Almost Ready

Whenever we are leaving for a long weekend, things follow a familiar pattern.

At first I am confident that all will go smoothly. I mean, I plan my chores and activities down to the last detail, so it shouldn't be too hard. I just need to find time to pack our bags before we leave.

A couple of days before we are scheduled to leave, I realize that hampers are full, drawers are empty, and that each person will need five clean changes of clothing unless we plan on doing laundry. Not including items to be worn during the days we are still at home. I begin doing twice as much laundry and start setting aside clothes I think we should bring.

I realize that there are a few things I should take care of before we leave, such as taking out the trash, the compost, and probably clearing out the hallway stacked with empty suitcases, summer beach towels I haven't stored yet, and brown boxes from UPS that Santa sent early.

I then realize there are a few jobs I do on days we will be gone that should be done before we leave, such as paying the bills, so we don't get late fees, and so the lady who takes care of our pets won't be tempted to sift through our credit card bills. And changing the cat box, because I am not cruel.

At this point, one of the boys will start throwing up or get a fever higher than 101, adding the worry that we might have to cancel.

And suddenly we have 24 hours before we leave, and I am frantic, trying to pack and wax my legs at the same time, throwing things into our bag as I mop the coffee stains off the kitchen floor (so the dog lady won't think we are as sloppy as we really are) and wash another load of vomity sheets, insisting that it's all just a fluke and he'll be better in a couple of hours.

When we leave I realize that I am already low on sleep, that I forgot to pack underwear for two of the boys, that I left a load of wet wash in the washer, and that the kids somehow managed to smuggle an entire bag of legos into the car. Also, the sick child is now well, but the other two will get ill just as we arrive, or during the last stretch of traffic.