How do you do it?
 

I've seen the threads that talk about cleaning your whole house before you leave. I'm losing my mind just trying to get everything together for the trip!

No matter how hard I work, how organized I try to be, I always seem to be rushing around until the very last minute. And then I spend the first hour in the car (or in this case, the plane) worrying about what I forgot!

Am I the only one?

No, you are NOT the only one!
Relax.
All is well.
The important stuff has been taken care of.
Have a fabulous time in Ireland!
(and try to shut up the "should have" voices in your head. They are so pesky, aren't they!?!?!?)

Don't clean ---make lists. And then go. Anything you forgot. . . you can buy there. Have a wonderful time.

Oh they are pesky, Starrsville!

Good advice, enzian! And, believe me, I am a list maker. Earlier today I thought I'd lost my notebook. I asked my daughter how I could possibly be expected to function without it!

My suitcase is packed. My under the seat carry-on needs some work. But everything is there. I'm beginning to feel some peace. Now, if I could just get my son to start packing during the commercials of the college basketball games!

CAPH, you and your entire family have gone through a terrible and trying time.

Do stop, whatever you have not packed you can buy in Ireland. And the house will be there when you return

This trip to Ireland is not like somethting you planned and had organized four months in advance. Dear one, forget about anything and everything that has not been taken care of. Just go and have a wonderful week. And feel blessed that you and your your lovely family are able to do this trip. Nothing else matters. Honest, trust me!

HI..
This cracks me up because for one I am a neat freak to begin with but when I leave for a trip whether it is US or abroad, I clean everything.. fresh flowers when I am gone, etc.
One of my husbands friends came by and said " Wow, it looks like the President is coming over"...We still use that line..
It's like the clean underwear story..

I know how you feel. I will find myself standing in front of the closet for hours trying to decide what to bring, then I bring it all because I cannot decide.

Tip on the house thing...<i>shhhh...hire a housekeeper </i> lol It is <b>so</b> worth it even for just this once :D

CAPH52,

Just go!
My Mom &amp; Dad once did a weekend trip, driving from Bishop CA to Lake Tahoe. Well, they got home 3 1/2 months later. They completely circumnavigated the USA and southern Canada, buying clothes and such on the road because they only packed for 3 days. The last thing on their mind, I'm sure, was whether or not the house was clean.
((D))8-)

JUST MAKE SURE THE IRON IS UNPLUGGED, LOL! hee,hee,hee :D

Is your makeup packed? ;)

Do have you plenty of underwear? (refer to &quot;underwear&quot; thread for further detail, lest you think I am crazy) :D

Do you have your passports, tickets, ID?

Did you stop the mail? You can do this online.

<i>Did you take a moment to sit down with your family, hug, and rejoice in each others' happiness?</i>

In the end, that's all that really matters! Have a wonderful trip Caph! ((f)) :)

...and no you are not the only one...

As always, excellent advice from everyone!

I love that story, jamaltay!

I have a check list for what needs to be done before leaving (cancel the newspaper, send birthday cards, etc.) and a check list for what to take with us on a trip.

The travel list includes all clothing, toiletry, drug, travel-related and other items we might use when traveling. It includes items we take on trips overseas (electricity adapters) and items we might take only on long road trips (ice chest). I copy the list, modify it for each trip, and use it as a check list before leaving home.

If I forget something, I enjoy shopping for the item at my destination.

Hire someone to come in a clean the house about 3 days before you leave! That way you can focus on the other things; packing, etc....and you come home to a sparkling house!

It's funny because I too like to leave the house clean. I guess if we got robbed, I wouldn't want the police to think I was a pig. Crazy.
Making a list is a great plan. I usually make a list the night before like toothbrushes, turn heat down, check coffee pot, makeup bag, etc... All of the last minute type things are on the list. I always plan too much. I can't help it. It is in my nature. I hate to shop for junk on my vacation.
But Caph, you have had so much on your plate lately. I am with the crowd. Hire a house cleaner. Buy a few new outfits, and pack. If you forget anything, buy it in Ireland! Enjoy your trip!!

Somehow even if I get it together to clean the house before I leave, it is still gross when I come home. We have 3 cats that save up all their shedding until we are away. They are also guaranteed to vomit at least twice - so the house looks like a cat exploded when we return.

If we travel in summer, since no room a/c has been running and more windows are closed, it also smells disgusting. Cat sitter, who is a wonderful kid, has not mastered the art of taking out the trash yet, so add that to the mix. New England humidity completes the mildew mix.

So I should not even bother, but I still obsess about it.

Oh CAPH you are not the only one, believe me. When we first got married, I had assumed that my DH could pack his &quot;stuff&quot; all by himself, but on our first trip together, my husband had to wear my underwear cause he forgot his. On another road trip, I was verbally going over my list when we realized that he forgot to take his insulin and we had to turn around and go back 50 miles. Unfortunately there are some &quot;things&quot; that you can't pick up enroute or when you get where you're going. We have a month long trip coming up and my list has lists and now I do all the packing, but I'm still nervous as hell. As for cleaning the house, there is nothing like a clean house to come home too so I do try to at least have my bed made :)

I don't even attempt to clean my house. Getting ready for the trip is my only focus. If the task isn't necessary for travel, it waits until after I return.

I also have a &quot;thing&quot; about coming home after a vacation to a clean house. I suspect that overloading the &quot;to do&quot; lists keeps one from worrying about things one CAN'T control! So, make the lists, and if it keeps you from obsessing (like over how planes stay up in the air), go ahead and make the beds and vacuum.

I'm with those who clean house before taking a trip. A messy house is a downer to come home to after spending a few days or weeks in hotel rooms kept tidy and clean by others. Rather than regret my vacation is over, I want to walk into a clean house elated by the thought that there is no place like home.

I promise the &quot;cleanliness police&quot; will not inspect your home while you are gone -
my most favorite sign in my house says this :

Please excuse my mess....I have better things to do!

...and so do you....like a marvelous trip - don't exhaust yourself before you go - have a ball.

CAPH52,

I've been reading all the replies to your post about cleaning your house before your trip. I offer some tips and suggestions.

I'm another one of those, who try to clean the house before I go, so I can return to a clean house, people. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Most of our trips have been long ones to Africa, so we're gone for several weeks. I have always forgotten something I really wanted to take, or left something undone at home. No one died from my mistakes.

The prep work must be done for those trips, so I make lists, and lists and lose the lists and make others etc. So I have a plan for the next time I take a trip (I don't know when).

I plan to begin a couple of weeks early (HA!)and make the lists on my computer. By the time I'm ready to pack, I can go over everything and modify the list for that particular trip and go to it. The good thing about this dream system, is that I can just print out the list for any upcoming trips too. Sound good?

In your case, make a very basic list
Stop the Mail, Turn down the Heat (or up the Air Cond) Stop the newspapers, Notify the Neighbors, Give a trusted person a key, and ask them to check on the house every two or three days, Arrange for pet care (if you have pets), Take out the trash, Unplug all electrical appliances, TV's and computers, Set up timers on some of you obvious lights near windows, Close the blinds, Shut off the main water supply (if possible, or at least shut off the faucets to your washing machine), Wash and dry any wet towels the evening before you leave, Vacuum and clean if you have time. Don't forget to leave the name and telephone number of your hotel or where you'll be staying with a trusted person and take their numbers with you.

Then GO, and have a great time.

Everything will be fine when you return.