Top 5 Tips for Traveling with Kids

Published December 5, 2012 | By Helena Alkhas

How to Prepare for Traveling (alone!) with Kids

As a Brazilian married to an American who’s member of the US Navy I have been traveling with the children at least once a year to visit family both in Brazil and in the US. The twins were chubby 4 month old babies when we first traveled abroad and this year we’ll enjoy Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Rio after 12 years celebrating the season in the US.

I’ll have to pack for all of us, have our documents ready and make sure…

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Techie Tip for an Emergency – Sandy is Here!

Published October 30, 2012 | By Helena Alkhas

Emergency Preparedness

emergency preparedness Helena Alkhas

To all my friends and readers on the East Coast I am sending my good thoughts and wishes that you’re safe and sound at home.

I have been following the weather channels and is not a pretty sight. As I have young kids and one of my concerns when preparing for an emergency is keeping my ability to communicate with the “outside” if I need to ask for help, I was happy to learn that I can actually connect my Twitter account to send messages via SMS.…

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Organizing your Personal Documents

Published October 17, 2012 | By Helena Alkhas

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Personal Document Container - Can you go without it?

Do you know where all your important documents are? Could you just grab everything and run out of the house in case of an emergency? Most of us aren’t prepared for an emergency and hopefully won’t need to “run out of the house”, but even for simple acts like renewing a passport you’ll want to be able to find everything without launching a “search & rescue” operation through the house, right?

Because we’re going to spend vacation in Rio…

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Packing for a Family Beach Day!

Published June 24, 2011 | By Helena Alkhas

This handy checklist makes preparation a breeze

Moms can get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff they have to pack when going out with little ones. Being a mother of three boys, ages 8, 8 and 6, I know it first hand what happens when we realize that something was forgotten: tears!
Well, here is a checklist that will help you get ready for a full day out and come back home with happy little ones, ready for bed time! And you? Oh, you can go enjoy some “me” time!…

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Posted in Vacation & Travel

How to Pack the Ultimate Beach Bag!

Published June 3, 2011 | By Helena Alkhas

How to Pack a Beach Bag for a Day with Kids

There are many things I’m not good at, but when it comes to packing I feel right on my zone.

I have my organizing “expertise” from over a decade of being a military spouse – aka: many moves – and of being a mother of 3 young boys - talk about packing! and being born and raised in Rio de Janeiro has given me a little “insider info” on how to pack to the beach! I also lived in…

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Posted in Vacation & Travel

A Case for the Suitcase!

Published May 16, 2011 | By Helena Alkhas

We all have them and they are so useful when we need them, so let’s give them some TLC and get them ready for the fun every summer brings!

Most of us come home from our trips so tired and with our minds already spinning on what needs to be done, what was left unfinished, that all we do is to get our belongings out and store the poor suitcases back in the black whole of basements, storage rooms and garages.

True that luggage these days can be inexpensive, but…

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Posted in Vacation & Travel