My Lehman's catalogue arrived yesterday, and I thought of you. It started out as a business which catered to the Amish and Menonites in this country - German religious sects which settled here in the 17th century. They still exist in large communities in Pennsylvania and areas in the Midwest. They do not use electricity, automobiles, etc. (they really do drive horse & buggies in the slow lane on the highways). Fabulous farmers. They are the reason there is still a market here in serious plow horses, horse drawn plows, etc. I was in PA driving around with an elderly friend who had lived there all of his life (he was "Pennsylvania Dutch", and totally in the modern world, but still was able to speak the ancient German dialect, and spoke English with a slight German accent, despite the fact that his family has been here since the 1660s!). We passed a lovely farm house with at least 2 dozen Amish men climbing all over it doing sort of construction type things. I asked my friend what was going on, and he said "They are taking the electricity out", because it had been purchased by an Amish family! Anyway, the Lehman's catalogue has every tool & gadget you can imagine in a version that does not require power, as well as all sorts of wood stoves (with cooking ovens & tops), etc. etc. It was advertising a book about how to live without electricity, too. I thought you might find it amusing - they have a web site. Jackie

If you will be on paved roads at all times, take the Maxima. It's more confortable, gets better gas mileage, and may be safer than the truck (at speed) on rain slicked roads. If you will be traveling on unpaved roads at any time including gravel, or if you will be hauling sizeable cargo, take the truck. The truck can handle gravel better than the car, and why beat the underside and fenders of a nice car when you have an alternative.

Without a doubt, I'd take 2 cars. For a hundred reasons. It will be impossible to time stops convenient for all of you. In one car, you stop for the girls to use the bathroom, they will wake up a sleeping baby. In your own car, even if you pull over with them, you won't have as much noise. That goes for drive time as well. 4 and 5 year olds just don't sleep as much in the car as parents would like them to. They will play, sing, and fight, all of which will keep the baby from sleeping when you want him to. Like dogs in the neighborhood, one starts yelling, they all chime in! It's going to be hard, but that would not stop me if the trip were important to me. I think I'd try to get him using a sippy cup or bottle or sport bottle w/straw -something else he can drink from besides me (if you are breastfeeding). It will help "get him by" for a little while until you can stop. Mine would drink from a straw at 6 mos, they really pick it up quick. Travel as much during sleeping times as possible. Stash some interesting new toys to take out as needed, things he can explore for the first time. Expect to set next to him a lot, most of the time he is awake. Keep diapers and wipes in the side pocket of the door, or something, where you can get to them very quickly. Take some plastic bags to dispose of them. During big driving days, dress him in layers to help keep him as comfortable as possible in heat or air conditioning. If you don't have them, get shades for the windows. When we travel, the sun always seems to be in the wrong place for the baby to go to sleep or street or headlights wake them up just as they are almost asleep! Very frustrating, so shade them well. Keep an old blanket with you, so if you stop at a park or rest area (or any grassy spot) you can let him stretch. When we've travelled with our kids that young, nothing settled them down better than a chance to be on the back or tummy, change them in the fresh air to "air out" that tired bottom. And take a really big bottle of Excedrin -you'll probably need it LOL!

We just got back from 10 days in France. I carry a backpack, totally packed that weighs between 15-18 lbs. I think mine actually weighs less than my DH's pack! LOL My backpack isn't standard. It is GoLite. It weighs practically nothing. I use the feather weight stuff sacks from REI to sort my belongings. I roll my clothes. I take clothes that are a blend of cotton with a touch of spandex for stretch and wrinkle-resistance. They also dry faster. Most of my clothes are from Chico's, Soma and REI. I don't purchase the "travel clothes", just the ones with the right fabric blend. I get the Vanity Fair microfiber undies and they dry quickly, roll up into a tiny size, so you can take a sufficient supply. I do like the Soma traveler's bras without the underwire. Roll up small and wash/dry quickly. Here's what I took to France for temps in the mid 60s & 70s and I could have carried less. I washed out my jeans a couple of times and hung them on the drying rack outside at the apartment (dried in one day while we were out and about). All of the black items were matching coodinates. 2 pairs of Chico platinum jeans (light and dark indigo) 2 pairs of black slacks 1 pair of Gramicci quick-dry pants (we went hiking) 1 black skirt PJs 1 pair of grey yoga pants for hanging out at the apartment 1 long sleeve blue top 1 short sleeve hiking T 1 3/4 sleeve turquoise top 1 3/4 sleeve lime green top 1 long sleeve black top 1 short sleeve black T 1 sleeveless black tunic with 2/4 sleeve tie front jacket 1 3/4 sleeve floral top 1 b&w lightweight checked jacket 1 multicolor knit jacket (went with all tops except the floral) 1 Royal Robbins lightweight black rain jacket 1 pair of tan NB Country Walkers for hiking (wore those on the plane as they weighed the most) 1 pair of black Keen strap mules 1 pair of TravelSox (for the plane) 3 pairs of Coolmax casual socks 2 pairs of Coolmax tan hiking socks 5 sets of lingerie 1 pack towel (for hiking/beach) 1 Sudoku book 1 novel Bose headphones (DH had the iPod for music with a shared connector) 2 books on France 2 roadmaps Toiletries: toothbrush Listerine strips (bought mouthwash in France) travel toothpaste travel size floss Neutrogena tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 (in lieu of foundation and moisturizer) Sample size of Lancome mascara from dept store Lipstick Travel size bottles filled with shampoo and condition Travel size bottle filled with facial cleanser bought lotion in France I also carried a small Eagle Creek black purse, my Canon Elph camera with charger and extra memory cards. Everything I just mentioned is in this photo! We were on our way from our hotel in Nice to the train station to pick up our rental car. I walked about 2 miles with no problems. Easy to get through airports and customs...no checked bags to wait on; no lost luggage. Totally portable. I'm 54, not some young thing! LOL