I may be biased, but...

my kids seriously have to be some of the greatest little travelers on the planet. Now, due to the generosity of my parents and some sky miles, and our American Express sky miles rewards credit card, my husband spent the extra bucks for upgradeable tickets and we upgraded to business class. So, maybe being in business class is why my kids did so well traveling. But even so, considering jet lag, long car rides, and sleeping in four different homes over 6 weeks, our children are flexible and fabulous travelers. Now, we still had our moments over the 6 weeks we spent in the US, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for kids. On the flight going, I was flying solo, which was a bit intimidating. However, the flight attendants were super helpful, watching kids when I needed to use the bathroom and giving me whatever snacks I needed. I do know I would not have had the same service if I had been on the other side of the curtain (any Seinfeld episodes come to mind?), but it sure did help when I was flying 12 hours by myself with two small children. We also had unlimited Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which meant Miss M watched about 6 hours of tv and then went to bed for 6 hours. Mama did not sleep but both kids slept about 6 hours going and 6 hours on the flight back, so that was huge. My rule on airplane rides are there are no rules - our kids can eat whatever they want (including the ice cream sundae Miss M ate while watching the endless tv) and watch as much tv or play as many ipad games as their hearts desire. Bottom line is we will do whatever it takes to get us from point A to point B with some sort of sanity and love for one another. If that means 6 hours of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and 20 Pecko-chan lolly pops, so be it. On the trip going to the US, we somehow made it through security again. Several people asked how I did it. Well, Miss M was in the stroller and I pushed it with one hand. I pulled the suitcase with the other hand. And the K Man tagged along in the baby ergo for the ride. One man looked at me and said, "You are my hero." I responded with, "Tell my husband.":) We had a slight delay in Atlanta and ended up walking to every concourse chasing our plane. This young lady on the way to Lexington took pity on me. She also happened to work at a Delta ticket counter in Nevada, and thanks to her airline smarts, we finally got on a plane to Lexington at 5PM. Keep in mind we were originally supposed to land at 4:30, so this tired mama was reaching the end of her rope. We made it to Lexington in one piece, loving each other and sane. We rode in the short car ride to my parents' house, ate some supper, and settled in for a long winter's nap...not really...we partied like it was 1999 because of course my kids did not want to sleep. Oh jet lag...you are why I do not like these trips. It took the kids about 5 days to get over the jet lag, but once they did, we were all ready to go. I will include in this post thoughts about our return trip as well, since I forgot to take pictures of the airplane or my sleep deprived face when I arrived in Lexington. The travel on the way back was fairly easy, and even better because we had daddy along for the ride. We had a delay out of Knoxville, but boarded the plane on time in Atlanta. Same rules - lots of candy - lots of Mickey Mouse clubhouse. Mama even got to watch a movie on this flight sense Daddy could help out, although it was not that good. We had A LOT more luggage coming back than going. Praise God for luggage delivery service at Narita airport. We utilized it. After a car ride, a plane ride, a train ride, and a taxi ride, 24 hours later we were in our apartment, home sweet home, and the kids could not be happier. It was like Christmas morning all over again coming home and playing with their own toys. It warmed my heart a bit. Jet lag has been much easier coming back to Tokyo. The first night Miss M slept straight for 9 hours, however, the K Man was up from 11-3 and then again at 5 for the day. Mama may or may not have shed some tears that night due to sheer exhaustion. Thankfully the husband thought ahead and had groceries delivered Wednesday night, so all I had to do Thursday was shower and somewhat function and cook spaghetti. However, ever since Thursday night, our second night home, our kids have slept straight through for 10-12 hours. A friend joked that by next weekend they will be sleeping 17 hours a day. I am not sure what it is. The husband and I have not had bad jet lag either. Not once have I been away from 2-5 like I was going to the US. We wonder if it has something to do with being back home...maybe you settle more quickly into a routine. When we lived in the US and would travel to Tokyo, it was always easier going back home than coming to Tokyo. Food for thought - maybe jet lag is purely psychological. Doubt it, but it is funny how easy it has been coming back here. So as you can see, I have some great little travelers. They are flexible. They know that we sleep on airplanes, and they actually sleep. They are the best. I think I will keep them. I know you all want to see pictures and here more about our visit. That will have to come tomorrow. It is 10PM and I am calling it a night. More to come...