So much to do!
A few quick comments first off…
thank you so much again for the respectful comments on my latest post on birth control. I have really appreciate the kindly worded comments on this potentially volatile topic. It's always a blessing to share with you ladies!
Secondly, what a great response to the very first Living Simply Saturday carnival! I was delighted to see so many participate the very first week, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading through each of the contributions (and found myself so encouraged by them as well). If you missed the first one, be sure to check it out and join us for the next carnival, coming up this Saturday!
I've got a busy week ahead of me! We leave for Seattle on Friday at noon (and fly to Phoenix the next Wednesday), and from now until then, I need to:
- pack everything we need for our two week trip
- can as many pickles as possible, and dehydrate more herbs
- write out detailed directions for the friend who's looking after my garden (especially my tomatoes) while I'm gone
- plant spinach and radishes
- weed the garden as much as possible before ditching it for 2 whole weeks-yikes!
- find a cheap way to cover my watermelons, peppers, and possibly a few other plants to protect them in case of bad weather while I'm gone
- finalize everything to keep my blog running smoothly while I take the entire two weeks off (ahhh…)
- finish my articles for Family Bliss, where I am now contributing every month
- use up every last bit of food in my fridge! (I would have done a menu plan for ya'll, but I figure it's pretty random and probably nobody cares what we eat as I clean out the fridge!)
- book some Dentist, Doctor and Naturopath appointments for us when we return
- prepare for our 5 year anniversary coming up this Saturday! Whohoo!
- make snacks for the road, like fruit leathers, granola bars, and crackers
- do mountains of laundry
- start editing my ebook (the first draft is complete!)
- make bread (to freeze) and yogurt so there's at least something to eat when we return!
- double check our baggage allowance on the plane (and do my kids car seats count as baggage? How about a playpen or stroller?)
- actually remember to water all of my plants (gosh, I'm bad at that!)
- clean my house!!!
- probably 10 million other things that I can't remember…
Can you think of anything I might have missed? What do you usually do before leaving on a long trip?
!!!!!!!! Seattle!!! I LIVE THERE! :O If you get a chance and love coffee, I recommend Caffe Vita. If you want some company for said coffee, I’m totally always up for coffee. YAY COFFEE!
oops, let me give you the web address:
http://www.caffevita.com/index.php
weeee! seattle is great! I love living here.
So much for living simply! 😉 Good luck with all of your preparations and have fun on your vacation!
I agree, Mrs. Taft- Seattle is great! And coffee just happens to be one of my last unhealthy indulgences… 🙂
Touche, Amy! 🙂 My hope is that a week of craziness will be worth it, so that I can truly rest for 2 weeks with my family. That will make it very worthwhile!
Your stroller, carseat, playpen are counted like a wheelchair, therefore those items should not count against your luggage. Check the airline website to be sure, but I know when we have traveled the airlines they have not counted them, only the actual bags.
make sure you check with the airlines… you used to be allowed 2 checked baggage per person, and now i think it is 20$ extra for the 2nd one.
strollers and car seats were free last time i flew (3 years ago)
the BEST thing I ever did was make a list on my computer with check boxes for every possible thing we need every time we travel. I then fine-tuned it over time with trips. We then print off a copy, and then check things off as we go, so we are all packed without having to think to hard (just the first time making the list and some very small fine tuning required thinking). I write everything on it- say for example shorts and winter coats are on it- so if its summer I just check off winter coats without packing them as I don’t need them or vice versa but it works for anytime we travel (we do a lot to see family).
The other thing I did was make a “before leaving” checklist- water plants, move them out of direct sun so they don’t dry out, turn the furnace down, shut windows…etc etc. and also print it off and check it off as things are done.
Saves me a lot of time and effort!
Can’t think of anything else you missed though. Have a great time!