Work Trip Tag Along: Harrisburg

Occasionally, jb has to travel for work.  It's not ideal - we miss her, she misses us, and I'm flying solo for the tricky times of day like bedtime.  Still, it's part of her work and there's no avoiding the occasional work trip.  Sometimes, though, (when a trip is within driving distance) we will tag along.  It's not exactly a family vacation - jb does have to work, (and usually longer than usual hours) after all.  But we do get to at least see jb for good-mornings and good-nights.  Plus, we get to stay in a hotel and explore a new place.

This past weekend, work called jb to Harrisburg.  It was a short trip - arriving Friday afternoon and leaving Sunday morning - and jb was quite busy, but the kids and I made the most of it.

Washington DC Weekend

 This weekend we traveled to Washington DC for the memorial of a family member.  I'm really glad were able to be there to remember and celebrate his life as well as give some big hugs to people we don't see often enough.  It's a pretty short/easy drive to DC - we need to remember that and make the trip more often.  

We decided to get an affordable hotel room and stay through Sunday because (1) Toddlers and Pregnant Ladies need lots of breaks and (2) We hoped to hit up a museum or two the next day.  Leo <3s hotel rooms.  His favorite things include "talking" on the phone (after I've disconnected it), watching TV in bed, and jumping (boinking, he calls it, which just sounds so inappropriate) on the bed.  Sounds like a good time to me.

NYC Trip Recap

We had a great time in New York (despite the fact that I can't walk a block without getting winded and I'm battling some annoying back pain).  I was worried that Leo is too young to really appreciate it - but he was VERY impressed.  I do wish we'd been able to tackle more, but I think we did alright considering we had to break each day for nap time, it was rainy and I was rather slow-moving.  Here is a quick recap of what we did:

1.  The Toy Store Experience.  We hit up both Toys'R'Us and FAO Schwartz.  This was great because it was rainy out and Leo is too young to really ask to buy things - so we were able to leave empty handed.  Leo LOVED dancing on the big piano and checking out the train table (FAO).  He was a little intimidated by the big dinosaur (took a lot of convincing for him to turn his back for the picture), but was thrilled to ride the ferris wheel (Toys'R'Us).  

NYC: Eating On A Budget

jb has a work training in NY this week and Leo and I tagged along. Three nights in a hotel right in Times Square is something our family couldn't afford on our own - so it's awesome that we are able to piggy back on this work trip.

It's really great being in the middle of all the action - but that means we are also in a sea of tourist traps. We still need to be mindful of our budget and food is one major expense we are trying to keep down. Here is our (still being tested) plan to keep our food expenses mangable:

 1. Make a "grocery" trip at the drugstore on the corner and street fruit stands. We were able to score everything in the picture (plus some bananas and apples) for under $20 (did I mention I'm super impressed with the quality and prices of the Duane Reed generic brands?). Maybe not as healthy as an actual grocery trip at home - but we can supplement our meals with peanut butter sandwiches, dehydrated veggies and fruit. Our tiny hotel room doesn't have a fridge, so we filled one of the trash cans with ice from the ice machine to keep the milk (and yogurt not pictured) cold.

2. Do a little research on inexpensive gems. We have a short list of restaurants that come highly reviewed and offer meals under $10. For example, tonight's dinner was at Sapporo (upon the Village Voice's recommendation) and it was delicious, inexpensive (under $20) and fed all three of us comfortably.

3. NYC Rites of Passage. This is the not-so-healthy, but can't miss stuff. The 99 cent slice of cheese pizza or the hot dog from a cart (Leo's first - and probably last for a while). I'll just be sure to work in some extra veggies when we get home - hey, we are on vacation.

Any other tips to eat cheaply in Manhattan or on vacation in general?

Mexico 2012

We are safely back at home.  We had a long (due to flying stand-by) few days trying to get home, and Leo had a bumpy transition back into life back at home.  He was a total trooper about being away from jb for so long and the airport waits, long plane rides, and bus rides - but once we got home it was clear that he wanted to make sure he and jb were never separated again.  Even a simple trip to the bathroom would lead to crying.  He's mostly back to normal - but is still keeping a close eye on jb.

Despite that little bump, the trip to Mexico was a total success.  We got plenty of vitamin D, ate lots of delicious food, saw some people we love, and Leo's Spanish catapulted from shy nouns to full sentences.

Here are some highlights:

Bath in Abuela's sink

Mexico (Again!): How We Do It

Please forgive the silence here - Leo and I are once again in the land of sun, fresh food, and music (oh, and limited internet access).  This is our third trip to Mexico in just over a year.  I know I’ve mentioned in passing on the blog that we had a hard time recuperating financially from my layoff and after closing the café – so how exactly are we able to afford these trips?  Travel to Mexico would not be possible for us except for the following circumstances:

1. My mother is flight attendant and can get us deeply discounted “buddy passes” to fly for a fraction of the cost we would pay retail.  Of course that means we fly stand-by and therefore have been stranded in random cities on occasion – but it’s so worth it.
2. My family owns a home in Mexico and we have several family members willing to host us.  After the plane fare, lodging would be the second biggest expense – so eliminating that makes it much more affordable. 
3. Because we have a home (and therefore a kitchen) we are able to eat many meals at home.  We go to the market and buy fruits, veggies, fresh meat and tortillas and have feasts of authentic Mexican food without breaking the bank. 
4. My mother is able to join us and help me wrangle Leo, suitcases, and general travel craziness.  This has been especially helpful this trip as I’m entering the third trimester of pregnancy and am much more tired and slow-moving. 
5. I don’t hold an out-of-the home 9-5 job.  jb is the main income-earner in our home which makes my schedule much more flexible for these (sometimes last-minute) trips.  Leo makes sure everyone knows it, too – making it a point to tell everyone, “Daddy working” when they ask why it’s just the two of us. 

Take away any one of these factors and trips would be VERY rare, if not out of reach all together.  Naturally, most people don’t have this perfect storm of travel luck – but when we realized that we had this opportunity we made sure to take advantage by saving and putting our money towards travel.  We have especially focused on it now that Leo is under two and still flying as a lap child.  I hope we can still make these trips once bug comes along and Leo has to have his own (discounted) ticket.  I’ll have to be extra nice to my mom if I want her to help me with TWO kids for six hours of flying, a layover and a two-hour bus ride.

Even at just 22 months, it’s clear that Leo has really benefitted from these trips.  Exposure to another culture and climate is invaluable.  Seeing him absorb the sounds and smells of the market, dance to ranchero music, and enjoy fresh exotic fruits and new foods makes it clear that these experiences are really helping carve his sense of the world.  Another benefit is that these trips have overlapped with his verbal development; reinforcing our efforts to teach him Spanish at home.  I think that considering I’m the only Spanish speaker in our home he is doing pretty well – but the vocabulary boost he gets from each trip is so obvious.  His language skyrockets after just a few days of immersion.  Because of all this, even if we have to scrimp in other areas, we think the money put towards these trips is well spent.  

Adventure House

"We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slooooow, that's where we wanna gooooo, up to the Poconos..."

Adventure House

Last week we got a call from our cousin saying that her family couldn't use their timeshare in the Poconos and offering it to us for the week.  So nice!  Unfortunately, we couldn't swing the entire week because of other commitments - but we could free up a few days, so we packed up and headed to the mountains for three days.  We didn't know anything about the place and what we would do while there - AND jb still had to work, so we weren't sure how exactly this little vacation would go.  We didn't want to oversell it to Leo, so we just told him that we were going on an adventure.  

After saying things like, "We need to pack for our adventure" and "We are making these muffins to take on our adventure" - eventually everything took on the adventure moniker.  He called the condo our "adventure house", the muffins were "adventure muffins" and even the naps were "adventure naps".

Scenes from Cuernavaca

We've mostly been staying close to home - our house is in Cuernavaca, Morelos - which has fantastic weather year - round, so we are enjoying time outside, the food, and catching up with family and friends.  Our days are packed and our internet is spotty - but here are a few highlights:

"swimming" in the front yard

Dia De Los Muertos: Las Ofrendas de Ocotepec

For Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) we went to visit Ocotepec, Morelos - a small town just north of Cuernavaca (where my family lives) - to see the ofrendas (altars) that are still a tradition there.

To prepare, during the day we went to the market to buy candles because it is customary to give a candle to each family whose home you visit.   The market was packed with Day of the Dead things - sugar skulls, decorative paper, candles, and the traditional flowers for the holiday.

Sugar (and chocolate and gummy) skulls

  

Zoo-bilee

Leo playing with the "big gato"

We had a magical trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo with my mom and sisters.  In the past my experiences with zoos have been hit or miss - either the animals aren't out/active, or the habitats seem inadequate and just make me sad, or it's too hot...  But this time it was as though the stars aligned.  The weather was perfect, the improvements they've made over the last couple years are fantastic, and at each exhibit the animals walked right up to us - really.

Leo got pretty up close and personal with tigers, leopards, gorillas, sharks, giraffes and elephants.  I don't want to get too hokey - but seriously, it's as though Leo had some kind of energy that attracted the animals.  If they were hidden or in a far corner when we'd walk up to an exhibit they would inevitably make their way over to the glass/gate/water so that Leo could get a good look at them.  It was awesome - even when the tiger suddenly tried to playfully pounce on Leo through the glass (see those muddy paw marks!).

Labor Day Festivities

  On Labor Day our family marched in the parade  and Leo was very excited about it because our contingent included a drill team.  He spent the entire route staring at the drummers and dancers.  We didn't last very long at the picnic afterwards, but long enough for Leo to take in the boats (and ducks) on the river from Penn's Landing.

One Parent's Disaster is Another Baby's Best Day EVER

We were supposed to go camping this past weekend.  I'd been looking forward to this camping trip for months.  It was going to be Leo's first tent camping trip (we'd done a cabin trip last year).  The trip had been organized by Philadelphia Family Pride and we'd be joined by a whole bunch of other LGBT families - one of which would be our good friends R and C and their daughter (and Leo's BFF) E.  I imagined him getting such a kick out of sleeping in the tent.  Loving the campfire.  Being so excited to wake to find E in the next tent over.  It was going to be awesome.

Beach The Sequel: Now with Jellyfish

I spent most of the day happily chasing him

Aunt Fanny took him into the "deep"

 With Abi, Aunt Fanny, and Uncle Nick visiting we took another day trip to the beach.  We stuck with the Atlantic City beach we went to last week since it had gone so smoothly.

Sverige

I've been lucky enough to have done a fair amount of traveling (some of which I have chronicled on here: several trips to Mexico, visiting Aunt Fanny in Korea, and a bunch of work trips), so I figured I'd reach a little (lot) further back for my travel entry for the TDBC.

When I was 14-15 I participated in a CISV exchange.  A group of American teens were paired up with a group of Swedish teens and we each spent a summer at each others' homes.  It was so long ago - half my life ago! - so I can't remember too much from the trip.  I do wish I'd been more of a journal-er back then (since there were no blogs, geez) so that I could look back with a more focused lens.  Still, what I can piece together from fuzzy memories and blurry pictures (taken on actual film - check out that honking camera in my hand) is a really lovely experience and some great friendships. 

I do remember going to dance around the May Pole (I do NOT remember wearing pajama pants for it) and eating a ton of Nutella.  I also remember that my Swedish mom made me a blueberry pie the first day I was there, but called it a blueberry "pee".  So cute. 

Travel Notes

There is so much from the trip that I want to write about - I'll do my best to cover the stand outs, but I'm pretty sure there is no way I can pack it all into one post (a week after getting back). Here's the rundown:

Jetsetters

Whoa. What a trip. This post will mostly be a photobomb with minimal commentary.

Travel day.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Tomorrow is the big trip. Wish us luck. We are all packed up.

Crawl By Post

The big news around our house this week is that Leo and I are preparing to go to Mexico. We are leaving on Monday and will be there for two weeks. I'm super excited and a little nervous. I'm nervous for Leo to be away from jb for so long; I'm nervous for the two long plane rides and long bus ride to get there; I'm nervous to be without our crapload of "babystuff" (highchair, toys, pack'n'play, books, carriers, etc.) I'm excited to see Aunt Fanny; I'm excited to see many, many other family members and friends; I'm excited to eat a ton of yummy food; I'm excited to bask in the sunshine... It's going to be great. I just need to figure out a way to get everything into one suitcase. Unfortunately, Leo's strength is UNpacking, so he's no help.

Work Trip

jb had a conference to attend for work in Harrisburg this week, so rather than miss her for three days, Leo and I tagged along. I wasn't sure how good of an idea it was at first, but the weather/road conditions cooperated, Leo ended up loving it, and I don't think we distracted jb from her work commitments too much.

10 wks AKA Ch-ch-ch-changes

So life has been turned upside down and we are trying to wrap our heads around all the changes we are facing. Before I get into all that's happening, I forgot to mention last week that Leo once again peed on jb at the pediatrician. Of course after the last time we learned to keep an extra shirt for us in the diaper bag, so he made sure to aim for the pants. I think maybe he's worried about us feeling insecure in the midst of all this upheaval and wanted to provide some sense of routine and familiarity. Thanks kid.



Well, anyway, onto the newest developments. About a week ago jb was offered a job. A good job. With complete benefits. In Philadelphia.

The reason it caught us so off guard is that jb didn't even apply for this job (someone forwarded her resume), so it seemed to come out of nowhere. It's great news mostly because our family could use the income and the health benefits. I tend to gloss over our money issues, because who wants to hear about that? But I will say that after my layoff we burned through our savings quickly and since then it's been pretty depressing. I was lucky enough to extend my benefits through Leo's birth, but that has come to an end, too. For an opportunity like this to fall in our laps is really a blessing. On the other hand, the only thing that has made being poor bearable - actually, despite everything it has been the best year of my life - is the amazing support system we have here. Both our families are nearby and we have a ton of amazing neighbors and friends. It's hard to think about leaving all that behind - even for only one year.

To complicate matters, they want jb to start as soon as possible ie, this Friday. I've been to Philadelphia exactly twice. Once for a high school day trip to the Museum of Art and once for a 36 hour work trip where I hardly left the convention center. So planning a move there is not easy. We have been researching neighborhoods and looking at apartment listings, but still felt really unequipped to choose a place to live - so we decided to make a trip out there to check it out for ourselves.

600+ miles by car
10 apartment viewings in neighborhoods all over the city
36 hours
2 month old in tow

Believe it or not, it went pretty smoothly. Leo was a total champ. We drove out on Thursday afternoon and stayed in a motel for the night.


The next morning we headed out bright and early to a day full of appointments to check out potential homes. At first we were a little discouraged because some of the neighborhoods we were looking at were pretty seedy - but soon we saw some places we could imagine living. We really liked one neighborhood in particular and had lunch in this great little cafe there. Unfortunately, the place we looked at there wasn't ideal - but at least now we know where to concentrate our search.

Leo has his first roadtrip under his belt (and I can say I've nursed at a Turnpike rest stop) and we are on our way to a major life change. We still don't know the answers to a lot of questions surrounding this transition - Where are we going to live? What about the cafe? How often will we make it back? Will we stay out there for just a year or longer? Our heads are spinning. Still, I feel pretty good about it overall.