Time to Hit the Highway!

Now that the glory of swim team is behind us (three wins, two losses -- not bad at all), we are packing up for our annual Big Trip. We are blessed to have a small cabin on a lake in Maine, and the girls and I spend nine to ten weeks there every summer. (Frankly, it was one reason I chose to homeschool. School starts at the beginning of August where we live, and August is very nice in Maine. I'd hate to go back home in July.)

We drive up (Dh at the wheel the entire time, as per his preference) and it takes us three days to get there. Yes, it's a haul, but the girls have been doing it for seven years now and are good little travelers. A few activities, a few DVDs, and a few books on CD, and we're good to go.

Except for all the other stuff that goes along, too. This year I was determined to "pack light," that mantra of seasoned world travelers everywhere. I've discovered I'm really not good at it.

My beloved has given me a few tips. First, I'm not to pack all the grocery items I usually take along. There are stores in Maine. Ditto on all my toiletries. Also, we don't need to take as many clothes as we usually do. The girls tend to wear the same outfits over and over, and the rest is just excess. And do I really need to bring ALL (a slight exaggeration) of our school materials, since we only do two weeks of school in Maine? Perhaps we could keep it light in the beginning and add in more subjects once we return home.

Still. Trying to decide what to take and what to leave gets me in somewhat of a dither. It's not like we're only gone for a week or so. We're talking two months. And, yes, there are stores in Maine. But why buy things I already have but simply didn't bring with me? Aren't we trying to save money?

It's a conundrum.

Add to this the fact that I tend to leave difficult things until the last minute, a character flaw I attempt to address every now and then. So instead of packing this afternoon, the girls and I were at the pool with friends. Well, we won't see them for two months, will we?

I may delay, but time does not. Tomorrow, we'll be pulling out in an overloaded (I'm certain of it) minivan, complete with car-top carrier attached, and towing a boat. For three days. Let the fun begin!