Travel Snack Pack for Toddlers

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In preparation for an upcoming family trip across the country (wish us luck!), I've been looking for ways to make travel easier on Sebastian. Since mealtimes can be tricky even in the best circumstances, snacks for toddlers are essential to getting through a long and busy day. 

Now when determining what snacks would go in each section, I started with our usual daily snacks (toasted oat cereal, raisins, nuts) and then looked for some new options I could mix in and try out now and see if Sebastian liked them. My nearest grocery store doesn't have a large selection of toddler specific foods, so I headed to Target where they have a large assortment of snacks for little ones. 

It was there that I spotted Gerber® Lil' Beanies™. I picked up the two flavors they carried (Original and White Cheddar & Broccoli). I was immediately intrigued by the information I saw on the package. Lil' Beanies™ are made from navy beans and each serving delivers 2 grams of protein (9% daily value), 1 gram of fiber, and 10% daily value of Vitamin E. They are baked, not fried, and they are not made from genetically engineered ingredients. I try to serve my kiddo snacks that provide him with nutrients and not just empty calories, so the protein and fiber in these snacks sounded like a good choice. And they certainly looked like something Sebastian would enjoy, so I brought some home for him to try out. 

For the snack pack, I wanted to create something that was easy to throw in our carry-on bag that provided a lot of options. I loved the idea of using something with small compartments for several reasons. First, the food stay separate which would help us avoid weird flavor combos like snap pea and raisin. Secondly, it might limit mess making on the plane since the most that could be spilled at once would be one section. And last, what toddler doesn't like to endlessly open and shut tiny doors? It practically does double duty as a toy!

Here is what I included in the snack pack today.

Other items I've included in the pack are banana chips, other freeze dried fruits, and cheddar bunnies. I did not include highly perishable or messy items since we won't be able to refrigerate the food during travel. 

I realize a few of these (the nuts particularly) might not be a good choice for all children. Include what works best for your child and make sure they are seated and supervised when they are eating from the snack pack. You know their readiness for certain foods best.

He enjoyed his Gerber snacks and wanted to share them with his mama too!

We've already taken the pack to the park a couple times and I found it to be a really convenient way to bring a lot of snack options with us without taking up too much space in the bag. And Sebastian was excited to discover new additions to the box. I would call that a #GerberWinWin.

While I'm not the first person to come up with this snack pack, this is my take on it.

I purchased a 14-compartment pill box (similar). Although it made no difference to Sebastian, I wanted it to look a little less pharmaceutical, so I scrubbed off the day labels from each little door with a magic eraser.

Smaller snacks fit easily and larger ones were cut or broken in half to fit more easily into the compartments. 

I am glad to have mess-free and nutritious snack options all figured out for our trip. It might not eliminate all stress during our long flights, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. A hangry toddler is never an ideal travel companion. 

Oh, and be sure to check out my previous post for a chance to win a Gerber® "Welcome to Toddlerhood" kit!

Many thanks to Gerber® for sponsoring today's story and making it easy to eat healthy on the go!

Atlantic Luggage Travel Sweepstakes - San Diego or New York

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Atlantic Luggage for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

The High Line

Over the summer, B and I took a trip to New York. I was halfway through my pregnancy and feeling pretty good (except for the crazy ankle swelling that came with air travel-- but thankfully, it only lasted a day). We did some things we've done on previous trips (wander around Central Park, visit the American Museum of Natural History) and some things that were new (Watch a taping of the Daily Show! Walk the High Line!

On the set of The Daily Show

Ceiling of the American Museum of Natural History

We've traveled enough to know how to pack pretty efficiently at this point, but it made me wonder what packing for and traveling with a baby will be like. Will we be able to do carry-on only? Probably not. Do we need new luggage? Probably.

We'll need something affordable, durable, and lightweight.

Enter Atlantic Luggage.


Atlantic Luggage has been pioneering great luggage since 1919, making family traveling easier with their versatile, lightweight and affordable luxury sets. With a range of varieties in color, style and features, Atlantic Luggage makes packing for family trips easier no matter where the destination.
You will be amazed how much you can fit into each piece, ridding you of the hassle of multiple pieces of luggage to carry or to worry about in the airport. Atlantic Luggage has innovative features such as the Link2Go™ system, which allows you to connect multiple pieces of luggage for easy one handed rolling. Or, their 360-degree 4-Wheel Spinners allows for easy guiding and steering through busy terminals. Atlantic Luggage has thought of it all, taking the struggle out of traveling for the whole family.

Currently, Atlantic Luggage is running an amazing sweepstakes where you have the opportunity to win a family trip for four to your choice of New York or San Diego! Because life is a trip®, Atlantic Luggage is sending you on the trip of a lifetime! So, register for your chance to win a trip for the whole family today!

Prize Details:

Sweepstakes runs October 15 through November 15 Winner will be chosen within 7-10 days following the close of the sweepstakes. Grand Prize trip must be booked by 9/30/15 and travel must be completed by 10/31/15. Prizes: Win a family trip for four to New York or San Diego, courtesy of Atlantic Luggage and Delta Vacations! Grand Prize package trip certificate is valid for: (a) round-trip economy air transportation valued at up to $450 per ticket for the Grand Prize winner and three (3) guests from a major U.S. airport serviced by Delta Air Lines near to the Grand Prize winner’s home (as determined by Sponsor), to a major U.S. airport serviced by Delta Air Lines near New York City or San Diego, CA (as chosen by winner and determined by Sponsor); (b) hotel accommodations at a participating Delta Vacations hotel in New York City or San Diego, C; (c) four (4) Atlantic® carry-on sized suitcases; and (d) $300 allowance to spend on their choice of Delta Vacations Tour or Activity packages. Trip is to last three days and two nights Total prize value of $3,700.

And, in case you're wondering, I have already entered to win this trip too! I can't wait to plan my first family trip with our little guy.

 So, which destination will you pick if you win the Atlantic Luggage Sweepstakes?

Enter to win a family trip

Around the Town: The Newish Bay Bridge

It's been nearly 24 years since the Loma Prieta earthquake sent a section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge collapsing down onto the deck below it. It wasn't the worst of the Bay Area's damaged roads, but those of us who live here have known for the last couple decades that it would not withstand another Big One.

For the last ten years, the new safer span has been under construction. And finally, on Labor Day weekend last year, it was completed.

The strange thing is, I barely noticed the new bridge while it was going up. I knew it was happening, slowly but surely, but it wasn't particularly distracting. Maybe others paid more attention.

With the new span open, the old bridge span sits empty and dirty, waiting to be disassembled. The first few weeks were hectic as commuters slowed down while they took in the view of the old bridge and the new span they had to navigate. It was frustrating (as a fellow driver being forced to slow down), but the novelty has worn off enough now that it isn't causing the constant traffic jams.

I know I watch too much Walking Dead, but tell me this doesn't look like a herd of walkers will be coming into view any minute!

The first weekend it was open, we walked the footpath along the new freeway. Last weekend, we visited it again.

It is novel in that the old bridge had no access for pedestrians and bicyclists at all. And that it stops just short of Treasure Island which means it doesn't actually allow you to get anywhere.

It is just shy of four miles each way, which was a good walk (or an easier bike ride). And it provides a perspective of both the bridges, the Port of Oakland, and the bay that we've never really had before.

It's worth a visit if you find yourself in Oakland/Emeryville with some free time. Or wait another year, and you'll be able to walk all the way to Treaure Island!

Beaune and Aix en Provence, 2013

When we left Paris, we wanted a taste of the French Wine Country and settled on a stay in the small town of Beaune, just south of Dijon. 

In my mind, this picturesque little village would serve as perfect home base while we rode rented bicycles through the Burgundy vineyards. In reality, it was cold and dreary when we arrived and we were more tempted to hole up in our hotel with hot beverages.

Between rainfalls, we ventured out to explore the little town and it was quite charming. There were many tasting rooms and wine shops, so we made a point of finishing our evenings with some local wine.

Our second day here, which was B's birthday, was still a bit dreary. And on top of that, it was also Labor Day, so many businesses were closed. We laughed about our misfortune, but obviously being stuck in a quaint French village is not the worst thing we could doing.

We decided to visit the local attraction, the Hospices de Beaune at the Hôtel-Dieu. It is a striking building with a colorfully tiled roof, and was essentially a free hospital for the poor for five centuries. It was relatively interesting and  a fine way to finish off our short visit since the whole bike-riding adventure was out of the question. (Seriously, could those clouds be any more menacing??

After Beaune, our next stop was Aix-en-Provence.

Our train ride was uneventful, until the point when something was announced over the speaker which presumably explained that our train would not be stopping in Aix as planned, but would instead continue right on to the next stop in Marseilles. B's understanding of French is better than mine, but even he was unsure. When we got off the train, we tried to determine what had happened and what we should do to get back to our destination. After several unsuccessful conversations, we shrugged and got onto a train and headed back to Aix. Then (and I blame travel fatigue for this) I got super panicky that we would be kicked off/fined/imprisoned once we were found to be riding a train that we hadn't purchased tickets for. B begged me to keep it together and I barely did before the ticket checker came by and approved our wrong tickets without hesitation. Crisis averted.

Once we found our hotel and settled in, we were anxious to head out into town as it was warmer than Paris or Beaune had been and seemed to have a large population of young people. It was a pleasant place to walk around and full of shops. B and I are not big shoppers, but the people-watching was good too.

Obviously, we made an exception for macaron-shopping. We are not monsters.

One of the more enjoyable things we did during our stay in Aix was to visit Cézanne's studio. It was an easy decision to make since the city seems hell bent on making you visit something Cézanne-related. There are literally little C's embedded in the streets to help navigate you towards Cezanne's great aunt's best friend's house, or something as questionably "historically relevant".

But the studio was legit. We could have taken a bus ride up the hill, but we were happy to hoof it.


The studio was a small 2-story building, so the actual tour was more of a look around a room filled with items you might recognize from Cézanne's paintings.

this image from here (no cameras were allowed inside)

 The grounds were really peaceful and lovely though.  We spend a good amount of time there before deciding to head further up the hill out of town. We didn't realize how much we'd missed the sensation of walking without worrying about cars and bikes and pedestrians.

We stayed up in the hills for a good part of the afternoon, enjoying the views of Mount Ste.-Victoire that peaked out above the homes.

Painting of Mount Ste.-Victoire by Cézanne from here.

By the time we made our way back into town, we realized it was time to figure out how we'd be getting to Barcelona...

Paris, 2013

At the end of April (yes, three whole months ago!), B and I snuck away to Europe for a couple weeks. It was wonderful and exhausting. For the first four days of our trip, we wandered around Paris. It was B's first time there, and I hadn't been since I was 8 years old, which meant I knew as little as he did about navigating the city.



Space Invaders in Le Marais

 We were initially a bit overwhelmed by the metro system (it is vast!), but preferred walking anyway. By then end of our stay, we had the layout of the city pretty well figured out. The Seine was a big help when trying to get our bearings. But even when we were lost, there was always something to see. We literally found half the famous landmarks of Paris by accident!

(Pro tip: If you cache a map in your iphone-- zoom way in and around anywhere you plan to go-- you can still use it while you travel around town. This helped out so much when we were navigating our way around the city. Seriously, it might have saved our marriage.)

La Basilique du Sacré Couer de Montmartre

Panorama looking down on Paris from Sacré Couer

Cimetière de Montmartre

A must-have photo in Montmartre for any Amelie fan.

We had a great time exploring. Our feet were blistered and we ate our weight in cheese and bread, but we got a real sense of the city. My favorite day was the one when we got to hang out with a friend who we haven't seen since our wedding, 3 1/2 years ago. She was a college roommate and good friend of mine, who moved to Holland after school. It was serendipitous that we were both in Paris at the same time. My friend's boyfriend had been in town for several weeks already and was able to show us around parts of town we hadn't seen yet. So fun!

La Fine Mousse. Sadly, I forgot to get a picture. This photo is from here.

We saw the canal for the first time that evening, which happily reminded me of the locks in Seattle. We grabbed some great craft beer at La Fine Mousse (which sounds hilariously like "Laughin' Moose"). This seemed like a rare gem after too many evenings drinking Kronenbourg 1664. It was still early when we went, and it was pleasingly laid back at that time.

Later that night, we made our way up to Le Comptoir Général. This place was pretty rad. We entered through an unassuming alleyway (which we would never have found just by passing by) and discovered a strange lounge/community center/brunch spot/thrift store (for real!). We got fruity mixed drinks and drank them on the patio which was overflowing with tropical plants. It was a great setting for catching up on lost time and a memorable spot that I'd recommend to anyone who is visiting Paris and looking for a quirky place to spend an evening. I hear the brunch is quite good too!

Waiting in line at L'as du Fallafel

This may sound funny, but our favorite meal during the entire trip was a falafel from this little spot. It was in Marais and we happened upon it while heading back to our apartment after a long day. Since B and I do not eat much meat, a hearty veggie-filled meal was a welcome change from the meat-heavy menus at many French restaurants. We later realized that both of us had bookmarked it when we first started planning our trip and forgot about it. Seriously, this might be the meal I have missed most since we've returned home. Yummmm. 

Our seriously tiny homebase in Marais 

After a full 4 days, we had a good feel for Paris and were ready to see more of France. We hopped on a train, and headed towards Beaune. But not without saying goodbye to the tiniest apartment I've ever seen.

To be continued...