Inching Closer To Adventure Time

Good news! Caelen is going to have a US passport and be officially acknowledged as an American citizen. Joel made a follow-up phone call after our additional proof of citizenship package was delivered. Once the passport arrives we can start dealing with his Canadian citizenship. Yet another instance where we wish we were dealing with the well oiled machine of the Singapore Ministry of Manpower and the Canadian High Commission in SG. Boggles the mind. Anyway, we are going to be fine to go on our trip and that's what's important right now. I've been really busy getting us ready to go. Yes we're still a ways from the departure date but I'm a planner. My list making frenzy has already been in full force for weeks. All our flights have been booked, we found a place to stay in Montreal and I've been interviewing for a part time nanny there so I can work a bit.

Ok now lets talk travel with kids again. No matter how minimal you try to be, travelling with two under 4 is going to require some extra checked baggage. After years of honing our packing skills down to just carry-on we're hauling more than ever before. Every freaking thing has a big bulky flight case from the stroller to the car seats. I'm trying to devise a plan where arrival and departure at the airports won't be such a gong-show. So far here's what my thoughts are.

• Check the two carseats (packed in proper flight cases)
• Gatecheck (right at the door of the plane) the double stroller
• Team up the suitcase packing (eg: one kid and one parent's clothes in each) so we can get down to two suitcases. 
• Austen carries his own carry-on (Stop laughing. Three year olds occasionally take direction right?)

How to pack & move in three days

So we flew home Sunday night and then we packed up and moved three days later. People keep asking us how we managed to pull it off. This is our fourth relocation and this is generally how it goes.

Day one: pre-pack anything that we need to have with us for immediate use. Pre-pack anything we need to have shipped directly to our temporary place for the first month or two. We can do this in one day. This time it took 7 hours.

Day two: packers arrive. This time we just had three guys and they packed up all our furniture, clothes, books etc in about four hours. We spent a few additional hours checking their labels and ensuring errors weren't made

Day three: they filled the truck. This has always been a half day activity for us because we always live in fairly small places though it was a bit longer this time because they had to also stop at our storage locker. Our cleaners arrived at noon and we'd done the walk-through by 2:30. 

And that's how we roll! We had phenomenal support from our neighbours and friends who brought us food so we could just power through and git 'er done. 

As we drove away we decided to take the PCH out of town. A nice way to say good-bye to this chapter and usher in the next. 

Packing for Singapore

I have a few guests heading my way this year so this is for all of you soon-to-be Singapore explorers. My list of things you might want to consider when you pack your suitcase.

Bags
You don't really need to pack light or be very mobile with your luggage because as soon as you get off your flight you get a trolley and as soon as you get outside there are cabs and chauffeur services waiting. Cabs aren't expensive and well worth it after a long flight. Just make sure you can physically lift your bag off the conveyor belt. Alternately look helpless enough that someone else will do it for you. Not that I've done that.

Bring a purse or side bag you are comfortable with carrying for a whole day of walking and then something smaller for an evening out.

Clothing
You really don't need to (and frankly shouldn't) dress for a safari. While you may see lots of other pale, disoriented tourists taking this approach it's really overkill and gives all the fashionable Singaporeans something to really laugh about.

On the road again

Joel is heading back to Singapore after spending the past few weeks working from Montreal. Meanwhile, I've been 3000 miles away still helping out on the home front but also doing online course work.  In the past two months Joel and I have barely spent two weeks under the same roof. It's often this way for us but frankly it's starting to wear a little thin. I'm counting down my last week here before I fly back to Singapore too.

Despite my eagerness to be home, I'm less than thrilled about the long flight. Plus, I seem to be bringing a huge box of bike wheels (Joel!!!!) and a big hard case filled with artwork, kitchen gear and half a dozen pairs of Havaianas. The TSA is going to have a heyday if they look in my bags. Not that anything is at all illegal, it's just I don't think many other people are traveling with... well bikes tires and copper pots.