Packing to be gone for 10 days

[ArmsOfLove]

:nails

I'm putting this here 1) so I don't lose it ;) and 2) so that someone more tuned in to detail might point out something obvious that I'm missing :shifty It's an evolving thread as I have 2.5 weeks until I have to go but if I don't start planning now I won't be ready :doh

Food
10 bread mixes--lunch
oil--lunch
yeast--lunch
cashew butter--lunch
sunflower seed butter--lunch
jelly--lunch
butter
8 cheeses--lunch/dinner
8 tortilla packages--dinner (3)
refried beans (2 cans)--dinner
peach salsa (3)--dinner
chips (4 bags)
romaine hearts
pre-made salad dressing
oatmeal--breakfast
10 tofu (and prebagged seasoning)--breakfast
waffles (premake)--breakfast
maple syrup--breakfast
tofu pups (2)--dinner (2)
french fries (4)--dinner (2)
canned baked beans-(4)--dinner (2)
Veganaise
ketchup
mustard
Frozen rice boxes (2)
Premade container of rice
navy beans (2)
baby carrots
homemade hummus
frozen veggies??? (not sure whether to take with or buy on the road :think)

**Okay--that's five dinners and I don't know what to do from there. Basically one dinner is going to be quesadillas and the other is tofu pups/french fries/baked beans & salad. But french fries and baked beans could be at least one other meal, so that 's 6 meals total :think Then rice and beans is another 3 or 4 meals. Actually, I think that this is enough for the whole trip :think

and some things can be purchased on the road (like I'll take one package of lettuce so that it doesn't go bad while we're travelling)

Clothing
outfit for each of us for wedding
2 pairs slacks for dh
1 pair jeans for dh
1 pair shorts for dh
1 pair jeans for me
2 pairs shorts for me
skirt for me
3 cotton tops for me
1 blouse for me
2 bras for me (just in case you were worried it was for someone else ;) )
5 outfits for each child
underwear
sandals and comfy shoes for me
sandals and shoes for dh
shoes for each child


Supplies
bread machine
can opener
bread knife
good knife
plastic silverware
paper plates
deep skillet (purchase)
quesadilla maker
cooler (w/ ice)
brush
toothbrushes/toothpaste
shampoo
conditioner
soap
razors
deoderant
lotion
makeup
cell phones
cell phone chargers
chapter books
workbooks for car rides
backpack for each child with toys, hats, activities
tethers for bubbies
stroller
dvd selections for van rides
toilet paper
paper towels
towels/swim suits (can't ever travel without our towel ;) )--swim bag
diaper
wipies
car toys for bubbies
pre-bagged laundry soap for 2 loads of laundry


Okay--now I meditate on this and come back and change it :giggle

what am I missing???

[Heather Micaela]

CDs for when you don't want the DVD player on
Cups for each person
Water jug for car
Camera
Video Camera
Jackets (just in case, you never know)
Rain gear JIC
Basic First Aid Kit
Small Blankets and/or pillows for car rides
Diapers or Training pants for bubbies (or portable potty if you think they are 100% ready)
Wet wipes or something else to clean up car spills and messy faces
Maps (unless you have GPS)
All applicaple addresses and phone numbers
Sling or other such item

Magic wand than instantly stops all "Im bored, are we there yet, he's copying me" statements while simultaneously causing joy for both parents and kids. - sadly I can't find mine :giggle

[Heather Micaela]

Oh!
medication/vitamins/perscriptions
sunscreen if you use it
after sunburn soother
hair clips, scruchies, etc for you and Fiona
Sunglasses
Kleenex
Alarm clock
Poratable Iron/steam thing for the nice wedding clothes
Quarters for Landry Mat
Snacks in addittion to the dinners.
Bibles

(OH and sorry I missed that you already had diapers/wipe on your list : doh)

[ArmsOfLove]

sunscreen is already in swim bag :rockon but I do need to put the backup in there
I keep the camera in my purse and the video camera is in my bag but could be taken out before then so thats good to add
hair stuff--definitely
we keep the road map atlas in the van (but dh is going to be cleaning it out so I may need to remember to put it back ;) )
medications and vitamins definitely :tu
I think I'll buy a flat of water from costco
thanks--great stuff

[Rabbit]

That is one organized list. I don't have a single bit of help to add, but when we pack for a much smaller trip in July, I'm asking for your help.

[Heather Micaela]

Your welcome. I am a travel vetran.
Also make sure the car is tip-top (Air pressure/oil changed, etc) before you go. I have been stranded in the middle of AZ with no coolant before. (My parents fault - not mine)
FYI I edited my post after you posted


That is one organized list. I don't have a single bit of help to add, but when we pack for a much smaller trip in July, I'm asking for your help.

NAtalie, I have master list somewhere. Remind me and I will find it. (It is hard copy - not online)

[ArmsOfLove]

:giggle sounds great :hug

My biggest concern is *how* to pack it all because the Kia Sedona is *not* big on room :doh We have some space organizers and I'm thinking of arranging one of them under the leg room beneath car seats :think We can slide our stroller in front of the middle seat, and the cooler *has to* go by the sliding door in the open space, but figuring out where to put everything so that it will be convenient and the first stuff needed when we arrive somehwere is the most easily accessible :think That's where it gets both fun and stressful ;)

[Heather Micaela]

Do you have a roof rack? You could buy a luggage shell and put the less immedaitely needed stuff up there. If usind easy to find sposies, dont bring more than just a few days worth and buy as you go. Your food supply will lighten - so it is just the first few days that will be *really* cramped.

At least you are not camping :giggle

[ArmsOfLove]

we were actually debating taking our new tent but dh said :shrug "What will be leave to take it?" :shifty

and we don't have a roof rack. :(

[Wonder Woman]

do what we did and UPS your clothes :giggle

[allisonintx]

I see the workbooks, but I don't see colored pencils or any writing utencils. Did I miss them somewhere?

[ArmsOfLove]

I see the workbooks, but I don't see colored pencils or any writing utencils. Did I miss them somewhere?
no--need those too :tu

[Katherine]

does your "outfit for wedding" include shoes, or will you wear the ones mentioned further down?

When I pack clothing, I roll up one complete outfit in a tight roll like a sleeping bag. It's more space efficient and less prone to jumbling than stacks/piles. (dh and I spent 2 weeks in Germany with only a backpack each. :) ) We also took a container of detergent, washed clothes in the sink at night, and hung them out to dry, so we didn't have to take as many outfits. (that was for just 2 people of course ;) )

Can you pack a "first night" bag with your essentials for your initial arrival (pjs, toothbrushes, etc. if it's at night) ?

[ArmsOfLove]

It will actually be more like a first two night bag but it's going to be just what we will need to take into hotels when we have to stop to sleep. But with both of us I'm wondering if we can drive a long way without stopping. The children can sleep and we can take turns (especially if I can get a nap that day). It won't be easy, but we'd like to leave at 5 and at least get to El Paso :think So we're going to have the small bag and then one bigger bag for all the clothes and stuff except the food/cooking things. We have storage containers in the van that we think we can use for stuff like the bread machine and such :think Maybe one for all the food stuffs that don't need the cooler :shrug

[bostonsmama]

i have a few ideas, but i need to know where youre staying, somewhere with a kitchen? hotels for the first 2 nights, right? will they have a refrigerator? id skip the quesadilla maker and just take a small pan (or use the pan youre planning to buy), less room and lighter :) will you need spray like pam? bowls? etc. the food part would totally stress me out. :nails

also, id probably make a new section with just travel things (like, van travel) do you have snacks for the van already planned? your list is HUGE so im sure i missed a lot!

bug repellant?

[ArmsOfLove]

I have no idea about kitchens at the hotels which is why we travel with a functioning kitchen, basically :shifty And I have been debating the quesadilla maker but it's not that big and it's really convenient :think Still considering that. We *could* make the cheese crisps open face in the deep skillet :thinkf And then we'll be at a few people's houses :heart

[bostonsmama]

gotcha. soo, the skillet youre getting is a plug in one. :doh im following now. do you have (or know anyone) who has one of those coolers that plug into an outlet in your van? we have one for our whole foods trips and they are soo handy! could you just buy a loaf of bread, then you wouldnt have to take the bread machine? i know im trying to take things off your list, im just thinking about the packing/storing things in the van. we have a windstar, and we're only leaving for one week in july, and im already stressing about room in the van, lol. (and i dont have 5 kids!) once again, youre amazing! :hug

[ArmsOfLove]

well it's gluten free bread and that means it's hard to find, nasty tasting and expensive :shifty Our cooler guarantees 5 days of cooling :think

[bostonsmama]

yeah, i thought you were gluten free, but i didnt know if there was a tasty bread you could find. expensive is never good. :no but maybe worth it for the ease of traveling? i wish shipping wasnt so expensive, id send you our cooler to borrow. you'll be good with 5 days. our only other cooler would not keep things cold for 5 days, so thats pretty good :tu

[ShangriLewis]

I didn't see Trash bags...we always keep trash bags and towels available for messes. I take car sick stuff, as well even if you don't think you need it. Pack everything together that goes together. Diapers/wipes/in the front. I hate pulling stuff out from way under the seat.

Water bottles can be packed in between cracks and tossed in the cooler when it empties. Keep a sharpie in your purse/bag so you can mark a bottle when someone drinks out of one.

I've taken many a long, well packed car trips. I have room in my van for rough tote storage containers. If they fit you can slide them under a kids feet and it's keeps everything out of site. Plus, it's waterproof, just in case.

[ArmsOfLove]

awesome ideas, Heather :tu Thank you so much!

[JoyGal]

Something that works well for us, is when I put dd's outfits into a zip-lock freezer sized bag. One for each day/outfit. So in the morning, she can pull out a bag, put the new clothes on, put the clothes from the day before back into the same bag, toss it into the suitcase/backpack and go on our way. This way, we don't have to look for a complete outfit each day, it saves a lot of room and the clear bags still let her pick out her own clothes. Plus, it has prevented a lot of m.i.a. socks when we get home too :rockon

[ArmsOfLove]

oh that's a great idea too :think

[ShangriLewis]

If you used the good freezer bags you could roll out the air of them and then you would have space bags...or whatever those things are called. That could save some space, too.

[hink4687]

If you want to save room by not bringing as much food you can just send me a list of things you'll need when your at my place and I can go get it for you. You could also pack a few loaves of bread before you leave your house and then bake some at my house to save you from bringing the breadmaker. I don't have a breadmaker that really works well (I have one but I can't figure it out atleast!) but I have a mixer and an oven that works great. :) I'm actually contemplating buying a new breadmaker so maybe that would give me an excuse to go buy one!

Are you bringing your airmattress? We have one, just didn't know if that would be enough.

[ArmsOfLove]

you're so sweet :) we'll probably bring the breadmaker because we'll be making bread in the hotel and everywhere. We go through a loaf a day ;) And we do have our airmattress but we will probably need two (or a couch or something ;) )

I was told there is a Whole Foods in Houston so that helps--we can plan to get some stuff there and not have to bring it, so that we can restock and not need to bring 10 days worth of food :shifty Maybe you could go with me to the closest Whole Foods :tu and if we can do a load of laundry before we leave that would help with how much we have to bring :think

and I thought I'd add it to this thread so that I don't forget, but my friend suggested bringing a cutting board for a hard surface--both for preparing food in the van and for doing writing/work.

We got a plug in adaptor today that allows for plugging in household plugs to the van so we're ready for anything :tu Though we still need to buy a flashlight :giggle

[hink4687]

Of course...you can do as many loads of laundry as you need!

Whole foods is quite a ways from my house actually...about 45 mins w/traffic. I wish one was closer! We have an HEB Central Market and a few local health food stores that have a lot of good choices.

And yes, we have on air mattress, a couch, and a big oversized chair. And we actually have a twin mattress out in the garage we could pull out if we needed too.