Today we are focusing on packing and vacuum sealing all of our clothing so that we can fit more into all of our tubs. We each get two of these tubs; one tub for all of our clothes + one tub for supplies/schoolbooks/sportsequipment, plus a carry-on suitcase and a backpack.
The past couple of days have been focused on cleaning the house thoroughly so we come back to a house that is clean and does not smell badly. We can come back and unpack easily. We have had to try on all of our clothing and purge what does not fit so we only pack clothing that fits.
We have been wearing the weirdest outfits also because we cannot wear things that we are taking to China. For example, yesterday I had to wear a flowered shirt, ripped jeans, and silver hi-tops. I felt ridiculous, but you have to pay the price!
Having a 4 year old brother around is not exactly the biggest help with the process either. He has been un-packing everything as fast as it is being packed. It is a continuous circle that is quite exhausting.
Our eating habits have also been altered quite a bit. We are working to clean out our refrigerator and pantry. Our meals have been a little mis-matched lately. It has helped that our close friends have just moved back to our neighborhood from being in South Africa for 15 months. We have been able to give lots of our perishables to them instead of having to toss them.
[MA's update]
I cannot praise highly enough the greatness of the vacuum-sealed packing bags. They're about $4/bag, but we were able to buy just a few and happy take some off the hands of neighbors and dear friends. We felt pretty good about our decisions for what to bring clothing wise but by using the vacuum bags, we were able to free up valuable space for extra toys, books, coffee, and nonessential toiletries that we hope will enrich our "quality of life" over the next six months. :)
We spent our NYE watching McFarland USA and packing up our totes. It was a special way to spend the evening - we enjoyed watching the movie and reflecting on the Westlane Cross-Country seasons while we worked together as a family to accomplish a BIG task.
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