Packing Once Again

 We're at it again. Packing. Due to the accident, I wasn't completely sure we could pull off this vacation, but here we are. Twelve hours away from leaving and I'm doing my last load of laundry. I'm at an impasse in packing until it's done, so I sit and write. Packing for a family of five plus a canine is no easy feat. Especially when we're doing various things on this trip.

For the first couple of days we'll be hiking and running through waterfalls. Our hotel will take care of breakfasts for us and we plan on enjoying some of the small, local eats along the North Shore. Then it will be onto a houseboat for the rest of the week. Yes, a houseboat. No, we have no idea how to even drive a boat, but we'll be teaching the kids how to navigate water maps, tie a boat up, and how to kayak. I'm hoping it will be a memorable beginning to our homeschooling year.

So, back to packing. I'm pretty sure we're bringing everything in our house minus our furniture. I'm thankful to the universe for hearing my plea of getting a rental with roof racks, so we're able to pack our car topper because we must bring it all. In addition to the packing, there's the cleaning that I feel must be done before we leave. It must be done because it makes me feel better, but we ALWAYS have to clean the house upon our return. Each and every time. Somehow my house gets dirty without us even being in it. 

Now, onto the fighting. My children feel the best time to not get along is when mom is busy. Obviously, packing day is THE DAY to do this. One kid is nursing a new black eye, one was asked to leave to run errands with dad, and the other was told if they speak to me, it must be nothing but positive things. That's where we are on this Saturday evening. Packing once again and trying not to lose my mind doing so.