Jet Setting Jet Lag

Alex's preferred method of getting through life is to jump. Running and climbing are both excellent too, but its not any fun at all to walk. So, how tired do you have to be to fall asleep standing up? Alex didn't grasp the concept of hours of airline travel that took him speeding through timezones across the globe and switching night to day. Try explaining the concept to a 2-year-old when its 3am, you haven't slept for days but he still wants to jump, rock 'n roll.

It took Alex five days and five nights to adjust to the ten hour time zone change from the Pacific Coast to Mediterranean Shoreline. It took me 5 more to recover from not sleeping for a week. By then, it was just in time to fly home again and I was falling asleep standing up.

Floating on the Dead Sea

Alex saw a dolphin in the Dead Sea.....and a Humpback Whale. Since the sea is so saturated with salt nothing can live in it and its saliency allows your body to float without effort, its hard to imagine how he saw these creatures, but I'm his mom, so I believe him!

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet at 420 meters (1378 feet) below sea level, and the second saltiest place on earth. It's bordered by Jordan and Israel/Palestine. For centuries, travelers have come from near and far come to cover themselves in the boiling mud and float. The healing effects are well known as the salt & mud is packaged and sold in spas and malls worldwide. The mining of the sea has caused it to drop well below natural levels leading environmentalists to wonder for how many years future tourists may even be able to come to enjoy its effects.

We arrived mid-morning with temperatures reaching near 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The bumpy, two lane road through the West Bank to get there included passing through military checkpoints and a Separation Wall that divides Israelis and Palestinians politically and geographically. Unconventional tourists, we stopped for lunch in the ancient city of Jericho and drove up to the border crossing with Jordan and looked across with talks of our future trips. The newly paved freeway that connects from Jerusalem for the Israelis guided us back. Even on vacation, its hard to avoid the reality of the geopolitical and national conflict that challenges the Palestinian and Israeli people. The juxtaposition of nomadic bedouin tribes alongside newly constructed 4 Star hotels within minutes of each other is hard to miss. Neverthesless, the trip is worth the effort.

When floating with children on the sea, be aware that the salt stings the eyes, the rocks burn the toes, the mud boils and Alex warns it is "dirty." Oh, and most importantly, watch out for unexpected dolphins!

The Old City of Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem is holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews. Inside its ancient walled City, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Al Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall, the holiest of sites for the Abrahamic faiths, are just footsteps apart. Nevertheless, its not so easy to navigate by stroller. The ups-and-downs of the uneven stone steps, its small passageways and the seething heat of the summer sun make it a challenge for even the most rugged 2-year-old traveler.

As Alex longed to run free and I jetted behind, I couldn't help think about the reality of the life for the Jewish and Palestinian children who call this Old City their home. Though they are stacked in small flats on top of each other and neighborhoods that bleed together, these children will not play or study together; they will not meet and get to know each other as equals. They will grow up on opposite sides of a national conflict prepared to take up arms against each other. While Alex is having the chance in his life to mingle with children of different faiths, ethnicities, cultures, traditions and geography, the children of Jerusalem live in the shadow of hopes for peace and the reality of a conflict all around them.

Like all parents of the 21st century, we worry about the food our children eat, who they play with, where they will go to school, if they will dart out into traffic, and if they'll break their arms when they fall from trees. But, we need to do more to place our own fears aside and teach them equality, respect, mutual understanding. It's easy to know that broccoli should be on the dinner menu, its harder to instill a culture of peace in a child. But, the future of humanity for all of us depends upon our healthy bodies and our healthy hearts.

As for Alex, peace in the Middle East wasn't so much on his mind. He liked the french fries at Abu Shukri.

Winter in Wisconsin

More than 7 feet of snow have fallen in Southern Wisconsin this winter, and when Alex arrived it was only 7 degrees. For a little boy from Southern California such cold weather takes some time to adjust. But, neither snow, nor rain, nor gloom of night shall keep Alex from a trip to Gramma’s House. Actually – it seems like any trip to Wisconsin last year required a double booking. First, for the time you actually want to go. Second, for the time you end up going because bad weather caused the airport to close the last time around.

When you’re used to jetsetting to foreign lands, the nearly four hour flight from Los Angeles to Chicago seems like an easy hop, skip and jump. But, to make it the rest of the way to the middle of northern nowhere, it’ll take another 3-4 hours. There’s always a dilemma for how to make the 2nd half of the trip. Should you risk life or limb by taking a connecting flight at O’Hare on one of those small propeller planes that looks like (and feels like) its controlled by some guy on the ground with a remote control. This will take you to Madison, WI where you’ll still have to drive another hour plus. Or, do you just rent the car at O’Hare and slip and slide on snowy, icy roads for three hours. We choose the over the river, and through the woods, land route.

The highlight of Alex trip was walking Grampa’s three dogs in the winter wonderland. In rural Wisconsin, the mailbox can be a ½ mile walk down the driveway, and another ½ mile back up the hill. This is a long walk for a two-year-old forced to waddle in a snowsuit being tugged along by a beagle and two Labradors. It’ll be another year or two before Alex can make a snowball or a snowman, but he loved watching the snowfall -- and that was worth the trip.

Suitcases for Toddler

When traveling with children, it seems like you might have done better to just pack up your entire house, ordered a moving van and driven across the country for your three day weekend away. It's impossible to 'go light' no matter how hard you try. So, at least be sure to bring the right suitcase. Here some obvious tips:

• Don't go any bigger than you absolutley must.
• Wheels are essential.
• Don't use the suitcase with the broken leg (like we did), just because you 'thought it would work.'
• Get one of those compact, small duffels that fold down to the size of wallet, so when you bring items back, you've got an extra, small carry on.
• Oh...and make sure your kid can pull it if you really want to slow yourself down.

Alex loves to pull suitcases around. It doesn't matter if their empty or overloaded. And, he's most likely to take his time and go in the opposite direction of where you are headed. But, boy can he haul....I guess, practice makes perfect.

FAA Regulations Should Indicate No Jumping

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, is the agency responsible for maintaining all aircraft safety in the United States. They have determined that all travelers should listen to safety instructions at the beginning of every commercial flight. The frequent flyer can recite the announcements in unison with any flight attendant. Buckle your seatbelt, follow the lighting to emergency exits, life vests are under your seat, etc. etc. In the case of a real emergency, you’d be likely to forget everything no matter how much you’ve traveled. But, here are some rules they should probably start announcing if there are any 2-year-olds on the plane:

• Do not use the chair arm rest as a diving board. Specifically, do not jump into your seat, head first, as if it was a swimming pool.


• Do not play peek-a-boo (at least so loudly) with all the passengers behind you.


• Do not shriek in excitement so that it actually pierces the eardrums.


• Do not run up-and-down the aisles.


• Do not jump on your seat.


• Do not kick the seat in front of you.


• Do not crawl under the seat in front of you or behind you.


• Do not raise and lower your window shade more than 20 times.


• You do not actually have to say ‘hello’ to every passenger on the plane.


• Listen to your parents!

Alex and mom have been logging miles on airplanes for two years together now. Any hopes of it becoming any easier seem to be far, far off in the horizon. I’ve determined its best to never make eye contact with passengers around me, and to offer appreciation at the very end of the flight for the patience of those closest. While, the nearest exist row may be behind us, it’s never close enough.

New Years in North Carolina

After Santa made his stop on Christmas Eve, Alex hustled onto to North Carolina to wrap up the end of 2007 in Charlotte. As one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, Charlotte is a great for children of all ages. Alex took it easy visiting family, looking for after Christmas deals at the Mall and strolling in local parks. But, for a 2 year old, it can’t get much better than that.

The Charlotte Nature Museum sits next to Freedom Park, around a large pond, it’s a great spot to walk your dog or chase your kid -- but maybe it’s not so easy to do both at the same time. At the Nature Museum there are lots of activities for the little ones to learn about trees, plants and animals native to the region. One of the highlights is the Butterfly Pavillion where many different species fly free and you can enjoy searching them out in the flowers and plants. If you really take the time to look, you’ll see dozens at once. The museum is also home to different breeds of turtles, snakes and even a few small mammals. There are weekly puppet shows to teach the children about conservation. And, for the wild wanderers, you can check out the gopher holes can crawl through holes and tubes that, at least for me, were as small as the real thing.

Alex made it home just in time to ring in the New Year in his own home, with dreams of where he’ll be flying off to next.