Pack Rat

Traveling with twins can be an adventure, but the real challenge is PACKING. I am constantly amazed at how much stuff two little people require even for just an afternoon away from home. After my SNAFU forgetting to pack the SwaddleMe wraps for our Thanksgiving trip to Connecticut I decided that I needed to make a packing list for every trip we take with the Twinkies.

Most recent packing list for trip to Caribou (August 2011)

My list started out as a piece of scrap paper where I jotted down items that I didn't want to forget. I kept the paper in my day planner and would refer to it before we left and before we returned home. Then I lost the paper so I created a list on a stickie note on the desktop of my laptop (I learned about these from the sixth graders at Prescott...very cool). That worked well but I had to tote my laptop around while I was packing so I could refer to the list...and the laptop was one of the things on my list so I couldn't pack that until the very end. Finally I created a spreadsheet using Excel complete with boxes to check the items off when I packed them to go and when I repacked them to return home. Each time we get ready to go somewhere I print it out and start packing! The list requires updating each time we travel. What Tanner and Abigail needed six months ago is not what they need now (sippy cups instead of breastfeeding pillow...bathing suits instead of hats and mittens).

Three days in Caribou for Tanner, Abigail, and Me (August 2011)

The check list has really made me a more efficient packer...instead of taking a day to pack I can get it done in a few hours. The list also allows Matt to pack, when and if I ever let him do it. The smaller they are the more stuff the need...now I just need a bigger trunk to fit it all into.