thus, I was way too busy to even think about the blog for the last month, because I needed to make all the necessary preparations for us to travel. That involved, of course, having to get in touch with a handful of my galleries and making sure they are stocked for the summer. Oh man! I still refuse to understand fully how much I lack time and how futile it is, trying to run my own business while having two young kids at home! I often want to just pack my studio and give up entirely... Anyhow... this is a whole other chapter I could rant on.

Well, we left Toronto on April 28th. Today is the 30th and I feel like we've traveled for two straight days. And the two straight days feel like two weeks, because everything that happened on the morning of the 28th feels like it happened on a different planted, in a different time zone and to a completely different me. How is that possible? Indeed, sleep does perform magic in a person's brain!

Traveling on your own by plane for more then 4 hours with two kids under the age of three is sheer maddness. I'm happy that I did not have to do that! I must have suffered only a very mild brain infection, while I signed on for this trip. In fact I was well enough to convince my mom to come the same flight there and back with us. Thank GOD for my MOM! I might have to think about tattooing that on my forearm :-) I have no idea how I would have done this on my own. I promise to devote the next entry to flight details and trip curiosities. I just don't have the time for that now, because my boobs are about to burst, and I have to try to wake up a very sleepy child and convince her to EAT NOW!

If you're wondering - yes - the kids have major jet lag! They stayed up for most of the night and now are fast asleep. It's 11am here now and they are not even stirring. But I have to to the sacreligious thing and go and wake up a sleeping baby right now. Wish me luck!

better late, then never ???

I’m getting awfully forgetful in my old age! So… it turns out I wrote this blog entry almost two weeks ago and just forgot to post it. And the picture was taken by Steve, a couple of weeks ago (just the day before the warmth arrived!) at the Toronto Zoo. I love the way the image turned out... I wonder what is the reflective object he's used.

We just had one of those extra busy and social weekends and I was so thrilled that despite the occasional minor breakdown the kids managed it quite well. It’s usually during the days, when activities are planned one after another and we’re amongst friends and other children for hours at a time, that my kids fall into complete breakdown mode. I’ve learned to limit social outings to one per day and now I’m trying to also learn to catch that magic moment called “time to go”. Otherwise… well… we all end up having meltdown, myself included.

A great example was Sunday! As we were leaving our friends’ place around 6pm, Kaspar threw himself down onto the pavement, threw away his subway ticket and announced that he does not want to go home. Uh, “announced it” is a slight understatement… he pretty much screamed it for a good four minutes on top of his lungs and I’m sure that at the very least a good 50 cars passing by on Eglinton could hear him despite the noise of the traffic and the closed car windows. Unfortunately, he did not get any sympathy from me! I had my hands full with Stella in a ‘baby bjorn’, a large diaper bag slung across one shoulder, desperately trying to get my two year old across the street in one piece.