Showing posts with label Scraps. Show all posts

A Day in Shannon's Life: Welcome to San Francisco


Hi, there! My name is Shannon and I'm sister number 3 of the Elephant & Chick family. I currently live in San Francisco and have completely fallen in love with the views, the culture, the people, and all the delicious food. Today, I want to share a few pictures of a typical day in my life, so you can learn a little more about me and this place I call home.

1. Acai Bowls for Breakfast. My husband and I have mornings down to a science. He is in charge of making breakfast while I pull together our lunches. One of our favorite go-to breakfasts is acai bowls. If you haven't tried them, they are so easy to throw together and keep me full until lunch! (Find our recipe here).

2. Gap Headquarters. I work downtown as a marketing manager for Gap. I absolutely love my job. The hallways are lined with racks and racks of clothing, and I often get distracted at the shoe rack to check out the upcoming season's new arrivals. {insert heart-eye emoji here}. One of my favorite parts of the office is the amazing view. I mean, does the picture above even need an explanation?

3. Lunch at the Ferry Building. Since my building is on the Embarcadero, I'm minutes away from one of the largest Food Meccas in San Francisco: the Ferry Building. Home to almost 50 small restaurants (and the largest Farmer's Market in the city on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays), this destination will satisfy any food craving and is one of my favorite places to "people watch." Be warned though: the Ferry Building is packed with hungry tourists and busy working professionals during lunchtime. My advice is either go early to beat the rush, or enjoy a late lunch. Be sure to check out my favorites: Delica, Out the Door, and Cowgirl Creamery.

4. Mid-Afternoon Cookie Delivery. Yes, you read that right. There is a company that will delivery fresh cookies right to your door in less than 20 minutes. It's called Doughbies, and if you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out on one of the most luxurious mid-day pick-me-ups out there. Click the following link for $5 off your first order! (https://www.doughbies.com/#/r/lchtdmfm) 
(*Doughbies currently only delivers to certain areas in San Francisco. If you don't live in SF, be sure to check them out next time you visit. I mean, who couldn't use a mid-tourist-day treat?!)

5. A Cable Car Ride Home. Contrary to popular belief, cable cars aren't just for tourists. In fact, my commute home is filled with many locals hitching a ride home for the day. I still get the thrill of hanging off the side and letting the wind blow through my hair. And I never get tired of watching tourists take a few selfies. Classic tourist move.

6. Ice Cream for Dessert. I'm convinced that every day should end with a scoop of ice cream. If you venture out for ice cream in SF, chances are it will be 100% organic and all the ingredients will be locally grown (insert eye roll here...). My favorites include Lemon Cookie from Three Twins, and Creme Brûlée from Bi-Rite Creamery.

Moral of the story, I have a pretty good life. And I completely agree with Rudyard Kipling: "San Francisco has only one drawback, 'tis hard to leave."

Angela Hatch Photography {E&C Feature Post}

Earlier this summer my sisters and I threw the party of the half-a-century (apparently there's not an official word for that) for our mom to celebrate her 50th birthday!  To see the details of the party, you can read Robyn's post on it here.  Today, however, I'm excited to tell you a little more about the woman who photographed the event and my dear childhood friend, Angela Hatch of Angela Hatch Photography.  Angela has been taking pictures for as long as I can remember, but has turned the hobby in to a business in recent years.  She specializes in documentary photography, which was a new concept to me before talking to her about it, as I'm sure it is to some of you.  Below she shares some of her wisdom of the trade.  Hopefully there are a few tips or tricks in there that will benefit the pictures you take of your life and family! 

“Say cheeeeeeseeee” said every mom ever throughout all of history.  I bet Cleopatra’s mom even said,  "Say cheese honey. The painter is almost done, just 1 more hour.”

We are programed from a young age to pose for pictures, to smile for pictures, and to only take pictures of BIG life events.  Let’s talk about those BIG life events.  You know what they are:

First Day of School
Wedding
Disneyland trip
Date night
Graduating from High School

Now let’s not get crazy, of course these are all important moments and they should most definitely be documented.

One day, as my husband and I were out to dinner, and I was making him take yet another close up selfie of us, he asked, "Why are we taking another picture right now? All of our pictures look the same. You can’t even tell where we are.” And he was 100% right.  All of our photos had turned into close up selfies.  It’s hard to take pictures of yourself when no one else is around!  But I really liked having pictures of us when we went out to do something.

Thus, the close up selfie.  Wouldn’t it be great if it didn’t have to be a BIG life event or a close up selfie, and you could remember your life in a cooler and more real way?
And this is where documentary photography comes in to play.  Angela documents the "real life moments" of her clients.  Lucky for us, she's sharing some things we can do ourselves to document these moments:

4 types of moments that you deep down actually want pictures of and tips on how to capture them:

1.       The Non-Lame Selfie
Do you think that selfies are completely lame and self-centered?  Depends. Duck face selfies? Super lame.  Selfies that show you and your real life? Not lame at all.  Is it self-centered to want proof that you existed?  To see how you’ve changed over the years?  To be able to look back and see yourself with friends and remember all the good times you’ve had in your life?  Of course not!!!  Now let’s not have you start posting duck faces. Just make sure you get photos of yourself so that you can remember your life in 20 years.

Let’s talk strategy: How to get way better selfies that show the real you.
     a.  Use a self timer:  When it’s just you, the best way is to use the self-timer on your camera. This is an easy setting that shouldn’t be too hard to figure out how to set. Once you do, make sure it’s on a surface where it won’t wiggle (tripod or somewhere secure) and then set it and go do your thing. You can take pictures of you with your pets, your kids, or just you all by yourself.
     b.  Get a “trigger:  Now this one is a little fancier. You can get a “trigger” for your camera and use it in your hand to take the picture when you want.  Some cameras have wi-fi and even have an app that you can download onto your phone and then your phone has a button to push that allows you to take the picture when you want.
     c.  Teach your husband to take pictures of you:  I know this is probably the most difficult of the 3, but I am currently in the process of teaching my husband to take pictures of me, and I know that the road may be long, but that I will love it in the end.  If you have patience and a loving soul, you could do this last one.  
Above is an example of a self portrait that my husband took
2.       Messes, and shoes, and food, oh my!
What makes up each of our lives?  The details!
How we wear our hair
Food we like to eat
Decorations on our wall
Clothes we like to wear

Those are the small things that make up our everyday lives.  To remember who you are now, you need to document your likes, dislikes, and your atmosphere.  Here are some questions to ask yourself to learn what details you should be taking pictures of:

What is my favorite outfit?
Where is my house the messiest and why?
Am I taking medicine for any reason?
What is the hardest thing in my life currently?
Quirks of my spouse – which ones do I want to remember?
What is my kid’s favorite dinner dish?



3.       Can you feel the love tonight?
Or do all of the photos you have with your spouse look like this?
Yeah, I feel ya.  Those are NOT what your relationship if like, is it?  Is it more like this?

 You go bowling once a month at the ghetto place down the street.
Laugh when he is in the kitchen cooking and singing Josh Groban.
Cuddle in bed and watch Seinfeld on your ipad.
Come home after work and watch the newest redbox because you’re both exhausted.
Put your legs on him while you recline on the couch and tell him all about your day.
Cry together after finding out that again, you aren’t pregnant.

THAT’s a relationship.  Not some smiley close-up pictures that show nothing about your life except for in that one second you were smiling.  That’s why social media is so hard sometimes.  All you see are the smiley happy-go-lucky moments. They’re not a reflection of really what your relationship is like.
Relationships can go from:“I-am-so-twitterpated-I-could-die" to“You-need-to-leave-the-room-before-I-punch-a-wall” in 10 seconds flat.  You can have highs and lows and that ALL of it brings you closer together and can strengthen your relationship.  Deepening it and making it stronger than ever.  That’s the beautiful thing about marriage.

There are a couple of ways to get these photos:
     a.  Self timer or trigger:  Again, these can be helpful and the more you practice with them, the more you will get better at achieving these.
     b.  Ask someone you know to take the picture for you:  This is more difficult because there may not be someone in the very moment that you want that picture.
     c.  Train your dog to take the pictures for you:  Just making sure you were paying attention. If you can train your dog to take pictures, you can make millions. I am officially jealous.
     d.  Hire a photographer to document those moments for you:  Yes, yes, you can do it yourself, but it’s a lot easier and more relaxing to hire someone to do it for you. Right? Right.
4.       Perfection is Booooooring

Have you ever watched the Stepford Wives?  The whole creepiness of that movie is that all the women are basically robots. Yuck. No personality, no differences, just all the same in their perfect hair and freshly pressed clothes.  Feeling that you need to be a Stepford Wife is exhausting: Decorating the perfect house, wearing trendy clothes every moment of every day, not allowing a smelly garbage disposal to show up in your house, buying the dog that never poops in the house, sniffing your nose at having a pile of laundry end up on the floor in the hallway.

You’re not alone in feeling this need to be perfect, especially when it comes to housework.  It’s hard to not feel like you only want to show the most perfect sides of you to people.  A constant struggle for me is that I am not a great house keeper. My husband does way more laundry and dishes than I do. Sometimes, if he even just makes a light-hearted comment about it, I get defensive and snippity.  It is so easy to get stuck in that place of sensitivity and inadequacy.  Feeling like you’re not living up to some secret society expectation of who you should be.  Guess what?  WHO CARES??  Who cares if you’re the best house keeper or your hair is always done or your dinners are gourmet style food?  You have strengths and weaknesses, and if your weaknesses happen to be housecleaning or cooking, IT’S OK.

Capturing the mess is sometimes amazing.  Don't you love that picture of your friend's child that has thrown flour all over the house? It's real and hilarious!  Getting stuck in "perfection" mode is lame. You are amazing just the way you are NOW. Mess and all. 

Above are examples of capturing the mess
Tips on capturing the mess:
     a.  Think of what story you are trying to tell with your mess:  Are you always shoving clothes in the one corner of your bedroom? It will probably make more sense if you see more of the room so that you remember where that was.
     b.  Don’t feel like you have to clean up the mess before taking a picture of your kids, pets, or husband:  It’s real life. Embrace it.
     c.  Become observant of your habits and tendencies:  Do you leave your laptop on the right arm rest of the couch every day? That makes you, you. Capture it.
Now that you know what moments and memories you should take pictures of, DO IT!  Don’t just take pictures of those BIG life moments.  Make sure to be able to show people in 20 years what your life was really like today.  Emotion, mess, and the little things make you YOU.  Now get out there and don’t miss these unforgettable moments!

 *****

Learn more on her website.

i am a working mom blog {E&C Feature Post}

We are excited today to feature a friend and fellow blogger, Martha, of iamaworkingmomblog.com!  I was featured on her blog last week as part of her "Moms to Marvel" series (link here) and am excited to share with you a little more of what Martha's all about.

Elephant & Chick is a blog representing four sisters, of which I am one.  We're all living in different places, experiencing different phases of life and all in different ways.  Our values and love for each other keep us together despite the distance and time and for that I couldn't be more grateful.  I'm thankful to my sisters for loving me and the decisions I'm making in my life, and strive to give them the same respect.

As soon as I caught wind of Martha's new series, "Moms to Marvel" series, I felt like it was perfectly in line with how I felt about life and mothering.  It's all about sharing individual stories of moms and how they're choosing to navigate this thing we call life, being the best mom they can be along the way, whether that does or doesn't involve time in the workplace.

Here's a little more about Martha and why she started the "Moms to Marvel" series:

As soon as I had to wrestle with the concept of becoming a working mom my admiration for working mothers  (especially my own mom!) went off the charts. Ostensibly I knew that these women-- my peers, friends and colleagues--were juggling a lot as new mothers, but prior to having my own kids I thought it was mostly a logistical hassle.  I didn't really have any empathy for things like the emotional aspect of leaving your children in the hands of other caretakers, the guilt different groups within society made you feel for either  "choosing to de-prioritize" your kids or your career, and tackling this heavy stuff while managing the sheer madness of day-to-day motherhood.

I'm lucky to live in California where I got to bask in 20 weeks of maternity leave before making a decision about the next steps for my career. Yet so many women I know, specifically in the USA, don't have that luxury, heading back to work mere weeks after giving birth. And some of the women who I expected to go back to the office didn't, and some who I expected to stay home decided to go back to the office. Or start their own business.  Or quit everything and drive around the country for 6 months in an RV. Everyone one has a unique story, and each time I learn more about my fellow moms, I want to hear everything about how they made these big decisions and where they are headed next. Thus, my Moms to Marvel series was born. Moms are amazing, their stories need to be heard!


And a little more about Martha, the creator of the blog:
Martha Marie is the creator of i am a working mom blog. She works days at a global retail corporation, managing a team of buyers that support the international e-commerce website. Evenings and weekends (and of course, the middle of the night)  are spent with her husband Brandon and her daughter, who she affectionately calls the Bear.
Martha spent much of her free time during pregnancy, maternity leave, and now work, scouring the internet for mommy tips, tricks and empathy. Her nearest family members are several states away, and she and her husband are navigating their first child on their own in the heart of San Francisco– a magical city, but a city with more shops and resources dedicated to dogs than babies.
One evening Martha was online and came across the following question posted in a mothers group: “can anyone recommend a good blog for working moms?”  The usually gregarious group of mothers was silent, despite the large number of members who were working women. Many responded with “following!” and the inspiration was planted. Just like herself, other working moms were looking for a place to commiserate, be inspired and unite!
While her experiences may not apply to every mom or working woman, i am a working mom blog is a place where Martha, (and with some luck, many other moms!) will share the realities of the working mom experience.
As a working mom myself, I have become passionate about the topic and feel I speak for more than just myself when I say "thank you" to Martha for the extra work she's taking on to help working moms come together.  I think her tag line says it all: "I work hard, I mom hard."  We hope you check out her blog and see for yourself!

All photos taken by Cristin More Photography (link here)

{DIY} How to Hang Yard Lights

A couple of weeks ago, my dad had this awesome idea to hang twinkle lights in the yard amongst the trees.  I looked at him in question wondering how this was going to work, but decided to just go with it.


My dad is a very creative man - I mean, this is the man that when we begged for him to put up Christmas lights, he surprised us by putting red and green light bulbs in the outside lights around the house (yes...we were all like what?! Those are not lights, but looking at it now I think it's pretty genius).  Anyways, he came up with this awesome plan of how to hang the lights around the yard, and it was pretty east and straightforward.

Here's what we used:
- Feit Outdoor Weatherproof Lights (currently can be purchased at Costco!!!)
- 5 4-⅞ in. screw eye with ⅜ in. thread (bought at Home Depot)    
- We also grabbed some colored lights from Hobby Lobby for a pop of color    

The plan was to screw the screw eyes into the trees and loop the lights around.  The eye on the screw was not big enough, so I asked a worker at Home Depot to help me widen it (otherwise it can be done at home with a few tools).
                         

My dad went 11 feet up and drilled a hole in the tree, then easily screwed in the screw eye.


From there is was pretty simple.  We started at the house with the lights (where we had access to a plug), and swung them around the yard!

Penelope and Jojo Photoshoot: Little Head to Toe {E&C Shop Small Feature Post}

After meeting Chanel of Little Head to Toe and receiving her adorable shoes in the mail, I knew I needed to plan a photoshoot. I invited my daughter Penelope's BFF (Jojo) along for the shoot to sport the male shoes.   Lucky for me, Jojo is a baby Gap model (not really, but we joke that he should be...) and was willing to do some "baby modeling" for the price of blueberries; his current favorite food.     



I mean seriously, that hair, and those eyes... (insert emojo with heart eyes)


These shoes are really something else.  Made using the finest fabrics and outstanding handmade quality... Chanel, the owner/operator makes each and every pair of shoes with great attention to detail and care.  To learn more about Chanel and receive a 15% discount when you check out (valid till Friday, June June 12) check out this post and her Etsy Store, here.      



The soft soled shoes Jojo is wearing are Avengers Themed! Luckily Jojo's mom had some Captain America swag lying around the house Jojo could sport for the shoot.  


Penelope is sporting a red, white and blue "America" theme soft soiled shoe that Chanel is planning on rolling out soon!  Stayed tuned.   They will be so perfect for the month of July! eek.... I can't wait. 
I made the headband Penelope is wearing and will share a tutorial in the coming weeks.  The bandana bow is p.e.r.f.e.c.t. for the 4th of July if you ask me.      



p.s. Trying to get a shot of both babies holding still was impossible.    

Don't forget about the coupon code that expires end of this week.  


>>>This post is sponsored, however all opinions & comments are my own.  Thanks for supporting this blog.  We strive to only feature items that are of good quality and alight with our values and interests here at E&C. <<<

If you want your blog or shop to be featured here on E&C or know someone that would be interested please contact us at elephantandchick {at} gmail {dot} com 

Meet Chanel: Little Head to Toe {E&C Shop Small Feature Post}

Since starting Elephant & Chick in the fall, we have been lucky enough to meet some pretty great people.  From @ajoyfulriot  (thanks for featuring our button on your blog!) to @thesemisweetsisters, @cinnaminimuffin, @happilyhezface, @5magnolialane,  and now to @littleheadtotoe.  

Today we wanted to give a shout out to our latest favorite... 
  

Chanel is the owner of Little Head To Toe and makes the cutest bow ties, headbands, bows and soft soled shoes.  

  Chanel has been nice enough to  give our readers a 15% off code starting today till next Friday!!! {June 5 - June 12.}   Can you believe it eeeeep...!  
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the coupon code! 



A little Bit About Chanel

Chanel was raised in So Cal., but currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Her father is from El Salvador, and her mother is Samoan. Although she has those two amazing cultures, she doesn't speak either language.  She met her husband through her Mother-in-law.  They dated for 6 months then got married in September of 2012.  A week before their first anniversary they welcomed their baby boy who is now 20 months old.  Her son is her inspiration for the shop and her baby model for all of her products and even some of her girl ones!  Chanel is also an identical twin and they are truly are best friends. Her sister helps give her advice with fabric choice and gives her the cold hard truth if something is not cute.  (We all need a sister like this in our lives!) Chanel loves to sing and dance and serve others. She is a person who hardly says no when someone needs help. She believes and follows Christ and has a picture of Him on her sewing machine.


 What inspired you to start the shop?

I love to craft. However my love for sewing is more recent. I saw many cute girl things, but not to many cute boy things.  So one day I started making little bowties for my little guy. My husband inspired me to make more and more things. Later I started making soft soled shoes. They are really the only shoes my son wants on his feet. 


I love hearing about creative work spaces and routines.  Describe your work space and a typical day of creating a shoe.

A typical day for me starts out with a walk.  Then I print shipping labels and send off the orders I finished the night before. Then my son and I head to the post office. I love spending time with my son reading, dancing, and singing along to Pandora Disney radio. I usually sew during his 3 hour nap and at night when he goes to bed. When I start on my orders I begin by cutting out all the patterns. I then sew sew away as fast as my fingers and the machine will let me. I'm still figuring out the best routine, but this works for me.



Favorite thing about running your shop?

I'm seriously all about great customer service. I am really happy when customers are happy. I also love seeing your Babes wearing my products.

Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working at your shop.

I've met other small shops owners, brand enthusiasts on instagram, photographers, as well as different bloggers. Although I have not met all of them in person, I love my social media friends. It makes me happy when they comment ideas, compliment me on my work, and invite others to see what my shop is all about.




If a kid walked up to you asking for your advice and you only had a few minutes to give ‘em your best tip, what would it be?

Live your life to the fullest! That includes eating lots of candy, ice cream and junk food. Hah!

If you had a list of “best-kept secrets” [websites, books, coaches] you’d recommend, which would you include and why?

One source I currently find myself seeking advice from is "I'm like Brave." It is run by Hillary, shop owner of Free Babes. She interviews another small shop owner every week who have built up successful companies. I just love hearing others stories and advice of other woman. It's truly inspiring.


Everyone has a favorite/least favorite product. Name yours and why? 

My favorite item is my navy anchor bow tie and matching shoes. It's also my best seller! :) I love nautical.



COUPON CODE:

Chanel has been kind enough to give our readers 15% off their entire order!  Enter coupon code: "EANDC15" when checking out her shop, Little Head to Toe.   It will expire in a week:  June 5th-June12 - so get your shopping pants on! 

Road Trip Worthy: Audiobooks {Read by Author}

If you are traveling this summer by car as opposed to airplane, then you will need something to make those hours and hours of driving go by quickly.

Andrew, Penelope (12 months) and I drove to Arizona a couple weeks ago and it was a total success! 13 hours later I learned a thing or two that I would like to share with you.

This particular post will feature what we listened too during the drive.  Stay tuned for the activities and food we packed for Penelope in an upcoming post.





1. Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

This is my new favorite book.  It is all about the hilarious life we call: parenthood.  There were so many times when he would be describing something and I would be all like "this is my life, this is my life!"  Andrew and I laughed out loud so.many.times! Major recommendation!  




3. Is Everyone Hanging out without Me?  by Mindy Kaling  

Okay, disclaimer.  I haven't actually finished this book yet. I wasn't able to get it in time for the road trip, but it would have been fantastic for the drive.  She is so funny! 

***Edit:  I have finished this book and I have a mixed review.  I enjoyed hearing about how Mindy "came to be" and her experience as a writer on The Office.  I thought she was "just an actor," turns out she is a triple threat: writer, actor & producer, what?!  I found myself star struck at time as she would name drop... I had no idea she was friends with so many comedians (think Tina Faye, Amy Poehler...) I like to picture all of them in one room...

A lot of her book was very artsy.  Which is definitely not a bad thing, if your into picturing your life as if it is a sitcom.  I found out she has another book coming out this year and I will definitely read it.

I didn't love the few swear words that are in the book.  But that is just a personal preference.

I laughed out loud too many times to count and found myself listening to this book while I was cleaning out my garage, writing a blog post or driving in the car. So, it was a good "multitasking book."      



3. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time.  The car ride was a perfect opportunity for this! There are a lot of hard-to-pronounce names and places so it was nice to not get caught up in the pronunciation (because Malala pronounces them for you) and you focus on the story. Very inspiring.  
This book is about how Malala (as a teenager) stood up for Education and was shot by the Taliban. 
   

 

4. Bossypants by Tina Fey

This book got the job done: fill the time as I drive and occasionally make me laugh. Warning, she does have a little bit of a mouth on her. Andrew and I really enjoyed the first 1/2 of the book, but then it just plateaued from there and never got any better.

She tells the story of "how she came to be."  I found it to be very interesting.  Fun Fact: Tina and Amy Poehler are legitimate friends, I thought it was only on TV when the host the Golden Globes...  


I think the part I like the most about these books is that they are ready by the author.  Makes the book so much more engaging.

What read-by-author-books have you read or listened to lately?








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My Favorite Things: Traveling with Babies

I am mother to a 14 month old who has been on 28 flights in his life.  Whenever people hear that they ask me, "Oh, is he a good at flying?"  I never really know how to answer that question.  The short answer would be yes, he's excellent.  He falls asleep easily and for a long period of time, he'll sit on my lap, or self-entertain with books and toys.  But the reality is I really feel like I can't categorically say my child is "good at flying" because he's been so different every time.  Babies change so fast, it's hard to put them in any sort of defining category at this age!

That said, I do think there are a few tips and tricks I can share that we've gathered over the past year that have helped make the process go smoothly.


1. Ask for extra seats at the gate counter.   This is probably the best tip I can give you.  I thought about saving it for last, but if you only read one thing on this list, I'd hope it was this, so here you go.  Number 1.  Those gate agents at the counter, right before you board the plane, have a LOT of power.  They don't want you to think they do, but they do.  I always, always, always talk to them.  Every time I fly.  I tell them I'm flying with a baby, that I'd like to bring my carseat if possible, and are there any extra seats.  They have the power to move people around.  If there's an empty seat on that plane, make sure it's next to you!  Even when Tagg got bigger and we didn't want to take his carseat on the plane, necessarily, it was still nice to have the extra seats for him to plane in.  More seats mean more room to sprawl with all of the tons of stuff you've surely brought with you on this flight.

2.  If you're traveling with another adult, book your seats with a space between.  This is an attempt to get an extra seat on your own.  Chances are, no one else booking a flight is going to want to pick a single seat in the middle of a row.  It's going to be the very last seat booked on that flight, and maybe you'll get lucky and it won't get booked at all.  If it does, and you think you've ended up with a stranger between you, tap into the aforementioned power of the gate agents.  They can help you sort it out.  It's always worth a try though.

3.  Take advantage of early boarding.  And grab a handful of blankets as you walk in.  They always run out of blankets, so don't wait till you're seated.  I always use the blankets to cover the floor around us or create some sort of tent around my baby if I have him sleeping on said empty seat next to me.


4.  Make friends with the flight attendants.  Especially if you're flying alone.  I've been saved by the help of some flight attendants.  Usually (usually) they want to help.

3.  Pack a mini bag for loading and unloading.  I don't know what it is, but I could have a bag of anything and Tagg would unload it over and over again, just as fast as I could reload it.  It doesn't matter what bag it is or what's in it, he just loves unloading.  I'd recommend filling it with things that don't roll so that you can easily keep track of them as they fall on the floor or your neighbor's lap.

4.  New Tricks.  When a baby starts being distract-able is a wonderful thing.  Use that to your advantage.  Pack new snacks, new toys, new books.  Even as young as probably 8 months I could distract my baby with new "tricks."  He'd even forget about them 15 minutes later, meaning I could reuse some.  Wonderful.  This one is easily adaptable for kids as they grow to be any age.

5.  Nurse during takeoff and landing.  It's so tempting to sit down on the plane and start nursing right away.  You've been on the plane for a while already, because you took advantage of that pre-boarding.  Your baby gets restless but you don't want to use up your tricks this early in the flight, so you nurse.  I get it.  But don't do it! My husband is always having to remind me to wait, wait, wait.   Postpone as long as possible.  Wait until the plane is moving so that you can keep your baby's attention for the entire takeoff.  Sucking will help the pressure in your baby's head when the plane ascends and descends.

7.  Get creative.  Don't under estimate the power of things right there on the plane with you.  I've spend countless flight flipping and re-flipping through the pages of Sky Magazine with Tagg.  My husband often will take Tagg on a "field trip" to the bathroom where they'll unroll the toilet paper, pull out all of the tissues, and who knows what else.  (Maybe save that one for the end of the flight so not too many patrons are inconvenienced by the lack of tissue in the bathroom...).


These are some tricks that have worked for us over the past year or so.  I hope you find some of them helpful for you and your baby.  Let me know if you find others that work for you as well!
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