We are a little over a week away from our fall break vacation.  We are going to the Indianapolis Zoo. The kids are bursting with excitement.  In Leslie’s words, “I just can’t wait!  It’s going to be so fun and exciting.” I’m excited too, maybe as much if not more so than Leslie, or maybe it’s Leslie’s excitement flowing over to me. I have to hide my excitement though or the kids will be so hyper I won’t be able to control them.  Hailie wishes it could be longer and Lorianna is still on about wishing that Grandma could come too.  Every vacation in the past Grandma has come with us, paid for everything and there has always been a tension about it all.  This is a vacation without Grandma, and we will see if the tension is alleviated.  It will be nice to be able to relax and just enjoy a day at the zoo and a peaceful evening.

There is a lot of stress in preparing and packing for 4 kids, myself and my husband.  Plus making sure that we have everything necessary for Lorianna, in case of seizures, while we are there.  Of course, I have to be the one to do it, with Sean working and the kids refusing to help.  So what does it take to prepare for a family vacation?  It’s not just making sure there are clean clothes and packing.  For use it’s remembering medications and having enough magnets for the trip (in case one gets lost).  Luckily there will be a neurology visit before the trip, so I will be able to get extra magnets, rescue medication and a clearance from the neurologist.  As long as it’s not too hot, there shouldn’t be an issue.  However if it’s a warm day, we will have to be on the lookout for seizures.

I always make a packing list ahead of time, so that we don’t miss anything.  Then, I check everything off as it goes into the duffel bag.  This is the only way that I can be sure that we don’t forget anything (and still somehow we always seem to miss something).  This trip will be taken in our van so, it will need to be cleaned out good.  Sean uses it as storage with stuff he gets from work when shippers are getting rid of items.  We will be doing that this weekend, most likely.  Then next week after our Cincinnati trip, I will focus on packing and making sure we have all the stuff we need.

Since we are also planning on taking food for lunches and snacks, I will also need to make up a grocery list and make sure all that is ready to go.  We already have someone who will come and take care of the dog, since he is not coming with us, so that is one less thing we have to think about. Since I like coming home to a clean house, a lot of cleaning will be done before we leave as well. All the toys will be picked up and put in containers. Any blankets that the kids have out will be put in the laundry room to be washed when we get back. All dirty clothes will be gathered out of bedrooms too and transferred into the laundry room. That way when I get back, all I have to do is start tossing clothing in and starting the washer. With a clean house when we return, the stress doesn’t return the minute we walk in the door.

I am really looking forward to this trip. I was quite little last time I went to Indianapolis. This will be a treat for me, as well as the kids, and I’m just hoping for a stress free, relaxing vacation where I can focus on enjoying the zoo and watching the kids have a fun time, that will remain in their minds for years to come. So what are the kids looking forward to most with the trip?

Leslie: I can’t wait to see the dolphin show and I hope they call me up to be one of the ones to help with the show.
Lorianna: Monkeys! I hope they have monkeys!
Hailie: The cats. I hope that we get to see tigers and Leslie said there was a cheetah.
Kyle: Is there snakes there? If there is I’m going to see them all.

Each child is so different. Hailie won’t even consider seeing the snakes, but that’s all Kyle can think about. We can’t wait for our fall vacation!