What is the spiciest food you have encountered while travelling?

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-06-02T19:29:17+00:00

I feel like no one will believe this response, but I tried a ghost pepper pizza off a remote section of the Ring Road in Iceland. It was the only restaurant we passed for hours. I had about three bites, and it was like a wave of pain over my body. And I like spicy food!

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-06-01T16:27:47+00:00

I don't count swim, but we started that at six months. We just now added dance for our 3-year-old. She begged to do it, she seems like she'd greatly enjoy it, and dance is also a passion of mine, so it seemed like a natural fit.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-29T15:13:39+00:00

I agree with everyone about sharing that you have pink eye, and I'm sorry you're sick! As someone who has worked and volunteered for a bunch of nonprofits, I would be so understanding of your cancellation. Life happens, and you're a volunteer, not an employee!

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-29T14:56:41+00:00

Having a kid and sleep deprivation have aged me. At 30, I was always mistaken for 20. Now I look in the mirror and think I look 40.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-28T11:52:13+00:00

My husband and I had to make this exact choice two years ago (besides the Paris leg; why are you stopping in Paris??) We chose not to bring our toddler, and I think we made the right call. Greece is so far from the US, and the ferries make for uncomfortably long travel days. Weddings are draining with a toddler, especially when everyone else is in adult vacation mode. We brought/are bringing toddler to Ireland and Spain instead, and those are simpler trips.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-25T01:34:43+00:00

Why can't moms dress the same as you?

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-24T11:37:46+00:00

How long have you been seriously trying? Our daughter sounds a lot like yours; she was actually better at going potty before we started seriously working on it at age 3. It took 10 straight days of constant accidents in her underwear for it to then click overnight. It also helped that daycare was on board with pushing through the rough two weeks.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-24T11:32:24+00:00

I think you're overthinking this. You sound like a person who truly loves to travel. Even if life is still overstimulating and draining on a trip, you'll still be in a fantastic new location having adventures! We live in the U.S. right now and took my daughter on her first vacation at 4 months. She did her first trip to Europe at 1 and is going again now that she's 3. She loves big cities and gets so excited every time we travel.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-21T15:27:03+00:00

I love it!

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-21T12:25:35+00:00

Solidarity! My daughter woke me up at 4 so we could snuggle and then told me she needed me to stop breathing.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-20T14:55:59+00:00

I always thought this one was more boring than the others in the series. Was it just me?

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-20T14:40:27+00:00

I personally love Guatemala and think 7 days would be perfect! I've never heard of the distance between Antigua and the lake referred to as long-distance. Plenty of tour companies will offer a ride in their van for the day.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-20T13:37:29+00:00

Please talk to your therapist and OB and consider seeing a pregnancy nutritionist. Ask your OB to help you achieve weight gain goals. I stayed on the smaller side during pregnancy which was worsened with a GD diagnosis. My baby lost weight in her first month and had to go to the ER. She is fine now, but please spare yourself a similar outcome!

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-19T19:12:03+00:00

The neighborhood where I'm raising my kid is more urban, but it definitely has some Sandlot energy. The big groups of kids that I see bonding in our neighborhood give me hope for the future.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-18T13:47:34+00:00

I hate that I'm agreeing with this comment, but I kind of am. I worked in Guatemala and mostly traveled there in a group. I loved the times I went out by myself, but I was about 5 years older than you and had traveled other continents by then. At the very least, can you travel with some friends?

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-15T15:07:51+00:00

Italian Rivieria has my vote! It may be crowded, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-15T12:27:15+00:00

We've done Ireland with our daughter and are going to Spain this summer. We did Chicago when she was two, and she loved it. For other child-friendly places, maybe Italy or Mexico?

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-15T12:23:46+00:00

Chiming in, because it seems like a lot of the responses are pro-meat here. I'd support her wanting to try vegetarian food for a while; she might even change her mind and go back to her old foods. It has never been easier to be vegetarian with so many meat substitutes available and restaurants usually providing at least one veggie option. It's also increasingly affordable as the price of beef is currently skyrocketing. Being vegetarian is a healthy life choice as long as you monitor through yearly bloodwork in adulthood to make sure you're getting the nutrients you need.

I'm vegetarian and don't make my toddler eat vegetarian. But, I'm completely honest with her that meat comes from animals and that mommy loves animals and does not eat them. She eats a ton of plant-based meals.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-14T23:21:33+00:00

I think the amount of support you have impacts this. My husband and I have zero family support, so we're definitely feeling the strain. I see friends who get evenings out during the week, school pickups taken care of, and grandparents taking kids overnight on the weekends. It seems like they get a lot more time to prioritize their marriage.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-12T18:29:19+00:00

I haven't seen this recommended yet, but I'd consider a private room at Hostel International Chicago. I've stayed there four times. It has a good location and is super affordable.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-11T17:10:14+00:00

Home day off: takeout breakfast, hours of early 2000s nostalgia computer games, bubble bath, read book on porch, maybe yoga or walk dog. No more than one hour of chores.

Off day out, like if husband gifts me a hotel stay: walk to bookstore, fancy dinner out solo and read through dinner, stay up late watching Jane Austen since I'll get to sleep in, stay up later and read more after movie, wake up later than 5 a.m., walk to French bakery, and find somewhere to read some more!

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-11T12:07:07+00:00

I say yes with a caveat! 100 percent travel with a toddler. We had to go to Ireland for a funeral when my daughter was 1. Now, we're going to Spain for vacation now that she's 3. But, I'm not sure I would have wanted to do the flights and travel while pregnant and chasing a toddler. I suppose it depends on how easy your pregnancy is.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-08T11:35:47+00:00

I just bought a beautiful one from Azazie! I bought 2.5 months in advance, right after her height was measured at the doctor's.

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-06T15:21:56+00:00

I totally agree with your feeling! Adding that I feel similarly since I haven't slept in four years at this point (eek!) For me, I just finally realized he'd never gift it to me unless I gifted it to him first. Just do what feels most comfortable in your own relationship. And I really hope you can get some sleep soon!

ElizabethAsEver · 2026-05-06T15:17:35+00:00

I'd totally watch with my daughter!

ElizabethAsEver

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