Holiday?!

Ds1 and dd on a previous caravan holiday

This weekend, we are taking the kids to the seaside for a short break. An unusual time to go, you might think, but thanks to the marvellousness of companies such as Groupon, we picked up a bargain price deal for a 3 bed caravan in a nearby coastal town of Essex! The holiday needed to be taken by the end of June so, after whittling down which weekend we could actually go, it only left this one coming.

So, the plan is to hurl everything in the car, pick the kids up from school and drive straight there, simples.
Only it never is, something that parents everywhere know only too well!


At the beginning of the week, I was encouraging the children to think about what clothes they would be taking, to locate them and then make sure, if they were dirty, give them to me to clean them. In addition, if they couldn't be tumble dried, that I could wash them in time to dry them without the help of nature as the weather this week has been, as always, a bit hit and miss.

This all sounds well organised, but I know from experience that come Friday I will still be scrambling around in their piles of clothing desperately looking for that second pair of clean pants!

Then there is the question of how many clothes do we take for all types of weather? Do we need coats, shorts, flip flops or wellies? Looking at the long range weather forecast is never any good as it is contantly changing so I need to be prepared for all contingencies, so multiply each item by six.

English Caravan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Having a caravan holiday in this country, there is the benefit of not having to carry luggage just throw it in the car, but there is only so much you can pack into a 7 seater, even with one seat folded down so the boot is bigger than a postage stamp. We have to take our own bath towels, beach towels (there is an indoor swimming pool on site if we don't make it to the beach), tea towels, buckets & spades, food, drink (plenty of alcohol for the adults as well!), dd's favourite cereal, dh's preferred sauce, ingredients for a fry up Saturday morning (easier to bring it than to shop when you arrive - takes up valuable holiday time!), snacks for the journey (we're bound to get caught in traffic), a variety of handheld gaming systems and chargers (in case we're stuck in the caravan in the pouring rain), dressing gowns (well, it will be cold in the morning), a cuddly toy or two - the list goes on.
Normally, by the time we've filled the car, dd is in real danger of being buried by the mountain of luggage if dh takes a corner too fast as she sits beside the wall of doom.
In addition, each child insists on having the following where they sit:- a blanket, pillow/neck cushion, cuddly toy (optional), drink, snack/sweets, electrical entertainment device (ipod/ds/leap pad)!

So, with all that in mind, I am allowing myself all day Friday to gather and put everything in the car, hoping that the children have remembered to help by putting their bits ready (ds1 suggested they pack their things Thursday evening which may not be a bad idea!). Then I need to think about what I need to bring, which means an all new ball game of outfit planning and how many shoes can I get away with.....somebody pour me a large G&T!

Disclaimer The views expressed in this blog are solely that of laidbackmumof4's and has not been asked to credit any company's name