Saturday, March 23, 2013

Spiritual Friday: Keep Calm and Take a 16-Hour Flight


 Hey all! I’m currently flying over North America right now (35,998 ft above :oO) and find it extremely surreal that I finished up my first post this morning at the airport and now writing up my second post mid air 12 hours later. It’s been daylight the entire trip and after leaving the UAE Friday morning we will be arriving in LA Friday afternoon the same day. SO TRIPPY! No pun intended lol.

I was really worried about how my kids will handle the trip, but every time, they impress me and remind me to stop worrying especially for no reason. Even the littlest one has done well. He had two tiny meltdowns, and a few “don’t forget I’m still a baby” moments, but the coast is clear now.

I wish I could have taken a picture of the glares I got as we were boarding. Z3 was screaming his brains out and the look on people’s faces was “oh heck-to-the-no that kid ain’t on our flight!” Luckily he hasn’t thrown any screaming tantrums since boarding especially since they have been part of his daily hourly routine. Aside from letting the guy in the seat in front of him know there is a baby with long legs behind, he was as good as a 2 year old baby on a16 hour flight could be.

With an early flight, I had to wake up the kids around 4:45 am. Thank God I had the energy to prep them mentally the night before; that helped a LOT. I asked them what they wanted to wear on the plane, asked again to make sure. Triple checked they would be comfortable in the clothes they picked and also had them choose back up clothes in case of spillage/ accidents. You know these cramped planes…Oh geeze!! I just spilled 7up on my self! Keep calm and spill some 7up (o:

I told them (about 2,436 times to be exact :o) that we had to wake up in the middle of the night and sleeping early was a must.  My plan worked. They got up, dressed quickly and even had time to help take out the luggage. It was so cute watching them take leadership and work together. No arguing and no complaining. We were off to a good start.

I made them each a sandwich, brought juice boxes, raisins and yogurt for snack. (I don’t recommend yogurt unless your kids are obsessed like mine are.) That really helped, since after we checked in the kids were hungry.

On the way to the airport bright and early. Did I mention we had to take 3 taxis? :o/


Z3 was too exhausted and warm in his pj’s. I didn’t want to take him out of his comfort zone so we left him in his Thomas the train pajamas and headed on out. I did bring spare clothes and after I (again) spilled apple juice on him, changed him into his back-ups.

Even though he hasn’t used the infant car seat in a year,  he still “fits” in it. I bring it so he can sleep comfortably on the plane. These chairs are so awkward for babies to sleep in. Don’t forget the Thomas backpack with all 20 trains. We try to be modest with our collection. ;o)
 
 Suitcase-Palooza!

Thank God, getting through the airport was relatively a breeze. Last time we came, we were on standby because the flight was over booked. Beware as Emirates airlines does this frequently and if you check in late (I mean checking in your luggage not online check-in), regardless of your booking you can loose your seat, but not with out some compensation of course. It’s just a hassle especially if you have to wait for another flight. We got to see some funny sights walking through the airport. If you risk sleeping on one of these you will definitely fall victim to being posted on my blog lol.


I hope I never fall asleep in the airport lol. Please Karma don’t do it!

This was quite the funny ad by Fujitsu, but then..


…I was asking myself: who ever used a typewriter while sitting on the floor? And I realized it doesn’t have to be a typewriter…

 …lol seems I’m missing the stone ages.

With only 2:36:00 to landing, I have to say I am so freaking grateful for the “success” of this trip so far. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely sweated my bullets and had my struggles. Really though, I am proud of myself for not snapping at the kids, not getting stressed (especially at check-in when I realized I had an extra piece.) I am glad I didn’t let the worst of me get the best of me. Well, minus the 7up bath I just took ha! I think I kept calm and took this flight well. Hoping I can keep calm and maintain this attitude throughout my trip.
 
Enjoy some randomly oversized souvenirs. (o:
What is the longest trip you have ever had to take, either by car, train, boat or plane? Did kids join you? Would love to hear your experience. Leave a comment below and thanks for stopping by!! Happy Friday!

-Debora

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