ON A TRIP!

Trip...as in going places, doing things, not some namby pamby vacation sitting around twiddling your thumbs waiting for the pool dude (or dudette) to bring you your drink.  And in true de-I and Wife fashion, we're taking our trip experience up yet another notch because we will be doing most of our traveling with the #3 family including husband 3A the Brit and granddaughter 3.1 - 1 year-old Munchkin.

Recently the daughter posted about how their travel life had changed with the highly mobile and opinionated 1 year-old.   In particular she noted:

• 1 year-olds don't like to be held down and therefore do not take kindly to the airplane take off instructions to be seated causing fuss and embarrassment for the parents.

• Getting the car seat into the rental car required lots of extra time - much more that would be expected

• Letting said 1 year-old toddle around the airport waiting for the flight was a sure way to get plenty of smiles from those around you.

 My take on this is as follows:

• Wife and I should sit far away from the #3's when we fly and should look at our neighbors and shake our heads with disdain when we hear the wails from 3.1 in the back of the plane

• Bring plenty of reading material to keep ourselves amused while #3 and 3A try to figure out the car seat installation.

• Take Munchkin out for toddles in the airport as she will be a surefire chick magnet.

Any way we are off to the airport in an hour.  We fly to Amsterdam to acclimatize with #3's especially Munchkin.  Then it is off to England and then on to Spain.