Olympic Packing, Management’s Favorite Toys, and Clouds

Packing for our family vacation has become quite the event now that the grandbrats have multiplied. I begin several months before vacation planning and researching the latest and greatest, the tried and true so that I am like a Boy Scout: always prepared. I try to pack travel games for the car, games and crafts for rainy days, toys for outdoor play, educational workbooks recommended by Mensa to keep their minds active, videos that teach manners and morals, and silly songs so we can sing and dance.  I pack flotation devices and swim fins for the pool, inner tubes, boogie boards and inflatable rafts for the surf, skateboards, wagons and bikes for the sidewalks, walking sticks and compasses for the trail, and water bottles galore. This doesn’t include the food it takes to energize these guys.

I packed and planned. Planned and packed. I condensed, repacked, bought new things, mentally determined what box would fit where and how many sheets and towels I could roll into the size of a small sleeping bag so I could reuse the zippered pouches the sleeping bags came in. I was ready. Only, I did not take into account car seats and the amount of space that was needed for these mini roll cages. What happened to the good ole days when Mom and Dad let us ride in the back of a pickup truck with a camper shell?

So it was back to the drawing board on the morning of departure day. We decided against the bikes and wagons. I tossed the games we would play in the car; vetoed the videos, the inner tubes and boogie boards. The inflatable raft remained only because it was flat and under a pile of other items. We weren’t going to have much time to spend on the trail anyway and there just didn’t seem to be room for walking sticks without the thought of it poking someone in the eye. We probably wouldn’t have time for board games and puzzles, either. So they were eliminated. Finally, we got the hatch shut, the boys buckled and the adults in the front seat.

We made it to the end of the driveway when Faux Pas looked at me and asked, “Did you pack my toothbrush?” Well, as a matter of fact, no I did not. I did not pack one stitch of clothing, toothbrush, bathing suit or handkerchief for either of us.

After all my research into games and brain toys for all ages and a week of trial and error, I’ve come up with our three favorite toys. I share this so you can spend hours less time packing and avoid buying a larger car.  Number one is play dough. We didn’t need all the extras. Just a plain old fashioned can, original color play dough. No bells and whistles here. I got each kid a different color so they wouldn’t argue over whose was whose. They swapped around, mixed colors, giggled, rolled it out, made impressions of anything and everything, squished it, and started all over again.  Seriously, this choice was an afterthought—just plain old memories from my childhood. It even won over a fresh, new box of crayons, another memory and smell from my childhood that flooded my senses with creativity.

Number two was Legos. Sometimes, OK, most times, boys just have to build something and then tear it apart. After watching the process, I began to understand why our house has never been finished. Faux Pas is still a little boy building stuff and then taking it apart and coming up with ways to make it better.

By far, the top toy for me and for the grandbrats is the flour sifter. I would have to move this toy right on up to the category of sacred. It doesn’t need to be fancy, doesn’t require batteries and is the epitome of fun. Who can resist looking into a kitchen covered in a cloud of flour dust? The giggles, the smudged cheeks, the anticipation of something good coming out of the oven—and that was me! I love watching the seriousness in the gbrats’ faces as they turn the handle.  The three boys stand around on chairs so they can reach the counter top. Often we needed to make multiple batches of cookies just so everyone had an opportunity to sift.  Hey sift or be sifted, right?