If I send you all my family’s contact info will you guys tell them 4 weeks is not too early to start packing!
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You waited until 4 weeks?! Were you battling the flu or something? Now you are behind the curve!
(just show them that — I hope it helps)
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How do you know it’ll all fit if you don’t pack now? What if you need to add or take something away?
I noticed on my last trip, I ended up planning on taking 2 suitcases, but after a “mock packing”, I realized I could fit everything into one.
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Sorry, they already contacted me and told me to tell you that you are crazy. They will agree to 4 days.
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Have they at least tried on their clothes? Do they still fit or do you need a shopping trip in between? What shoes are everyone taking? Do the bathing suits still fit from last year? 4 weeks isn’t much time. Do you have all your toiletries together at least? How about your “just in case” meds? Sunscreen?
If you have little kids, have they broken the news to the stuffies that have to stay home? Have you broken the news that the stuffies have to stay home?
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Also, if you don’t pre-pack now you might forget extraneous details, like their shoes and socks and favorite shirts. Yours, of course, can be thrown in the suitcase last minute without any problem
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Just tell them if they don’t “get with the programme”, then you’ll be picking out their clothes for them.
That should do the trick with anyone older than about 7 or 8. Except boys - if mine were anything to go by, they didn’t care until they were around 14.
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Threaten them with forced matchy-matchy shirts every day.
That would have had my sister and me ready to go in 5 minutes! Every trip I thank my mom for never making us do that!
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Hahaha
this post made me snort (insert favorite beverage here) out my nose
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You guys are the best!
We started packing for our trip in December. (2020
…shhh!)
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The problem here is that you are too nice. Give them your packing list and tell them to get with the program or suffer the consequences.
We don’t have to pack in advance because I whipped the kids into shape from the time they could drag their own wheeled bags. DD25 and DS27 know how to bundle-pack, and DS21 is just a crammer but he’s skinny so there’s no problem fitting his clothes in the bag, at least.
We all met up at WDW in May and everything was fine.
And DH, being an engineer-turned-doctor is very, very methodical and practical. I only worry about him being able to match his clothes.
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maybe not pack, but at least make a list of things to pack 
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If I packed 4 weeks out I’d be jailed for indecent exposure . . .
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I work full time, so there is only 3 weekends left. I understand the kids can’t pack their clothes all ready, but they can pretend pack them and see how much they have, what suitcase they fit in, what we need to pick up. I swear my kids took after my parents, who are complete “there are wallmarts everywhere what I don’t pack I can buy” people. I grew up with these loosey goosey, late for everything people, and I now I am total type A. Maybe it will be a every other generation thing in our family.
I am going to go add this to a packing thread someplace, but I have to remember to pack my fairy-god mother mail supplies very least the address.
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Everyone is at a cookout, I had to work (the Austrian company I work for doesn’t shut down for the 4th, strange hu?) So I got home to an empty house. I started packing everyone’s stuff. It started small with carryon/park bags. I have since moved on to clothing. LOL
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I do this: I give fair warning and then do what needs to be done.
And in 30-ish years of family vacation management, I have NEVER heard “why did you pack this?!”. and I HAVE heard multiple times “why didn’t you pack this?!”. and occasionally “I’m so glad you thought to pack this!!”
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I get the “why did you pack this”, but only from the 16 year old son who hates packing for himself, but hates having “mommy” do it for him enough to rag on me when I do it.
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