Traveling With Children (on a plane!)

So, I was wasting time on Pinterest today and eventually landed on a post about traveling internationally with your toddler.  Here's some of the tips I found... 

If your child is crying on the plane, stay calm! Your child will read and feel your emotions, becoming upset or nervous will exacerbate their behavior.  

Bring plenty of diapers, wipes, jammies and clothes for your child. Remember the airplanes are always chilly, so pack plenty of warm clothes. 

For long trips, change your child’s clothing at least 3 times, regardless if you feel they are still clean. This will keep them fresh and comfortable.  (3 times?? I don't know...)

Bring toys to distract your child and keep them busy. 

If your child will not calm down, take them into the lavatory and run the water, gently place their hands or feet in the running water. This is a great distraction and almost always calms them down.  (Great idea!)

Hold children close and quietly sing to them. 

Bring snack foods, plenty of bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers. 

If you are traveling with someone, take a break! Let them hold your child while you get up, stretch and walk the aisles. 

Bring a change of clothes for yourself, your child may spit up or have an accident on you! 

For older children – brushing their hair with a brush can have a calming effect.  

Lightly stroking a child – their hair, arms or back has a calming effect. 

For infants, bring a sling to transport them through airports. Slings are easier to handle and carry and you can easily slip your child out of it at security check points.  (Sling vs stroller??)

Sleep when your child is sleeping.  

When arriving home, keep family and friends welcoming you to a minimum. The more people waiting for you, the more stressful this is for a child. Flashing cameras and paparazzi moments will only agitate and scare your child who is already overly tired.         

What do you think? Do you have any more tips for us? I want to hear them! 

                          

                        

                                                                                      

Doro Wot, Cupitt Style

Today we're sharing the best doro wot of all time. This is as tasty as what you find in Ethiopia. But before we begin, let me point out a few things.

1. Doro Wot smells divine. But it doesn't really photograph well. Sorry. Eat it anyway.
2. Those are not my man hands. Those are Brandon's. I don't really cook food very well.

OK, so now that we've got that out of the way, let's get on with it.

We buy ours at an Ethiopian market, but you can get the injera and the berbere here if you shop online. Injera ships out on Tuesdays, so plan accordingly.

let all that just chill for a while and then...

i like mine a little chunky, but you can use sauce if if you like it smooth

add a bit of water too if it's looking too thick for your taste

Now present it to your family. Here's what ours did. Abby looked hungry and sad.

Jude ate a ton of injera. 

Will thought he could handle the heat. But ended up guzzling a gallon of milk. 

And we ate 'til we could hardly walk, like we always do when we make this. The end.