Surprise Vacation

It's a surprise vacation for the fam! I think we were only able to pull it off since it was so last minute in the first place. I'll be away for a few days, but here's a place to remind you of what to bring on your trip: http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/packinglists/a/packing_list.htm. They adhere to the bring it all philosophy which I myself support wholeheartedly.

My best tip of all though is pack whole outfits for your kids. One spot recommends rolling shorts, socks, and undies into each shirt, and bringing shopping bags to put the dirty stuff in. This works great if you're going for a few days. If you're going for 5-7 days though and you've got a few to pack for, I recommend the ziploc gallon bag method (I named it myself). Stuff each complete outfit folded into a gallon or 2 gallon ziploc (as needed). Then, before you completely close it, sit on it. That's right, sit on it then finish sealing it. Not only do they take up a fraction of the room, you can throw a bag at Dad or to each kid, and still have a great place to put away dirty stuff. You can even recycle them by leaving the plastic bags in your suitcase between trips if it's in good shape. See you in a few days!