Leave Lunch Notes

Real Life Tip:
Leave notes for your kids in their lunches. It's fun and they love it. Well, atleast, until they are too cool for lunch notes at about age 11. More importantly, you've shared just that much more love with your children guess what?  That makes you parent of the year. Congratulations!

Now get writing...

Lifestyle Tips For The Busy Moms

Enough cannot be said about the life of a busy mom. She can maintain the balance of her family with work, play, pets and love. Most moms glide easily through the day with the routine coming like clockwork. Others, like myself, need a bit of inspiratiom to get the day going. Meditation,  journaling, a good run and quiet time are just some of the ways we can take care of ourselves. As a member of the Busy Moms Elite, a spontaneous group I just conjured up to boost the morale of all busy mothers, I look for advice and ways to make my days better and my life more enjoyable. Vogue Australia has provided us with some great luxury lifestyle tips that are usable for all of us. It's like maintaining balance in style. Click here for the full story!

Holiday Travel With Kids

We are fresh off an international flight. Three children and I traveled over twenty-two hours and though it was pretty long, it was also uneventful. Well except for my three year old's meltdown in the customs line. He ran off playing underneath the rope lines all within my view while ignoring my very demanding mommy voice. There are hardly ever any comforting looks or verbal trinkets of affection from strangers for any toddler. Not in any customs line we have ever been in. After flying for half a day, people are just done. Despite this mishap, we crossed the ocean with no problems. I give a lot of the success to Air New Zealand who makes flying internationally a supreme experience. Every need is met and special accommodations are made when necessary. A mom with three children? They have you covered giving us extra leg room, early boarding, and play packs for the kids are just some of the perks. 
We do pride ourselves on having expert travelers. All of our children, including the one sleeping while taxiing, are frequent flyers at this point having logged thousands of miles a piece but there is plenty of leg work that goes into creating a great tiny traveler. That starts with mom and dad so parents, here are our:

3 P's to Traveling with Kids

1. Patience
This is the key to having smooth ride. In the above described situation you have to stay cool. They are children and will exhaust after hours of travel. Dehydration, fatigue, Vertigo, plugged airways and hunger are just a few of the symptoms exhibited by kids before, during and after flying. Be prepared with snacks, water and activities for them to do when you feel your blood pressure rising. Breathing helps and remember that this is just a wrinkle in time before you reach your next destination.

2. Portable Devices
Whatever you have I would suggest bringing it. The apps and games available on IPods and IPads are endless these days so you can find educational options or fun games to keep them occupied. Bringing magazines and books will weigh you down especially through security lines. With today's carry-on weight limits, less is more and portable devices have you covered from Kindle to Krazy Kars.

3. Praise
This is for you and the children. Them: Let them know that you are proud of their behaviour and sticking with you while you navigate through a sea of strangers in the airport. If they sit down, buckle up and get an activity out then big kudos to them. For You: Have a drink for your success or grab that Cinnabon in between connecting flights. It is the little things that will get us through long flights and the stresses that go along with it. You are making the journey so support yourself and the children along the way with plenty of acknowledgment.

This tiny spoon is also from Air New Zealand which my children now fight over for their porridge. 

Safe travels this holiday season. Wherever you are going is sure to be special so take these tips and make flying with children a breeze this year.

Germ Reform

I am a bit of a reformed germaphobe. When it came to germs I was a good old American girl, proud of my bleach stock and ready to combat imminent death with every wipe. I have relaxed a bit but still find useful articles like this by Elizabeth Scott, Ph.D., a microbiologist and a codirector of the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons College, in Boston. Real Simple Magazine lists Dr. Scott's top bacterial offenders. Now we should all know by now that the best way to combat the spreading germs is by simple handwashing and in our busy lives people still forget to do this. I know it is gross and these places listed below are worth an extra look as well.




1. Doorknobs

What we do:
Wipe them down a couple of times a week especially if you have children. Ever touch that knob and your hand comes back sticky? "That's gross,"as my 6 year old says. Wipe the door handles before you need to wipe your own hands.

2. Kitchen Sponges


What we do:
We don't use them. Use cloths in your home instead. Paper towels are biodegradable but at the rate we use them it is overwhelming the earth.

3. Drain & Kitchen Faucet

What we do: 
As Dr. Scott suggested in her article, we put baking soda in the drain and let sit before pouring boiling water into and all around faucet and handle.

4. Dog Bowl

What we do:
Though we are currently sans fido, we could have benefited from Dr. Scott's advice here. She suggests washing every use. Seem a bit extreme? Well let's go in the middle with a good weekly wash in the dishwasher. Choose a  cleanser with less detergents if are worried about your pretty pooch's intake.

5. Computer Keyboard

What we do:
We live on our laptops so we use compressed air and alcohol to clean our keyboards and bits. You would be surprised at what lies underneath those keys so grab a can, insert the skinny stick and blow out the mess. (Please read can for best use directions). Alcohol on a cloth can work wonders and harsh cleansers will ruin your system so clean with caution.

Opera Going & Music Appreciation

Just wanted to do a quick share of The Valkyrie performance that we attended a few weeks ago. No kiddies this night.  My husband and I made a date night out of it and we have seen a lot of music performance between the two of us. I can truly say that our lives have been enriched by seeing The Valkyrie opera (Part of Wagner's Ring Cycle). This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity and when we saw the announcement we booked our seats immediately. Not many cities in the world host this huge operatic fete which runs over 4 hours long. The Valkyrie is not one of those events limited to just the opera going crowd. In fact, though we enjoy many musical events, we are not season ticket holders of the opera in our city. This piece is loved and admired for it's emotions (I cried), huge sound (including a thunder instrument), and perhaps most notably the piece The Ride of the Valkyries is performed at the beginning of Act III. (Think Apocalypse Now the movie). No pics were allowed inside but we did snap a few random ones including our yummy dinner.

Pre-ordered the lamb and chicken caesar so our dinner was waiting for us after the second intermission.

So what's this post about? You becoming an avid opera fan? No need to write a big donation check. I am simply saying just go to musical performances when they come to town. It's worth the time and money. People don't get dressed up anymore and I hate that. Get dressed up, people, go out and enjoy the musical things in life. You will undoubtedly feel better all around.

Art and Music are the first on the chopping block at schools as they are forced to cut budgets. How are we supposed to instill such important elements, that have proven mental and health benefits, into our children without exposing them to different types of music? If your school doesn't have a program the job is up to you. Here is some help...

A few tips for family musical enjoyment:

The Valkyrie venue

• Weekends are usually chock full of events in areas all over the world. 
• Musical performances from local theater groups and coffee shop ensembles to big budget presentations are available for adults and children alike to enjoy. 
• They are not usually outrageously priced and you can oftentimes even find free events. 
• Stay on budget by skimping on venue seats because it's hearing the music that's important. 
• Save that extra cash from your budget seats to spend on dinner or collectibles from the event. 

 REMEMBER: Your children will feel lucky just being there and they should be. Any experience that they have enriches them so again, just go and enjoy the music. 

Three P's of An International Move

If you are wondering why the huge gap in posts, this is all due to my family's Big International Move. Yes, with a shipping container packed and five first class tickets in hand, the five of us journeyed across the globe to Middle Earth where we have now set up a new life. All is well so far and we are loving the complete cultural immersion. This all sounds really well and good but let's rewind about six months to where this all began. Big changes like this don't happen in a vacuum and though the adjustment to a new life has been relatively painless, getting here was a challenge unto itself.


I write this post not only to share my own experience (and tips of course) but to encourage you as I've been encouraged by the many families I have met through this journey. There is no opportunity better than to enrich our lives and those of our children through travel. Some people say mention how lucky we are to have traveled and relocate the family. Oprah says that I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Love that Oprah. She, Emerson and many others claim that when you prepare and are given the chance it is possible to make things happen. Why even today, there is one brave family in particular that I know of heading off into the Alps. No matter where you are relocating to or how many are in your crew, here are a few simple tips that will make the journey a bit easier.

Before & After shot of our carpet cleaning. 

Planning We tried to do this as much as we could but I am thankful my father taught me to always have a back up plan. Our move was a corporate one so we were privy to a relocation liaison. But when it comes to a big move like this, it takes a team of people. From the packing to the interim stays, I had to do legwork. There were visas, vaccinations, and hotel stays that all had to be arranged without help from a coordinator at some point but Google and GPS helped tons. Having large data use packages is useful in both countries as the internet has become so vital in our culture. You don't really want to be without it. The accuracy of navigation is spot on and will help you to navigate seamlessly through many countries throughout the world at your fingertips. This is powerful.  Use your resources and do your research for your tasks ahead. Use lists and set goals based on the time lines given and planning will be much easier.


Tip: Rent on all fronts. It is safe & offers  freedom to discover your surroundings without being tied down. Purchase renters insurance for your belongings as you trot the globe. It's smart and the premium is usually low.

Packing Might I suggest hiring movers for all relocation needs. Finding a company skilled in the art of international packing is not quite as hard as you might think. A quick google search will result in dozens of companies capable of doing the job. With an international move, your items will have to go through customs and may be subject to a bit of scrutiny with what can and cannot be brought into various countries. Also, the cost is more because delicate items may be double and triple wrapped to avoid being broken. It is worth the extra money as none of ours, thus far, ( I still have TONS of unpacking to do) were lost or damaged. Now that overseas packing smell is another matter all together. That is what three months on a ship will do to cardboard boxes.


Tip: Having a garage sale or donating unwanted items will make the move easier. Appliances that won't convert and broken toys have no business tagging along to a new country. 

Patience. And more patience. So perhaps this post should be entitled The 4 P's of an International Move. The preparation is long, the flight is long and settling in is long too. You best be ready for a lot of waiting. Breathing techniques are a good choice in keeping your patience. There may be hiccups as was the case with our health checks. Just one signature was missing and all 5 of our applications were returned which cost us 2 days. Our beef jerky from Mexico was meticulously inspected and then confiscated causing us to just case the last leg of our flight. Things like this happen and what can you do? Nothing but be patient. This may seem nearly impossible with little ones in tow but they feed off of you so remaining calm and cool is your best bet.

Empty bookshelf after being all packed up

Many ask us: "why we would relocate away from family and friends with 3 small children across the world?" We have many reasons that could be offered up but the best one is the experience for the entire family. There is nothing quite like traveling and exposing yourself to different cultures. It will truly broaden your horizons. So here are my words to you: If you have to the opportunity to do it. Just do it. With a little bit of the 3 P's it's much easier. Yes, sometimes life is a bit scary but isn't that what also makes it so much fun?

Dedicated to a wonderful woman who now has an international family move to add to her very olympic life and to all families with an adventurous spirit. 

Photos by K. Rodriguez for Real Life Salvation