I've always depended on the kindness of strangers

So how did it go traveling with a 5 year old and 19 month old by myself? Well, it was tiring, but not so bad. Every time I travel alone with kids, more of my faith in humanity is restored. First there was the gate agent at PDX who said, "Don't worry, I'll walk your stuff to the {x-ray} machine." We have a family rule, "You pack it, you carry it" but she insisted and refused my help. How sweet is that? Then along the way were all these folks offering help.

The flights weren't so bad. Lu likes to move and didn't like being confined but she dealt with it for the most part. Sophie was patient with her (and me), too. We taught Lucy the rules of flying and she quickly learned to recite #1 on command ("no whyin'") and Sophie added rule #1a all on her own, "no whining." Lu didn't always follow her own advice but folks on the airplane still complimented her on how quiet she was. I wonder if they were sitting over the engine?

Now the ride back, that was nice. We split up. Lindsey had Lu and I flew with Soph. Lu was great for Lindsey. Soph slept at least 3 hours of a 3.5 hour flight and for the first time in months, I read a book on an airplane and actually felt relaxed when the flight was over.

I guess stepping in dog poop really is good luck.