Vacay Here We Come!
The Sironen’s are headed to the beach… again!
We’ve decided to make one more trip to the beach house in Hilton Head Island before life gets crazy when school starts. Even though we’re in the middle [or hopefully more like nearing the end] of a worldwide pandemic, we’ve made the decision to travel and make even more memories with our kiddos. We went just the four of us back in May, but this time we’re bringing our GiGi and Mike along [Kyle’s Mom and stepdad]. We are going to make some great memories together!
With every trip, especially one with two littles, there’s lots of preparation and packing involved. I’ve realized over the past few years that there are a couple of things I make sure to do before a trip, that I bet most other people do too, but hate to admit. It can be so ridiculous at times, that I almost drive myself crazy in the days leading up to leaving the house.
Here are those few quirky things I’ve learned I do before every trip. Please tell me I’m not alone!
So. Much. Laundry. I make it my main goal to make sure every towel, sheet, blanket, and clothing item we own is washed the day before. That way we can literally pack whatever we want, without the fear that an important item is sitting at the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper. I could go months without actually needing to wash my clothes, but that’s not the case for my husband and the girls who pretty much wear the same thing every week. I end up running around the house, gathering everything up, and wearing clothes I know I won’t want to pack. I’ll admit, I’ve even been known to accidentally leave a load in the dryer [forgetting about it], just to have to re-wash it when when we get home. I didn’t say I was perfect!
Say no to groceries. I don’t buy groceries the whole week before our scheduled trip. Instead, I do what I like to call “A total clean out” of the pantry and fridge. I try to see how empty I can make them. I find some type of odd pleasure in this. Who knows why? Sometimes we end up needing to order a pizza or we run out of milk. Doing this does make for an expensive grocery trip once we’re back home, but the satisfaction of knowing nothing with expire in our fridge while we’re gone is worth it.
I clean everything. I make sure to wipe down the countertops, vacuum the floors, and pick up all the lingering toys on all three levels of the house. Who doesn’t love coming home to a clean house? Sometimes I even try to schedule for our cleaning lady to come while we’re gone. That way it’s extra sparkly when we walk through the door.
Buy new clothes. My husband isn’t a fan of this one [for obvious reasons] but I find it much easier to fold and pack up something that still smells new and has the tags on it, than to pull clothes off the hanger. I can be super extra at times. Going to dinner while on vacation is one of the best parts of it all! If I have something new to wear, it makes it that much better.
Packing is a process. I slowly start packing the girls’ suitcases about a week before but wait until the absolute last minute to pack my own stuff. I think I feel like if I take care of everyone else, and it be a little hectic, then I can focus solely on myself and it be less crazy. Unfortunately that method usually results in me forgetting something important [like underwear] or not knowing what to pack and getting stressed out. With our last trip I even got too tired doing everything else that when it came to my own stuff I just threw a bunch of stuff in a bag. Oops!
Now that you probably think I’m a little weird, or maybe high maintenance, just know that I am still able to fully let go of it all and enjoy my vacation. And coming home to a clean house, where all the laundry is done, makes it even easier to unpack and get settled back into the real world. Come on, you know you do this too! Or maybe now you will.
Stay tuned and follow to hear stories from our trip!
XO
Sarah
