Thank God for buttered Noodles and other thoughts on traveling with kids

This is a post just to make sure we are honest about our trip (and to maybe help others feel good about not traveling) Yes, it is fun and the kids are learning a lot. But, whew, boredom and meltdowns happen. Here are a few lessons learned so far:

1. Finding food that two vegetarian kids (one of them lactose intolerant) will eat is, shall we say, difficult. Their protein options are basically peanut butter, scrambled or boiled eggs, or beans and lentils. These are not always available on the side of the road in rural Nicaragua.

2. Malia does not like Chinese fast food - ever. Best not to suggest it.

3. Buttered noodles should be a valued and studied separate food group.

4. Restaurants can be an ordeal. 2 hours later, money evaporated, and no one happy with what they got. Best to cook when we can.

5. A three-hour early-morning hot rain forest boat ride with a Spanish-speaking guide is about 2.5 hours too long for a 7 year-old.

6. Seeing the third species of Toucan on a 4-hour bird watch is two species too many. For all of us.

7. The Kindle was a gift from God. The battery on the Kindle was a curse of the Devil. The system for downloading books on the Kindle was made by a Congressional committee.

8. Creative aches and pains are being created daily. Maggie recently complained of "low altitude sickness."

What is this?

really?

Here we are in a remote part of the rain forest and they have had enough looking around.

This was dad's idea.

So was this.

Finally!! This is what we want. Was that so hard to understand?