Sporadic blogger alert

When I started this blog I thought I would have a 'blog schedule'. That it would be easy to fit in. And that I would post at least a couple of times a week.

What I have learnt in the last few months is that that isn't realistic here. Laos is too unpredictable. In fact, life in general with a family is too unpredictable. And I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm one of those people who doesn't really like routine. One of those people who doesn't like doing the same exercise, or eating the same food for breakfast every morning.

So, to help my guilt on having no consistent blogging agenda, and to help you keep track, let me introduce a little friend to you. It's name is bloglovin. And I am a big fan.

I have been using bloglovin for a while now. Essentially you sign up, search for the blogs you like, add them to your list and then bloglovin will send you an email with a summary of posts and links to them. Simple right?

For example if you type in "travelling with chickens" this blog comes up and you can follow me. It means that if I post something here you will get an email and ultimately not need to keep coming to the site and sighing at the lack of new content.

I am in no way linked to bloglovin but am of the opinion that it is a handy little tool. Check it out here if you want to read more about how it works.

How to raise globally aware children

We have always been keen on raising children to have a genuine interest and desire to know more about the world around them. I imagine many families have a similar interest. This started very early on in Bea's life. In the beginning it was reading books about different kinds of places- places with extreme seasons, cold places, deserts etc.

As she got older we progressed to trying to introduce her to language- both through books and music. In Auckland Bea and I went to a weekly Spanish music class which we both loved as an alternative to the usual library run music sessions. We still sing the Spanish songs we learnt there. I would really recommend it.

Now in Laos, we have enrolled Bea into a French speaking preschool (although i may note this has been for more than one reason).

There have been a few key resources that we have used to aid us in our desire to raise a global child. And they are accessible wherever you are living.

Today i wanted to talk about the simple blow up globe

We actually have 2 of these. One has the countries on it, the other is just the geography. At the moment, here in Laos we have the geography one. The possibilities with these things are endless. It is a great travel toy. We use it all the time. Sometimes we use it to burn off some steam and kick or throw it around. Sometimes we roll around on top of it. But other times it is more educational. I was impressed when Bea wanted to show we where the penguins live the other day and could spin the globe around and around until she found the land mass of Antarctica. She can also accurately identify Australia and NZ (Laos is proving to be a little bit more difficult).

At the moment we have been using it a lot as we track our various friends and family members. My parents are somewhere in Russia, Joff's mother and sister in Kenya. The globe has been great for explaining where everyone is.

I can also see it being put to use in the future when we want to show other kids and adults where we come from.

If you don't have a blow up globe i really recommend getting one, they are such a fun, educational toy!

Melinda xx

How to occupy a 2 year old: long haul travel

I want to start this by saying that we have an excellent 2 year for long haul travel. I think 2 year olds can be grouped into the “movers” and the “talkers” and although Bea likes to move, she doesn’t fall into that category of being unstoppable.  What can I say, we are lucky.

I remember at some point googling “how to travel with a 2 year old”. Let me tell you, there is lots of information out there. Some really good tips.  And I know some of you reading this have probably done more long haul plane trips than I have.

However, everyone has different ideas, and some ideas will work for some little ones and others it won’t. Here are some of the ones that work for us.

1. Always bring food. Bea seems to eat twice as much on a plane as what she normally would eat. Maybe because she has nothing better to do. I try to pack quite a few of her favourites, as well as a few bonus treats that she wouldn’t normally get. A Vegemite sandwich, cream cheese and crackers, a muesli bar, banana, and some dried or fresh fruit.
2. For take off and landing I always have 2 drink options on standby. This is something I have always done since we first flew with Bea when she was 4 months. I always have some water and some milk. When things are going bad in the ear situation I like to be able to mix it up in the drink department and offer her a few different things. So far (fingers crossed) it has worked.
3. Entertainment. Be prepared. I always try to make a trip to a 2 dollar shop of equivalent to buy something new for each big trip. Something that you can bring out just when your food arrives and you want to occupy them. It doesn’t have to be big, a new book, a small figurine, a new set of crayons. Someone else I know makes play dough. I have even read about some people wrapping old and new toys for the plane just to buy an extra few minutes of time occupied. A good idea. Here is a previous plane present that was a lot of fun, and here is one that we got given. 
4. Books. Bea loves to read so we also pack about 5 small, paperback books. We have recently come across the mini Dora books which have been fantastic for travel purposes.
5. Extra clothing. I have never thought of Bea as being a good enough sleeper that I could get her changed into PJ's on a flight, give her nighttime ritual and she would fall asleep. This is the reason why I have never bothered with pajamas. However, I do always make sure I have a spare set of clothes, warm socks, and I bring a pashmina. If you haven't discovered Lamington socks before, given them a go, they are fantastic. Pashminas or scarves are great for all manners of things, a pillow, warmth, something to pad out the hard bits on a seat. The last flight we did I strung it up over the top of the seats to block out the cabin lights.
6. Headphones. A few plane trips ago, maybe when Bea was about 18 months, we purchased a pair of kids headphones for the flight. The plane ones never work, and we figured we had enough travel ahead of us to justify the purchase. The first few times she hated it, but now she loves them. She even wears them at home now with her music.
7. Extra wipes. Planes involve more mess, more spills, more crumbs than usual. Or maybe it is just that the mess is concentrated in one spot. Regardless I always seem to use a lot more wipes on a flight than usual.
8. A flexible attitude. Go with the flow, take a deep breath and try to relax. I try to think of the flight from Bea’s perspective. She sees it as an opportunity to have one on one time with her parent without them running off to do something and with lots of exciting games and TV shows in front of her. It’s exciting, far too exciting to sleep. Try to let them enjoy it.

                  Planes are too exciting for sleep- so i'll sleep when i get off! (At Vientiane airport)

      What are your favourite travel ideas? Please share if you have some other good ideas or tips, we have a few long flights and minivan trips ahead of us!

       Melinda xx