Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts

Sarah Likes UPPTÄCKA

UPPTÄCKA?  Did you read that word and immediately know I meant "travel bottles"?  Oh, IKEA. 

 I have never ever found better travel sized bottles for liquids, lotions, etc. as these UPPTÄCKA bottles from the IKEA Family section of IKEA:
UPPTÄCKA Travel Bottles from IKEA

 Hopefully you have an IKEA near you because they are only available in-store!  But in store, they are only $0.99 per 4-pack when you give them your email address for the IKEA Family membership (basically their loyalty program).  The non-member price for a 4-pack is still only $1.50!

 If you don't live near an IKEA, I did find an 8 pack here on Amazon for a little less than $1/bottle after shipping, and basically they are still worth it even at that price.  I'd pay twice as much as that even!  That's how much I love these things!

 They hold 3.4 ounces, so they can be taken on an airplane, and they stay closed really really well.  The top unscrews to easily get your liquids in, but then screws back on so you can use the squeeze feature.  They are just flexible enough to squeeze really easily, but not so flexible that they can crumple up.

 I love that they are four totally different colors, so it's super clear which is which.  And it's really easy to write on them with permanent marker.

 I even filled one with sunscreen and carry it in my purse to put on my toddler when we're out and about and need a layer of it!

 Compared to Target or the grocery store where I used to buy my bottles for at least $1 each and they weren't very high quality, these are the absolute best by far.  I will never ever use another kind again!

 (and since I live near IKEA and get them so easily, I usually end up throwing them away on the trip so I don't have to bring them home with me...more room in the suitcase for souvenirs!)


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Sarah Likes Amazon Kindle and Childproof Case

If you have kids, you may know that kids can fly for free on your lap until they are two years old.  You also probably know that the closer they get to the two year mark, the more difficult it is to hold them quietly on your lap for the entire duration of the flight!

We're not really a "screen time" family, but we are realistic about how helpful quality educational programming can be when you are desperate: trying to get dinner on the table, trying to survive in a traffic jam, and most of all, trying to get through a flight with a toddler!

Our son Anthony has been on five round trip flights in his first two years, each one getting more and more difficult as he gets bigger and more active!  Our most recent flight was to visit my husband in Wisconsin who was there for several weeks on a business trip: my very first flight alone with Anthony.

What got us through:

1) The grace of God.
2) The Target One Spot and its treasure trove of cheap toys that hold interest for even 2-3 minutes at a time.
3) Snacks, snacks, snacks.
4) Letting my almost-exclusively-sippy-cup-kid have one of his coveted bottles.
5) Our Amazon Kindle Fire.

My husband Chris and I have a family iPad, which is what we used for flights 1-3.  However, lately Anthony has insisted on touching the screen and holding it in his hands, and so the iPad became an adults-only toy!  Right before our 4th flight, our longest yet (to Hawaii), I bought an Amazon Kindle Fire for him and it was the best money I ever spent!  I bought a foamy case for it that protects it from drops, gives Anthony a place to hold it without touching the screen, and fits PERFECTLY in the magazine holder in the seat in front of us - at least on both Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines.


A tablet without a data plan?  How is that possible?  The Kindle Fire uses Wi-Fi, and we have Amazon Prime (another post soon soley devoted to how amazing Amazon Prime is) which allows you to download a certain number of TV shows and movies to watch offline for free. So before every flight, I made sure to download a few Daniel Tigers, a few Sesame Streets, and a movie for myself in case he fell asleep (WHICH HE DID ON THE FLIGHT HOME!  PRAISE JESUS!).

There are also a bunch of free apps you can download that don't need Wi-Fi, like this coloring one, this alphabet one, and this cars and trucks one.

What about sound? I bought Anthony a pair of kid friendly headphones, and he does like them sometimes, but he's not a huge fan of things on his head (hats, sunglasses, headphones) much to our dismay.  Thankfully, he is still super interested in the muted version so he was captivated even when he refused the 'phones.  The thing I love about the headphones we bought is that I am able to use them too, when he fell asleep (see above, biggest miracle in my life so far).  But, I have kind of a small head so that might not work for everyone!


For reading, honestly I don't love the Kindle Fire.  You can download ebooks onto them and read them, but I don't like the glare you get when you read outside (aka poolside) nor the risk to the Kindle if it falls into the pool...for reading, I prefer the Kindle Paperwhite which has ZERO glare, is super lightweight, and fits perfectly in a Ziploc gallon-sized bag for when I want to sit in the pool, sip an adult beverage, and read some chick lit.  But maybe a post about the Paperwhite someday; just know that you CAN read on the Kindle Fire if you want to.

If you are traveling with a kiddo, I can't recommend this enough.  I've even seen used Kindles on Craigslist for next to nothing!  You can restore factory settings and set them up with your own Amazon account, you don't have to buy just from Amazon...just a helpful hint! :-)

Sarah Likes Today:

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