What to Take on Holidays

It’s possible that you have a burning desire to know what the Bluestocking household takes on holiday.  It is after all, riveting reading.  But I will forgive my regular readers if the urge to bypass this post overwhelms you.  The real reason I am posting this here is because next time I go on holidays, I will love myself for it!

This is for a family holiday in self contained accommodation in the country, with lots of bushwalking and outdoorsy activities planned.

I always have a separate list of things to purchase and pack for the car trip.  If you can’t resist the curiosity (go on, it’s thrilling, truly!) you can read the car list here.

The children each have a list of items to gather and present to me for checking and packing.  They cross off their own lists as they collect, and I cross the items off on my duplicate list once each item has the initial of every child beside it.  This is the list, and a pdf for printing.

FOR THE CHILDREN TO COLLECT

Underwear x 4 pairs

Singlets x 2 short sleeve, x 2 long sleeve

Boot socks x 3

Jogger socks x 2

Shirts x 3 short sleeve, x 3 long sleeve

Long pants x 1

Leggings x 1

Scarf

Beanie

Gloves

Hat

Dresses x 2 for play, x 1 for good

Polar fleece jumper

Over jacket

PJ’s

~*~*~*~*~*~

Here is the general list, and a pdf of the general-list for printing:

PERSONAL ITEMS:

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes (and specialist dental items; splints, things for braces)

Dental floss

Mouthwash

Hair brush/comb/bands/clips

Hair dryer and styling/care  products

Shampoo and conditioner

Soap/body wash for shower

Tiny travel size soaps for bathroom and kitchen sink (while these may be supplied, we have found that sometimes they are not)

Lip conditioner

Medication

Lavender and tea tree oil (insect bites and antiseptic)

Insect repellent

Sunscreen

Hats

Fly nets (!)

Tissues, soft pack

Face washers (many self contained accommodations, even when you hire linen, don’t provide face washers.  This can be a bother with children to clean up!)

FOOD:

Menu; With a large family, car space is at a premium so we plan a menu at home and write a shopping list.  We then shop when we arrive at the destination, allowing for the possibility of arriving on a public holiday in the menu planning stage, in which case pack food to get by until we can shop.

Little ziplock bags of spices or other cooking essentials that you may only need for one meal – check your menu.

Carton of long life milk, and coffee; Those things may available at your holiday destination, but after a long drive, perhaps arriving later than planned, do you want to risk it?

TOYS: (for young and old!)

Staying in the country, we do lots of outdoorsy activities and bushwalking, with maybe a quiet day if the weather is inclement, or the little ones are wearing out.

Camera, tripod, USB cord, rechargeable batteries and charger, laptop (Mummy toys!)

Books for all ages

Boggle game, minus the box, in a plastic ziplock bag

UNO card game

Bocce, or small bat and tennis ball for french cricket and handball

iPod, loaded with audio books

Colouring books (Trinitarian Bible Society has pretty ones with realistic birds and flowers if you object to the cross-eyed, idiotic characters in most children’s activity/colouring books), pencils, eraser, water colour pencils & brush, sharpener.

Scissors, small sticky tape, and blank paper can all be combined with nature finds, and used with empty packaging as it comes available for craft.

Skipping rope

Chalk to draw on pavement/play hopscotch

A small bucket and net for each child for creek exploring (taking large yoghurt containers or honey buckets means you can dispose of them on the last day, which saves you taking the creek muddied buckets home.)

Rechargeable torches and chargers, for spotlighting

Compass, pocket knives, whistle, map of area and address/phone details of accommodation.

CLOTHES:

Having a large-ish family and not much room in the car, we pack with the plan to wash while away.

Play/adventure clothes for three days that can be layered for cool weather, plus one set of  steppin’ out gear. (see list above for specific clothing requirements)

FOR BABY:
Nappies

Wipes

Nappy disposal bags

Bibs

Toddler cup with lid

Bag of extra toys and books

Back pack hiking baby carrier and change mat that goes with it

MISCELLANEOUS:

Recorders (it’s true. We can’t last a week without instruments, and the recorders are small enough to pack)

Mobile phone and charger

Menu

Shopping list

Food to take for meals until we get to the shop

KITCHEN ITEMS:
Cooking pot that can go from stove to in the oven. I know, I know.  It’s not quite the kitchen sink, but still!  Because we do a lot of long days of bushwalking, it is so wonderful to come home to a ready to eat, hot meal. If I take a dish that can go from stove to oven, it is easy to make a casserole in the morning before we leave and then put it in the oven at about 80 degrees Celsius for the day, which works like a slow cooker. It also means only one pot to wash up after a big day out.

Dish washing brush, dishcloth & scrubber  (truly!  We have stayed at places where these were not provided)

Freezer block and cold bag for picnics and for taking home remaining cold food.

And that’s it!

 

Time to Declutter

Groan!

With six people living in the house, something has to go.  While on holidays recently, one of my children made the comment that she wished she could live with that amount of clothes all the time: it was much easier to manage.

While we couldn’t get by on just three changes of clothes (it was a farm holiday, and back home there are other places we must be appropriately dressed for!) she did have a point.  We could get by with a lot less.

So as it’s a new year, and it is the time for re-assessing directions and goals, I have joined forces with my mother, and instituted a “Throw out Thursday”.  I couldn’t begin to undertake to declutter every area of my house in one go, and frankly, even one room at a time is overwhelming, but I can find one thing each Thursday that I can dump, re-cycle or store more efficiently. (Maybe even more than one   )  Mama and I will be requiring a report from each other on the progress of the project each Thursday – which means no forgetting, slacking off, or excuses!

I imagine for the first few weeks it will be dead easy.  I am more than happy to toss with abandon, and will be tackling my own things first.  I am prepared to be ruthless.  But the catch will be dealing with the rest of the family, who are all hoarders by nature. I have met strong opposition from all other family members during the past decluttering frenzies, as they are all very sentimental types.

Lest I make myself out to be better than I am, here’s my confession. There is one weakness that I struggle with in regards to hoarding.

Books.

Not that I think you can have too many – no such thing.  But, when I want to read a title someone has recommended, I buy the first daggy old paperback I come across in a thrift store.  I don’t want to pay zillions for something that I may discard because of lack of interest, or suitability.  However, once I have established that I do, in fact, like the book, then I start looking for a nice copy.  The plan has always been that I would then pass on, donate, or throw out the old one.

But could you throw out an old friend?  I mean, if you first read “Men of Iron” in a tired old paperback, when you finally found a good, sturdy, hardcover, could you callously throw your old friend in the bin?  And what about sets?  When I already have a copy of “The Master of Ballantrae” in a nice hardcover, but there is a dear little set of black miniatures by the same author (perfect for holidays) that would be incomplete if I toss the double…

What’s a girl to do?  Any thoughtful, sensitive suggestions would be appreciated

I know that once we have culled some of the excess things, we will need to continue a lifestyle of both reducing our intake of ’stuff’, and of moving things on when they are past their usefulness.  So in that light if you have any helpful ideas on reducing clutter in general, please share!