October 20, 2015

Travel Tuesday - Kauai

October 20, 2015/ K Jax

You know the rest of the world thinks American's are crazy, right? I mean, their list of reasons is probably long, but I'm specifically referring to our resistance to taking vacation. I simply do not understand this. According to a recent Fortune.com article, "U.S. employees typically leave about 429 million paid vacation days on the table every year." WHAT? Not me. I will use them every chance I get.

While unfortunately I do not work for an employer who offers unlimited vacation days, so we typically plan one 'big' trip a year, then smaller 'long weekend' trips a couple times a year. One of our favorite 'big' trip destinations is the Island of Kauai, in Hawaii. It is basically our heaven on earth.

I had been to Kauai with my family as a kid, but it had been many years since by the time we went on our honeymoon. It was an amazing trip (and not just because it was our honeymoon, ;) ) Our favorite place to stay is the Sheraton on the south shore near Poipu. They have a great pool and beach. If you're going with a group and want a cost-efficient place to stay, we've had a really good time at the Koloa Landing Resort. They have great, spacious multi-bedroom condos with full kitchens and big lanais (patios). Its a great place to stay with kids, there are activities and a great family pool. The south shore is the sunnier of the shores, with calmer waves and beaches. But the Island isn't very big, and you can easily drive to the east and north shores and back in a day. The western most part of the island is privately owned and can only be visited by air and sea (with a few private exceptions.)

Kauai is called the Garden Island because it is so green, and it is home to one of the wettest spots on Earth (Mt. Waialeale.) Everything is so beautiful because it is clean and alive and so refreshing. The atmosphere of the island is very relaxed (there really is such a thing as "Island Time") which helps force you to chill out and relax. We always return home feeling refreshed. Which is the point of vacation, right?

If you're going to go, you HAVE to get this book: The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. Kauai is not super resort-y, so this book will help you find the best places to eat and best activity vendors to use and best hikes to take. It is written by a local who knows the best little local food joints that you wouldn't know about otherwise, and we take it everywhere with us when we're there. It was actually first given to us by a friend who had recently honeymooned there, and as a wedding gift to us she gave us the book with post-it flags and notes about all the places they'd tried and liked. We have since lent the book to several friends on their Kauai trips, and everyone adds their own notes when they go. Its a fun, now extra-customized Kauai bible.

We have gone kayaking, hiking, whale watching, zip-lining, horseback riding, and on a helicopter tour and a catamaran tour. The food is always good and fresh, and we've never had bad weather (we've gone in January, April, July and August.) The rain comes and goes, and the sun can be intense, so be sure to bring lots of SPF!! And then RELAX!!

September 25, 2015

Flashback Friday - Denver Trip

September 25, 2015/ K Jax

Flashing back to last month, when we were able to finally visit some friends of ours who have moved to Denver. The wife was throwing a birthday dinner for her husband, so we took a long weekend and flew out Saturday - Monday. As the trip approached I was looking forward to escaping the crazy heat we'd been having in Los Angeles, but it turned out it wasn't any cooler in Denver, and it may have even been a record high while we were there.

But hot days usually equal great evenings once the sun goes down, and that was the case, which was good, because as you can see, dinner was on the roof. There was a beautifully set up and catered dinner which included cold cucumber soup (almost like a smoothie in a bowl), a fresh salad, and perfectly cooked short ribs (which I remembered to Snap, but didn't save the photos. They didn't do it justice anyway.) After dinner we moved from the roof to the ground level patio, where there was a custom cigar roller (I don't smoke, but the guy was nice), and a Frank Sinatra impersonator to serenade us for a couple hours. It was a small party (about 16 of us) but met some very nice people and had a really nice time.

(Click on some of the images below for captions.)

Got out and saw some of the country. Visited Red Rock. Beautiful country.

The dinner was Saturday night after we arrived, so we had Saturday to explore. We went to Red Rock Amphitheater, which was closed when we got there due to a concert to be held later that day. But we were still able to get a taste of the land and rock formations. We had to get some ice cream later in the day, and play in the water fountains a short distance from our friend's townhome. Denver is a very pretty city, with a lot of history, but it's also very burgeoning. Would love to go back to visit longer (when it's cooler.)

July 24, 2015

Links I Love

July 24, 2015/ K Jax

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I did my own, Kate did too. Beauty guru Bobbi Brown shares her tips for doing your own wedding make-up. (yahoo.beauty.com)
Turn your own handwriting into a font for your computer, for free. (myscriptfont.com)
Bloggers always need good photos, and sometimes you can't take your own. Here are the top 10 websites for free, non-cheesy stock photos. (creative boom.co.uk)
He may have left us in person in 1991, but he lives on in his works. Dr. Seuss' new release will need to be added to our library. (amazon.com)
6 super-weird beauty tricks that work wonders: I'm trying the first one tomorrow. (thebeautygypsy.com)
Check out this guy's Instagram: he brings beauty to doodles. (instagram.com)
You had me at "chocolate". They've compiled the best chocolate recipes in the universe. (purewow.com)
For you frequent travelers, find out the quality of your hotel's wifi before you book. (hotelwifitest.com)
I'm always looking for new recipes, I might get addicted to this Tender app. Downloading now. (yahoo.com)

June 23, 2015

Travel Adventures - Packing Your Toddler's Carry-on

June 23, 2015/ K Jax

We have an upcoming family trip that will be my son's 4th plane trip in 19 months of life. We flew from LA to SF when he was a little over 3 months. That was the easiest by far. Too immobile to do anything but sit, we were still nursing so packing food was easy, and he just slept in our arms when tired.

Second flight was from LA to Hawaii when he was a little over 14 months. Now we have mobility, and alertness, accustomed to a daily schedule and not nursing any more. And its a 5+ hour flight. Thankfully we were travelling with the grandparents and seated with another family in the same situation in the back of the plane with open rows. We were the people I dread being on that flight.

Third flight was an easy one going, from LA to Las Vegas, when he was 15 months. The flight there worked well with his nap schedule, and we were able to entertain him without fuss. The return was the polar opposite: basically non-stop crying. He should have napped on the way to the airport and been freshly rested for the flight, but for some reason did not sleep and was exhausted when we arrived to check in. There was too much going on in the terminal for him to relax, so it was non-stop crying for 40 minutes waiting to board. Then of course I got him to sleep just as we started boarding, and he kept waking. It was rough.

Now we are 19+ months, and have a 3 hour flight coming up, which unfortunately is right at nap time. I am anxious but optimistic. The older he gets the more he can manage longer times without a nap, and his attention span and longevity of interest in activities is increasing, so I'm hoping the things we are packing to entertain him will serve us.

My husband's 'personal item' will be our diaper backpack, which is a great style of diaper bag to have regardless of flying. Backpacks are hands free, and out of your way when trying to carry and chase a toddler, so I recommend. It will be packed with the following:

Diapers (obviously) and wipes. I shouldn't have to tell any parent this, but pack more diapers than you would actually need for the length of your flight, in the event that your checked luggage (containing your extras) is lost, or your flight is delayed. For a 3 hour flight, I think my son is only going to need one diaper change, but I have 7 diapers packed. They take up a little room, but at least they're light.
Diaper disposal bags. These are great to have in general, but in addition to containing the odor of a poopy diaper, they are good to have if there are messy clothes (diaper blow-out, vomit) that need to be changed and then stored.
Anti-bacterial wipes. Planes are germ-fests. And while I'm not neurotic about it, it doesn't hurt (even for the adult's sake) to do a quick wipe down of the plane surfaces of your seats/row.
Disposable adhesive placemats. These work well outside the airplane environment for family dining out, but I like them to cover the airplane trays with. They have adhesive strips so I just wrap around the tray and he can eat his snacks off a sanitary surface, or if he has crayons or something, I don't have to work about him marking up the surface.

Snacks. Another no brainer. Those pouches are the best. And spill-proof cups for things like animal crackers or Cheerios. I am very flexible when it comes to him eating during travel. I don't worry about spoiling his appetite with anything. If food will pacify him and give me 10 minutes of peaceful flight, I will let him eat.
Milk/Juice. When flying with an infant you are allowed to bring more than 3.4 ounces of liquid for them, however you need to let TSA know, and they will do a separate screen of the liquid to ok it. ( They just make you take the lid off the container and they wave a detector strip over it. )
His blankie. My son's comfort toy is his blankie. Its the go-to when he starts to get upset. We pretty much never go anywhere without it.
Entertaining activities. I've been paying special attention to the kinds of things my son has been really in to the last few weeks. Things that will hold his attention for long periods of time. He is really into coloring right now. We use crayons at home, but despite being clean-able, they can still be messy and mark on things you don't want him to. So I got him one of those Crayola Wonder Markers coloring books with markers. The paper is special to the markers, so the markers are clear unless used on the special paper where the color shows. Perfect for the plane. Plus, he loves taking off and putting lids on pens, so double the fun! He's also really into books, so I've bought a half dozen new stories that he's never read before (he's about to meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar!)
IPad with Child Headphones and pre-downloaded shows. Saving this for last, because I'd rather him do engaging things than just watch TV. But since there will be a lot going on, I'm ok if he will sit for 20 minutes and watch an episode of Chuggington. Be sure they're fully downloaded while you're connected to Wi-Fi, so you don't need the Wi-Fi to actually play the program.

Hopefully that will buy us 3 hours of flight time without too much drama! Keep your fingers crossed for us. What are your toddler carry-on must haves?

I'll do another post about travel tips and packing luggage. Stay tuned!

May 22, 2015

Holiday Weekend = Roadtrips!

May 22, 2015/ _kjax_

Memorial Weekend is upon us, which unofficially signals the start of summer vacation season. While gas prices have been rising (SO annoying) which may keep many at home, a road trip in the car can still be a cheaper get-away than flying somewhere. Plus, on a road trip you're just tied to your own schedule, and can stop and go whenever and where ever you want.

To make your trip as smooth as possible, here are some prep tips:

Pack an emergency kit: jumper cables, first-aid kit, flashlight with extra batteries, road flares or reflective triangles, a fleece blanket, bottled water, and some protein bars.
Stay charged: don't forget your universal car charger. You know how helpless you feel when you don't have your phone.
Get Real-Time traffic updates: Download the Waze GPS app (free), and it will give you directions as well as notify and re-route you if there are traffic tie-ups ahead.
Map your route and stops: Use the Roadtrippers app (free) to plot and save a route that hits all the sights you want to see. You can also use it to discover local favorites restaurants and hotels en route.
Gas-station finder: GasBuddy app (free) helps you find gas stations near you or along your route, and shows you the price per gallon. You can also type in your origin and destination and it will estimate how much you will spend on gas for your entire trip.
Do a vehicle check: test the tire air pressure, top off the oil, coolant and wiper fluid, check that you have a spare and its inflated, you have a jack and a lug wrench.
Confirm you have important documents: Registration, insurance and license, roadside assistance membership, health insurance cards.

Have a great weekend, whatever you do, and be safe!!

Everyday Stilettos