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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

So restless nights

Lists, lists, lists! I feel like I have been living lists the last few weeks or so. First, there were the "luau prep," "luau menu", and "house cleaning for the party" lists (the husband particularly enjoyed this last one). Then came multiple "trip shopping" lists. Then, the "do before we leave" lists. And now the "London master packing" list. The husband asked me last night if I had a to pack at the last minute list and I said, umm, no, I have a master packing list. When everything is checked off and packed, we can leave. Clearly, you do not understand the concept of MASTER lists. They are the ur lists that encapsulate all others. Duh!

So the packing, aided by the list, continues apace. So far, so good: all our clothes, J's diapers, and various other accouterments are in one large bag that currently weighs under 50 pounds. There is, in fact, very little left to put in this bag. However, should we be too close to the limit or (heaven forbid!) over it, I am also packing a small, collapsible duffle in the large bag's top pocket, into which I will transfer two packing cubes in about 30 seconds when we check our luggage. Then, when we get to London, I will transfer everything back in another 30 seconds at customs or baggage claim, and we will still be imminently mobile. I cannot sing enough praises for packing cubes, by the way. We got ours here on the recommendation of a traveling with kids blog I read, and they are fabulous. We each have one medium and one large cube filled with our clothes and, in J's case, some diapers and sundries. Each cube holds two layers of clothes and keeps the larger bag totally organized. They make me so happy, I can hardly stand it!

The rest of our equipment will come in our carry-ons, two backpacks (for sure) and a diaper bag (perhaps--this stuff may get parceled into the two backpacks instead). Our house is full of stacks right now: a stack of the clothes we're wearing on the plane, a stack of J's carry on essentials, a stack of toiletries ready to go into the big bag when we finalize the collection (we're in some negotiations over hair products), a stack of snacks both adult and child, a stack of unmated socks (discovered while doing mountains of laundry), a stack of important papers, stacks upon stacks upon stacks. It's lovely, trust me!

Stay tuned....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Lil,

Quick question: How do you actually weigh your luggage? The bathroom scale?

Denise

Lilita said...

Yep. The husband recently bought an official Weight Watchers scale (just because it was digital), and I just heft the bag on it, let it settle, and stand back quickly. Very effective!

btw, your facebook 25 things were great!