Let's Get Packing!

My little family and I have a LONG trip coming up in about a week, so I need to start packing. I'm taking this opportunity to document how I pack. We always rent a car and drive the 14+ hours home so you have to be pretty crafty with the packing so you don't feel overwhelmed or cramped for space. So this is what I do for the 3 of us....did I mention I have a toddler?

When we take a trip we usually are traveling to our families' for a visit. We now live in Grand Forks, ND and My husband's family lives in Illinois and my family lives in Indiana so it takes us 2 days to drive home. We are usually are gone for 2 weeks so we pack for a week and use our parents washing machines when needed. This is not always an option for some people on vacation but if you can find a hotel with a washer and drier, I recommend it. It will make your packing much lighter. We also have a toddler, so it sometimes seems like we have to pack the entire house. But through all of our trips I have found a perfect system that works for us, so I thought I'd share.

I pack between 4 and 5 different bags for the 3 of us.

Big suit case

Hotel bag

Diaper bag

Cooler

And for this trip we are also packing a Garment Suitcase because I'll be in a wedding and I need to pack my Bridesmaids dress and everything I need for that event. If you are traveling and you have to bring dresses or suits, I recommend buying one of these suit cases it really does help!

The big suit case

Our big suit case is a very large rolling suit case! It's one you'd have to check if you were going on a plane. in this case I pack enough clothes for the 3 of us. Our suitcase has lots of outer pockets so in these I put our socks and underwear so they don't take up room in the suitcase. Also if your suit case doesn't have outer pockets those space saver bags are perfect for socks and underwear. Ours has 6 outer pockets so i divide them equally between us (2 for each one for socks and one for underwear, except for Sammy he only needs one pocket for socks, which is good because one of the pockets has a huge hole in it) on the inside the first thing I pack is an unopened package of diapers and wipes. For Sammy I pack enough outfits for each day. I try to pack multiple shirts per pair of pants to cut back on the amount I have to pack (I do this for all of us). He also gets enough socks for each day even if he won't wear them each day. And if he needs and extra pair of shoes I pack them in there, too. The same goes for my husband and I. When it's warm I always pack a pair of long pants along with shorts and dresses and things because what if it rains and it's colder out? I always pack for the unknown. I also pack an extra sippy and some forks and spoons extra bottles or what ever we may need. Since I never really care how I look when I travel I go ahead and pack my flat iron and blow dryer in this bag too. That is usually all that will fit in there. It's harder in the winter time when the clothing is thicker and heavier. But space saver bags are good here too. Also a small bag for jewelry and make up.

Fortunately my hubby is such an easy person to pack for. He never wants me to pack more than one extra pair of pants and then I make sure he has a shirt for every day (some dressy and some regular t-shirts). I am over packed probably but with being pregnant I am worried I'll need something and not have it. So I have jeans, capris, and shorts and a sun dress, PLUS a shirt for each day. IN the photos you only see 4 shirts but there is a shirt in the hotel bag plus the one we will be wearing so that is 6 total shirts, then laundry day! We do the same with under wear and socks.

The hotel bag

The hotel bag makes it easier for over night stays in the hotel. This way you don't have to unpack the entire trunk and go through that huge suitcase just to find pjs and and outfit for the next day. So in a large beach bag I pack a change of clothes, pjs, and underwear and socks for everyone. Also our bag of toiletries and any medications.

This time for our toiletries I bought a Johnson's baby travel pack. It comes with soap, lotion, powder, and diaper rash cream....all travel size. And for my hubby and I, we have travel tooth paste,lotion, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Along with our tooth brushes, a comb, a razor, and hair ties.

Diaper bag

This one has my wallet, keys and cell phone. A sippy and/or bottle. Blankie and paci (for the in car nap). Special bowl for snacks. Enough diapers for the next few days (I either put them in here or I pack one day at a time and what I need for the next day goes in the hotel bag) and wipes. An extra shirt and pants go in this bag as well in case of accidents. Also my iPad and iTouch.

 There will obviously be more toys in this bag. Also, I will add an extra shirt and pair of pants for accidents. that will go in the big main pocket. The sippy that is going in this bag is one we bought the other day made by Thermos. It keeps cold drinks cold for 10 hours!!!!!!! so I'll put it in this bag to save room in the cooler.

Cooler

Really it's just a large lunch box. In it I put juice, water, and/or milk, also snacks.

Now for the placement of all objects.

TRUNK: Large suit case and any extra boxes or bags. Possibly a small umbrella stroller. Then the hotel bag in the front so it's easy to grab at the hotel.

BACK SEAT: Cooler (right behind my seat so I can reach it easily) and car seat and toddler :-)

FRONT SEAT: Me and hubby and the diaper bag. Also we never leave for a trip with out our GPS (Tom Tom). I hate being the navigator.

More Than Anything

Today is my Husband, Jesse, and I's 4 year wedding anniversary. I think about the last 4 years and i can't believe all the stuff that canhappen in that short amount of time. So thins blog is dedicated to Our Beginning!

Jauary of 2005: During my second year of college I transfered to Indiana State University from Purdue University. Second Semester of my second year I had to take a class called PE 101. EVERYONE at ISU had to take this class it is one of THOSE classes. Well THis was the first time I ever met my future husband... he was my instructor for that class. Did I know we'd be together in the future at the time? Nope. He was a grad student and in my head that would be like an 8th grader dating a Senior in high school....rarely happens. And to be honest he was always kinda grumpy so he was just an instructor to me. LOL. Come to find out later, he noticed me. He talked about me all the time to his advisor and friends. He was going through a rough break up during the semester....that is why he was always grumpy.

August of 2005: I changed majors and needed a new advisor. Dr. Finch, (Jesse's advisor) having heard about me for a while, Decided he would be my advisor as well. And everytime I had a meeting with him my old PE 101 instructor would drop by to let Dr. Finch know "Hey, I left that thing you let me borrow on your desk in the lab." I often wonder if there ever was a "thing." Dr. Finch would thank him and ask if me if I knew Jesse. I would inform him that I did because of being in his class and I was never aware of the fact that this was an attempt at a subtle set up. LOL. I was cluless and that must have been frustrating.

October of 2006: I was in Dr. Finch's Biomechanics class and I had just broke up with a crazy guy! I was talking about before my Bio lab started and Jesse and his friend over heard. I then get an invite to a party to celebrate Jesse having finished his thesis. We totally hit it off! We never wanted to be appart. It was then I found out about how he had been talking about me for over a year. and they were glad we were finally together so that they could discuss other things. LOL The rest of the semester I was in a great love bubble!

First picture as a couple

Dr. Finch aand Me

December 2006: Since Jesse was done with his masters at ISU he moved on to get his Ph. D. at the University of Illinois. I still had a semester left at ISU. We spent that semester long distance dating. It was Awful! I missed him so much. Half way through the semester I decided that I'd move to Illinois after graduation to do my internship.

May of 2007: After graduation I moved to Illinois and we moved in together. It was awesome! We were poor and we didn't care......at all.

June of 2007: June 16, 2007 to be exact: Jesse Proposed! It was a dream come true. We spent the next year planning our wedding.


June 2007-May 2008: We soon decided on a themed wedding. We would do a Roman theme and everyone would wear TOGAS! We decided that we would get married in the same place he proposed, a place called The Sunken Garden at Allerton Park. I hand made all the togas. We decided that I would be carried down the isle so my jesse and his older brother built the carrier for me. We got Jesse best friend ordained online so he could do our wedding. Instead of a unity candle or the mixing of sand which seemed to be exteemly popular at the time, we each poured "wine" from seperate glasses into one larger glass and then we each took a drink. My mom hand painted fans to look like palm leaves for the guests. She also printed out the invites herself. It was a very DIY wedding. We are so happy thaat we made it ours! Totally unique. Very Us!

Now 4 years later!: Where are we now. Well we are no longer in Illinois. We live in North Dakota. Jesse got his Ph.D. and we moved here so he could work at the University of North Dakota. We have the cutest little 2 year old, Samual. We are expecting our second little boy, Jacob, in August. And we are still CRAZY, WIERD, and so very much in LOVE!

Organizing and Nesting

Now that I have entered the Third Trimester I have been nesting and trying to get as organized as possible. We are not going to be having a baby shower for this baby so I’ve been going list crazy to keep everything we’ll need so I can see it. I used the Target list section to make a visual list and I mark them off as we get them or as they are bought for us. And since we are responsible for getting the majority of what we need I’ve been bargain hunting! The people who work at Once Upon A Child are going to call the cops on me for as much as I’ve been stalking that place.  

I have been doing lots of crafts to keep me occupied and organized. A long time ago my mother taught me how to crochet, but I had since forgotten. So I had to relearn. The first thing I made was a blanket. I thought it would be gender neutral but it turned out VERY girly, and since we are having another boy it’s not going to work out so much. But since it is my first blanket ever, I’ve decided to keep it.

I also decided to crochet Baby Jake’s crib bumper. So we didn’t have to buy a full bedding set I just bought a blanket and bed skirt to match the bumper I made. Since most of the things that Jacob will have will be “hand me downs” I figured this was something I could do just for him. Something special. I adore the way it turned out.

To use up the last of my yarn I crocheted a diaper organizer. It’s to hold the diapers and the wipe case together in the diaper bag! I also revamped and old diaper bag. I bought 2 diaper bags before Sammy was born. I ended up using the smaller of the 2, but since I’ll have 2 little ones I’m moving to the bigger bag. TO be honest, though, the bigger diaper bag was kind of ugly and boring. So I took an afternoon and made it cuter for a “hip” mom on the go.

In an attempt to get my HOUSE organized I went on a blog hunt. I found some awesome ideas these two I am starting to implement at our house. The first one is a weekly chore board. I found it on a blog site called The Mommy Dialogues. Xza Louise (or as I know her on instagram @atomicbaby) wrote about a DIY dry erase chore board. I took her idea and adapted it to our house. Then I combined her idea with another Idea I read about and did a Dry erase Menu board. You can see @joyfulabode (or Emily’s) menu board here. But this is what I’ve done!

In other organizational news my brother said that when we are down to visit I can satisfy my nesting urges by organizing his DVDs and Blurays on his new book shelf! WOOHOO!!!