How to Pack for Vacation

 

Buy luggage, especially if your last set of new luggage was your high school graduation gift from your parents.
Have kids try on summer clothes to see if any fit. Shop for necessary items. Translation: drag three males to the mall while you and your daughter do all the shopping.
Buy kid travel items like new books to read, gum, a couple new toys, etc. and convince kids not to play with or lose said items before the actual trip.
Lose lots of sleep as you burn the midnight oil building cabinets and notating student compositions with software you’ve never used before AND keep the same schedule as a regular week.
Post your stress on Facebook so that every one can join in your misery of preparing to leave for Florida. (do not get many “likes”)
Take daughter to get manicure/pedicure as part of vacation preparation. Wait, wait and wait for your fingernail polish to dry before heading to son’s basketball game. Note that your polish never did dry completely and remove polish entirely from fingernails, thus removing $12.50 worth of polish and try to rise above the situation to not ruin experience for daughter.
Have husband start laundry which means every single article of clothing must be cleaned, folded and put away before packing. Assure other family members that either wearing the same clothes for the next three days or going naked is entirely okay for the sake of the laundry being done.
Create an exhaustive packing list and step each child through it, not allowing any deviance. Find lost travel items and quarantine packed backpacks and bags so that no further items can be lost or added.
If time allows, organize sock drawers and alphabetize spices.
Send husband and older son on a long snowmobile ride and allow daughter to go to basketball game while you enjoy the fact that you are packed and are going to Florida.
Blog and dance about it!!