The Thanksgiving cross country adventure was a success! We arrived to our destination and back safely, we were all in good spirits and the entire family had a wonderful time. After all the preparation, packing, traveling, visiting with family and getting back into the routine of everyday life, I have had time to reflect and give thanks for two great Motherhood moments with each of my young children.
The first event was in the lavatory of a Boeing 727. My daughter needed to go to the bathroom on the second leg of our trip so we crawled out of our seats, waited in line for just a bit and squeezed into the cramped space. We carefully laid out the paper on the seat and shifted our bodies so she could get ready to go. She asked that I hold her up so she didn't fall in. As I crouched in front of her and held her under her arms, our cheeks met and I slowly felt her smile creep across her entire face. My daughter has incredibly big cheeks so it was easy to feel that smile from beginning to end. Her skin felt so smooth and at that moment I realized it had been ages since we were cheek to cheek. Sure, I have kissed her often on her cheek and hugged her close, but our cheeks seemed to miss each other in our showers of affection. I had a flashback of her as a 6 month old where we would be cheek to cheek often and I would hear her sweet coos as she would drift to sleep. I vowed to incorporate more cheek affection in the future. This peaceful mile high moment required no words and left an imprint of complete bliss on my heart. I can't wait to go to the bathroom again on our Christmas trip!
The second event did not have such a unique venue but was equally special to me. My son's daycare teacher told me that during his nap another teacher put a warmer blanket on him and he fell asleep right away. Perhaps we could bring him a warmer blanket for his naps. AHHHH - I hate being cold so I had complete empathy for my son who was trying to rest comfortably. I immediately went home, grabbed a down blanket throw and drove it back to school. I put the blanket in my son's designated spot before I approached him at school. I just kissed him and said that I brought him a warmer blanket for his nap. His face lit up and I got a great big hug. It was the conversation at home that evening that warmed my heart. When my son got home that day, he saw me in the living room and I could see in his face he remembered the blanket delivery at school. He smiled at me and said, "You brought me a warmer blanket at school today." I asked him if he was warmer during his nap. He smiled and responded like before by saying, "You brought me a warmer blanket at school today." "Yes, and were you warmer during your nap?" He now is beaming and repeats his sentence. At that moment I realize that yes, his nap was warmer but not because of the blanket. My simple act of coming back to school just for him, and only him, left such an impression on him that I know his nap was full of excitement and content since the blanket he was wrapped in was a special delivery from mom.
There are daily Motherhood Moments that fill our hearts and thrill our children. Taking the time to recognize these beautiful times in the actual moment is the ultimate challenge for any mother. I am thankful to have had two of these moments to help keep me creating and recognizing more.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Business Travler's Guide To Free Toddler Treats
I average about one trip a month for my job and explaining these "work trips" to my two toddlers is not fun. Three days of preparation is my standard protocol and since this has always been a way of life for them, it isn't too shocking for them every month. What is fun is searching out toddler treats within the comfort of business hotels and not paying for these small delights.
Yes, I take the hotel amenities and toiletries offered to guests on a regular basis. Cheap is probably what you are thinking, but I have two defenses for these actions. First, when I am on the road for work, I have less time to myself then most people think. If it is a convention there are several other co-works traveling where every meal is planned and attendance is mandatory. After working a trade show or convention all day long, you have about 30 minutes to check email and return phone calls before you are expected to meet for dinner. This does not allow much time for shopping and certainly no energy when you finally return to your hotel room at 9:30 pm and are expected to meet for breakfast early the next morning. Second, I don't want to spoil my children with expensive airport trinkets, which they will lose interest in very quickly. I am taking advantage of my children's toddler ages and know that simple hotel gifts will go just as far, if not farther then an overpriced souvenir.
The Gifts
My regular arsenal of work trip gifts include paper, and lots of it. The kids are very into projects that require tree loads of pulp. Drawing, folding, crumpling, pasting, taping - you get the idea. I grab the traditional pad of paper on the nightstand and desks but I also grab the stationery set which includes envelopes. My daughter loves envelopes and it is amazing the joy in her eyes when she is given a simple envelope. Hiltons provide a nice stack of square sheets of papers for notes that the kids turn into games handing them out like tickets and Westins provide post-it-notes with colorful graphics in each page. Pulling these post-it-notes off provides instant gratification for my son even though it does not last long. I also grab pens since I never have any at home when I need it and again, the kids love experimenting with pens.
The Jackpot of Gifts
The best trip for toddler treats was my trade show in Las Vegas, NV. I literally hit the jackpot for gifts since we stayed at the plush Wynn Resort and Casino. The best item was the loofah sponge I snagged for each child. This item has given them hours of fun in the bath and certainly something different than the traditional paper I usually bring home. Of course I did bring home paper from this trip which was a very high end card stock and much more colorful then the white stationery from other trips. Another fun item was the shoe polish container. It was a silver round tin where I took out the shoe polish components. The kids flipped over this since they love to put coins and small items in it, shake it around and then distribute the contents to all the family members.
Other Venues for Gifts
I don't always ransack my hotel room for freebies for my kids. Sometimes I pick up stuff from the airplane or even the airport parking shuttle. There was a great article in one of the airline magazines featuring a photographer with three spreads of his animal pictures. These pages delighted the kids to see fun animals and to be able to write on them and "enhance" the pictures. I also snagged some free airport booties on the Park N Fly shuttle bus. My kids love to put on my slippers and shoes at home, so they enjoyed getting their own adult sized slippers for fun.
The Presentation
When I get home from a trip simple hugs and kisses are what my kids get immediately. I do not go straight for my luggage and make a big deal about presenting treats to the kids. After they go to bed, I carefully place my work trip treasures throughout the house where they will find them in their every day activities. We have a designated craft table where I will lay out the paper, and pens. And for the unusual Las Vegas items, I placed the loofah sponges in the bath tub and the shoe polish tins on the kitchen table for a breakfast discovery. When the kids find their treats I reinforce that they were from my work trip and we discuss where I traveled. Sometimes we pull out a map or use their globe and pinpoint the location. The discussions that stem from these small "freebies" are so much fun and I feel good that I don't buy their love while I am gone.
My children certainly have caught on that I always have things for them from my trip, and if they ask I tell them it is a surprise and they will find them in the morning. I like my kids associating plenty of hugs and kisses immediately when I get home rather than objects. And when it is all said and done, I do have fun finding new ways to express that they are always on my mind when I travel.
Yes, I take the hotel amenities and toiletries offered to guests on a regular basis. Cheap is probably what you are thinking, but I have two defenses for these actions. First, when I am on the road for work, I have less time to myself then most people think. If it is a convention there are several other co-works traveling where every meal is planned and attendance is mandatory. After working a trade show or convention all day long, you have about 30 minutes to check email and return phone calls before you are expected to meet for dinner. This does not allow much time for shopping and certainly no energy when you finally return to your hotel room at 9:30 pm and are expected to meet for breakfast early the next morning. Second, I don't want to spoil my children with expensive airport trinkets, which they will lose interest in very quickly. I am taking advantage of my children's toddler ages and know that simple hotel gifts will go just as far, if not farther then an overpriced souvenir.
The Gifts
My regular arsenal of work trip gifts include paper, and lots of it. The kids are very into projects that require tree loads of pulp. Drawing, folding, crumpling, pasting, taping - you get the idea. I grab the traditional pad of paper on the nightstand and desks but I also grab the stationery set which includes envelopes. My daughter loves envelopes and it is amazing the joy in her eyes when she is given a simple envelope. Hiltons provide a nice stack of square sheets of papers for notes that the kids turn into games handing them out like tickets and Westins provide post-it-notes with colorful graphics in each page. Pulling these post-it-notes off provides instant gratification for my son even though it does not last long. I also grab pens since I never have any at home when I need it and again, the kids love experimenting with pens.
The Jackpot of Gifts
The best trip for toddler treats was my trade show in Las Vegas, NV. I literally hit the jackpot for gifts since we stayed at the plush Wynn Resort and Casino. The best item was the loofah sponge I snagged for each child. This item has given them hours of fun in the bath and certainly something different than the traditional paper I usually bring home. Of course I did bring home paper from this trip which was a very high end card stock and much more colorful then the white stationery from other trips. Another fun item was the shoe polish container. It was a silver round tin where I took out the shoe polish components. The kids flipped over this since they love to put coins and small items in it, shake it around and then distribute the contents to all the family members.
Other Venues for Gifts
I don't always ransack my hotel room for freebies for my kids. Sometimes I pick up stuff from the airplane or even the airport parking shuttle. There was a great article in one of the airline magazines featuring a photographer with three spreads of his animal pictures. These pages delighted the kids to see fun animals and to be able to write on them and "enhance" the pictures. I also snagged some free airport booties on the Park N Fly shuttle bus. My kids love to put on my slippers and shoes at home, so they enjoyed getting their own adult sized slippers for fun.
The Presentation
When I get home from a trip simple hugs and kisses are what my kids get immediately. I do not go straight for my luggage and make a big deal about presenting treats to the kids. After they go to bed, I carefully place my work trip treasures throughout the house where they will find them in their every day activities. We have a designated craft table where I will lay out the paper, and pens. And for the unusual Las Vegas items, I placed the loofah sponges in the bath tub and the shoe polish tins on the kitchen table for a breakfast discovery. When the kids find their treats I reinforce that they were from my work trip and we discuss where I traveled. Sometimes we pull out a map or use their globe and pinpoint the location. The discussions that stem from these small "freebies" are so much fun and I feel good that I don't buy their love while I am gone.
My children certainly have caught on that I always have things for them from my trip, and if they ask I tell them it is a surprise and they will find them in the morning. I like my kids associating plenty of hugs and kisses immediately when I get home rather than objects. And when it is all said and done, I do have fun finding new ways to express that they are always on my mind when I travel.
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