You Can't Take It ALL With You

I have gone the full circle on this. I used to pack light. Then I packed lighter. Then I had kids...and if you have kids you know what that means. Then I packed light for the first time in forever and:

"Sorry, Ma'am, your bag cannot be carried on. It's too heavy."

"What?" I had crammed two weeks worth of interchangeable clothing so that I could carry on and not be bothered with the baggage checking, collecting and payment process."

"It's over 11 kilos."

O-k, I didn't pay the best attention during the metric chapter in grammar school. Heck, I lived in Canada for 6 years and I am still foggy on the conversion. 2.2, blah blah blah. I couldn't believe my ears.

"What?"

I could have princess packed and taken all of my shoes--and that's shoes strictly for orthopedic reasons I'm sorry to say. I could have left the mini bottle of laundry detergent at home and just brought more t shirts and underwear. Ugh.

This is just to say, read those guidelines. Yes, those ever changing rules that I swear they are changing when I'm on my way to check in at the airport.

Good News, Bad News

Here's the bad news:  I was in my garage this weekend, finally trying to put order in my abyss of chaos.  The bins were willy nilly, and I needed to get the Christmas gear with the Christmas gear, the Halloween stuff with the Halloween stuff....well, you get the idea.

I decided that all of the luggage needed to be in one spot.  Duffel bags that could be stuffed inside another duffel were stuffed.  Suitcases that could be stored within one another were zipped and ordered like nesting dolls.  I hefted our biggest family suitcase and could barely lift it.

What?  I put in on the ground and unzipped it.  My jaw dropped to the concrete.  There, still neatly organized in my suitcase were clothes, bathing suits, belts, shoes, sunscreen, hat, etc.--I NEVER UNPACKED FROM MY FEBRUARY TRIP TO MEXICO!   What?  What?

So, the bad news is that my mental I.Q. is rapidly declining.  

What's the good news, you ask?  There in the middle of all of that unpacked vacation stuff was FUJI!!!!!!  

Yes, tattered, lonely Fuji was among the cargo.  My daughter's blanket is now back in her arms as she sleeps tonight.  

Monday Morning Moaning: Unexpected Expenses in the Shape and Size of a Fridge

We returned home late Friday night from a glorious family vacation in Mexico.  The trek home was not without it's minor irritations and it was oh so good to be home sleeping in my own comfy bed.

Sunday morning I awoke rested, glad that we had the foresight to factor in an extra recovery day before the routine began again.  Basking in the memories of an excellent get-away, I poured milk onto my cereal.  Gloop.

The milk that I had carefully bought to be within it's expiration date when I returned home was a gelatinous goo.  Thinking that it was odd, I looked into the fridge.  I touched the orange juice container.  Warm?  The eggs?  Warm.

Nothing was cold.  There was furry white mold floating in the jam and green spores in the salsa. Even the catsup had a watery layer floating on top of its surface.  Ugh.  

Rarely do I feel like physical violence is the way to go, but I wanted to kick that GE Profile refrigerator.  I have wasted so much food because someone didn't SLAM the freezer door or SLAM the fridge door.  

My family knows the routine, but unsuspecting guests have no idea that you have to apply your full body weight in the ceremony of making sure the door is shut and the food stays cold.  I want a new fridge!  I want one that actually keeps food cold without freezing it.  I want one where the door shuts properly.  

Except, this wasn't just a human malfunction.  The fridge isn't actually running at all.  The freezer part is fine, but...

Waaaahhhhhhhhh!  Yes, that's the sound of me crying while I bang my head in frustration.  It will all be better once I finish my coffee, right?