Packing light for 2 weeks in Europe

The last time our family did any major travel was in 2019 for a retirement trip to Hawaii with my parents where we made stops to visit extended family in 2 other states (Cali and Colorado). That was the first time we packed lightly (we had access to laundry in all locations) and it was FABULOUS!

Once our 2020 trip to Europe with extended family finally was rescheduled for this year, and with all the horror stories we had a been hearing about air travel, lost baggage, etc I knew we had to continue to pack light to avoid as many mishaps as possible. We stayed with family friends for 4 nights (with laundry), an airBNB for 1 night, a converted church for 7 nights (with laundry) and a hotel for 2 nights. We don’t plan to EVER go back to checking bags. You need less than you think. Pack neutral items for easy mixing and matching. We also registered for TSA Precheck which allows you to move through security much more quickly (think: no shoes off, don’t have to remove toiletries). Highly recommend and only the adults have to register.

Also, packing cubes work great for some, but I don’t feel the need for them and have always rolled clothing to minimize wrinkles and better see what I have.

My baseline packing list:

1-2ish pairs of pants

1-2 pairs of shorts/skirt

1 pajamas

1 swimsuit (kids brought goggles)

5-6ish tops

1 dress

1 sandals (dressy)

sneakers + socks

1-2 layers (cardigans, wraps - kids brought one sweatshirt each)

pashmina (for layering)

rain jacket + hat/sunglasses

toiletries + meds

Our family of 5 had 5 carry-ons and 5 personal bags (backpacks).

The kids backpacks held their travel activities/books/stuffies/headphones/snacks/water bottles.

Hardest part is the boys shoes are BIG and take up lots of space. They wore the bulkiest pair, but had one other option plus flip flops in their carry-ons. We also had to prepare for various weather - warmer things for Scotland (I took the kids winter coats because I worried hikes may be very chilly - they were not used). It ended up being one of the hottest weeks in London and we really could have used a couple more summer outfits (tank tops) because things were sweaty and smelly (no AC there!). Also, young kids are messy so more likely to spill things on clothing regularly. I’ve been known to do a quick wash in the sink and hang dry overnight if necessary.

All in all, we used 95% of the items we packed and did laundry once each week. But, even if we did not have laundry available to us, I still think we could have made it work! I think if we release the fear that we won’t have enough and just know that in an emergency we could pick-up something we might need, then we have less to worry about and keep track of and it’s SO WORTH IT!

Tell me your questions about packing lightly!

Minimizing technology distractions

I recently shared about one of my summer reads, Digital Minimalism.

I feel like ever since becoming a mother nearly 13 years ago I’ve been on a journey for less (to make room for more of what’s important). A big part of that is learning to manage technology well and model for my kids. And yet, technology plays a huge role in our world and isn’t going away. The balance can be difficult, but there are some of the ways that have been helpful to me, ever a work in progress. The opportunity to reset and take a break is always a good thing!

• I try to plug in my phone downstairs every night before bed. I got away from this last year when my son started middle school and a VERY early school start time. I wanted alarm back-up! Trying to reset this habit now with an old school alarm clock.

• No TV in the bedrooms. I confess, this may change as my kids get older and we want to watch different things in the evenings. But in our 17 years of marriage, we haven’t missed it for a second. Having only one TV in the house encourages our family to find other things to do!

• No video games on school days during elementary school. This worked fantastically during the pre-Covid years and was a clear boundary. Now that our kids stay up later we do usually watch TV together to unwind after long days.

• Only check certain social media outlets on my computer (meaning I don’t have every option on my phone)

• Turn off ALL notifications. This is SO helpful! I don’t need to be told every time someone posts something new. Just no.

• Unsubscribe from email lists. I have a very curated list of newsletters I read and when I receive sales emails (usually after I’ve purchased something from a company) I immediately unsubscribe.

• Utilize email folders to minimize visual clutter in my inbox. The inbox is ONLY current action items.

• Utilize Do No Disturb feature on phone

I hope some of these ideas are helpful or give you something new to try to turn down the noise!

Reinvention of our Kitchen

When we bought our house 11 years ago we thought it would only be a 7-10 year house, and even more so as our family grew. But after more than a decade the community we and our kids have built, the great location and the many costs of moving, we wondered if this was where we were meant to stay. We have daydreamed about renovating our kitchen from the beginning. The tile (!!!) countertops were a big NO from the beginning, but as we worked towards financial freedom we also knew we didn’t want to get ourselves in a money pit situation.

After paying off our debt in 2020 and then building up our emergency fund we decided to save for some renovations that would help make our home function for the longer haul with big kids. We were able to make it happen this summer!

Here’s our timeline

We met with about 6 contractors last fall and then chose PMK Construction. We loved working with them!

After 10 years of daydreaming we were pretty clear on what we wanted. Hardwood floors. White shaker cabinets and lots more countertop (we chose Quartz)

(We ended up needing to tack on a master bath renovation during the winter due to some major leaking issues right above the kitchen. That happened in February.)

During the winter + spring we nailed down the design, ordered cabinets, hardware, lighting, faucet, backsplash tile + counters.

The reno was scheduled for the summer while kids were out of school, so we moved out temporarily and traveled a good bit, so the work went quickly without lots of people, kids + a dog underfoot. Thankfully no major issues were found - only a lack of insulation which was easily added, and an uneven floor common in older homes, which the contractors handled with ease. We were lucky not to have any major scheduling issues either which we know is such a gift these days!

We saved some $$ by keeping our old appliances which had all been replaced over the years with the stainless we preferred. We didn’t go with anything custom, so there are choices we had to make to keep the symmetry I was looking for + functionality. Our space is very narrow so we opted for more of a dance floor in lieu of an island, but perhaps down the road we we will retrofit a unique antique for an island. Our dining table now serves as our kitchen table and the long counter behind is perfect to set-up a buffet for entertaining or for holiday baking. We also opted not to replace the cabinet between the french doors + window over the sink. With some pipes in that box over the doors, we liked the openness of not having the cabinet, but also have the option down the road of adding floating shelves if needed. We liked not having to make all those decisions up front and opting for living with it before adding things we may not need or want.

Before

After