Sant Miquel Hike and Plane Travel

The off season has begun and Rory joined me for a brisk 14 kilometer hike this morning. I don't meander when I hike. That is not a walk or a stroll. I hike and even my professional athlete husband had a bit of trouble keeping up with me as we enjoyed the beautiful morning on top of Sant Miquel. The views were spectacular:

 That mountain out there in the distance is actually an island, so we had a great view of the coast.

The vacation prep continues! Prepping for a vacation is one thing, but prepping for a plane ride with children is quite another. Actually, I have found that once a child is three or so they travel really well. They can tow their own carry on, color, play games with you, have a chat, etc. Traveling with a baby is also pretty simple—feed them and let them sleep. It is not very restful for the mom, but it gets you there. Traveling with a child between the ages of 10 months and 3 years is a different story. I once read a blog where the writer referred to it as her “No Fly Zone.” I wouldn’t go quite that far, but you have to be prepared.

First of all, this is the time where all of my normal parenting thoughts go out the window. My kids don’t have access to computers, iPads, my phone, and other such things on a normal basis. However, when you are in a tiny tube in close proximity to 200+ other people…do what you have to do. That is my motto when flying, really. You can prep all the games and toys you want, but if your little one wants to watch back-to-back videos for a few hours…this is the time to let them without any sort of guilt. Nobody wants to hear your child scream, so do your best and let the normal rules slide a bit.

Now, that said, I still bring games and little toys. I usually hit the Super Euro here in Girona and buy throw away type things for Aurelia. I change activities every 10 minutes, so I pack enough to keep her busy for the duration of the flight. Stickers, cheap vehicles, little animals, velcro, matching things, small puzzles…it all works. I usually wrap them up and she adores unwrapping everything (and this also takes her a few minutes). Run out the clock, people!

When it comes to longer flights (3+ hours), I don’t hesitate to have a film festival. I have a small portable DVD player with two screens. I have yet to bring the second screen for Aurelia, but we may try it on this short flight to Paris to see how she likes it. I also purchased headphones made just for children so they are comfortable and don’t fall off. Although Eston appreciates the current films for kids, I always like to find the classic movies for him as well. I introduce the movie and tell him what I liked about it as a kid and he really digs this concept. Here are a few of Eston’s favorite movies for a plane ride:

Annie (80’s version)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder, sorry Johnny Depp)

Pete’s Dragon (loved this movie when I was a kid)

Mary Poppins

The Sound of Music (we love Ms. Andrews)

The Parent Trap (Hayley Mills, not Lindsay Lohan, thank you very much)

Troop Beverly Hills (what can I say, I am a child of the 80’s)

Make sure you have a change of clothing for everyone. I have learned this the hard way. Pack enough diapers and maybe an extra or two in event of delay. Pack water bottles and fill them up when you get through security. Don’t stress about naps and such. Kids are excited about the process of travel, so let them enjoy it and get them back on track when you arrive at your destination. Pack healthy snacks because getting your kids hopped up on sugary sweets is not what you want, especially when on a plane.

In the USA you are allowed to fly with a child in an FDA approved car seat. I highly recommend this and always did it for Eston. It is safer and the kids are more comfortable in a seat they know well. I know lugging a car seat through the airport is a drag, but I did it solo all the time due to the amazing PAC BACK. I think you can still buy them on Amazon, but it is basically a backpack that holds the car seat so you can push the stroller. I tried everything else, but this was the best option, especially when traveling solo with kids. The rules here in Europe are different and I have to check the car seats, but I still use the PAC BACK to get it from Point A to the check-in desk.

We are going to enjoy Eston's futbol game tomorrow before we finish packing and head off to Paris for the week!

Healthy Baked Goods

Cooking in a different country is always an adventure. In the first few months of living here I was constantly wanting ingredients from home and would have my mom or various friends ship things over to me. As time went by I either found substitutes or adjusted to cooking with the ingredients readily available here in Girona.

Girona is known for being a haven of gastronomic wonder, so it is hardly difficult to shop and cook with the ingredients found in our local market. Fresh fish, eggs, local fruits and veggies...we are spoiled, truly.

So what things are slightly more difficult to find? Well, there are many, but over time I have forgotten about most of them and now there is only one thing that I still insist on having imported. Baking soda. Now, you can find baking soda here, but something about it is different. Don't ask me why, but things don't rise in the same way with Spanish baking soda. I also use it for cleaning just about everything, so I thank the friends and family members who bring or mail me boxes of baking soda.

My children eat pretty healthy and we limit the sweets and treats. This can be difficult because baking with children is so much fun and my kids really enjoy it. I am always on the lookout for healthier treats to bake, so I was excited to try the following recipe, which came from www.foodanddecor.net via pinterest.

Healthier Cookies
3 mashed bananas (ripe)
1/3 cup apple sauce (Many brands are laden with sugar. Buy organic or make your own)
2 cups oats (We used just slightly over 2 cups)
1/4 cup almond milk (Again, be careful with the brand and any added ingredients)
1/2 cup dark chocolate cut into small bits
1 tsp vanilla (This is can be hard to find in Spain. We didn't have any and it turned out fine)
1 tsp cinnamon (We used closer to 1.5 tsp)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and roll into small balls. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

This is incredibly easy for kids to make with very little supervision. Eston did most of it himself while Aurelia was napping. These have been a great after school snack and you could add lots of things to this basic recipe (nuts, dried fruit instead of dark chocolate, etc).

Sant Pol Beach

We are incredibly fortunate to have all the beaches on the Costa Brava at our fingertips. We have yet to explore each and every cove, though next summer I plan on renting a boat to do some thorough exploration.

I love taking the kids to the beach, but doing it solo is not always easy, so I try to keep things simple. One of he nearest beaches is located in the small village of S'Agaro and the beach is called Sant Pol. It is roughly 30 minutes from our front door to the sand, so it is a quick trip and parking is usually easy to find as well. It makes for a great half day or day trip from Girona. 

It may be mid-October, but the sun is still shining brightly in Spain. The weather has been glorious and this does not make me miss the cool fall temperatures back in Colorado! This morning we packed some fruit, sandwiches, water, sliced veggies, and some crackers and headed out to the coast to enjoy a day on the sand.

Back in the 1920's a man named Josep Ensesa Gubert wanted to purchase the land on Sant Pol and Sa Conca, another favorite beach of ours, which is the next cove after Sant Pol. Anyway, Josep lacked the proper funds for such a purchase, but his father was a wealthy industrialist in Girona, so he talked his father into making the purchase. Josep did not want the beautiful land to fall victim to land developers and he wanted any buildings to be in harmony with the sea and land, so he hired famous Catalan architect Rafael Maso (he also designed our current apartment building) to design a small sea village.  A few of these still remain on the Sant Pol coastline and one has been purchased and is under renovation. You can see the house in the photos below:

Aurelia loves the beach!

The popular coastal walking trail, the Cami de Ronda, has a great portion from Sant Pol to Sa Conca. If you are hiking with younger children (under the age of 6), I highly recommend this portion. It is a wide and carefully groomed trail with just a handful of easy steps. Other portions of the Cami involve tricky and narrow stairs and cliffs, so this is a trail I can easily do with Eston and Aurelia.

The Hotel de la Gavina is also found in the Sant Pol cove. This hotel is way out of our price range, but if you can afford it, I encourage you to do so because it looks gorgeous! This was one of Elizabeth Taylor's favorite spots to vacation. Other famous people enjoyed their holidays here as well--Sinatra, Welles, Gardner, Bogart, Connery--just to name a few! I believe a few old movies also contain scenes shot on the hotel grounds.

 The kids played with some pals and we enjoyed a great day at the beach. The water isn't chilly quite yet and it feels perfect after a few minutes in the sun. We spent most of the day in the water. The kids play so well at the beach and we had such a fun day! It was just what we needed after a long week of hospitals, school, practices, etc. I feel refreshed and energized for the week ahead.

Aurelia the Toddler

Aurelia is a toddler and I am having so much fun with her. This can definitely be a tricky age as they learn right from wrong and test their boundaries a bit. I am very consistent with both of my children and this helps enormously. 

Aurelia likes to be included in whatever we are doing. She adores responsibility and giving her tasks to accomplish only helps with good behavior.

Here she is pulling my grocery cart:

 I do lots of projects with the kids on the weekends (we just don't have the time during the week since school does not finish until nearly 5:30).
I saw this idea on Pinterest, but it is kind of hard to see. Aurelia is painting with a cotton ball attached to a clothes pin. Well, you can't actually find cotton balls here in Spain, so she is painting with a little craft poof ball. Oh, how I miss you Joanne's and Michael's. Seriously, I miss the craft stores in the USA. You can't find a whole lot here, so I have to be a bit more creative with our supplies.

This is one of Aurelia's favorite activities and it takes all of 10 seconds to get started. Save your empty spice containers (the ones with little holes, not one big hole) and have your child place toothpicks in the small holes. This is great for their motor skills and concentration. Aurelia

loves doing this and will play for quite some time!

 Aurelia is working on letter recognition as well. I used these great cards and letters with Eston several years ago and I think I got them via a Montessori website, but it would be simple to make your own. I only do a few letters at a time. Aurelia loves matching the letter with the correct card. This is also an activity that Eston does with her when I am trying to get something done. Older kids love being the teacher!

My kids love helping around the house as well (well, most of the time). They each have a chore chart, but watering the plants is one of their favorite things to do. I am embarrassed to say that we have been using random containers to water thus far, but yesterday I went and purchased two inexpensive watering cans. I can't wait to give the cans to them tomorrow morning. We will also be doing some of our winter seed planting tomorrow!

 Aurelia would wash dishes all day long. We have a great step stool from Ikea and she drags it over to the sink and goes to work. I just make sure the sharp knives are elsewhere and she has so much fun washing everything. I use an organic dish soap so they are not exposed to a lot of chemicals.