airplanes are super exciting these days.

airplane travel checklist passports tickets backpacks are better than purses (with all airplane travel goods inside) Everyone who travels should carry on a backpack! 1 overnight bag carryon (with undies, change of clothing and toothbrush is a really good idea!) tsa locks (can be purchased for each suitcase at walmart for about $7.00 per lock.) give each lock the same code. neck pillows (from Walgreenw that look like a donut which folds in half are the best neck pillows for the plane.) guard them with your life... people steel neck pillows on the plane like crazy! dry snacks are great in kids backpacks. It will be a long haul before the next real meal! The international flights give 2 meals. One hot and one cold. They also give bottomless drinks. You can sign up for special meals with the airline if you have diet restricions. a light blanket isn't necessary in back packs because the airline will provide one, but if you don't want to use a blanket that everyone else has used then you should bring one. They can be purchased for about $10.00 at Walgreens. good book motion sickness medicine x-tra doggy bag if you get motion sick FYI: take notes!!! Aiports are INCONVINIENT!!! 3oz or less rule for liquids is in HIGH effect! Dont bother taking anything over 3 oz... including don't purchase a drink before walking through security. computers have to be removed each time you go through security. They are a pain. But they are also great to have to watch movies, etc. If you have more than one, download different movies on each one and buy splitters for kids headphones. That way they can each watch movies for hours using the different computers before batteries die! plan on loosing a bag at the air port. Airports are good about getting you back your bag. Take pictures of your bag once you have them pack. Its good to know what was in each bag. small cameras are better for travel than the big bulky ones. They are used much more! If you wear a skirt you WILL be patted down, patted up, and its done with gloves. Kids under 12 don't have to remove shoes. Its a good idea for kids to wear sturdy shoes for travel because there is a lot of walking. Kids over 12 and adults remove shoes going through security. Its a good time trying to guard your computer, your watch, etc. and remove tied up shoes... wear flip flops or slip on shoes. It will save you a ton of heart ache going through security. Wear comfy clothes.

When you move to the other side of the planet dont forget your chocolate

Aunt Cindy told me, "when you move to Poland take a bag of treats with you for when you get homesick." I thought she was a food addict for saying that. Then I moved to Poland and realized that she was an experienced ex-pat. Bless her. are Food items that are commonly used in my baking/meal preparation are not necessarily available in all countries on earth. Some of these: vanilla lawrys season salt cream of tarter brown sugar chocolate chips italian seasons ranch dressing taco mix celantro make up and haircare items are not necessarily as good a quality or available in Poland. take make up from the states. shampoo and conditioner hairspray certain hair accessories are not easily accessable in Poland and it is NOT a good idea to bring them because the plugs do not easily transfer. I took my hairdryer, chi, curl irons, etc and found that they don't really work there even with expensive amplifiers and outlet converters. Just package them up and leave them home. Just plan on finding what is available when you get there. Plan on spending the money for new. Plug outlets are not the same in Poland as they are in the U.S. They are even different in England than they are in Poland and the U.S. And in Korea, they are different still. Just because you have an outlet converter it dosnt mean that you can plug in your mechanism without possible and frequent problems. We blew up a many things by not checking the amps... or even checking the amps and it still blew up. Computers seem to be universal but be certain to ALWAYS check the amps. Better yet, just buy new with the correct plugs whey you get there. vitamins: All vitamins are not universal. You can not find all vitamins in Poland and typically when you can find them they aren't as potenet anyway. Take vitamins with you from the U.S. List of essentials to take: multi vit vit C Vit D (especially for the lack of winter light in northern skies) medications to take for the same reasons: advil, ibuprofen, tylenol, asprin. whatever. cold medications antibiotic ointment caugh expectorant allergy medications Moving is stressful by nature. Moving with children is stressful plus difficult times 4 trillion. There are things that will make it easier. Many of them have to do with creating a "home like" environment within your very own 4 walls in an expedited manner. Sounds crazy... but don't forget these things: family pictures (grandparents, cousins, family, and even friends) church like pictures and sayings (temple, first presidency, Jesus) This is a good start. It is essential to quickly make house a home. Don't miss or skip a single: family home evening church (be there the very 1st Sunday of the move) scripture study family prayer in the first month of move ENROLL: find music teachers find schools find sports leagues invite families with kids age to dinner find somebody with great hair at church and get a cosmotologist referral! SCHOOL is a big deal! Get info about school before moving! certain immunizations are good to have prior to moving to other countries. Mission president can usually tell you which ones to get.

slow to learn

Sometimes I feel like I have learned a lesson 25 times and each time I thought I had it all right... then I learn it again and I think: I've heard this before. It can be terribly time consuming to have to learn lessons over and over and over. One of those little lessons is the importance of journaling. I'm constantly amazed at how awesome it is to go back and read my journal entries from years earlier. I read things that I had forgotten. They feel good and bring up wonderful memories. I have made it a point to journal possitives because that is what I want to remember. This blog is a journal, however, to remember all things (good and bad) so that I have documentation of things I thought I learned but never remembered because I didn't take the time to write down the lessons learned. These thoughts are for the progression of my family, to make life easier and to be better users of my time by learning from the mistakes I make the first time. It isn't all good. But if I learn from my mistakes then my weakness becomes strength. I hope even more that these lessons will be a help to my children as they come into the difficulties life offers.