Traveling internationally (overnight) with kids.. alone.. (pre-travel)

In about 8 hours the kids and I are headed to the airport and back to the States for three months of summer travel!

Yes.. we're excited.

It's 108 degrees today.. not exactly conducive to getting the kids outside to run off the tremendous amounts of energy they wake up with.  P called me into her room the other day to see what she was doing.  I held back a scream when I walked in and found her at the top of her door frame, so proud..  She'd shimmied up the sides of the frame.  M was on the other frame, and while his limbs are exactly long enough for shimmying, he was doing his best to monkey climb up the side.  We're taking "climbing the walls" literally. 



We're leaving a month earlier than A, who has to stay behind and finish out the school year.  We wouldn't normally leave this early (even with the crazy temperatures), but we are attending the wedding (and I'm making the cake) of a dear friend from our Morocco teaching days.  It didn't make sense to fly back here only to return a month later, so we get an extra month. 

The three of us are pumped for the extra month...  however...  the getting there is cause for a bit of anxiety..  We head to the airport at 11pm for our first flight around 1 am to Germany (overnight).  We have three hours in Germany before our next flight to Washington DC.  We grab our luggage, get our rental car, stop for cake supplies (and the toy they are promised for keeping calm on the flights), and head to the hotel (where I start baking). 

We have our essential oils (peace and calm and lavender for sleep), pillow/blanket combos, coloring pages, books, extra clothing, snacks, etc...  We've been talking for weeks about how everything will go..  now we will see.  I'm hoping that we'll get on the flight and after the usual food/drink service (Who needs that at 1 am???) the lights will get turned off and we will all sleep for several straight hours.  The crew will serve breakfast and a short movie later, we land in Germany.  We have three hours in Germany - perfect for a walk around, then settle in for toys and games before we get on the next flight.  A couple movies, nap, lunch, and we'll be there... greeted by all of our luggage (cake making stuff inside).  I realize, after writing this, that it's a bit delusional, but a girl can dream right? 

Some mild concerns:  getting everything into the airport without losing the kids (I can't do the airport goodbye, A must leave us at the curb.), the kids not sleeping on the plane (we have a history of not sleeping), bathroom visits (enough said), long flights with little movement, luggage arriving, driving to the hotel without getting lost..  and there's just handling both kids alone for days not at home..

I'll blog on the flip side and we'll see how it went..

One thing is certain, time will always pass.. we're going to make the best of it, even if it's not the best. 

Off to the beach...

Fridays are normally "church" days.  Since our weekends fall on Friday/Saturday, we meet for church on Friday mornings.  Today, however, people are still traveling for spring break, so we decided to head to the beach with another family that is in town for a day of soaking up the sun.  We've been to a few beaches here, but they've been mostly close by and with minimal off-roading to get to the water.  Today, we got to use our 4-wheel drive and try our luck with the sand.  We followed our friends to the beach, stopped to have some air taken out of our tires (that was a first, but it helps when driving on the sand).  Then we were off-road and on the sand driving for a while.  A and I were both a little nervous at first, we've never really taken our KIA off roading, but after a bit, A declared driving in the sand a lot like the snow..

Driving in.  P was so nervous about crossing  the little stream.

There was a jeep rally going on..

And I was nervous about that dune to our right..

We drove for a while, rounded a large dune, and found a great spot.  J and S brought a great canopy to block the sun and we quickly set up for the morning.  The kids played and explored and we got to relax and chat with friends..that's a good morning..  We got to see some little crabs marching around the sand and found some little jellyfish in the shallows.  You have to be careful because they are totally transparent, like a glob of hair gel...but you can see the shadows.

After several hours, we decided to head back out.  I could tell A was having more fun on the way out (I think he may enjoy the off-roading more in the future..).  We got the tires aired up, and were off.  It was a really relaxing morning and as much as I enjoy our travels, sometimes hanging out here is just what we need.

Little man working construction.

She loves shells.. We have SO many of them..

Checking out the critters.

Snack time..

A helping P with a mask.

Silly girl ready to check out some fish.

Little jelly fish.

See the jelly?  And the tiny crab?

Silly kids.

First hair cut..

I was brushing P's hair the other day and we were having our usual battle of the wills...  I pull too hard, she screams...

Me:  Look, if you're going to have long hair, we have to brush it and keep it neat.  If you aren't going to let me brush it, we need to cut it..  (thinking this would spur her on to let me finish)...
P:  YES!  Let's cut it off!

...that backfired...

We discussed it for a while and she was determined that she wanted to get a hair cut.  I'm not attached to having long hair, nor am I attached to her having it, but I didn't think she'd be into having it cut.  I haven't had her hair cut, aside from times where I trimmed a little off the ends, so this was a big deal for her.

She and I went today and she LOVED it and is excited to do it again..  I reminded her that it would take time to grow... but she was sure it would only take a few days.. We'll see..


Here she is before:

And after...  she was thrilled! 

Time to travel..

One of the (many) perks of living where we are is that travel is accessible and fairly easy.  We decided a while back that we wanted to travel somewhere relaxing, not too far, and really just to be together for part of A's spring break.  The kids and I are leaving in less than five weeks for a wedding on the East coast and A will be here sans family until the end of June (when he will join us Stateside).  That leaves us apart for about a month, so time away together was what we wanted. 

We decided on a four night/five day trip to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).  We found a GREAT deal using Expedia's travel bundles and started the countdown.  We were pumped to have some down time together and to be able not to have any distractions. 

We drove to the airport, took a one-hour flight, a two-hour bus ride, 30 minute taxi ride, and arrived at the Al Raha Beach hotel/resort, our home for a few days.  After some annoyance during check-in, we settled into a nice view with a great view of the water and beach.  Check-in took a lot longer than it should have, so we decided to get some sleep and enjoy the water when we had some rest. 

We woke up to this... 

M and P enjoying the view and ready to get in.. 

After breakfast, we headed to the beach for some relaxing.. and that's pretty much where we spend a couple of solid days.. except for a walk to the mall for a movie and to play at the arcade (the mall was attached to the hotel).

Beach bums!

M feeding the tickets into the counter..  "Do I have enough for the car???"

P was obsessed with the fishing game.

Poolside at night..

We decided, after a couple of full days of hanging out at the resort, to do a little exploring around Abu Dhabi.  Our goal for this trip wasn't sight seeing, but we did want to get out a bit, so we hopped on the 'Big Red Bus' and road around the city.  The hop-on, hop-off buses are a great option if you have limited time in a city.  The kids LOVED riding on top of the double decker bus!  It was over 100 degrees though, so they got cranky pretty fast.  We decided to stop at the grand mosque and then the souk (marketplace).  The mosque was HUGE and very ornate..  The souk was.. well.. modern and not very authentic, BUT the items inside were lovely.  Traditionally, souks are open-air markets with vendor stalls etc.  This one was in a multi-story building with AC, which I appreciated..   I (of course) found two beautiful paintings to bring home.

Not the best family photo, but at least we're all there..  Mosque in the background.

Back side of the mosque.

Inside of the prayer room.  Women must be completely covered..  It was hot!

Amazing work on the chandelier.

At the souk.

On the top of the double decker bus.

We spent our last morning at the beach enjoying the lovely relaxation of vacation..  I had a mani/pedi, the kids played with resort friends, and then we were off..  It went by fast, but was just the right amount of time.  We got back to Doha around midnight, and even though we were a bit cranky after hours of traveling back, it was good to see the familiar skyline and sink into our beds again (without kids).  Resort travel isn't really our thing, but for this break, it was EXACTLY what we needed!

A getting some needed R&R on the beach.