Road Trip!



November is here and there is no time to waste.  We hit the road for Oklahoma in T-minus 19 days and 21 hours.  I'm not freaking out yet, but I'd better get cracking!  Every year we alternate holidays - last year was Christmas - this year is Thanksgiving.  I love visiting Dean's family and all - but packing up Christmas and hauling it 800 miles southeast is the pits.  I am so glad we don't have to do it this year.  All I have to do is worry about packing up a few food-related things.

After baby number two (Owen) hit the stage, I typed out a packing list to refer to.  Each and every trip it has been modified and added to or subtracted from as the seasons changed and our needs changed.  Despite the list, the actual packing takes the greater part of a day and long into the night because I procrastinate until the last minute, duping myself into thinking - "Well, I have the list done already, how hard can this be?"  HA!  We wake up with a couple hours of sleep under our belts and get behind the wheel.  A stupid thing to do.  Then we are crabby all day.  The kids are also crabby.  And nobody has any fun.

Not this year!

Today, I am taking the remaining days we have to get ready, and am working out a schedule to spread out the work across the days so that I only have a little bit to worry about each day.  (Thank you Fly Lady!)

• Day 1 ( rest of today) - plan packing schedule and pull up the packing list and update it for this current trip, schedule car service.
• Day 2 - Correspond with Dean's mom about what I am bringing for the meal & pack it
• Day 3 - Pull together wish lists for the kids and send to Dean's mom/talk with neighbors
• Day 4 - Pull together dress-up clothes for all family members and pack
• Day 5 - Clean out files on my laptop and gather up cables & thumb drive - pack in technology bag
• Day 6 - Clean upstairs from top to bottom
• Day 7 - Catch up on laundry/budget meeting
• Day 8 - Laundry - clean downstairs from top to bottom
• Day 9 - Pull together all suitcases, dufflebags and backpacks - create central packing location
• Day 10 - Stay on top of cleaning and laundry
• Day 11 - Pull together separate packing pile for boy scout backpacking trip (that happens two days before we leave.  Uugh.)
• Day 12 - Thoroughly clean out car, pack road emergency box, double-check first-aid box and switch around carseat configuration
• Day 13 - Pull together an in-car entertainment backpack for each kid
• Day 14 - Make sure critters have plenty of food, house has TP and clean sheets ready for mom to stay (she's house sitting)/Clean & fill up diaper bag
• Day 15 - Get car serviced/Clean house from top to bottom/Stay caught up on laundry/budget meeting
• Day 16 - Get all packing/food prep for boy scout trip done
• Day 17 - Shop for food during trip/Pack in-car snack box/Pull together all travel bedding
• Day 18 - Pack every one's clothing/Clean house/Visit library
• Day 19 - Pack cooler/Fill up gas tank/Unpack boy scout stuff & wash/Attach roof-top carrier/Pack up car/Prep breakfast for the am
• Day 20 - Crack of dawn - Load up toiletry bag, technology bag, sleepy kids and breakfast.  GO!

To Be Continued...