I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! Mr. P. and I had a great time visiting our nation's capitol this Easter weekend. We had the opportunity to tour the parliament building, visit the National Gallery and enjoy some amazing food.
I love going away on trips like that but I absolutely hate to pack for it. As the mom, I am the CEO of packing in our house and heaven forbid I forgot to pack something vital for one of the other P's!
Shortly after I decided to embark on this journey of becoming a professional organizer, Mr. P. and I had to make an overnight trip to attend a family birthday party. Since it was only the two of us and only one night, I decided to not follow a list and just "wing it". It was one of the worst packing jobs of my life! We realized part way there that I had forgotten Mr. P's medication and had to turn around and get it. I forgot deodorant, my glasses and some of my makeup. It made me seriously wonder if I was entering the right profession if I couldn't even pack for an overnight trip! But in my over-confidence I missed one very important step - a list!
I've always kept a packing check list saved on our computer and believe me when I tell you I did not skip this step when packing for Ottawa! Keeping a master list will save you time and headaches because you only have to think of these things once. You can scratch off the things you will not be taking with you on a particular trip and add in things that you need to remember.
So make your next vacation go more smoothly by creating a master check list now. Don't wait until it's almost time to travel as there will be too many other things going on in trying to get ready to go - making arrangements for pets, doing up all the laundry, making all the travel plans, etc. Simply think about what you need to get ready each day and what items you would need to take on most vacations - medications, camera, shampoo, comb, etc. Do this now and you may not even need a vacation you will be so stress-free!
Now for what I decluttered today.
Today I got rid of my old food processor. The shredding and slicing blade on the top broke a long time ago and I find that I really need a shredding blade. I make all my own dog food for my three little furbabies and I need to be able to shred things like sweet potatoes and apples. I'm just not strong enough to shred vast amounts of sweet potatoes on a box grater so I went out and bought a better food processor. That means that this one is extra and no longer needed.
Here's a photo my my little dogs in their Christmas sweaters that I knit for them. Aren't they cute?!
What are you decluttering today?
I agree with you, canadianmom, that a packing list is absolutely essential. I, too, keep a list on my computer. There is room to add items that are unique to a particular trip, such as gifts we need to bring along. There is also room for a pre-trip to-do list such as turning off the water (good advice from a neighbour), stopping newspapers and mail, leaving contact info with a neighbour, or returning library books before we go. I keep a master packing list, and we make a new copy with minor revisions for each trip. I start working on the list several days before we go. That always reminds us of errands that must be done before the trip -- shopping for clothes or gifts, depleting perishables in the fridge, etc. Having a checklist not only prevents us from forgetting to take along essentials, but it also gives us a reminder list for the homeward trip so we don't leave things behind.
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