This does sound like it's all within the spectrum of normal. A therapist may be a good sounding board for you, but I wouldn't call it necessary. FWIW, I believe we make a lot of our own happiness by choosing to ruminate on positive things rather than negative things. I have plenty of experience ruminating on negative things -- and the consequences of that -- and I've found life to be just so much better when I keep things positive. Have you given thought to trying to be purposefully more "real" with the people in your life, particularly your husband and good friends? Perhaps they will surprise you by enjoying a more connected version of yourself. I'd just like to encourage you to avoid the "detatch and run" response from relationships. Isolating yourself can very easily lead to depression. Let some good friends in on the real you, focus on the positives, and make sure to get time for yourself. Hopefully, your feelings will change quickly.

I understand the travel anxiety issue. My mom is afraid of flying but still managed to make the flight from the US out to visit us in Asia, multiple stopovers and more than 24 hours of flying time. But we didn't do anything weird or exotic on their holiday. Still, as above, an RV in the UK would be difficult. We had to adapt to driving left when we moved here, and it definitely took more concentration, particularly around freeways. And yes, I did drive once and a while on the wrong side, fortunately only on small streets. With your restrictions, I think I'd pick a different destination. You could do a beach holiday where the anxious traveller could stay around the hotel while the rest went out as they liked. You could do US camping or Canadian camping. You could do a B&B at an international location where the main point of travel is to enjoy nature, so staying around the B&B is pleasant. Some destinations just aren't possible for every traveller.

That's definitely the first time I've heard that idea. No, I wouldn't do it. Also consider the costs of gasoline in UK; you may be cheaper at a B&B and renting a van. Why would a camper be easier? Just to make it more relatable, would you take a camper van to NYC?

Thanks for all of the tips. After looking and thinking and looking so more, I'm going with the Klean Kanteen tops on an insulated bottle. We'll see how long until I start complaining about those!

Safe places are the worst! DH also loving "stores" important things and then can't find them.

Sounds like you would be happy to replace the sofa. Assuming you have the finances to do it, go for it. We have a rule in our house that we aren't going to keep furniture we hate for years on end. Both our parents did that, and we are committed to only keeping things a reasonable amount of time. Get a nice, new sofa and enjoy!

Technically, the "I wish" part of the sentence then requires a subjunctive verb. This makes more sense when you speak other languages, because the subjunctive in English is rare and not very clear. Maybe a better explanation: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/wish.html I grew up saying things like, "If it stopped raining, we might could go outside." No judgement for bad grammar, just trying to explain why it's grammatically wrong.

I can understand your point! However, it's the tropics here, so water goes absolutely everywhere -- every trip to the playground, no matter how short. I usually bring water bottles when we're out shopping as well, just so that we don't need to buy anything if the trip takes longer than expected. I'm not a fan of disposible water bottles, and I'm tired of my purse getting wet from the water! But I can totally imagine that this isn't a problem that everyone has. Thanks for the suggestions so far! I'm looking them up.

The boys drink lots of water and need new cups. I've had some mixed success in the past and am hoping for recommendations. Needs to be actually spill-proof, easy to open/access, easy to clean, minimal parts. Bonus points for a cup that would work for both a 4yo and 2yo, but I'm also happy with separate recommendations. They currently use Playtex cups like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Playtex-Baby-Insulator-Spill-Proof-Cup/dp/B000K52HX8/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1434951386&sr=8-11&keywords=playtex+cup), and I'm moderately happy with those -- but not happy enough to necessarily stick with them.

Four hours with two toddlers! Definitely a long time for "free-play." I led a 45 minute Mommy-and-me music group, which was really nice. No curriculum, though. Just a list of songs I knew (most with motions or actions). We started with instrument songs (shaking songs), then did finger songs (dickie birds, itsy-bitsy spider, etc.), then more action songs (marching songs, the bicycle song, etc.). At the end, we did a song book from Barefoot Books. Animal Boogie, Travelling By, and Portside Pirates are my favorites (also on youtube).

Sticker charts have always worked for my boys. Get something she really wants (for my ODS it was an Iron Man car, YDS got a Vtech guitar), and tell her to earn she needs to go in the toilet (any amount earns a sticker). No big deal if she doesn't, but if she wants X (and X should be very desirable), she needs to go in the toilet. I think six stickers was enough for my boys to earn the prize and get over the problems.

Glad Inside Out is a fairly good movie. We'll have to check it out. We just let the boys watch "Home" from Dreamworks ... and it was good fun for everybody.

Can't stand: Runaway Bunny. Actually, I've only read it properly once, and the rest of the time just said one word per page. Can't stand the book. Love reading: Owl Babies, Going on a Bear Hunt, Spooky Old Tree, anything by Mo Willems, and Julia Donaldson's Monkey Puzzle.

Thanks for all of the tips! These are definitely things I hadn't thought about. Actually, because we're in Asia, the (Asian) nannies here often on their own try to teach the kids. The level of English isn't always great (our future nanny is not bad but reads for example the word "dairy" as "diary"), and their education level also isn't very high. But yes, a plan in advance sounds like exactly what I need. Word Nerd, I can completely understand your point as well, and that's my biggest hesitation. With a highly educated mom at home, there is more organic learning than with a nanny. Especially for my two-year-old, I was just thinking on the lines of some suggested games and activities for a "special learning time," more just a fun stay-inside-because-it's-too-hot-outside time. But yes, you are very right.

You should be fine on car seats. The general European law is over 4's can be in low-backed boosters; I can't swear that Italy's rule is the same but I would shocked if it was stricter. We've never done Italy with kids, but if you have good travellers, I'm sure you'll all enjoy it. Your trip sounds amazing! Just add in extra rest if they need it (our little travel warriors do, but they are 4 and 2).

This is a great expat blog, though it deals with settling abroad rather than just travelling: http://kirstyriceonline.com/. We're a dual-nationality family living in a third country, travelling about once every two months with our small kids (2 and 4). We live in Southeast Asia, which is a great base for travelling. Lots of different cultures, religions, languages, writing systems, all relatively close together (best other option is Europe of course for the same type of experience). Our four-year-old snorkled with sea turtles on our last holiday. The boys have walked on the Great Wall of China, taken tuk-tuks in Cambodia and Thailand, seen penguins and wallabies in the wild, and much more. The more you travel with the kids, the easier it gets. Good luck!

(((Prayers)))

We've always just used the free portion of Starfall online, and it's been more than enough for my boys! See what the free portion has to offer before signing up.

Has anyone done afterschooling via a nanny? Any advice or recommendations? I'm going back to work full time in September, and we have two lovely boys aged 2 and 4 who will attend preschool in the morning and have a nanny at home in the afternoon. Over the last year, I developed a routine with ODS of a short 30 min "schooltime" together, where he learned to read and do math in a very fun, play-based manner. He's enjoyed it, and it seems like it would be possible to ask our nanny to continue this habit. Am I being unrealistic? I'd love to hear any experience, positive or negative.