It was such a typical mom move that all I could do was laugh, despite the annoying inconvenience. It’s just so like a mom to meticulously work to make sure everything is in order and all the ducks are in a line for everyone…except herself.
That’s how I felt last month when we went on our annual, three-day beach trip. I had a detailed list and was so proud of myself for checking off everything on it. I had snacks, sand toys, beach towels, sunscreen, hats, and sandals, not to mention the many things the kids would need for sleeping. On my list, I had written “bathing suits—2 for boys.” Knowing my kids would likely get covered in sand and that it’s uncomfortable to put on a wet bathing suit, I made sure to bring each of the kids two suits. And knowing that Mr. Handsome would be facilitating more of the sand play, I reminded him to bring two as well.
The night before we left, as I was packing for myself, I completely forgot to throw in a bathing suit, let alone two. We drove into Florida at 8pm the next day, took a quick walk along the beach, and then went to bed.
The next morning, I realized my mistake. There aren’t a lot of stores in the area where we were, and let’s be honest, shopping for a bathing suit isn’t usually a “walk in and buy the first one you see” type of experience. There are a lot of different styles and fits, and just because something that says it’s your size doesn’t mean it’s going to work. I don’t usually have much luck with clothing at Walmart, but that was the closest store, so I hopped in the car at 7am, while the rest of the family was still asleep, and made the trek. I took the opportunity to stock up on groceries so we wouldn’t have to waste more time at grocery stores.
The swim suit section was pretty small, but I thankfully found something that worked. Have you ever forgotten something essential on a trip? Were you able to find a replacement?
Yes, my toothbrush, once. With grimy teeth the next day, I went across the street to a drug store. Probably shouldn’t be admitting this to a dentist’s wife.
Have you ever tried making a permanent packing list and keeping it on file in the computer? That’s what I do. I print out a fresh copy before each trip and highlight what I’ve packed as I pack it. Haven’t forgotten a toothbrush since.
Mr. Handsome has actually forgotten his toothbrush once. Haha. Luckily we were at someone’s house so they had an extra, which was really good because I think he would have a hard time going to bed without brushing his teeth. I have a note on my phone, but I think you’re right that a printed copy would be easier to work from. Thanks for the idea.
Good idea. With a printed copy you can mark things off or circle things and see at a glance what’s missing.
I “stole” one of those freebie toothbrushes my dentist keeps out for client use and put it in my car. Now if I don’t forget my car, I don’t forget a toothbrush. I took another brush and keep it in my purse, and a third one because they are small brushes and good for cleaning crevices or jewelry! My reward for being brave in the dental chair and paying my $$$$$ bill….. Kinda like getting a sticker, but more handy.
I usually forget toiletries but those are easy to come by. My mom though forgot to pack any clothing for her one time for herself. This was before I was around, she said she made sure my dad and brother were all packed and forgot about her, and didn’t realize it until they got were they were going. Dad had to take her shopping.
Oh my, that would be rough, especially if there weren’t a lot of options and she had to settle for clothes that didn’t fit well.
She never went into much about it. All she said is Dad called her and asked if she wanted to go home (dad was in the Navy, and got the weekend off. So when he said home he meant where they were from) she got all excited and started packing for everyone but some how forgot to pack for herself. She laughs about it now, but she has never forgotten it.
When my daughters were children I would try to make a list for each family member. I never made a list for myself only because I was convinced I wouldn’t forget anything. Well forget that! I forgot to pack my hair conditioner one time we were on a retreat. Since it was just a weekend thing I decided to do without since I didn’t want to go into town to find black hair care products.
Now I make sure to make a list for myself.
I was change purses and grab the wrong insulin to put in my purse I though I put the new on in not the old one. Had to go to Walgreens and tell them I need insulin. I have a prescription their anyway. They gave me another on for free and they asked me if I need and needles I said no.
My mom would put are kids clothes in zip lock storages bags for everyday of the week so we would forget anything. My Dad forgot the hang up stuff so when we got their we hadn’t go shopping for good clothes for church.
Oh my goodness this same thing happened to me 2 summers ago! We were taking a trip to Williamsburg and we were going to the water park on my birthday. We have 4 kids and I do the same things with list after list. They each had 2 bathing suits and I had none! I realized it about 9 pm the night before we were headed to the water park. I had to run to the closest store – Walmart- and this was august and they were pretty cleaned out. One skimpy rack! Thankfully I found something like you did. Total Mom move.
Sorry, that’s not a typical mom thing forgetting your clothes. Although it might be if you have two children that close together? Military wife of 14 years with six moves and two of them were overseas. If you’re living out of a suitcase for a month or two. You make a list of everything you’ll need. Then you pack the suitcase, and write everything down that’s in them. You’ll also need to weigh your bags, if you’re flying. You’ll need to do the same with the bag for the homeschool curriculum, school supplies, and the supplies for the pets. If it’s not an overseas move you’ll also need a suitcase for the air mattresses, bedding, and bath towels because you’ll get your house before your furniture arrives. You also pack everything in the car to make sure it will all fit and figure out where everything goes. Then you’ll take lots of pictures. You don’t want to have things not on the moving truck that you have to leave behind because they won’t fit in either car. So no, I don’t think it’s a mom thing, I think it’s a 20 something scatterbrained thing.
It sounds like you are extremely organized and I commend you for that! Thank you to your husband and entire family for serving our country. I’m curious, do you consider 3 years apart to be close in age? I don’t, but maybe some people do?
Yes, I consider anything less then five years to be close together. I don’t understand why people are always rushing to have more children and don’t just enjoy the time with the one they have first. My two are 15+ years apart.
Lolo, at least your stuff got there. My friend was on a military move overseas and the ship’s cargo hold caught fire. That was a nightmare, doing inventory and replacement afterwards. I moved 2x stateside military and they still managed to lose a few boxes. The Bible I was given as a little girl for one. I never liked letting someone else pack and handle my things and that’s one reason why.
I think that’s an unfair statement. I am in my 40’s and I have forgotten my glasses and extra contacts, I have very impaired vision and cannot see without them. People forget things for themselves, often when they are rushing. I don’t think you need to be 20 and scatterbrained for forgetting something. Apparently you have everything you will ever need and never forget anything. Rolling my eyes.
a couple of years ago my husband to forgot to pack his underwear. i a lot of time just forget a few toiletries or slippers or something like that.
I think the bad one is that it’s easy to forget night things for yourself- haven’t done it recently but sometimes I would plan out the clothes for each day but forget about night. It will prob get worse when your kids are old enough to pack their own clothes- Ha ha! Someone by us I think forgot pJ’s or underwear I think. It’s good to be somewhere where you can find decent clothes or have a washer / dryer in your suite in case they only bring 2 prs of underwear or whatever. when my kids were younger, my older two were pretty close in size so I would kind of think of bringing an extra pr of PJ’s for the older one that in a pinch could work for the next child. Making a list is a good idea though.
Haha yes this is relatable. The year my second baby was born I was nominated to help out with a couple things at work that involved video calls. In order for me to be present at the designated time and place, the kids and I needed to stay overnight at my mother in laws. I was breastfeeding so I had to get my pumping stuff all ready, make sure I brought plenty of food, get the kids’ stuff together, have all my work stuff, all my overnight stuff…I forgot a work shirt to wear on the video call. So I had to leave super early and run to Walmart to find a “nice” shirt. It was difficult but I found a solid color sweater in my size that worked. That sweater stays at my mother in law’s in case that happens again!
Hi Ellie, I think 3 yrs apart for your children is still close. I also wanted to share a story and see what you think of this. Years ago my family, kids and husband went camping. While at the campsite we ran into a family we knew. Their youngest son was quite young 6 or 7. He had been told to pack his own suitcase with a weeks worth of clothing. Needless to say there were more little toy cars etc than clothes. He did not pack underwear or socks or long pants for cold nights. He did not think of a sweater or jacket or swimming trunks. A couple of shorts and tops. His mother was very angry with him and the father told the son he would have to make do with what he packed. We were forbidden to assist their son with more clothes. It ruined our trip away with our family. Our children were very upset for their friend. We tried to take trips away from the campsite as a family to do things on our own etc as this had not been an arranged two family vacation. This event bothered and upset me for years. I could never see the parents in the same light. Here decades later the topic of this blog has me remembering this all over again and still not knowing what to have done about it. As you say, typical mom moves like packing for everyone else but forgetting an item for ourselves happens. We are nurturers making sure our family unit is taken care of and that any emergency etc has been thought about. Why was this young boy held to this standard and treated this way? Why was his packing not overseen by an older sibling or parents? Or at least checked before they left the house. Or at the least given a list with words or pics of what to pack that he could follow. Why was he held to such a level of perfection? Thank you for letting me share. I still find it quite upsetting.
That sounds completely unfair to me. How awful to force such a young child to pack for himself and not give him any guidance or check his work, then punish him for doing it wrong. I agree, he should not have been held to that standard. At that age, making sure a kid has what he needs for a vacation is the parents’ responsibility.
At that age I could see asking him to pack from a list (picture or written depending on reading ability) and then checking it over. But not blind responsibility.
Thankyou for your thoughts on this. I told my husband I had shared this with you, and he immediately remembered the events, what was said to us, everything I wrote you. Here it is all this time later and we talked about how it had affected us and how we remembered it all so well, and talked about how it must have affected the boy.
This is very relatable. One thing I’ve also learned is when flying if you check a bag to bring a full change of clothes and swim suit in your carry on. I know so many folks that get stuck without their luggage before cruises ( herd to buy replacements!) , trips, or even a wedding outfit .
Yes! That’s a great tip!
I like this tip as well. For bigger trips, we would pack one suitcase for getting us there, if we were driving, then just that suitcase needed to be found for everyone’s overnight things and clean clothes for the next day. Worked really well.
Hi Ellie,
I did ask a question in your Q&A part 1 have not yet gotten a response. My question is will you ever disclose the name of Mr Handsome and the boys ?
I did a very similar “mom move”. But our kids weren’t even with us that time! My husband and I went for a marriage weekend away. We were excited to enjoy the hotel’s hot tub and I forgot to pack both our bathing suits. It was in Idaho in Nov. So not exactly swimsuit shopping season. But we ran to a nearby Ross and actually found suits for both of us on clearance! It was a sweet reminder of God’s care for us.
Where are you off to now and what have you forgotten? LOL