Now that I'm spending 1/3 of my time in Charleston, South Carolina--which is, for the record, a solid 8-hour journey from here, door to door--I decided I needed to get this packing and unpacking thing down to a perfect science. So last week I made a 3-page document in Word, and I'm following its instructions to the letter!
First page: my own packing list, broken down into clothing, accessories, toiletries, "stuff" (phone chargers! the planner! books!), and tools (anything I need to do odd jobs at my parents' house for the week--next week I've been promised that I will be allowed to get into the attic and start going through the 75 years of "goodies" up there!).
Second page: two columns, one for Annie and one for Finn, with their lists. I cut it in half, hand it to them, and off they go to pack their things. Efficient.
Third page: the takeoff and re-entry checklists! This is the bit of brilliance in my system. With two days before a trip, I complete the "2 days out" list (things like catching up on all the laundry, making sure the car is cleaned out, replenishing the nonperishable food items, baking breakfast muffins, hammering out the lesson plans for the week in Charleston). One day before--almost always a Saturday--I work through a list that includes packing everything (including the school items, in their own suitcase!), packing the car, having Finn take care of the chickens, filling the car with gas, washing Annie's ballet stuff as soon as she's home from company rehearsal (then it can air-dry nicely all week and be ready for her when we land back at home on Friday evening!), fill up the water bottles, etc. This leaves a very brief list for the morning of a trip: pack the last-minute tidbits and GO! The re-entry checklist is also broken down by day, with the bulk of work done the day after we arrive home (Saturday). Everything is planned to maximize a calm and organized transition back into our normal life at home. I'm really pleased.
Another smart thing I did to create ease during this season of life? I bought new basics for my children: undies, socks, etc. When we get home from Charleston, I wash them and put them right back into the packing cubes. No more scrambling to find socks or Finn's beloved white tee-shirts the night before a trip!
So today I've been working my way down the list and it feels so good to know I'm on top of it. I took a brief break to go talk to a local attorney about some work I'm interested in pursuing from home on a super-part-time basis (and not yet!; not even going to work on qualification for it until Annie is driving, but there's some planning and thinking to be done in advance). It was so fun to sit and talk about the law for an hour; these people speak my language. And then it was so fun to come home, remove my Fancy Lawyer Clothes, fold some laundry, and have a cup of Yorkshire Gold and some dark chocolate. Back to packing now!
It's nice to know that there is a lot of good I can help do in the world, and that right now, I'm doing exactly the good that I'm supposed to do: looking after my family--both my family here in the mountains and my family in Charleston. :) The Lord's timing is always just right. I trust it completely, with all of my heart.
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)
May it always be so.
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ALSO! My genius husband got the machine working! 100 people can come back to work now! He probably still cannot go to Charleston, since he has to stay and babysit the machine, but we are so, so thankful that production can run and folks can get paid. Whew. Praying it continues.
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