Oh, Sky Mall, how I miss you…

Wow, I’ve been gone from my blog a while.  Sorry about that.  My life turned upside down at the end of February and I feel like I’m just starting to find my footing again.  One day I was on the phone with mortgage companies and looking at house listings to buy my very first home, the next my husband came home with a dead look in his eye and informed me he no longer had a job.

I switched on survival mode.  I called up my old job and asked if there were any openings.  Thankfully, they welcomed me back.  In the space of two weeks I went from a stay-at-home mom enjoying the beautiful spring weather in Austin, TX, to packing up all my belongings, and moving back to a rainy, freezing San Francisco to live with my husband’s parents.  I jumped back into career mode and 40 hours per week and Sammy was enrolled in daycare.

The emotional turmoil and physical upheaval has been a lot to handle.  I went from being around my son every minute of every day since his birth to seeing him 3 hours a day plus the many night-time wakings.  That was six weeks ago.  We’re slowly adjusting to our new life and now just eagerly looking forward to the day we can live in our own place again.

But on a more uplifting note, and reason you came to my blog in the first place, I have a new post for you, prompted by our journey back to San Francisco.  Enjoy!

 

 

I used to get bored on airplanes.  I’d do the dance between listening to music, reading a book, or re-reading sky mall for the 5th time in order to help the hours move along.  Then, I flew with a child.

Now, flights are like a workout.  By the time the plane lands, you’re sore, thirsty, completely exhausted and eyeing the lavatory like it’s nirvana.

My son has flown six times and he’s only 14-months old.  I’ve been slowly working on my strategy to make the flying experience better and I thought I would share it with you, short of just leaving the kid at home.

Step 1:

If possible book a flight that coincides with naptime.

A sleeping baby makes for a happy Mommy – 99% of the time.

Of course, there’s something about having a baby sleeping on your shoulder that makes you really, really have to pee.

 

Step 2:

Let your kid run ‘wild’ at the airport to tire him/her out.

This worked pretty well for me for a while, although my son kept finding himself oddly fascinated with the floor of the busy concourse.  I’m still impressed he wasn’t run over.

I tried to confine him to our gate and let him run around the seats.  The plan backfired when my son decided to swipe some guy’s iPhone and make off with it.  The guy found it funny, thank goodness, but I was mortified.

 

Step 3:

Get a window seat.

I’ve done it all: the window, the aisle, the middle.  The aisle sounds like a better idea at first; easier access to the bathroom, more space for flung toys to land (and they will be flung), and limbs can dangle more freely if you’re nursing.  In reality, this is what happens:

Also, kids are smart.   They will see the aisle as an escape route.

The window feels more claustrophobic, but there’s slightly more elbow room and you get to play peek-a-boo with the outside world.

Step 4:

Sit near the bathroom…with the changing table.

I can’t speak for all airplanes, as I tend to only fly Southwest.  I learned that the changing table is in the lavatory at the front, not the one at the back that I was seated next to.

Southwest has instituted a rule that you can’t wait in line for the restroom.  Do you know how hard it is to sprint from the back of the plane to the front of the plane on a crowded flight and beat someone to the restroom?

Ok, I may have taken some artistic license with this image.  But who hasn’t wished they could do this?

 

Step 5:

Bring a bottle of water with you.

I used to worry about turbulence spilling my complimentary beverage all over the seat-back tray.  Silly me.  Turbulence has nothing over the flailing arms of a toddler.  And forget about that tray; you’re not going to see that useful thing again until your kid has his own seat.  And an ipad.

Good luck!

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