Game Night

While I was in the kitchen making dinner, a family game night started spontaneously in the living room.

There was backgammon...

... and chess!

Packing

We have been using this system for packing ever since we installed our chalkboard:

I used to draw little pictures next to the words so that Ruben could pack without assistance, but this was the first time that Ruben read the words and drew the pictures for Julio.

After some helpful suggestions from Ruben, Julio was very proud of writing his first "X."

My friend, Melissa, suggested using these very lightweight reusable grocery bags for packing.  They are perfect for our weekend trips.  I hang them on the doorknobs in the hall, right next to the packing list, and the boys run back and forth to their dressers, collecting items from the list and filling their bags.  As soon as they are done, I check their work, tie the bags shut and throw them all in a big duffel bag.  This bag system makes it so simple for the boys to keep track of their own clothes once we reach our destination.

Packing for everybody used to be a dreaded chore for me, but now the boys get excited when they see me working on their list and they treat packing more like a game.  It doesn't exactly save time yet, but I can see that they will be very good at packing for themselves before long, and I look forward to the day when they will be able to take charge of the whole process.

Do you have any favorite packing tips?  I'm so curious about what other families do to get ready for a trip.