Be prepared...I was...
Well, after months of scavenging used North Face shell jackets and Patagonia pants in miniature on ebay, trips to sporting goods stores desperate to find snow gloves, and paying shipping from faraway stores in Montana (where it actually snows in February and the stores still stock these items...unlike here where the bikinis are already dismally displaying themselves front and center on the racks), I was ready to goto the mountains this weekend. Emerson looked so cute in his ski outfit complete with his NF shell and his Obermeyer insulated (which I proudly esniped at the last minute) jackets - you know in case it was 18 degrees or 50 degress he was all set.
Dalton luckily was able to squeeze into some old hand-me-downs and except for the fact he looked like a bad patchwork quilt, everything was covered and fit for the most part (poor second born). While his brother looks like a kid model for REI, he looks like a ski school dropout. Anyway, the important thing is, we were ready!
Now, for anyone that packs for more than oneself, and double this if there are any females involved (time and volume), packing for a winter trip takes minimum a full day. There's at least five lists involved here...1) clothes to pack 2) essentials to pack close by (ie diapers, cups, etc). 3) entertainment (including adding new playlist to ipod, buying new movies for car, testing DVD players, spending 30 minutes looking for the right cords) 4) other essentials (cameras, battery chargers, phone chargers, cell phones) 5) leaving home list (call animal sitter, etc), and 6) honey-do list. Now, remember, all of these tasks need to be performed under a continued attack of demands from children. Plus, time out for making lunch, cleaning up spilled self-help snack I was unaware of and was ultimately crushed into the carpet by the wheels of a suitcase, rescue flushing toilets, diffuse arguments over a toy that hasn't been touched in 3 months by either child, investigate loud CRASH sound, time time-outs...and this is just naming a few. Packing for a trip is like preparing for a year end meeting. If you leave out a crucial detail, it could derail the whole thing. Now, imagine preparing for that meeting without a door on your office. Well, at least, there's Walmart for anything I might forget to pack...while a meeting...well you would just be screwed.
So, here we were. All packed. Ready...set...SICK! Aaaaaa! Nothing like a child waking with a 101 degree fever and complaining of tummy troubles. There is nothing more frightening to a mother's ears than digestive issues which more than likely will result in the dreaded vomiting virus. So, all my efforts are still, for the most part, packed in the car a day and a half later. I guess the bright side of this is it could have been worse. Vomit in a car...well, you may as well go through the car wash with the windows down...
Anyway, so we are sad we missed the Wintergreen trip. Hope all of you who went are having a great time!
Well, after months of scavenging used North Face shell jackets and Patagonia pants in miniature on ebay, trips to sporting goods stores desperate to find snow gloves, and paying shipping from faraway stores in Montana (where it actually snows in February and the stores still stock these items...unlike here where the bikinis are already dismally displaying themselves front and center on the racks), I was ready to goto the mountains this weekend. Emerson looked so cute in his ski outfit complete with his NF shell and his Obermeyer insulated (which I proudly esniped at the last minute) jackets - you know in case it was 18 degrees or 50 degress he was all set.
Dalton luckily was able to squeeze into some old hand-me-downs and except for the fact he looked like a bad patchwork quilt, everything was covered and fit for the most part (poor second born). While his brother looks like a kid model for REI, he looks like a ski school dropout. Anyway, the important thing is, we were ready!
Now, for anyone that packs for more than oneself, and double this if there are any females involved (time and volume), packing for a winter trip takes minimum a full day. There's at least five lists involved here...1) clothes to pack 2) essentials to pack close by (ie diapers, cups, etc). 3) entertainment (including adding new playlist to ipod, buying new movies for car, testing DVD players, spending 30 minutes looking for the right cords) 4) other essentials (cameras, battery chargers, phone chargers, cell phones) 5) leaving home list (call animal sitter, etc), and 6) honey-do list. Now, remember, all of these tasks need to be performed under a continued attack of demands from children. Plus, time out for making lunch, cleaning up spilled self-help snack I was unaware of and was ultimately crushed into the carpet by the wheels of a suitcase, rescue flushing toilets, diffuse arguments over a toy that hasn't been touched in 3 months by either child, investigate loud CRASH sound, time time-outs...and this is just naming a few. Packing for a trip is like preparing for a year end meeting. If you leave out a crucial detail, it could derail the whole thing. Now, imagine preparing for that meeting without a door on your office. Well, at least, there's Walmart for anything I might forget to pack...while a meeting...well you would just be screwed.
So, here we were. All packed. Ready...set...SICK! Aaaaaa! Nothing like a child waking with a 101 degree fever and complaining of tummy troubles. There is nothing more frightening to a mother's ears than digestive issues which more than likely will result in the dreaded vomiting virus. So, all my efforts are still, for the most part, packed in the car a day and a half later. I guess the bright side of this is it could have been worse. Vomit in a car...well, you may as well go through the car wash with the windows down...
Anyway, so we are sad we missed the Wintergreen trip. Hope all of you who went are having a great time!
