It's a remarkable thing. We've just spent 7 days at home cleaning and packing like never before. Well sure, Brian and I have been away for 6 weeks before, and 5 weeks in Mexico with Otis. So what's the difference? One extra kid? Let me tell you; once we figured out how to pack for one kid, adding a second to the equation was actually not such a big deal. We've already learned that we need about 100% more onesies/spare shirts, a bed of some sort, something to sit in for meal times, diapers, wipes, more wipes, a small collection of indispensable toys & books (we now have two trucks, 1 set of mega blocks, 5 books, crayons and a stuffy for each child), and clothes for all kinds of weather. Oh, and snacks. Once we got that system down for one it was just a matter of adding clothes for the second. Anything else is gravy.
So the really big difference is that we rented out Little Langy for the duration. A beautiful little family will be living in our home until we get back. This means two things: we wanted to leave it in deep clean state with free closet and fridge space, AND now we know that Francisco-the-cat will be well loved, along with our amazingly high producing garden.
In these 7 days home we did a spring clean that involved mega cucumber, squash and bean harvesting and processing, moving furniture and sorting through little-visited territory. Turns out that every time my mom comes to visit she leaves a tin of sardines behind. What on earth do we do with sardines?! Pile them up in the pantry, clearly.
So, a few social visits, a clean house, canning & freezing done, a couple new systems for Boler storage implemented (have I mentioned that Brian's got the knack?), and we're all packed and ready to roll. We celebrated last night - we did this without a whole ton of stress. Amazing! I'm pretty sure this is owing to Brian and I BOTH being off work right now. A one-parent job would have been a different story altogether.
Which leaves us here: I'm writing from the car in the customs lineup in Anacortes. We're on our way to Orcas Island for Brian's family reunion (Paulapalooza they're calling it). I actually can't wait for the family love fest that awaits us.
So for real now. No going back.
So the really big difference is that we rented out Little Langy for the duration. A beautiful little family will be living in our home until we get back. This means two things: we wanted to leave it in deep clean state with free closet and fridge space, AND now we know that Francisco-the-cat will be well loved, along with our amazingly high producing garden.
In these 7 days home we did a spring clean that involved mega cucumber, squash and bean harvesting and processing, moving furniture and sorting through little-visited territory. Turns out that every time my mom comes to visit she leaves a tin of sardines behind. What on earth do we do with sardines?! Pile them up in the pantry, clearly.
So, a few social visits, a clean house, canning & freezing done, a couple new systems for Boler storage implemented (have I mentioned that Brian's got the knack?), and we're all packed and ready to roll. We celebrated last night - we did this without a whole ton of stress. Amazing! I'm pretty sure this is owing to Brian and I BOTH being off work right now. A one-parent job would have been a different story altogether.
Which leaves us here: I'm writing from the car in the customs lineup in Anacortes. We're on our way to Orcas Island for Brian's family reunion (Paulapalooza they're calling it). I actually can't wait for the family love fest that awaits us.
So for real now. No going back.
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