Search Results for: blog traveling with children coqui frog challenges

White’s Tree Frogs

Want a frog that will be docile and tolerate handling? White’s tree frogs are that and more. Size: Approximately four to five inches long when fully grown. Color: Ranges from green to blue-green to aqua. Skin: These frogs have a waxy coating on their skin that helps them retain moisture. It also allows them to tolerate arid conditions and careful handling. Lifespan: White’s tree frogs are long lived — life spans as long as twenty years have been reported, though fifteen years is more typical. Also known as the dumpy tree frog, White’s tree frogs are native to Australia, Indonesia, … Continue reading →

Frogs As Pets

Interested in an amphibian for a pet? Don’t cross frogs off your list just yet. A frog can be a long-lived and interesting pet for your family! Things to consider: Lifespan. With proper care a pet frog can live anywhere from four to fifteen years — and some have lived even longer! You may be taking care of your pet frog for a long time to come; this is not a commitment to take lightly. Habitats. Different types of frog need different types of habitat. Many frogs need semi-aquatic tanks (half land and half water) that are difficult to set … Continue reading →

Traveling With Children: Coqui Frog Challenges

My 2-year-old daughter has evolved into quite the little traveler during her short life. She handles our semi-annual trip to Hawaii, including a 12-hour flight like a champ and fares just as well with the time difference and dramatic change in climate, which is why I was a bit surprised about what transpired during the first night of our most recent trip to the Islands. After 16 hours of standing in security checkpoints at the airport, plane changes, and more than a dozen trips to the restroom (at 35,000 feet over 5 different states) I thought for sure once we … Continue reading →

Must-Have Travel Accessory for Kids

I’ve spent the last eight years racking up more than 160,000 frequent flyer miles with my daughter during our annual jaunts from Wisconsin to Hawaii.  If all goes according to plan, we can get from our home to my parents’ house in roughly 18 hours. Of course, things rarely go according to plan. Honestly, I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve spent in various airplanes and airports with a young child who would rather be anywhere other than in an airplane or airport. What I do recall are all of the mistakes I’ve made during those seemingly endless flights. … Continue reading →

Not-So Carefree Field Trip

My parents live 5,000 miles away from their only granddaughter. Despite the miles that separate them, my mom and dad are a huge part of my daughter’s life thanks to multiple daily phone calls and video chats. When my dad doesn’t hear from us each evening he gets nervous. He’s always been protective of his “girls,” but I didn’t realize the extent of his concern until late last week when we missed calling him due to my daughter’s final field trip of the school year. The entire school scored a trip to a medium-sized amusement park located about 40 miles … Continue reading →

What Do Your Kids Call Your Parents?

“GRANDPAWPAWpawpawpaw!” my daughter screamed into the phone. “GRAMPY! Where are you?” “GRANDPA! Pick up the phone!!” “Gramps, it’s your favorite granddaughter…” She’s also my parents’ only granddaughter, which is why we make a point to call them at least once a day. The aforementioned screaming is a taste of what my mom and dad hear on their answering machine when they (gasp!) miss my daughter’s daily call. As you can see, my creative first grader has a litany of nicknames for her beloved maternal grandparents… and she is certainly not shy about creating more on the fly and employing each … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Summer Getaways

You know the travel industry is hurting when you can find roundtrip non-stop flights from Chicago to Honolulu for around $500. I paid more than double that amount for my ticket last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. Bottom line: If you haven’t been able to score a sun-sational deal on a summer getaway, then you simply haven’t been looking—at all. Perhaps, you can’t afford to take an extended break from work. If that’s the case, then consider soaking up the summer sun during a long weekend away. So what if you can’t take two … Continue reading →

Can You Ever Go Home Again?

I just spent the entire month of January in Hawaii… visiting my parents. It was actually a wonderful visit and given how much we doled out for the plane tickets and how infrequently my daughter gets to see my family, I did everything humanly possible to make the most of every second we had together. That includes helping care for my 93-year-old dying grandma and hosting a bevy of extended family members, who came to catch up and spoil my daughter to no end. The visit (I don’t refer to it as a vacation because in more ways it was … Continue reading →

Santa vs. Generous Grandparents

Who needs Santa when you’ve got grandparents? There have been many times when I have seriously considered hiding some of the dozens of Christmas presents my parents have sent my daughter and attaching gift tags that read, “From: Santa Claus” and sticking them under the tree on December 25th. My parent’s generosity is overwhelming… not that I’m complaining (my kid sure isn’t). It’s just that it’s getting harder and harder for me… I mean Santa… to compete with grandma and grandpa when it comes to holiday gift giving. For the record I should note that my 4-year-old is very blessed … Continue reading →

Autumn Recipes: U is for Udon

She may not know how to spell the word “delicious,” but my 4-year-old can differentiate between an udon noodle and a spaghetti noodle quicker than most adults. In fact, udon (pronounced oo-DOHN) was one of the first words my daughter learned how to say after spending time in Hawaii with my grandma. Udon is a thick, round Japanese noodle typically made with wheat flour and served in cold dishes (salads or chilled with soy sauce and topped with sesame seeds) during the summer months and in hot dishes (soups and broth) during the fall and winter. I grew up eating … Continue reading →