Oh, Mexico! 2010

Bahia de Conception

We went to Mexico this winter, drove down hauling our ‘62 Cardinal travel trailer.  Our 2 year old is now a road trip pro and we have figured out her limits, when to stop, when to nap, when to buy new toys. We mostly drove up the Baja peninsula. She had a fear of oceans in Cabo, so we found a quite beach locale without waves and called it an Ocean Lake. She seemed convinced and we spent the afternoons collecting shells. Read more »

Effin’ Bad Language

My two-year-old repeats everything I say. She has an excellent vocabulary and speaks in full, and often remarkable, sentences. I do not refrain from using “big” words with her. My theory is that the more she hears them, the more she will become familiar with them. However, I do refrain from little words, those little four letter words. Read more »

I Want (Blank) Now.

My daughter’s new favorite words a la 22 month old is, “I want (fill in the blank) now.” She doesn’t say it in an obnoxious manner as you may imagine those words would come out. Instead it is very matter of fact twinged with a bit of sweetness, which of course is greatly emphasized by her cute little face. Regardless, the fact is, she wants something. It is as if she has begun her initiation into consumerism, the constant need to have something. It starts young. Read more »

First Leg of West Coast Road Trip ‘09

Our fancy "retro" paint job on this fixer upper

Our '66 Cardinal Travel Trailer

When my daughter was six months old we spent five weeks on the road with her driving to New Orleans (from New Mexico) and back. Things were different then. We owned a ‘77 Dodge Santana Camper Van and my daughter did not walk or crawl. We sold the van and bought a travel trailer so that we would no longer have three vehicles. More importantly, my daughter, at 20 months, walks and talks, all the time. Yet, the adventerous ones that we are, we are taking another five week road trip, this time to Los Angeles and up the coast to Portland, OR. We have managed the first part of our trip and made it to L.A.

I put a lot of preparation into this trip from fixing up our ‘66 Cardinal travel trailer (including setting it up with a solar power system) to packing all our basic needs, but my biggest priority was entertainment. Read more »

My Daughter’s Favorite Toys are Not Toys At All

My daughter has a whole box full of toys. Admittedly, I filtered through most of them and put several superfulous toys in a bag in the closet, but she still has plenty of fun ones to play with. Yet, the stackers, blocks, pull toys, nest toys, toys with wheels, and toys that look like telephones and computers all lie dormant in their place. Instead, here is a list of my daughter’s favorite toys:

1. Post-it notes: Who knows how she first came in contact with this ingenious office invention of the twentieth century, but ever since, she can’t pass them without wanting to peel them apart, stick them on furniture and sort them into piles. Read more »

DA DA, COO COO

I know it’s cruel, but I taught my daughter to say, “coo, coo” after, “da, da.” It’s hilarious of course. My husband pretends to not like it, but I think, secretly, he appreciates it for the good joke that it is, even at his expense. The best thing about it is that my daughter and I have an inside joke. Even at the small age of 18 months, we already can share in some private humor. Plus, she is learning to apply the new vocab to other situations. Today the neighbor dog, Ginger, who she calls, “Nay, Nay” was rolling in the grass. My daughter pointed and said, “Nay Nay, Coo Coo.”
“Yep,” I said, “Nay Nay, Coo Coo.”

Toddler Frustrations

There is a lot of information out there about toddler tantrums and how to deal with them. I propose that we don’t deal with them at all, but instead, rephrase the concept all together. In truth, our toddler is not throwing a tantrum (This is an interesting cliché in itself: What are they actually throwing, their bodies about, their emotions?), but expressing frustration. Let’s call it what it is: Toddler Frustrations. Every time your little one starts to freak out, recognize that they are frustrated not just trying to make your day difficult or protest your parenting methods.

Granted, I don’t always run to my child’s aid when she is “frustrated.” Read more »

Spring Break Road Trip ‘09: Day 5

Today we had something very special planned for our daughter, the Albuquerque Zoo. Our daughter absolutely loves animals, can’t get enough. And, I can’t deny, we were pretty excited too. Unfortunately, we got off to a rough start. The accumulation of days on the road with poor sleep and a low fever from teething, had put her in a terrible mood and she ended up crying all the way there. Even when she drifted into a nap, she would awaken crying and calling, “MaaaMaaa,” every fifteen minutes or so making her very grumpy.

Elephants at the Zoo

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Spring Break Road Trip ‘09: Day 4

Waking up in Cloudcroft was a pleasure. At 9,000 feet, the air was cool, just like we were used to at home. While vacationing, especially with kids,  it is great to stay at a locally owned hotel in the middle of town and be able to walk everywhere. This is particularly appreciated when you have been road tripping around and want a break from the car for a while. We easily found a coffee shop and were grateful to discover a basket of toys and books for our daughter to occupy herself with as we fed her fruit from the couch while sipping on our tea and nibbling quiche and egg sandwiches. Ah, luxury. Read more »

Spring Break Road Trip ‘09: Day 3

BAAAAA!

Though not well rested, we were determined to make up for the last two unproductive days with exciting activities. We began the morning (after the tedious process of loading everything back into the truck) at the New Mexico Heritage Farm and Museum. A large building complex and dairy farm with activities for adults and children. We breezed through the adult exhibits showing the history of agriculture in New Mexico while our daughter shouted out the animals and their sounds. We then proceeded to the Adventure Corral where our daughter continued to shout out the animals and their sounds. After that, we went to the barn where our daughter, yes, shouted out the animals and their sounds. All this farm fun culminated at the Discovery Garden where she played in the sand and let me pull her around in a wagon, very farm-like of us. She napped on our way over the Needle Mountains to White Sands National Monument. Read more »