As the school year ends and we look ahead to the next couple of months, it’s exciting to plan a few day trips and a holiday at the cottage. What isn’t fun is the process of packing for five family members in order to make said dream a reality.
Greg has learned, the morning of our departure, I work myself into a tizzy picking up post-it notes filled with list after list of line items to remember. The first of which is, more post-it notes. His time is best served waiting outside on the drive-way, guarding the kids so nobody gets trampled.
With five family members at various stages of diapers, Dora underwear, Princess underwear as Dora is for babies, granny panties and fitted boxers, I have a lot of bums to cover.
We will need several large duffle bags, all of which will be splitting at the seams before I’m finished sitting on them and pulling the zippers closed with an industrial strength safety pin.
We need everything in all of our dressers and probably a quick trip out to several stores to buy enough clothing to make it through without a washing machine.
We will need bags within bags; a series of nesting doll back-packs, each one smaller than the next, whose contents are nothing more than another smaller bag. These bags come with a purpose and are strategically packed. They will all be used once we arrive at our destination. The large (mother backpack) for beach towels, the next size (teenager) for hats, books, activities, next size (pre-adolescent) for sunscreens, snacks, batteries, (toddler) for more bags, this time plastic, garbage and zip-loc, all the way down to the premie key-chain size sack, housing one button from Hanna’s collection.
We need night-lights, life jackets, light sabres, night vision goggles, “Mommy, did you remember our stuffies?”
Beach towels, bath towels, tea towels, hand towels and another even bigger backpack assigned to all things terry-cloth.
If I find a cigar cutter or razor charger in any bag other than the cigar cutter or razor charger bag, the plan spontaneously combusts.
Melting ice cream, gas in the car, obscure toys the kids have never played with but decided they can’t live without for a week. “Mommy, did you remember stripey?” What am I a rookie?
Bug repellent, warm clothes, cool clothes, clothes for a fireside roasting are all somehow crammed into the “bag for all seasons.”
Water sports, rainy day activities, markers….almost forgot markers!
I suggest a stop at a roadside strawberry stand and the idea is not even considered due to a lack of space.
We don’t have room for 1 quart of strawberries? That is interesting, because I see we have room for several cases of imported beer but I had to leave my four cans of perrier behind at the house.
