Hubby and I had discussed going to California next week, but were waiting on some final decisions before we made our finalized plans. Well, those final decisions were decided last minute last night which has resulted in some massive anxiety for me and running around like a chicken with my head cut off today!

We will be driving from Arizona to California, which takes us 6-8 hours which isn’t bad, but remember, we have a 4 year old and 6 year old.

The car rental has been picked up; a friend has agreed to care for our animals; now I must worry about the packing!

How Do You Plan a Trip?

As a family of four, I always feel like I am forgetting something so when it comes to packing, a list is my best friend! Here is how I plan for a trip:

• 
  Car Ride
  
  – this consists of anything we need to keep in the car with us for the drive. Things in this category consist of the DS and Leap Frog; a portable DVD player we borrowed from a friend; my Kindle Fire for kids app games; my iPod and iPod USB cord for music since these new cars have a USB plug in
• 
  Sleep
  
  – anything we need for sleeping, so jammies for everyone, pillows, blankets, and of course “Hippo” and blanket for Buggy and “Lovey” and blanket for Buddy (yes, both kids have a special stuffed animal and special blanket they have to have for sleeping purposes)
• 
  Bathroom
  
  – anything we need that involves the bathroom, but also includes things we keep in the bathroom that need to be brought with. Shampoos (in our house, the kids have their own, I have my own, and hubby has his own. Oye!); body washes; toothbrushes; tooth paste; deodorant; makeup; hair brush.
• 
  Shoes
  
  – Because we’re going to the beach, I want to make sure I remember to bring flip flops, but also tennis shoes so they can play. Adding them to my list will help me remember!
• 
  Misc
  
  – Random items that don’t really have a “room” or “person” category. It includes phone chargers, camera, camera charger, etc. This would probably also include my lap desk, laptop, charger and mouse so I can continue blogging while we are gone!

My next list (second page) separates into each person so I have a list for Buggy, Buddy, hubby and myself and then list what clothes each of us needs along with how many of each item. And the way I create this list is to go feet to head so it looks something like this…

For the kids and me:

Socks, pants, shorts, underwear, shirts, jacket, water clothes (for the beach of course!)

Hubby:

He wears undershirts so that gets added in to the above list.

For some, this may be above and beyond, but this is the best way for me to keep track of what I need to pack for 4 people, what has been packed, what still has to be packed, etc. I would love to hear how you pack for a road trip!