trunki review

I wasn't sure I wanted to spend almost $100 on carry-on luggage for 2 boys, but it turned out so very, very worth it.

Since the boys are getting bigger now, we decided to simplify our trip to and from Texas by losing the stroller. We took it to Texas with us this time, with the intention of leaving it, though we didn't know with what it would be replaced (because, hello, our boys are still very young) until we saw one of these in Amsterdam. And my mind was made up.

Each Trunki was $40, plus we got saddlebags for them, which were $12-15.

orange for Ben, red for Nate

They hold plenty. We packed each with 1 spare outfit, 1 sweatshirt, snacks to last 30 hours, a stack of sticker sheets/paper/activity books, a water bottle (empty to go through security), and several favorite toys. They were not full. If we didn't all pack in 1 suitcase when we go on family trips, the boys could easily use them as suitcases for a few nights away.

Some of the reviews complained about the latches. We didn't have problems with the latches at all. They stayed closed and have little locks on them to reinforce the latch (though it's not a security kind of lock - the key is attached to the shoulder strap).

The saddlebag doesn't hold much. We packed just those things that I thought the boys would want in the seatback pocket (where they fit very well) - fruit snacks for takeoff, TMNT grab bag activity packs for landing and/or turbulence because there's nothing worse than "Fasten Seatbelts" light and your kids have nothing to do. The saddlebags fit on top of the trunkis, with a buckle strap that wraps all the way around.

I thought the boys might have a hard time keeping their feet up while riding on the trunki because they don't have footrests. But they didn't seem to mind. You're only walking through the airport for a few minutes at a time, after all. We spend more time standing in line anyway - and that's really when the boys need to be contained! We stand in line to check our bags, go through security 4 times, board 3 flights, do baggage claim twice, go through immigration, and go through customs.

waiting to check our luggage in Houston

Rodgers clipped Ben to his belt loop for a while

We pulled the boys behind us, they rode and pushed with their feet, we used the leash as a shoulder strap and let the boys walk, and they took turns pulling each other around. When we were pulling them, we were able to walk much faster than I expected - I was able to go my normal "airport pace." The only hard part was navigating the crowds without running someone over with the trunki, also not crashing the kid into a sign or something and turning without tipping him over. It didn't take too long to get the hang of steering, though.

Nate pushing with his feet

Nate pulling Ben before we boarded our first flight

By nature of being a multicultural family with adorable (and usually loud) boys, we attract attention everywhere we go, but this trip we got some extra attention. Everyone thought the trunkis were super awesome, and I think a few of the grown ups were jealous that they don't come in an adult size - especially standing in all of those lines.

Ben riding around Mombasa baggage claim in the middle of the night - we made it at last!

I very much recommend a trunki if you fly with your kids, ages 3 and up. (Ben's not quite 3 yet, but close enough.)

heat rash March

(Now that March is nearly over...)

We moved to Kenya in March. March is the hottest month of the year in coastal Kenya. It was brutal. Nate, Ben, and I all had heat rash until the weather cooled. I thought it was malaria-prophylaxis-induced skin sensitivity, until we all got it again the following March, when we weren't taking anti-malarials. And we have it again this year.

Internet advice about treating heat rash assumes it's not ongoing. "If you get a heat rash, go back into the air conditioning, drink some water, and take a shower." Wouldn't that be nice?

So I'm kind of bumbling along to find a treatment by trial and error, for the 4-6 weeks that we have it each year. By the end of March, I have to wonder whether my current protocol is working or whether the rash is getting better because the weather is starting to cool (just a tiny bit).

Most of my experiments are on Nate because his rash is the worst. Ben's and mine go away overnight almost every day. Nate's persists. It is mostly on his trunk, but also a little on his legs and face. His face looks the worst because he scratches it all day long. I think his is the worst because Ben and I have fans blowing on us all day, and Nate's classroom is stuffy. And they play outside in the heat of the day. When he's home over the weekend, he usually improves a lot.

My advice, at year 3 of heat rash:

1. Limit outdoor (or "away from the fan") activities to before 10 am and after 4 pm. Stay out of the sun.
2. If you get really sweaty, change clothes.
3. If you are under 7 years of age, you can probably go without clothes for the most part. We call it "undies time."
4. Add baking soda to your bath. Bathe (or wash the area that is rashy at least) more than once a day.
5. Apply aloe to the rash. We have a cooling aloe that's for sun burn, but it is also very soothing to heat rash.
6. Drink water.
7. Take an antihistamine.

I'm not sure how much the antihistamine is helping. I think Benadryl would be the best, but Nate would only be able to take it at night, and he cools off overnight (with a dedicated oscillating fan targeting his bed), so the rash doesn't really bother him then.

We found a cream today that we will add to our trial and error, which contains an antihistamine, calamine, and an anti-inflammatory. 

I am looking for 2 products: a water-based lotion which contains colloidal oatmeal and Magicool Plus, which is a cooling and anti-itch spray specifically for heat rash. If I ever find those in this country, I will save them for next March to test out.

I wish we could prevent it entirely - or at least prevent it from becoming so miserable - but I think Nate will have to be older and start treating it himself.

flying with kids - top 5 tips

Getting settled into our seats after early
 boarding, when Ben was in the easy
"naps 11 times a day" phase.

Boarding a flight to or from Kenya, there are always a lot of European and American vacationers, usually young adults, no kids. There is a large percentage of businessmen, often African or south Asian. And there are always several families.

When they call for boarding of families and anyone who needs extra help, you can see the child-free passengers anxiously tallying up the number of small children who will be on this flight, praying that they will not get stuck near them.

Long flights are tough enough without cranky kids. And parenting cranky kids in public is tough enough without being trapped in very tight quarters with hundreds of grumpy strangers.

8 scriptures to pray over our marriage

Five years ago today, we got married in the rain.

I love praying Scripture. As an introvert, I don't always have words to say, even in prayer. I do pray my own words, but many times, especially with specific requests, I have found verses in the Bible that express what I am praying, and I use them as a starting point for my prayers. What better starting point than the Bible? It's not just for introverts, either!

International Women's Day

This week one of our girl MKKs (Maisha Kamili Kids - click for Maisha Kamili's website) told us, "I was so discouraged (before Maisha Kamili offered to help me) because my family members who were supposed to be taking care of me told me that they wouldn't waste their money on my education because I'm female." We quickly told her, of course, that we value the education of girls and that, because we know the attitude of her family abounds, we have set a priority on finding girl orphans to help.