Large Family Organization...vacation packing

On this Wednesday, I am back to posting on how we organize our large family.

Because I am in the midst of packing for a "stay-cation" for the upcoming holiday weekend, I thought I would post on that very thing.  We will be driving a few hours and house sitting at the home of Peter's parents while they are out of town.  This is a wonderful way for us to get away from the everyday commitments, enjoy a pool, and in turn take care of the pool and plants.

A few years ago, I learned a little packing tip from another mother of many.  I have used this method ever since and I love it.  It is a little more preparation but the reward is an organized chaos-free time away...well mostly:)

I pack all of my littles things by the day.  So, I make a pile for each day that we will be gone of everything that each child will need to wear (excluding shoes) even down to underwear and socks.  Then I bag each "day" in a recycled Wal-mart bag, tie it, and label it.  Then I place all of the bags in the suitcase.  Here is my bag for this weekend.  It has all of the clothes, pjs, and shoes for my four littlest ones.

With this packing strategy, there is no question about what to wear each day.  Peter or the older kids can help get the littles ready without putting them in church clothes to play in the backyard...haha.

 
I also pack a little suitcase with all of the diaper products and blankets.  Here is a picture of that.

This time, I decided to let my (almost) 9 and 10 year old boys pack for themselves.  I gave them each a list of what to pack that was something like this.

5 shirts
5 shorts
5 underwear
5 socks
1 church shirt
1 church pants
church shoes
tennis shoes
swim suit
2 pjs

They seemed to really enjoy the challenge and we only had to make a few modifications:)

Depending on the trip, I will sometimes pack food items in a few bags and include bottles, sippy cups, and bibs in this bag.  On this trip, I am taking some nonperishable foods that I prefer to buy at my local store.  So, I made a list and packed bags with supplies.  I also made a list of the groceries that we will pick up on the way across town.  This way I get to spend the trip enjoying family and not running errands.

Now to get the adults packed...haha.

When we get the van loaded, I will add a few pictures just for kicks.  We now have eight people in a minivan and travel is always tight.