Good morning!
I am taking another run rest day today, although it'll be plenty active. We are I am in the midst of getting everything packed up and there seems to just be more to pack. Luckily I am an all star packer, yes it is true. I could start my own packing business at this point in my life. I am also good at letting things go and realizing the cost to ship doesn't equal the cost of personal value to me. Many things will be on their way to the Goodwill tomorrow and it'll be glorious! We sent 2 boxes here and I have close to 6 we are shipping home, ugh. Plus it was still the Christmas season when we left and I never got a chance to go through old toys versus new Christmas toys. THEN we celebrated the girls birthday while in Montana before setting off for Michigan, so needless to say I see a lot of purging in my future. Kids just don't need that many toys, especially with the nice weather we'll be getting once we are back home. They'll be outside playing and annoying our neighbors, they'll barely touch most of their toys.
I have one suitcase completely packed and the girls' clothes are 90% packed. I have to pick up another box today for a few odds and ends and some of Jesse's dress clothes. I only wear running clothes so my stuff can be shoved anywhere, I wish I was kidding. I am so excited to get on the plane on Friday, sooo excited! Plus the girls completely understand what is going on and know we'll be on our way home very soon.
I thought I would share some simple tips to keep sane when planning a trip, especially with young children.
- My biggest piece of advice is know ahead of time there are going to be bumps in the road. The easier going you are with everything the better everyone around you will feel. Try hard not to stress over little things that come your way. Traveling with family can be hard, especially with little ones, relax.
- Be prepared as much as you can, but don't over do it. Everything you pack has to be unpacked and put away once you are home, keep that in mind. Remember there are stores and you are allowed to go in them.
- Don't wait till the last minute to start getting things ready. If you know ahead of time about the trip and its needs start right away. Pick up items you know you'll need as you are doing daily shopping. This way you don't have a huge chunk of money to put out all at once right before your vacation. Spread it out and pick things up as you come across them.
- Pick up your house and vacuum before you head out. I know it sounds weird, but trust me coming home to semi-clean house after a trip is so refreshing. You'll be tired and have enough to do post trip, it'll be nice to have a clean template to start with!
Sorry no pictures in this post! I realized I don't have any worth sharing, I assume you all know what a suitcase looks like.
Do you travel a lot with your family?
- We do, a lot. Well, more than I thought we would I guess. Jesse's family is all in Montana (which is nice) and my mom currently lives in Northern California. Although I have a feeling she might be closer, she misses her granddaughters pretty bad.
Please tell me about your runs, I had a dream I was running on the beach last night. I am going through withdrawals!
i totally agree...get ready in advance! saves so much time and avoids frustration.
ReplyDeletei start packing a week in advance and the first thing i do is make a check list. then i make clothing "groups" like "beach wear" or "fancy stuff" or "shoes" and spend a few minutes a day collecting all items from a clothing group and putting into my/our suitcases. then 2 days before we leave, i pack everything up in the suitcase, checking off my list and i have 1 day to go over everything to make sure that i haven't left anything out.