We have had our holiday this year, but we are off seeing family and friends a few times over the summer so entering the Cravendale pre- holiday checklist seemed like a good way of getting organised. My husband thinks that going away with three kids is "easy as long as you relax." (Yes he actually said this to me and is still alive!) This clearly shows that he doesn't get involved with the planning at all. And also shows that I must do a reasonable job if he thinks it is easy! I never used to be one for lists but since becoming a Mum I live my life by them. If it isn't on a list then I will forget it!


Things to take

I have three boys aged 4, 2 and 7 months. The latter means I end up taking way more than I want to and need to pack extra clothes for me as well as him. When travelling in the UK I often order an internet shop to arrive where we are going with things like nappies, wipes, baby food etc so that I don't fill up the car unnecessarily.

Big and middle man: clothes, trainers and sandals (although as we are going away in the UK this summer holidays I may need to change that to wellie boots and waterproofs) DVD player with various DVDs, ipad fully charged, sticker books, balloons, blow up beach ball, sun hats, lots of snacks that aren't messy ie raisins, nappies and swim nappies for middle man. Swimming stuff inc googles, swim towels, kids wash bag, drinks cups, calpol, bonjela, plasters, anibacterial wipes, thermometer, pack of cleaning wipes, buckets and spades - if in UK. Last but not least - in fact very importantly, two Mickey Mouses - middle man needs his to go to sleep and big man seems to think that Mickey needs a holiday too!

Baby man: bibs, bottle, travel steriliser, travel highchair, jars of food, a spoon, tub of milk powder, nappies, wipes and nappy sacks, travel cot, loads of clothes (ideally dark coloured ones/non expensive ones) travel wash to rinse clothes in if they get really dirty, swim nappies, sleeping bags, cot sheets. sun tent.

Husband: clothes, shoes, trainers, flip flops, wash bag, kindle, baseball cap, sunglasses, goggles, money, passports and all travel documents including car breakdown cover, DVDs to watch in the evening.

Me: clothes, shoes, flip flops, wash bag, suncream for everyone,paracetamol, trashy magazines, hair dryer and straighteners, changing bag. 

We generally only go away for a week at most, so leaving something with a long life in the fridge to eat like fresh pasta is great as is simple and quick to cook when we get in. I also put some bread in the freezer and a long life milk in the fridge. (Yes I really do this and am not just saying it because it is a Cravendale competition!) I also like to have a quick hoover and clean in general as it is nice to come home to a clean house. I try to wash all the clothes that we aren't taking as the washing machine goes into over drive when we come back. Oh and change the beds as there is nothing better than getting back to your own bed with fresh bedding.

Excellent, I will now be referring to this on each trip we make over the summer holidays and hopefully like my husband says all I need to do is relax and going away will be easy!



This is an entry for the Come Home to a Cuppa Linky Challenge, sponsored by Cravendale.