In my element...

Today is my day. The day to figure out what all needs to be put in the car. The day to figure out the best way to get it all in the car and the best way to be able to use it while in the car and/or once we reach our destination.

Normally, I do the packing of the bags and let J pack the car (since it's not usually an issue of room in the car - two or three overnight bags don't take up that much room). But not on major trips. Not when we have a 12 hour car ride ahead of us and leg room in the back seat is a MUST (for whichever parent is on entertainment duty - most likely me for the majority of the ride).

And thus, I am in my element. I love the challenge of packing bags, packing the car, and knowing exactly where everything is and how to easily access it during the trip. (I don't love trying to do all this with two kids underfoot, but the excitement of tomorrow has eluded today's naptime.)

I think I'm almost packed inside - although I'm sure I'll find 101 things to add between now and the time we leave in the morning, and I won't sleep at all tonight since I'll be racking my brain all night trying to remember what I've forgotten.

I have the car ready for bags and such - one seat removed and stored in the garage, all extras (random totes, winter gear, etc) removed and all remaining car essentials stored as space-consciously as possible.

I have a toy box full for the kids. The DVD players, accessories, and DVDs are packed and ready to roll. The snack box is fully stocked and ready for snacking. My clothes and shoes take up less than half of the suitcase, so hopefully J will have enough room for his. The kids' suitcase is packed. I have clothes laid out for them for the morning - although I think I might just put them in the car in their pjs and change their clothes once they're actually awake for a bit. (We're leaving by 6am.) The walker is dismantled. The pack'n'play is ready to go. I think I'm ready... and I'm not even stressed yet!

All vacation talk aside... I have to say that the UPS lady made my day today! I saw her stop at the end of the driveway and remembered that today is Wednesday. I had a package that I was very excited about receiving that was supposed to be arriving today. When I went to answer the door, she not only had the expected package, but another package (I had forgotten about this one).

What were they and why did they make my day?

The expected package was a laser printer I purchased on Amazon for FREE last week. That's right... FREE!! I had recently decided that I wanted to invest in a laser printer since my inkjet printer was going through ink cartridges like crazy lately (due to coupon printing) and I wanted something substantial for our upcoming school year (printing activity pages, etc). I had found a printer I liked - Brother 2160 - and had bid on a few on Ebay, but hadn't won either of the auctions I bid on. And then... a blogger who I follow had blogged about the fact that she was looking at this particular printer on Amazon for $59.99 (normal retail is around $170 I think) and it had free shipping. I quickly headed over to Amazon and redeemed my gift cards I had earned through Swagbucks (two $5 cards) and through Harris Poll surveys (one $20 card). That left me with $29.99 left to pay. I checked my Paypal account to see how much I had in it from various payments I'd received (YouData, mystery shopping, Cash4Books, DollarSurveys) and the total was just over $31 sitting in my account (waiting to be transferred to my bank account). So I hooked myself up with the printer I wanted for a fraction of the price I would have paid, even if I'd bought it on Ebay! The most awesome thing about this printer is that I can hook it up to my wireless router and I will be able to print to it from all three of my computers!

The second package, which I had totally forgotten about, was from Thomas Nelson Publishers. It was the next book I had requested to review. I had also forgotten which book I had requested. When I opened the box, I was elated. The book I chose to review is AWESOME!! (I won't give anything away until I have a chance to read it and look over the DVD that came with it.) I can't wait to read it on the way to Delaware tomorrow and watch the DVD with Jenny. It's a book that will definitely be a favorite in our house - watch for the review post to come soon!

Well, I should probably start getting things to the car. I'm hoping to have the car pretty much packed before J gets home later. I'll try to post a few times while we're gone, but feel free to watch for picture updates on our family blog throughout the week.

See you next Friday, if not before!