I Need A Vacation From My Vacation

Trips are supposed to be relaxing. Why am I always tired before a trip and exhausted after?

Before we go anywhere I spend weeks planning and getting most of the necessary stuff done. But one or two quite important things seem to elude me until the last second (or completely). It’s like I have to have something undone to drive me and make me want to leave home.

My top thing is laundry. I have a decent system in place now and rarely get too far behind. However, when I’m working on a deadline I spin my wheels on other things while dirty undies pile up.

The night before we leave I tend to stay up watching reality television and desperately washing and folding. By dawn’s early light I’m dropping socks more often than Camille Grammer drops her husband’s name.

We never leave the house without there being some clean and unneeded laundry sitting on the kitchen table. Why do I wash the sheets and towels when they don’t need to go? How can I relax when I know I have to wash all the rest of it again when we get back?

Also, I have been know to pack the last load of clean, damp clothes in a garbage bag (a.k.a. Nashville Samsonite) to be dried upon arrival. “Hey, nice Marriott. Where are the dryers?”

I have also neglected to arrange pet care. This to me is as stupid as failing to arrange child care. We have had to leave our cats with an abundance of water and food in our very large and bright master bath. Not the worst thing, but still not too far off leaving your toddler at home alone with a scattering of Cheerios on the living room rug.

We put down newspaper on the tile around their clean litter boxes, but still came home after an overnight trip (okay, two nights) to an indescribable horror show that made us consider burning down the house and starting over. I don’t blame the cats for their show of spite. Team Cat.

Anyway, the washer is going right now and I hope to beat my record of being completely ready to go on time once.

Now where’s that suitcase?

P.S.  If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate your vote for Funniest Homeschool Blog. I’m not expecting much since the Best Mommy Blog Ever is in my category, but I still appreciate your support of this underdog. *I* almost voted for Pioneer Woman. She is wonderful!