Prepping for BC

Three days!

I can finally start prepping for our trip to BC.

I don't like to start prepping to early because most of the time I will end up digging back into my suit case for stuff that I need, and the less time I have to live out of a suit case, the better. That and if I was already done my packing the anticipation would kill me, and I would have nothing to occupy my "free" time with while Andrew is away. 

So, let the packing begin....well...after I finish a couple of loads of laundry.

But in the mean time, I packed my carry on today.

My carry on is going to be my life line while traveling with that energetic toddler of mine. Truthfully, I have been dreading the plane ride. The total travel time, from the time we leave our house in Whitby, to the time we touch down in Abbotsford, is a little over nine hours. NINE HOURS! Thats like a whole day for Coral. And since she hasn't napped in my arms since she was 8 months old, Im not counting on her sleeping for any of that time. I need to be prepared.

Heres my plan:

To entertain her on the plane (she will be forced to sit on my lap for a little over four hours on the first flight, then another hour and fifteen minutes on the second. She normally doesn't sit on my lap longer then 15 seconds...gulp) we did a trip to Dollarama. Yes there are plenty of things around the house that I could have brought with me to attempt to entertain her, but if ya'll know Coral, you know that she LOVES to play with new things, and its new things that will hold her attention for longer.

We stocked up on stickers, new crayons, books, puzzles, stamps, beads, and a little case of mini mega blocks. Lord give patience to the people that have to sit next to us. All this will hopefully entertain her for the flight there, and back. And of course I will have to pack lots of snacks, and will buy Coral milk once were through security.

To entertain her at the Airport, well Im going to let her entertain herself (and by doing so, MAYBE she will tucker herself out and fall asleep on the plane). I know that I wont get her to sit in a stroller for very long, and why should she if she is going to be stuck in one little spot on the plane for four hours. I know that she wont sit by our terminal and play quietly either. Nope, she's a runner, and a running she will do. 

Meet my new best friend.

Ok, so I know some of you look at that and think "Don't you think its a little cruel to strap your baby into a harness?" The answer is, nope not at all. I know my daughter. I know she wont sit still, and I know how fast she is. So, safety comes first. This allows her to roam around and explore things, but also keeps her within a safe distance of mommy (without me trying to chase her with my arms full trying to make her hold my hand so she doesn't get lost or have a stranger take her). 

And lastly, for when she DOES (hopefully) get tired of walking (or tired from getting up at 3:30 in the morning), I will have this:

We finally got an umbrella stroller!

Umm why didn't I get one of these sooner? Its so light weight, and so easy to fold up. I seriously think I just about crack a rib every time I pull her other stroller out of the Buick. And this one takes up so much less room. Im loving it. Of course I tried to look on kijiji and craigslist before purchasing a new one, however people were putting their umbrella strollers up for sale for the same price as a new one, AND most of the time they would say things like "back wheels don't spin" or "handle bars are missing". No thank-you. So new it was.

Ok, so lets get the full picture here. Im in the Airport with my huge bag packed full of goodies hanging off my shoulder. I have the stroller in my other hand (plus Corals precious blanket) and Im hanging onto the tail of my little monkey as we walk around. 

Do you think I could manage to carry a coffee as well? I think Im going to need it :)