You will see a polyvore of all the things I packed for this trip, and you will also see a picture of all the items I packed laid out. I have a very specific method to my madness. :)
Tonight I will discuss my tips for stylish moms and their packing needs...won't be my most long-winded post, but it will certainly have more info that I have in here now. LOL.
Above is the polyvore of all the things I packed.
Above is the picture of all the things I packed laid out and ready to go into the suitcase.
Wish me luck today. We are all a bit loose and you know little toddlers and planes, such delightful, happy memory-making times for all. ;)
Oh, and yes, I know it is Tuesday, but can we just squeak this one in this on time? :)
UPDATE:
It is now Wednesday and I am finally able to finish this post.
As a SAHM, you would think that I would have the luxury of packing made easy, as I have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD. Well, turns out that just isn't true. I do work out of the home, even if it is sporadically, and that takes time, plus my family was in town these past two weeks, so almost all my time was spent with them and not my beloved suitcases--LOL.
Even in the best of situations, you know, it's winter, no one is visiting, no subbing jobs, packing can be a very tedious process. After many years of getting frustrated that it would be the DAY of the flight, car trip, train ride, etc., and I was still packing...I knew I HAD to streamline the process...and here is what I came up with to help me...
1. Start early, but not too early. I find that if I am going away for a week, I start one week early. If I am going away for two weeks, I start two weeks early, and so on. It may be that I just bring the suitcases upstairs but even that simple move gets me in the mindset that packing must get started.
2. Pick a theme. I love to theme my vacations...this time (for Southern California in summer), I themed it "Chloë Sevigny Goes Beach-Girl Chic." Adding the raffia hat and the linen scarf helps complete that look, as I can totally see Chloe wearing both of those pieces to the beach, wind whipping her scarf, yet not her hair (which is protected by Lola for J. Crew).
3. Definitely find a color trio. I love working with three colors. Clearly I went for the teal green/silver/white look. I always try to incorporate at least one neutral and one bright. Sometimes I throw in another color, whereas other times I throw in another neutral (which is what I did this time with silver).
4. Don't overpack. I do pack a lot of clothing for my trips, but honestly, I should NOT need more than 7 tops for a 7 day trip. Even if I REALLY want to add in that extra tank, etc., I restrain myself. I also knew that I would have only one dress-up occasion (church on Sunday), so I packed one dress-up outfit, the Silver Lining dress by Anthropologie.
5. Don't forget accessories. The sunshine of California necessitates sunglasses and the hat, the cooler temps at night (can dip into the low 60s--especially on the coast) necessitate the cardigans and the scarf, and because I don't want to be boring, I have also packed jewelry (the necklaces) to add a boost to each outfit.
6. Remember your climate. If I was headed to Virginia for a summer vacation, I WOULD NEVER pack a jacket or heavy cardigan. That would be silly. I would pack a raincoat, though. Did I bring an umbrella to CA? Nope. Not needed!
7. Remember Wal-Mart. It used to be that I would FLIP out over the little things, like "where is the toothpaste, and how many diapers should we bring, how about how heavy is this shampoo going to make this bag?" Finally, I just stopped one day when my hubby gently reminded me, "Remember Wal-Mart." He's right...if you leave anything behind or you don't want to bring something, you can always find what you need somewhere when you are travelling. It may not be EXACTLY what you are used to, but isn't part of travelling the fun of finding novelty? Since then, I have EMBRACED the novel, and do not stress over those small, unimportant things like bringing 50 diapers.
I hope this helped you all. If I think of anything, or if you all can think of anything to add, please comment, would love to hear what you have to say!!!
