Packing 101

Ok, so this past weekend I was in Saranac Lake, NY. The weekend before that I was in Glen Spey, NY. A week before that I was in Orlando, FL. Next week I'll be in Cumming, GA with more trips to Saranac in the weeks to come. That's a lot of dang packing!

Oh! And with a baby so I'll say it again: That's a lot of dang packing!

As all mothers quickly find out, everything that happens in your life after a baby takes longer than it did before the baby. Now, I do not like to be rushed. I can't talk and think and do at the same time and being rushed usually requires all three of those at once. So, to avoid that, I've started to take basic tasks and split them into multi-day projects.

Packing for an out-of-town trip is an example of that.

Most people pack the night before they leave for their trip. I, too, used to do such a thing. Now, I literally take at least 5 days (yep, that was the number 5... next to the word "days") to pack. It's not that having a baby has added that much more stuff (although I do have much more to think about and bring), it's more that having a baby means that your time is no longer predictable or your own. And, more than likely - if you wait until the night before to pack, you will be packing on an exhausted mind, worrying that you'll forget something.... or your baby won't sleep well and you'll have less time than you thought to pack... or you'll realize you need something that hasn't been washed.... or.... or.... or.... the list could go on forever.

My goal is to avoid all of that by creating margin in my life. And, at least in the packing part, I do that by starting 5 days before we leave for a trip.

I leave for GA next Tuesday (the 28th), just me and Abilene. That means I'll start packing tomorrow (the 23rd). So everyday, for the next 5 days, I'll show you what I do to make the night before I leave for a trip stress and worry-free... even with a baby :)

Here's to happy travels!