Like I mentioned on Friday, my Grandma Betty just turned 93 years young!
To celebrate, we all flew up to Green Bay for the occasion. It’s been 5 years since we were there for Christmas and I almost forgot how gorgeous Wisconsin weather is during the summer.
We took several long walks along the Fox River to soak it in…. and to get to Zesty’s.
How could we not try the frozen custard?
I loved the visit and soaked up the time with my Grandma Betty in the house she’s lived in for 50 years. I cooked breakfast in her kitchen and we played multiple rounds of rummikub.
My favorite find was a box of old pictures and newspaper clippings. I even found my great grandmother’s baby book. So many incredible family keepsakes!
Nothing is better than thumbing through family pictures together. I’m a sap.
We made sure to induct Kyla, my sweet niece, into the Packer fan club while we were there. I’ve never seen a cuter cheesehead.
We went out to Grandma Betty’s favorite spot, The Rite Place, where I had to order the famous booyah. Mostly because I love saying the name. Boo-yah!
David ordered chili, which, to his confusion, came with spaghetti noodles! Grandma Betty assured us this was the right way to do chili.
All in all, it was a very special weekend. One of those that flies by too quickly, but will stick in your memory.
Now that you’ve graciously indulged my picture sharing, let’s talk about toddler travel. It was Hailey’s first time on an airplane and we just decided to wing it (pun intended). A quick breakdown of our trip…
What worked: The Ergo. Have I professed my love for this carrier enough? At almost 2 years old, it still comes in handy.
Having Hailey strapped to my back was infinitely easier than maneuvering a stroller through a busy airport. We lucked out with having a stroller to borrow in Wisconsin so this helped us streamline our packing.
What Didn’t Work: Wrapping the car seat ahead of time.
We don’t own a travel bag for the car seat, so we improvised with a large, heavy duty garbage bag and packing tape. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize we had to unwrap it to get through security.
Luckily, the TSA agents were really nice and helped us wrap it back up after. The bag itself worked really well and our seat was well protected. If we traveled more, I might invest in a bag, but being that it’s budget month and a trash bag worked really well, it was fine for this trip.
What Worked: The Pacifier
Usually reserved for sleeping, I didn’t hesitate to bring it. We figured the sucking would help clear her ears and it would, of course, help her stay quiet. I honestly can’t imagine what the trip would have been like without it. It’s going to be a joy to break that habit.
What Didn’t Work: Scheduling the flight for nap time.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a choice. I had my WCCB segment Thursday morning and David had to work, so our flight took off at 2:30pm. Hailey never got in a nap and it showed. The first flight (2 hours long) was a bit of a disaster. At one point I got up to go to the bathroom and Hailey was so upset she chucked the iphone in frustration… right into a lady’s full wine cup. Pretty much worse case scenario. We offered to buy her another drink and apologized profusely. Luckily she laughed it off.
What Worked: Crayons, Snacks, Stickers and Beer
After that first flight, overpriced airport beers were necessary.
Surprisingly, the second flight was great. Maybe we were more relaxed after happy hour, but Hailey did fine with coloring, eating snacks (Kashi cereal bar and natural fruit snacks) and stickers. We let that child do anything she wanted with stickers as long as she stayed quiet.
What worked:
The aisle seat. Hailey is still a little young to care much about looking out the window. On the flights home, we took the aisle and it worked so well for when she wanted to stand and stretch her legs. I highly recommend it.
iPhone pictures. She never relaxed enough to nap, but she did lay on me on the way home and scroll through my iphone photos for a solid 30 minutes. Bliss.
Finding kids play areas in the Airport: Both Green Bay and O’Hare (Chicago) had children’s play areas. While waiting for flight, it really helped to let Hailey burn off some energy and stretch her legs.
Have you ever traveled with a baby or child?
What is your BEST tip?
Neil Butterfield says
Congrats to your granny. She is looking great for 93.
Heather says
I definitely wish I’d thought of getting an aisle seat the last time I flew with our son – it would have been so nice for when he wanted to stretch his legs, and at the time I hadn’t even thought of how much easier it would be. Making a future note to self!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I LOVE your lace top! That is so pretty!
And chili with spaghetti noodles? That through me for a loop at first, but I must admit that it sounds really tasty!
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks! It’s one of my favs, even though it’s about 3 years old 🙂
And yes, chili with spaghetti noodles was pretty great!
John J. says
Great recap of a wonderful weekend by a prolific writer with a big heart and a wonderful sense of humor!
Karen says
So glad you had a great trip to Wisconsin. I haven’t traveled on a plane with K yet but am going to keep your travel tips. The longest we’ve gone with her in the car is about 2 hours and it was a little tough for a little one that doesn’t like to sit still. Anyways, have a great week.
Jane Preston says
Loved living your weekend through your great writing skills and sense of humor.
The pictures were great and I’m sure Grandma Betty enjoyed having everyone there! Thanks for sharing your weekend with us!
Hope the wine was white, ha! Ha!
Brittany Dixon says
Luckily it was! But oh my gosh, I almost burst out laughing from embarrassment 😉
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, and Beers says
I’m looking forward to seeing family once Baby E is born, but I am NOT looking forward to flying with him. Oooooh boy… that’s going to be a trip!
Melissa says
My best airplane tip is to be extra nice to the flight attendants – they are so helpful. Honestly, I think it is just hit or miss with toddlers – you just hope for the best and go with it. My high energy, very vocal 20 month old fell asleep before take takeoff and stayed asleep for 1.5 hours. I’d like to say it was so something we did right, but honestly I think it was mostly luck. We were so so very grateful for kind passengers around us.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh wow, I would have loved H to fall asleep! And great tip. One flight attendant was awesome and we loved her. Another one gave us the evil eye from the second we walked on the plane- haha!
Ashley N. says
How exciting!! I live in Green Bay and Zestys is just GREAT! So glad you had the wonderful weather…now it’s about 50 degrees today 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
You do?! Oh I just love your town! My grandma has been there all her life and everyone is so friendly. Go Pack Go! 🙂
Karen says
So cool to know you were here in good ole Green Bay. Exciting weekend to be here with Packer Family Night. I wish I would have known, we possibly could have met. My hubby and I were on the Fox River trail also this weekend.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Brittany Dixon says
I can’t believe we were possibly on the trail at the same time! I’m always hesitant to say too much ahead of time about going out of town. I guess I’m paranoid. But next time I head up there, I’ll definitely reach out to you!
We looked into rental cars but with Packer family night and an air show (I think?) going on, they were all reserved. What a crazy busy weekend there. I love your town!
Giselle@myhealthyhappyhome says
Happy Birthday to your Grandma! She looks amazing and that is so awesome that you all went to celebrate with her. Great tips on traveling. We have yet to do a plane trip but will have to cross that battle someday…
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
Okay I love the iPhone chucking story. That’s pretty much hilarious!
Brittany Dixon says
It really was funny. I felt terrible, but it was just one of those moments when you kept help but laugh because it’s just so terrible. Th lady was so nice and told us she was on the way to visit her 5 grand kids so this was good ‘training’ – what a god sport!
Kimberly @ Healthy Strides says
Beers well deserved! I haven’t flown with Miles since he was 1 and I am pretty sure we avoided family vacations this year to avoid it.
Heather Murphy says
Those pictures with your sweet grandma are precious! She looks like she is in great health! Thanks for the insight on what worked with y’all when traveling with a toddler! My son has never taken a pacifier and while part of me is relieved, another part wishes he did for situations like this!
Kelli H says
Your niece is adorable! Finding those old family keepsakes sounds great. I wish I could look at more from my family.
The story of Hailey throwing the iPhone into the wine is hilarious.
Jen says
Wow! I had NO idea that airports have kids’ play areas. Such a great idea — every terminal needs one. Glad H did pretty well!
Gcroft says
We have yet to experience flying with our 8 month old. In fact we chickened out of planning a trip to Boston recently as she is actively crawling and thought the 7 hour flight from London would be too much. I’ve flown to Australia and was amazed to see how well parents did with babies and toddlers on 14+9 hour flights!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I understand! David and I just looked at each other with wide eyes and said how the heck to people do trans-Atlantic flights?!
USAKiwi (Kylee) says
Did the iphone survive?
My best tip was to bring NEW toys, and wrap them like gifts. He opened one every hour (we went long LONG haul).
Brittany Dixon says
Wrap them like gifts is an AWESOME idea! I’m doing that next time for sure.
My iphone was fine thanks to my life proof case. I usually hate the case, but keep it on my phone for situations just like the wine one 🙂
Danica @ It's Progression says
I had no idea you had family in Wisconsin – how fun! I live in southeastern Minnesota so nearby WI.
char eats greens says
Haha, I love the stickers picture!! iPhone in the wine…obviously! That’s something that would happen to me x 10. I’ve only flown with Nia when she was 1.5 months old, so I wonder how she would be now. If someone wants to pay for a flight (for anywhere), I would graciously test out the traveling with an 8 month old haha
glad you got to spend some quality time with the fam!
Hanna says
H is so cute! I just love her cheeks 🙂 We really want to travel out to Idaho to visit my sister but I’m terrified to fly with two kids. We should just bite the bullet and do it. They might surprise me!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
Your grandma looks fantastic!!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
Glad you guys got out to Green Bay to spend time with your grandma! Wisconsin summer weather is nice MOST of the time. I’ve been out there some summers, and it’s been disgustingly hot and humid. 😉
Love all of the traveling tips! I’ve flown with Hunter twice now, but I’m sure it only gets more challenging as he gets older.
Sherry says
I love the pictures of you and David “decorated” with stickers! Great memories of Hailey’s first flight and trip to meet her Grandma Betty.
Madeline @ Food Fitness and Family says
Still jealous you were in Green Bay! We have our next flight with Emmie (which I think puts us close to 30 in less than 2 years) next week. I feel like a pro by now but it’s all about SURVIVAL right? 😉
Liz says
I just flew from Virginia to Oregon with my 18 month old. As long as you are checking your car seat, the airlines will give you a free bag to put it in (at least they did at United)! Getting two cups, one with ice, from the drink cart when it came by, worked great for us. My son enjoyed eating the ice, playing with it, and transferring it from cup to cup. Also, we would let him stand between our legs when he needed to stretch a bit. And we had poop both ways but managed to change him on the teeny tiny airplane changing table, and it wasn’t so bad because it gave us something to do:).
Liz says
Oh also, I think it helped to explain ahead of time, “today is different, you are going to take your nap in Mama’s lap instead of in your bed today” several times…probably didn’t hurt that my son had to get up earlier than usual so he was pretty tired come nap time.
Chantal says
I love our carseat bag!
Kate @ Indulgent Wellness says
I’ve flown with my Hailey (26 mos.) a number of times – at least half of them just the two of us. My best tip is to break the total plane time down into 10 minute segments and bring something (snack, activity, distraction) for each 10 minutes. If something holds her attention for longer than 10 minutes, great, if not, I’m armed with an arsenal of things! The iPad with our “Gumby man” SPECK case can count for a good # of things. You can play matching games, use a drawing app and, of course, have a few episodes of a show (Chuggington is a fav here). Small snack bags of snacks, small puzzles, Color Wonder markers and paper are all great too. Juice is a treat, so ordering her juice from the flight attendant is a big highlight as well! Oh, and, we bought a great bag from One Step Ahead. It is a big one-size-fits-all thing made of nylon and I think it cost $10 or less!
Parita says
This post made me excited about our trip to India and seeing my grandparents! Glad y’all had fun and glad Hailey enjoyed her first plane trip (minus the whole iPhone in wine thing of course!).
kristi says
What’s in the boo-yah? It looks so good. I love soup!!
We flew when our guy was 5 months and again at 6 months. The Ergo was also our bff. I found a carseat bag at a children’s consignment sale for $5! But like you I didn’t realize we had to take it out for security. It was a snug fit and kind of a hassle. We also flew Southwest and were able to bring the carseat on b/c there were empty seats. Lifesaver!
Shari says
Aww, Happy Birthday to your grandmom! What a special time you all had together. Cherish those memories always! 🙂
Erin says
Congrats GMA Betty. Don’t buy retail bag just look for one on consignment. Mine was $10. I loved it. Good luck. Cara loved it too. Tee hee.
Lauren says
We have flown with our daughter on several flights-first when she was 3 months old (and ending her time with colic, thank God she did wonderful), again when she was almost 12 months, and then again at 15 months. My biggest tip (if possible) is to nurse when taking off. Helps with their ears, and it helped my daughter to fall asleep for her nap. I also buy her a new book at Marshalls or TJ maxx=cheap, and also bring healthy, substantial snack like apple slices and cheese, as well as fun snacks she doesn’t get often-like those bags of organic cremes in the baby food aisle. Singing songs quietly like itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus, pat a cake, are free ways to entertain them. We always check our car seat so we don’t have to lug it through the airport–I love Southwest, because they wrap it all up for you (and you get to choose where to sit), American Airlines did not wrap the car seat and I didn’t know other airlines didn’t otherwise I would’ve wrapped it myself, because it burned a mark on our britax. Anyways! I also let my daughter walk as much as possible in the airport, and I gate check her umbrella stroller. Sorry, you asked for the BEST tip, and I gave a bunch 🙂
Erin @ The Grass Skirt says
I just had to comment to say that Grandma Betty is adorable, and that first picture is one of the cutest things I’ve seen!
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
LOL what the heck is “booyah?”
Verna says
I could DEFINITELY see my daughter chucking a phone into someone’s cup. Haha! Little miss has a temper on her sometimes! 🙂 Glad it’s not just us.
Abbie says
Oh my gosh! I’m an avid follower of your blog and loved reading your post today. I’m actually from De Pere, WI which is right along the Fox River. I grew up right next to the Fox River Trail and grew up with the family that owns The Rite Place. What a small world. Happy you enjoyed your trip…GO PACK GO!
jen says
aw, happy birthday to your sweet grandmother. so special that you were able to go be with her and take hailey!
Ashley says
Thanks for the tips! We’re flying for the first time with E in a couple weeks. In a little nervous…. Also, I was goi to ask about your lace top too – so bummed its not something I can run out and buy! Love it!