Packing Up

With it being Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial beginning of summer (even if at 50F, it feels like spring), 'tis the season for packing up and going on short weekends away.  Just like we did last weekend to Long Island.  And each time we go away, we start a new list for prepping, so here's an attempt to get a general list.  Compared to our England or Disney World prep, it's a cinch.

To Pack

For each family member (1 x # days gone + 1 extra each)

o   shirts

o   skirts/shorts/pants

o   underwear/undershirt/bras (when applicable)

o   socks

o   pajamas

Toiletries

o   toothbrushes/toothbrush/floss/mouthguards

o   nail clippers

o   moisturizer/lotions

o   hairbrush/combs/hair clips

o   deodorant

o   children's painkillers/Benadryl
o   Benadryl gel (for bug bites)/neosporin

o   thermometer

o   prescriptions

o   sunscreen

o   bug spray

o   earplugs

Miscellaneous

o   water bottles

o   snacks

o   audiobooks/car activities

o   camera

o   chargers—phone, camera, UP

o   first aid kit/ice pack

o   activity-specific gear (swimwear/goggles, ice skates, etc.)

o   SQUIRT books

o   other entertainment (DS? Cards?)

o   loveys like Shirt/Bunny/Mr. Big

o   brace for Mommy

o   special pillows
o   hats (mittens/scarves if winter)
o   jackets (rain, etc.)

To Do

Beforehand

o   check house for plastic (for cats)

o   alert friends/mail itinerary

o   get gas

o   charge all batteries

o   clean cat water fountain

o   clean litterboxes

o   pack car

o   straighten outside (toys, etc)
o   arrange mail pick-up or cat-check, if necessary

Day of

o   take out garbage

o   bring in trash cans

o   feed and water cats

o   scoop litterboxes

o   close windows and curtains

o   adjust thermostat
o   adjust lights

o   pack batteries and chargers

o   secure trash can cabinet

o   open doors like basement for cat

Other (as needed)

Twenty-Five Weeks and Counting

Twenty-five weeks puts us in mid-April.  Spring Break.

And we think we're going to London to celebrate Mama's big birthday by visiting the Harry Potter Studios.

It's all in the planning stages, and we're not even sure that Mama's big project will be over (so we might go at the end of June instead.)  But we'd love to go.  Time in London, time with Lambeth.  The biggies:  the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Cathedral, Big Ben, St. Pancras's Station (platform 9 3/4!), Hampton Court, maybe one of the museums (British?  V&A?  National Gallery? of the City of London?).  Plus whatever with Lambeth--his town, Stonehenge, King Arthur's table, the filming location of "Downton Abbey," all manner of things.

It's all to be worked out.  But it's the fun kind of work.

Lunch, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Saturday

• The new World Trade Center--we admire the tower from NJ
• Vince Lombardi rest stop--nothing like cinnamon buns for breakfast!
• Independence Visitor Center--big, new since we were there 10 years ago, and a great anchor for the site; kids pick up Junior Ranger booklet (and complete enough activities to earn their Independence ranger badge) and trading cards (which they earned by answering questions posed by rangers).
• Liberty Bell--but only from outside, as we wouldn't brave the lines
• Independence Hall, again just from the outside, but an up-close look at the "Great Essentials" documents--Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution
• City Tavern:  Sally Lunn bread, Anadama bread, sweet potato roll, shrub, mushroom toast, lobster pot pie, chicken pot pie, fried tofu a la Ben Franklin, all served by costumed interpreters in a reconstructed 18th-century building.  My favorite stop, both for the food and the atmosphere.  I got the chef's Taste of History DVDs for home.  
• Ben Franklin's Print Shop, complete with Amos the mouse from Ben and Me, which we read before our trip.  This was the kids' favorite stop in Philly.
• President's House archaeological site discovered during building of new Liberty Bell center, with outdoor exhibition on Washington's slaves.  My second favorite stop.
• Free Quaker Meeting House
• Ben Franklin's grave 
• Shopping--hammered dulcimer cd, magnets, Philly puzzle, soap, mob cap, NPS pins and patches, Junior Ranger vest, books 
• And all the while, I hum, "Open up a window . . . It's hot as hell in Philadelphia!" from 1776.  
• Dinner at Iron Hill Brewery: pomme frites with garlic rosemary aioli, quinoa salad, egg roll sampler, shrimp, cheeseburger, ice cream, oatmeal cake
• Sis and Bud shared a pullout sofa in our hotel suite, but Sis came to us in the night to complain.  "Mom, Bud feels my warmth and keeps scooting over.  He thinks it's you and he wants to cuddle.  So I keep pushing him back, 'Stay on your side!'  I even threw Mr. Big over to the other side, but he just keeps cuddling with me!"
  

Sunday

• Competition begins early, with Bud's first two forms back-to-back.
• Gold in broadsword!
• Gold in staff!
• Sis plays DS and chats with Ma and Gong.
• We have chicken and broccoli, fried rice, pork buns, and noodles for lunch.
• Masters' performances of various wushu-kung fu and tai chi
• Team competitions are fascinating, with whips, double swords, etc.
• Gold in nunchucks!
• I asked Bud if he heard people cheering for him when he was doing his kung fu forms.  "No, Mom," he explained, taking his first position and sweeping his arm around in the way he usually begins, "I think, 'I am the best!  I am the best!  I am the best!'"
• We take some pictures, talk to his master, watch several more divisions.
• Dinner at the brewery again with Ma and Gong, before they head home.  Bud practically falls asleep at the table.
• We chill in the hotel, but kids get second wind won't fall asleep.

Monday

• We "sleep in" and leave hotel by 8:30-something.
• We head to Animals & Acrobats at Van Cortlandt Manor in Hudson valley, essentially an old-fashioned circus
• Boston Circus Guild:  acrobats, trapeze artists, other aerialists, all to "Emperor Norton Stationary Marching Band," all dressed in steampunk.  Kids love woman with hoops, trapeze work, partner acrobatics, etc.  Sis wants to be an acrobat!
• Lunch of hot dogs, turkey sandwich, pasta salad, bean salad, lemonades
• Double servings of Blue Pig local ice cream in the high heat--"double the yum!" Sis says.
• Visit the Cabinet of Curiosities, with Fiji Mermaid, mastodon, and invisible woman in a box!  Bud declares, "There is no magic!"  I tease him about being a realist.  Then I ask about the Tooth Fairy.  He stands perplexed then answers, "The Tooth Fairy is different because she's not creepy!"
• Circus Arts hands-on.  Bud tries juggling; Sis excels at this big yo-yo.  Both walk on tight rope and try stilts.  
• Flight of Raptors display birds of prey and Two by Two have animals, including a huge, hot, brown rabbit reclining in the shade of its enclosure.  "He's a melting bunny," Sis declared.
•  Mama, Sis, and Bud conspire to buy me an adorable giant stuffed hedgehog.
• We head home around 2 pm, missing traffic almost completely!
• We get the AC on quickly and sit around the rest of the afternoon, reminiscing about our great weekend.

1,700 Miles and What Do You Get?

"Another day older and deeper in debt."

You can also get from Houston to Connecticut.

Which is exactly what Gommie and Pop are doing:  driving here!  They leave Houston soon and will be in CT by Good Friday, with numerous fun stops along the way (I know about the one in TN, but I think they're doing Gettysburg either coming or going).  Pop is even talking big about heading to Acadia National Park, though we keep telling him that, while it's warm in Texas (mid-80s warm, as I understand it), it's not quite the tourist season in New England yet (usually by the beginning of May or even Memorial Day, just like in Door County, WI).

If they tell me, I'll keep you updated on their progress--but sometimes they go incommunicado on these long drives. I think Pop likes disappearing--he has always been attracted to the folklore of the free and wandering hobo.  Though, Gommie has a smartphone now and we all know the allure of those!

We wish them a safe and enjoyable drive and hope they are not too tired to enjoy Easter and spring break when they get here.

'Cos Bud wants to play basketball and Sis wants to go horseback riding!