Traveling to Europe with a Baby

This year for Christmas we were brave VERY brave to travel overseas with our 13 month old.  I thought I would share our experience and how we tried to conquer jet lag. Notice I said tried. 

Side note: One very important thing to remember when booking your ticket over seas is that you need to call the airline after you book online and add your lap child.  You have to PAY 10% of your ticket cost when traveling with a lap child over seas.  And NO this doesn't mean they get a meal too.  

Jet Lag

One very smart thing that we did on the way over was to book our flight right at the time Little Grumpenkemper goes to bed every night.  This worked out pretty well in our favor.  He slept most of the flight over.  One thing that we wished we had known about and didn't was that the fairly large planes have bassinets that you can use if you are in a bulk head seat.  We took advantage of this on the way home.  The bassinet just hooks into the wall and you don't have to deal with a baby on your lap.  Our little one slept for 3 hrs of the 8 hr flight in the bassinet.  So nice!!!  It cost you a little more to get the bulkhead seat but its not bad and well worth it.  Once the little one is up they have room to sit and play at your feet.  

We arrived in Paris and my husband and I stayed awake it was 7 am Paris time.  The baby actually stayed awake too with lots of new things to look at.  We thought oh yeah we got this!  There is no way he will stay awake tonight if he has been up all day.  WRONG!  He woke up at midnight after 2 hrs of sleep and was awake until 5 am.  Not fun!!! 

After two nights in a row like this I got on Google.  I was sure I would find the cure.  I just found a million other parents just like us with no answers.  The only helpful thing we found to do was to make him wake up and eat when we ate and to eat as nutritiously as possible.  Eventually he slept 13 hrs one night.  We were so excited and thankful for the sleep.  Unfortunately it didn't last.  After a good nights sleep he was back at it wanting to wake up for the day at 2 am.  Crawling off the bed and wanting to play.  

The good news is he finally got consistent but it wasn't until about day 6 and we left on day 10.  So if you are planning on taking your child just make sure you plan to lose out on sleep.  We were fortunately so excited about our trip we were able to push through everyday on adrenaline.  

The Stroller

One other thing we found challenging and yet a saving grace at the same time was the stroller.  The challenge was fitting into small cafes' with a big stroller.  Almost 95% of places to dine are very small.  At night we found it easier to park the stroller at the hotel and just carry him in the Ergo and not go terribly far.  We wished that we would have brought our bike lock then we could have locked it up outside.  

Elevators can also be hard to navigate in Europe.  They tend to be very tiny.  There were a few times that the three of us and the stroller could not fit in the elevator in one trip.  They are also hard to locate a lot of the time in places like the subway.  

We traveled with our Bob.  Such a great stroller, its so easy to push around.  You don't feel like you have done a marathon after a day of travel.  But I strongly advise traveling with a weather protector over any stroller.  Its shields the baby from the rain while at the same time keeping them shielded from the wind and cold weather in the winter.  The little one was so cozy behind his.  It made us a little jealous at times.

The best thing about having a stroller was that a lot of times we were moved to the head of the line.  One example is the Louvre.  We were taken out of the extremely long entrance line and told to go right in through the exit.  We were more than happy to go right in and not hang out in the cold.  There were several times that this happened to us.  

Food for Baby

A word of wisdom is to make sure you have snacks and drink for baby on the plane and for the hotel.  Its not easy to get food for the little on a plane so make sure you bring a few different varieties.   In the hotel make sure you snacks for a baby that wants to wake up at 2 in the morning and thinks its time for breakfast.  It won't be easy to find a market open at that time of night.  

If you are well prepared for your trip then you will be just fine.  Just expect to be flexible and it will be much more relaxing.

Holiday Recipes

I'm not sure about you but I have Never liked stuffing.  I always put a little on my plate because Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing.  Well, this year my sister in-law made a stuffing that I just couldn't get enough of.  It was so different and so delicious from anything I have ever had.  It is a Whole Foods Recipe.  Click on the link and serve it and other great recipes up for Christmas. 

Apple Sausage and Sage Sour Dough Stuffing

Makes about 12 cups, 12 to 14 servings, or enough to stuff a turkey up to 1

This rich, full-flavored stuffing is a show stealer, whether stuffed in a turkey or baked on its own. For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and substitute vegetarian sausage or a few cups sautéed shiitake mushrooms for the meat sausage.

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough hearth bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 11 cups)
1 tablespoon expeller-pressed canola oil
3/4 pound fresh mild pork or chicken sausage, bulk or removed from casings
4 Braeburn, Gala or other apples, cored and diced
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread bread cubes out on two baking sheets and bake until dried but not browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up chunks with a spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add apples, celery, onion and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple and vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes more. Add to the bread. Stir in broth, sage, salt and pepper.

If using to stuff a turkey, cool completely before stuffing. If baking separately, heat oven to 350°F; bake in a buttered casserole dish until lightly browned and crisp on top, 50 to 60 minutes.

Dr. Suess 1st Birthday

The milestone has come and gone...the 1st birthday.  So bitter sweet.  My baby may be growing up but it is so much fun to watch.  He is changing everyday.  To celebrate I went all out Suess!  Everything was homemade by either myself or someone else with the exception of the cake and cupcakes which were provided by a local bakery.  

 Here is the Birthday Boy himself.  For his outfit I appliqued a one made out of the Dr. Suess Frabric I got to make his birthday banner.  On the back I placed a picture of the cat in the hat. 

 To make his sweet little hat I traced a cardboard party hat onto the Suess Fabric then stitched a seam down the middle and hot glued the fabric over the cardboard hat.  The red fuzzy balls I just picked up at my local Michaels.  

 These are the Adult Party favors that were handed out to the guest.  These were a lot of fun to make.  I bought the jumbo size marsh mellows and covered them red on the bottom blue on the top with melted candy melts (from Michaels).  I put blue sprinkles on top for a little sparkle.  They were supposed to be like Thing 1 and Thing 2.  The white circle was a white candy melt that I just briefly placed on the heat to melt just enough to stick to the red.  I then used food coloring pens to right on the circle.

On the back of the card was a Suess quote and thank you from Miles.  Everything was printed off of my home computer. 

The kids party favor was a packet of homemade soap in the shape of a Red Fish and Blue Fish.  A quote from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was on the back.  The soap smelled like watermelon and blueberry.  I purchased these from Mommy's Little Critters.  She has a ton of shapes and scents to choose from.  

This is the one of the banners I sewed for the party.  The Miles banner made out of the polka dot Suess Fabric.  I also placed Thing 1 and Thing 2 on the mantle chasing the fish bowl.  Again these were printed on my home computer and just glued to scrap construction paper that I had.  

This is the happy birthday banner that I appliqued and sewed out of the Dr. Suess Material.  

Guest were asked to take a favor and write a special message to the birthday boy in Dr. Suess Happy Birthday to you.  

The main beverage was Pink Yink Ink Drink (pink lemonade).  Each food item had a sign stating what it was, a picture from that particular book, and a quote as well from the book.  

The smash cake and cupcakes were purchased from Fiddle Cakes here in Nashville.  They were incredibly delicious.  Yum, Yum, YUM!!!!  I purchased a variety of flavors and icings.  

The food table.  Green Eggs were served (deviled eggs with food coloring), cheeseburger sliders, Truffula Fruits (fruit salad) from the Lorax, Poodles Eating Noodles (Pesto Pasta Salad) from Fox in Socks.  Yertles Turtles (Chocolate Turtles) from Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories.  

 The turtles were super easy and VERY good.  You lay out pretzels on a cookie sheet place Rollo Chocolate candies on top place in the oven at 350 for 2 to 3 minutes.  Pull them out of the oven and place a Pecan on top pushing down.  You have to eat at lease one hot.  This very easy treat has such a nice balance of salty and sweet.

For the Green Eggs just make your deviled eggs as you usually would and had green food coloring.

WHAT A FUN DAY WE HAD
!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicago in August Part II

On my husbands day off we decided to go on a boat tour.  This is something we have both always wanted to do, so we decided to bite the bullet and be tourist for the day.  We decided to ride on the Architectural Cruise.  We learned a lot about the buildings situated on the river and a lot of interesting facts about the river its self.  The cost was 26.00/person for an hour ride.  Here is the kicker though.  I was extremely disappointed to find out that we had to pay 22.00 for our 8 month old who slept through the entire cruise on our lap.  I just felt like that was a steep price to pay.  Snacks and drinks are available but be prepared to pay for those as well.  Also be prepared if it is the summer time you will be sitting on the top deck exposed to the heat of the day.  I found myself in the lower air conditioned part with little Grumpencamper most of the time which was nice, but I missed out on seeing a lot of the tops of the buildings.  I got a lot of half views.

Wrigley Building

Chicago Style Pizza was next on our agenda.  You just CAN NOT leave Chicago without a slice or tow, no you can't leave without a whole pie.  One of Chicago's finest and most well known is Giordonos.  There isn't much to say other than to just try it.  there are locations all over the city.  Making a reservation is a smart idea if you can.  One nice thing is when you get there you can order your pizza while you wait for your table.  So its already been cooking when you sit down.

Of course one of Chicago's main attractions is Navy Pier.  If it is your first time I definitely recommend going.  I made a trek there one day on our walk.  I have to say I was disappointed.  I think maybe because it is so crowded with tourist and has become so commercialized  I would like to try out the children's museum there one day but little Grumpencamper is still too young for that so I skipped it.  Let me know if you have tried it out.  

One tourist attraction I do love and never get sick of is the John Hancock Building.  Check out the link.  It has some of the greatest views of the city and I would for sure recommend going up at night. General admission for 12+ is 15.00, 3-11 is 10.00 and under 3.00 is FREE!  They are open 9:00a.m to 11:00pm last ride up is 10:30pm so you have plenty of time to catch dinner and head on up for a romantic end to your night.  You can stay inside or venture outside on the observation deck.  

In my opinion one of the greatest cities in America.  We visit often so I will save some of the sites for another time.  Coming up is a great trip to Austin, Texas.  I have lots and lots of food recommendations for this city.

 

DIY---Clothes Pin Chandelier

Below is another Craft from the Camper or at least inspired by a trip on the camper.

I have been working hard on a lot of different crafts which is why I have been so absent from my blog.  This is a taste of what I have been doing.  

Clothes Pin Chandelier 

At first glance did you know what it was made of?  Honestly.  While my husband and I were at Austin City Limits this year we saw a 3 tier chandelier like this.  I have been wanting a chandelier for the back wall of my house and my husband said, "we can make something like that, no problem."  This was the perfect solution because I wanted something a little different and rustic.  So when we returned we headed to Lowes and Home Depot to collect supplies.  The cross bracing is plumbing pipes.  Chicken wire gives it its shape and then you go to town putting the clothes pins in the empty squares.  If I get enough interest I'll post some more pictures so you can see up close exactly how this was done. 

At night I love to sit and stare at the chandelier as though its the Christmas tree.  The clothes pins create an illusion of wood shingles and as the light shines through it projects some incredible shapes on the walls. 

Chicago August 2011

This will be a 2 part post since I am so far behind and want to get something posted for my readers.  With this post being about Chicago there is no way that I could write a short post.  There is just too much to share.  So here is Part I.

Ahhhh Chicago.  One of the great loves of my life.  Such a great city.  I had the privalege of living in Chicago for a while after college and it holds a special place in my past.  The "Grumpencamper" pulled into the city after we spent a week in Wisconsin for the Country Thunder Music Festival. 

We were there for Lollapalooza 2011 in Grant Park.  We had a lot of fun camping right in the Middle of Grant Park.  We were parked right next to the dog park which kept Miles very entertained.  He sat in the window off and on all day watching the dogs.  

While Jamie worked Miles and I explored the city on our own.  I will always recommend the public transportation system (CTA) and will never recommend renting a car.  Even with a jogging stroller it was very easy to manage.  One note though is that you make sure on the subway map you look to see the handicap symbol next to the stop.  If there is a symbol then there will be an elevator to get your stroller upstairs.  If there isn't one then its a rough climb to the top....trust me!

One of the first things we had to see was the new addition to the Magnificent Mile.  

The Marilyn Monroe

 She is located right across from the Wrigley Building just before the river or after depending on which direction you are coming from.  

One of the things I love most about Chicago in the summer time is that there is always something to do whether it is Monday or Saturday.  Every night we would take a stroll up and down Michigan Ave and stop by Dancing in the Park.  A swing band would play and people of all ages would be out dancing under the stars.  Its free to dance and free to watch.  We had such a good time watching the couples twirl across the dance floor.  Good clean American fun!  

(excuse the poor quality I only had my phone camera on me)

A Day at Gentry Farm (Franklin, TN)

The punkin with the pumpkins... 

($6 for everyone 2 and over pumpkins are $4 for lg and $2 for sm)

Two New Planters

Crafts from the Camper--Formula Planters

So I have had this empty shelf in my house for 2 and a half years.  I've been trying to figure out what to put there.  I knew I wanted something green so I decided to put some sort of planter there.  One day on the camper while fixing my son a bottle I was inspired.  I thought maybe I could do something with a formula can.  I took the label off, grabbed some scrap fabric placed it around the can and BAM there was my new planter.  I went to Michael's when we got home and purchased some 5.00 fake plants to pop in my new planters.  So far I really like them.  Picture to follow...

Manhattan, KS to Garfield, AR

The end of June we were in the RV and off to Manhattan, KS for Country Stampede.  It seems like every time I go to Manhattan it rains and I'm up to my knees in mud for days with the sun boiling.  Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise this year, it was like fall in June.  The weather couldn't have been more beautiful. 

Manhattan is a college town home to Kansas State University.  This is actually where my husband attended college.  I didn't really get out and about the town too much, we took one spin around campus so that my husband could show me all of his old hangouts and dorms.  I must say I was focused on the next half of our trip.

The next half of the trip took us to Garfield, AR where we would be spending the 4th of July.  If you ask my husband what his favorite city is on earth he will answer Garfield.  I was a little unsure the first time he brought me there but soon understood why it was his favorite.  Arkansas is beautiful, so full of endless trees and hills. 

My husbands family have a lake house on Beaver Lake.  What a sight this lake is to see. It is without a doubt (with the exception of Lake Michigan) the biggest lake I have ever experienced.  It would take you hours to explore ever corner and cove this lake has.  If you are wanting to camp at Beaver Lake then you are in for great camping.  Most of the campsites are right up on the water.  

This year we invited our friends and their two kids.  We had so much fun boating, jet skiing, and lounging in the lake on rafts.  Usually we fish but this year we didn't.  However if you are looking for a good fishing guide I would advise giving Jr Adams a call.  We have been out with him several times and every time we come home with lots of fresh bass.

One day we decided to drive to Eureka Springs.  Eureka is a little town nestled in the mountains.  I like to say that it is a hippie town because, well, it is.  There are a lot of cute restaurants and you will find your touristy fudge, taffy and t-shirt shops here.  What makes this town so amazing are the old buildings along with the old Victorian homes that are to die for.  You can find the historic route through town easily marked by paint on the curbs.  I recommend just following that route around slowly and taking in the incredible homes. 

Don't forget to stop at the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa.  Its worth just parking the car and exploring the hotel.  You will want to go out back and walk around as well.  Make sure you look for the Jesus of the Ozarks.  I can't explain it you just have to see it. 

The 4th of July was one of our last days in Arkansas.  If you are wanting to see fireworks and you have a boat I recommend seeing them from the water.  You won't be alone there are lots of fellow boaters out there as well.   The Marina has a listing of all the surrounding fire works. 

We went home for a few weeks after this trip but soon after we loaded back up and headed north in the Grumpencamper for Twin Lakes, WI and CHICAGO!!!!

 

Coming Up!

Coming UP...

Trips to Manhattan, KS; Garfield, AR; Twin Lakes, Wisconsin; Chicago!!!! and our most recent stop Austin, TEXAS!

A CALIFORNIA KIND OF WEDDING Part II

Paso Robles, CA

The second part of our wedding week in California took us to Paso Robles.  The first thing we did was shed a few layers because the temperature inland hiked up 20 degrees.  The warm dry air was a nice departure from the cool temps at the beach. You know you are in Paso Robles as soon as you see the beautiful Vinyards and tasting rooms posted by the street.  Some of them will surely take your breath away.

We arrived to town early so we had a wait for our hotel.  We decided to pop inside one of the tasting rooms to kill some time.  I'm afraid I can't recall what the name of this one is.  I guess it didn't really blow my socks off if I can't remember. It was however charming, and the staff there were very pleasant.  

 

After the tasting we decided to just drive around and do some sightseeing.  We took a back road behind the vinyards.  It was amazing to see the millions and millions of grapes just dripping from the vines.  I am guessing harvest time is close because the grapes just looked deliciously done hanging from the vine.  As was said in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, "I could almost taste the color purple."

 

Purple or Green?!

 After we checked into our rooms at the Holiday Inn Express we headed out for some Mexican food.  We were all craving it.  We had passed one restaurant earlier in the day that peeked our interest while we were lost of course.  Senor Sancho's.  If you look around you might think you are in the "wrong" part of town, seems to be a little rough.  But, once you are inside you find a 50's style Mexican restaurant that is very friendly.  I wish I had pictures but I was dealing with an almost 10 month old that was driving me crazy.  But be sure to check out the link.

The next day was the wedding day 9/10/11 (how cool is that?).  The wedding wasn't until that evening so we went to explore the award winning downtown Paso Robles.  It isn't that big but it is very hip.  We started out window shopping and then decided we were thirsty so we popped into a really neat coffee shop.  Amsterdam Coffee House.

I wasn't in the mood to drink anything hot so I asked for an iced green tea.  It wasn't on the menu cold but the barrista freshly brewed green tea that smelled so divine for me and poured it over ice.  Hands down the best iced green tea I have ever tasted.   

The front doors were my favorite part of The Amsterdam.  So open on such a beautiful day.

Now for my favorite taste bud explosion of the entire week, Thomas Hill Organics Market Bistro. 

We heard that the rehearsal dinner had been held here the night before and that it was ahhhh---mazing!  So we decided to try our own luck at lunch.  This Bistro has its own organic farm that supplies every single ingredient you place on your tongue. 

This is what I decided on for lunch,  the Grilled Shrimp Salad, Quinoa, Flax & Chia Seeds, THO Arugula & Cress, Feta Cheese, Harissa, Hazelnuts, Olea Farm European Olive Oil and Meyer Lemon Juice.  I had to put it in bold so you wouldn't miss out on one ingredient.  This salad was so delicious if you couldn't already tell.  I think the thing that was so amazing about it was that every bite was so earthy and so fresh.  It isn't often that you get to sit down and enjoy a meal that is literally right off the farm and onto your plate. This was my first attempt at eating Quinoa and I gave it 5 stars.  I have had it a few times since then.  Nice fact is that you can get just as much protein from Quinoa on a salad here as you can from a steak.

My companions all choose the beef burger.  I was lucky enough to steal not one but two bites.  We all agreed that it was the best burger we had ever tasted.  I think that a lot of that has to do with the all natural beef without anything pumped into it.  Side note my husband and I have started buying all our beef at the farmers market from a farm that sells all natural beef and we both also agree that it is the best steak we have ever had.  The flavor is out of this world.  And it is so much better for you!  Buy local people!

Now lets talk about this gorgeous wedding that brought us here to Paso Robles.  The wedding was held at Justin's Vinyard.  This vinyard was more off the beaten path than the ones you see coming into town from the beach.  I really liked that it was more secluded you didn't have to worry about anyone but the other guest.

Here is a snap shot of the ceremony site.  It was so personal and cozy that every seat felt like a front row seat.  I however was standing off to the side in the back because my son for some reason felt like jabbering away right when the ceremony was starting. 

 

Walk down a few flights of stairs and you are at the reception site.  I mean talk about take your breath away.  The back drop was row upon row of grapes and a sunset to die for.  The brides theme was sort of a Water for Elephants circus theme and era of time.   Hence the circus tent that served as the cover for the dance floor.

 

Here is a look at the cake.  It was so sweet with two little lover birds perched on top in their nest.  What a cute idea and in the same theme the party favors were porcelain white bird wine stoppers.  

The bride spent the last year collecting vintage bottles that would seve as the center pieces for all the tables.  Such a great idea!  Each center piece was unique and different from the next table.  They all had different varieties and arrangement of flowers in each bottle.  

Next to each bottle center piece there were also succulent flower arrangements.  So beautiful and different from anything I have seen.

 

Miles getting in some play time on the lawn before dinner

  Here is one last shot of the reception site.  Don't you just love the bistro lights?

 P.S.  I did not get any pictures of the bride and groom.  I forgot to bring my flash and it was dark by the time they were introduced as Mr. and Mrs.  Speaking of look at the chairs to the far left they are adorned with Mr and Mrs banners.