Avocado aka Pear

In the Bahamas I have had some of the most amazing local food I could imagine.  The freshness and quality of the seafood is unmatched as well as much of the local produce.  Since it is a group of islands, things take time to get here (produce and meat not grown locally), but you can find some wonderful food right on the islands!

Having Endometriosis and a special diet because of it, I try to eat organic, hormone/pesticide free fresh food as much as I can.  I also try to feed my daughter and family this way. I am in luck because there is a lot available.  One major difference is my favorite (and my toddler’s) – avocados 🥑.  They are incredibly good for you and quite popular, especially lately.  Locally in the Bahamas, they can be known as “Pears” instead.

Being from California I was confused at first, but when I was told by friends what they were, I was excited to try them.  The local “pears” are roughly three times the size of American or Mexican Hass avocados naturally (much easier to make guacamole with! 😜). They are beautiful and smooth with a buttery creamy texture inside.  The flavor is a little more mild than Hass or Bacon but they can be used the same way (guacamole, on toast, with salad dressing, eaten alone, made into ice-cream or milkshakes, etc).

It is a good lesson for us all to give something new a chance (what I try to teach Gianna) – even with a different name – because you never know just how good different things can be, especially while traveling!

❤️

Jaimarie

Monkeying Around

Some of the hottest toys for Christmas this last year were the Fingerling Monkeys. They are small little toy animals that make sounds and reactions based on your actions. They giggle, blow kisses, coo, and even fart and burp. Kids obsess over them and parents and other adults do too! Fingerlings are small so they are portable (great for travel) and have an on/off switch in addition to going to sleep after 5 minutes of not being played with.

When I saw these toys I set out to get one for my daughter for Christmas. I thought they were pretty fun, but I had NO IDEA how much she would love them! They truly are the toy of the year! Check out our new friends Bella & Finn!

Fingerlings
Finn & Bella

 

You can get your own here and see how many fun actions and noises they will do!

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❤️

Jaimarie

 

Santa Baby

Look who’s taking a Bahamas holiday before the big night! 🎄🏝🇧🇸🎅 The kids here loved it and enjoyed hot cocoa and treats after their personal meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Sending lots of holiday love from us here at A Tiny Suitcase.  Follow us on Instagram for more about the holiday season here in The Bahamas!

 

❤️

Jaimarie

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Merry Christmas from The Bahamas!

Island Life

Our family recently relocated to The Bahamas for my husband’s work. Although our extended family lived here and we have visited often, nothing compares to the new adventure we are on. Traveling (and moving) with a toddler is always challenging.

Being based in California, London and Las Vegas previously, the island life is something you see in movies and photos on social media or are lucky enough to experience on a vacation or cruise (my previous experiences).  Although we will be back and forth, we will be spending quite a bit of time here and it is truly like a dream.  Spending the Winter in a tropical location adds a very fun twist to the normal cold holiday season.

Within a day of arriving Gianna found a coconut that had fallen from a tree, cracked it open and we drank the water.  One of her favorite movies is Moana so you can imagine how excited she was!

If you want to escape the cold Winter this is the place to do it!  Check back often for more about our adventures in The Bahamas here or on our social media InstagramTwitterFacebook, & Pinterest

🇧🇸❤️

Jaimarie

 

A Tiny Suitcase is Moving!

It’s been awhile since a post at ATS but we have been having lots of changes around here! We are moving to Nassau in The Bahamas.

We are moving in the next two weeks! A Tiny Suitcase will still be based around family travel but now include much more about our Island life and travel based from there.

We hope you follow along with us on our next A Tiny Suitcase adventure and check our social media for photo and video updates.

Lots of love,

❤️

Jaimarie

Travel Under 2

When I was pregnant with my daughter a good friend told me to try to travel as much as we could when she was still a young baby. At the time of midnight feedings and a new baby we were just learning about, this sounded so overwhelming and staying at home seemed like the much easier option. Her reasoning for this was not only for the baby to become comfortable traveling while still young enough to adapt to it, but also because children under age two can fly on your lap (not as safe as purchasing their own seat with a car seat) for free. Once turning two they need their own purchased seat and are no longer a “lap riding infant”.

Since she was a newborn our family has been many amazing places and travel has become a very normal part of our lives with her.  She is now approaching two and we just bought her first airline ticket with her own seat. It’s more expensive now and she will still probably prefer to lay on us but the extra room for snacks and in flight entertainment will be a nice change.

Let The Adventures Begin

Welcome to A Tiny Suitcase! I am Jaimarie and I’m a Mom of a toddler girl and wife of an Englishman. I have traveled frequently for work and pleasure in the past both alone and with my husband. Nothing prepared us for traveling with a baby and now a toddler.

Traveling with children requires way more planning and preparing lots of distracting entertainment. No matter whether you travel by plane or car, for fun or necessity long hours of sitting still take a toll on young ones who wonder “Are We There Yet?”.

A Tiny Suitcase will help. This is your one stop for trip planning, suggestions of kid friendly adventures for the whole family and great products we love.  Travel with us on our family vacations to keep updated on our new kid friendly discoveries. I hope you and your whole family come back often and let me know the tips that work for you!

 

MiamiGold

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