Idaho International Babywearing Conference

Excitement is contagious… and it’s much more fun to catch than a cold! It was wonderful to travel to Idaho last week and see all of the wonderful babywearing people walking around everywhere! I finally felt like I wasn’t the only one who got excited about going on adventures with a monkey on my back. The excitement felt by other people (not JUST women) at this conference really gets into you and makes you remember exactly why you are so happy to be a parent. No one is protected from that feeling of being overwhelmed or frustrated when things are going perfect in your life. We all have our moments when we wonder if we’re being punished for the things we did to our own parents. But those moments happen more often than not while you are alone… it’s hard not to be thankful and mushy when you are around other people who embrace the joys in life and try to focus on all the things that are wonderful about being a parent. That’s what I love the most about being around other babywearing parents. They don’t pretend like it’s not hard to be a parent, they just embrace the wonderful opportunities that babywearing gives them. We all struggle with those frustrating times where we have our hands full and there just isn’t enough help around to keep you from losing your patience, and to know that there are other options out there and that you know about them is a wonderful feeling! It’s like having that sudden moment when you realize what it’s like to actually think outside of the box. Life seems so much more open to possibilities and you suddenly feel more adventurous. And that’s how these people were… adventurous. Not like they were all rock climbing the walls of the classrooms or skydiving from airplanes at lunchtime, but I simply mean their personalities seemed more outgoing and more open to possibility. It was wonderful to see, and very encouraging! It WAS a little intimidating, I’ll admit, but after coming home, I started feeling like I wanted to have some of that energy that I saw in some of them. (Maybe not as much energy as Becca… I think I’d overdose! LOL But definitely somewhere close to that. **HUGS**)

Outside of the conference, the state of Idaho was SOOO open and beautiful. It was amazing to see what grand talents Mother Nature had to offer. If I wasn’t such a social person, I could easily see myself living someplace like West Yellowstone or at the base of the Teton Mountains. It was simply gorgeous. On the other hand, it took us hours sometimes to find the simplest amenities… like a McDonald’s!!! HA! Seriously people – my 15 year old was acting like he was going to die of withdrawal if we didn’t find a McDonald’s by sundown. I ALMOST felt sorry for him. ALMOST.

Since there is way too much to put into one blog about our trip, I’ll take a break here and find some time this weekend to finish uploading the pictures from my camera into my Monkey Bar photo album. I’ll link it here so you can go straight to it, but I’ll try to post one or two good ones of the scenery and the conference. I know how annoying it is to follow links. J

Here’s hoping you have a wonderful and adventurous weekend! Think outside of the box everybody!

Airport Adventures

Airport adventures: Salt Lake City Airport, Utah

Before having children, there were some things that I took completely for granted. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t inconsiderate; I simply was “ignorant” about what it was truly like to be a parent. There are some things you don’t realize… like how hard it is to eat dinner while it is still hot, because you are usually spending most of the time making sure your children aren’t starving first before you eat. I took for granted how easy it was to run to the store to get a gallon of milk and get back home, in ONLY the time it takes to drive there and get back (not including carseat time, in and out of cart time, chasing across the parking lot time…) I certainly didn’t appreciate how easy it was to use the bathroom and wash my hands, or how dry my clothes were after leaving a public restroom when I was single or child-less.
Well, someone in the Salt Lake City airport must be a parent and must appreciate how refreshing it is to use a restroom without juggling a toddler, your luggage, soapy hands, and the coffee that you just bought at the coffee shop across the hall. Seriously, it’s very difficult to encourage good hand-washing habits in a 2 and a half year old when you are trying to prop them up on your thigh and keep them from getting the front of their shirt wet because they are leaning across the nasty soapy counter that someone else just splashed on, all the while you are trying not to let your purse or bag touch the dirty floor. I say that someone must appreciate (or more likely, UNDERSTAND) this in Salt Lake City because when I took Brandon to the bathroom in the airport to wash his hands, right there under the counter for the sinks was a toddler/child stepstool! It wasn’t in the way where you would bash your shins, but instead it folded up neatly and you could simply pull it down when it was needed for younger children. It even had nice rubber treads on it so you wouldn’t have to worry about their little shoes slipping on it if the bathroom floor happened to be wet and they walked through it. Now, of course, they had other perks, too, like automatic faucets and toilet flushers and a very nice changing counter… complete with hand sanitizers on the way out of the bathroom. Everything a Mom could want! Honestly, I don’t know if these were also in the men’s bathroom or not. I chose not to venture in there. So sorry guys! Maybe next time I’ll get brave and interview one of the guys walking out of the men’s room. ;-)

For more information on the best places to hang out or stop at when travelling, make sure you check out http://www.byebyewithbaby.com/ for areas by zip code or city. Don’t forget to check out their blog! They have some wonderful information out there for parents that goes above and beyond traveling tips, too! (Not to mention some awesome giveaways!)

Look for us online!

Hey everybody! Can you find our carrier on this webpage?
http://www.internationalbabywearingconference.com/MeiTaiGallery.htm

10 points if you can tell me what color it is and the name of the baby being worn in it! :-)

(I have no idea what 10 points get you! LOL)