We'll Have Nothing Left
I've been packing for weeks. By the time I get finished packing, we'll have nothing left in our house ... or so it feels!
Packing two girls for two weeks of resident camp, two boys for one week of resident camp, and two adults for sixteen full days at camp is no small task. The logistics of resident camp for children with food allergies and family camp for someone with multiple autoimmune illnesses, mobility issues, and medication side effects makes the entire process even more interesting.
For me, packing involves lists - lists of things to be packed, things to ask Camp, things to do before we leave, and things to do after we get there.
These lists included...
To pack:
- food for lunch and dinner for 16 days and breakfast for 8 days
- pots, pans, dishes, utensils, etc.
- medications and supplements
- uv protective sleeves (sun "allergy" side effect of one or more medications)
- mobility devices, compression gloves, knee brace, gloves to wear when hiking on crutches and kayaking
- quarters for the laundromat ... lots of quarters for lots of laundry!!!
And all the usual stuff such as clothing, a tent, bedding, towels, toiletries, insect repellant, sunscreen, flashlights, etc.
To do:
- contact Camp about: donating snacks for gluten-free, food dye-free children; the possibility of storing a medication filled syringe in a refrigerator for a week until I need to self-inject; whether or not we can pick up laundry from our 2-week campers when we pick up our 1-week camper
- refill prescriptions for pain meds and injectable psoriatic arthritis med
- buy food for our oldest child, who is staying home while we're at Camp
- arrange for: pick up of one teen from bus home from Camp; someone to pick up and consume our CSA shares while we're away, Netflix dvd queue to reflect older teens' movie choices for the weeks we're away
- physicals for four children and notarized vaccination exemption forms for two non- or partially vaxed children and one who has been vaccinated but is not immune
For me, packing involves lists - lists of things to be packed, things to ask Camp, things to do before we leave, and things to do after we get there.
These lists included...
To pack:
- food for lunch and dinner for 16 days and breakfast for 8 days
- pots, pans, dishes, utensils, etc.
- medications and supplements
- uv protective sleeves (sun "allergy" side effect of one or more medications)
- mobility devices, compression gloves, knee brace, gloves to wear when hiking on crutches and kayaking
- quarters for the laundromat ... lots of quarters for lots of laundry!!!
And all the usual stuff such as clothing, a tent, bedding, towels, toiletries, insect repellant, sunscreen, flashlights, etc.
To do:
- contact Camp about: donating snacks for gluten-free, food dye-free children; the possibility of storing a medication filled syringe in a refrigerator for a week until I need to self-inject; whether or not we can pick up laundry from our 2-week campers when we pick up our 1-week camper
- refill prescriptions for pain meds and injectable psoriatic arthritis med
- buy food for our oldest child, who is staying home while we're at Camp
- arrange for: pick up of one teen from bus home from Camp; someone to pick up and consume our CSA shares while we're away, Netflix dvd queue to reflect older teens' movie choices for the weeks we're away
- physicals for four children and notarized vaccination exemption forms for two non- or partially vaxed children and one who has been vaccinated but is not immune
- somehow manage to pay all bills and have money left to eat breakfast at the Conference Center some days and perhaps get a pizza for dinner on rainy days when we can't cook over a fire
- get teens with minimalist wardrobes enough clothes to last through their stays at camp
- buy over three dozen pairs of socks and two dozen pairs of underwear because the ones I bought a few months ago have disappeared
- color children's hair (and mine, because Alia wanted me to match her) because somehow they can't have natural colored hair at camp
Needless to say, I've been prepping and packing for Camp for months.
Most of our children have packed most of their clothing, so if you happen to see us out and about and one or more of my children is wearing pajama bottoms or is completely overdressed for wherever we are, you'll know why. And if you drop by and see the mountain of bins, plastic drawer thingies, suitcases, and bags in our kitchen/dining room, that's just some of the stuff we have to attempt to fit in our van while leaving room for children and parents.
It's a good thing I enjoy packing (mostly). And I figure since I've done the bulk of the packing, I'll leave the unpacking up to the rest of my family upon our return home. That's fair, right?!?
- get teens with minimalist wardrobes enough clothes to last through their stays at camp
- buy over three dozen pairs of socks and two dozen pairs of underwear because the ones I bought a few months ago have disappeared
- color children's hair (and mine, because Alia wanted me to match her) because somehow they can't have natural colored hair at camp
Needless to say, I've been prepping and packing for Camp for months.
Most of our children have packed most of their clothing, so if you happen to see us out and about and one or more of my children is wearing pajama bottoms or is completely overdressed for wherever we are, you'll know why. And if you drop by and see the mountain of bins, plastic drawer thingies, suitcases, and bags in our kitchen/dining room, that's just some of the stuff we have to attempt to fit in our van while leaving room for children and parents.
It's a good thing I enjoy packing (mostly). And I figure since I've done the bulk of the packing, I'll leave the unpacking up to the rest of my family upon our return home. That's fair, right?!?
Nice post..
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