I'm all better now. Moving forward.

Now that the Big Yard Sale of Doom is over and done with, I'm on a much more even keel. There were a few things that, as they left my possession, I will admit I got a little teary over, but all in all, it was rather freeing.

The first day was crazy busy. Advertising on Craigslist is very effective! We set it all out again on Monday and at noon I called some friends to come over and pick through what was left to save us from hauling it to goodwill. In the end, we went from most of the contents of our house to 5 boxes and two garbage bags full of stuff to be donated. Not bad.

We are into the realm of "weeks" before we leave our house. There are a handful of fun things to do before we go. The girls start their Summer Movies on Thursday, my birthday is Monday (woohoo!) which is also when the girls start their swimming lessons. Then, on the 12th of June, we're headed out.

In the midst of all the fun things, I've got a fair bit of packing to do. The girls have check-ups scheduled. I need to find ways to keep them entertained in the car for the 8-hours a day we'll be driving. Videos will only get us so far. I have the Everything Kids Travel Activity Book, but much of what's in it is beyond A. She's the one I'm most worried about. K can veg in front of a TV for hours if you let her, but A likes to be doing things. I have a feeling I'm going to spend a good amount of the trip wedged in the back seat between the two of them, both keeping the peace and keeping them entertained.

I think we're going to end up going from Springfield, MO through Kentucky and West Virginia to get to my friend's house in Maryland. I am so excited about that part of the trip! I haven't been in either of those states before, and I think it'll be a prettier drive than the Illinois/Indiana/Ohio route.

So, yup... Here we are... Trying to pick up the last few things we want/need before we go. Getting everything boxed up and ready to go.

To that end, I went to the mall today with the kids to avail myself of the last of the Memorial Day sales and to pick up Bananagrams which I'd seen at Borders last night when I was out with A, but had to come back for when I had my 15% off coupon with me. (Honestly, if you are a scrabble-type of person and haven't played that game, you need to get your hands on it!) Anyway, the kids are slowly growing out of the stage where they like to hide in clothes racks and run up and down the aisles of the store when I'm shopping. Today, I hit gold with them. K was starting to act up and I turned to her and said, "Look, K, we are in the kind of store that Mommies usually come to WITHOUT their children because they want to shop in peace. You need to stop being so loud and let the other Mommies here have their quiet time!"

She took that to mean, "If they see me, they will kick me out." She stayed by my side the rest of the time we were in the store and when she had to speak, she used a stage whisper. I don't know about the other Mommies in the store, but my shopping experience was much more peaceful after that!