pack it up, pack it in

It's been a ho-hum week around these parts, so I haven't had much to say. After the craziness that was my late May/early June, I've learned to appreciate it more...but it definitely has been contributed to a bit of writer's block.

The big news in our house is that tomorrow, we are dropping the girls off on the side of the highway! Woo! Luckily, John's parents will be there to pick them up, so don't call CPS yet. That's right, the girls are headed to Kentucky to spend a week with Grandmom and Granddad. At this point, we're running neck-and-neck on who's more excited about this -- John and I or the girls.

Don't get me wrong...I'm going to miss the girls terribly. But what I'm excited about is a week that likes the day-to-day grind that kids bring on. The get 'em up--get 'em dressed--get 'em out the door--get 'em home--get 'em fed--get 'em bathed--get 'em to bed that we do every day. That, and John and I plan on eating out at restaurants *not* in our little corner of suburbia and they might not even be kid friendly. Yay!

The upcoming trip is also a reminder of how much easier my kids have gotten. Today is my dad's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP POP! We love you!) and I was talking to my mom about trying to get to dinner tonight to celebrate.

"Oh, you think you'll be able to?" she asked. "I thought you'd be running around packing?"

The thing is, a few years ago, I would have. I used to have a 20 item list of stuff to take over to my parents house when we were going for the day. Bottles, baby food, diapers, wipes, teething toys, changes of clothes, the kitchen sink. It was all on the list.

My list for the girls for the week is: a couple of dresses (preferably pink), underwear, flip flops, sandals, bathing suits, toothbrushes, brush, Pull-ups for A, silky and Taggie. Seriously, I could shove the load of laundry that's I'm running right now into a suitcase and call it a day. If I pack some snacks for the road, I'm overachieving.

Hope everyone has a good weekend! I'll be thinking of you moms of small kids as John and I sleep in and do whatever we want to do (on Sunday at least)!