Gearing up for the trip. We have primed the girls' rooms back to white so that housing here doesn't have a problem. We've also gone through the girls' rooms, breaking down items, placing them in storage bins and sorting through the items that will be in storage or will come with us. Pretty much we've done that with the whole house. I even went through the food stash and am about to embark upon the spices and the cleaners next.
The movers have all been confirmed. How each of them lost the paperwork is still beyond me. I am just glad my husband is as anal retentive as he is. Now to start getting an idea of the unaccompanied baggage items we plan to bring with us.
Today we got copies of the medical records for the girls and I. The lady told me that "You know, we do send them to the MTF over there." I replied, "I know, but I would rather carry the copies and have you send them later." Seriously, this is not my first rodeo. Have the ball rolling on getting the kids' school records completed too. They will need to be hand carried to Italy. Still need to get my dental records, but that should be a quick phone call, and w already have the girls' stuff. The only snafu holding us up are the visas. Hoping to get those this week too.
Today is cleaning day because tomorrow housing will be here for their initial walk through of the house prior to the final check out walk through. Then we can have an idea of what else they require of us before we leave. Luckily, it's an old house which they will be remodeling after we leave. So we really just need to wipe down the counters & bathrooms, mop & sweep. Not too much hassle.
Hard to believe the movers will be here in 1 1/2 weeks. The countdown has begun for sure. Now to finish tying up some loose ends, the kids' end of year activities, a visit from some old friends, and light packing. After that, we are off to visit relatives and then onto Italy. I can't wait!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Lost shipping orders x3
We are either very lucky or unlucky, depending on how you look at it. All three moving companies have lost our paperwork. Thank goodness my husband has a little Quartermaster and OCD in him otherwise we would be sitting here on June 11th wondering where the movers are. Today I got to tackle the unaccompanied baggage folks who at first couldn't find our paperwork. Then they found it but it was with the international side of the company and they were at a meeting. They called me back and promised a call once they determined a date for our pre move inspection. Get this, they called back and said they couldn't come on the day scheduled and could I do it 2 days earlier. First, we'll be out of town that day, and second, as I inquired of the gentleman on the phone, how could they not have movers available for that day when this has been in the transportation system for almost 2 months. It really boggles my mind because he had no answer. Luckily, by the time husband arrived home from work, the same guy called back and confirmed our move date. See, all it took was a little pushing on my end. Of course, I am sure somewhere down the line, something will be messed up again.
My husband has dealt with the shipment of personal goods and those folks are on board. I will say it took a little coaxing there too because they weren't sure they could ship us on the scheduled date either. After i explained to the lady that she would just have to make it work, she found someone to move us.
Now the non temp storage folks scare me. Husband called them and their reply when he asked if they were doing a pre inspection too was "oh crap, we don't have your stuff." They still aren't on board officially but I am sure we can work them out too. Someone in transportation has dropped the ball royally and I would really like to find that person and hang them up by their toes. I know we shouldn't have to keep calling these folks, all three moving companies, but I am glad we did. It certainly does pay to stay on top of things.
As for the shampoo, it's moving slowing and I think my mother in law may be a recipient of many things very soon. I know this dog needs a bath again. He's going to be the best smelling dog on the block at this rate.
My husband has dealt with the shipment of personal goods and those folks are on board. I will say it took a little coaxing there too because they weren't sure they could ship us on the scheduled date either. After i explained to the lady that she would just have to make it work, she found someone to move us.
Now the non temp storage folks scare me. Husband called them and their reply when he asked if they were doing a pre inspection too was "oh crap, we don't have your stuff." They still aren't on board officially but I am sure we can work them out too. Someone in transportation has dropped the ball royally and I would really like to find that person and hang them up by their toes. I know we shouldn't have to keep calling these folks, all three moving companies, but I am glad we did. It certainly does pay to stay on top of things.
As for the shampoo, it's moving slowing and I think my mother in law may be a recipient of many things very soon. I know this dog needs a bath again. He's going to be the best smelling dog on the block at this rate.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
My car is on a cruise without me
It's official, the move process has begun. This past week we had a pre move inspection and found out that the storage folks never received our paperwork. Apparently it was filled out incorrectly by the trans folks. Thankfully my husband's forethought caught the mistake and we are back on schedule. Pre move went well but we think we may need an extra day for storage. we shall see when they do a pre move inspection.
We shipped the car on Friday. I am sad to be without my car for a few weeks and i know it will be an adjustment, not to mention I will need to have patience with my husband since I will be sharing his truck. Wow, when was the last time we were a one car family? It's been a LONG time! We drove to Baltimore to deliver the car since it's the nearest shipping facility. Apparently there are only 6 or so ports in the US. I am glad we aren't in Nebraska anymore. That would have been an exhausting drive.
We got to the shipyard and well of course, we had too much gas. My fault for filling up earlier in the week and not travelling as much as normal. So we had to leave the facility and drive back towards the house (about 40 minutes away), have some lunch and then head back. When we got there the second time, we were dead on with the gas. You can only have 1/4 tank of gas or less in your vehicle and it must be cleaned on the inside. Luckily, I did all that prior to taking the car down. My husband told me they inspected the inside and outside of car thoroughly. Apparently a neighborhood cat has been leaving nice little claw marks on the hood of my car. Now if I find that cat, and I am sure I know which one it is, I may have more in store than a few choice words for it. Thankfully, that was the only thing going on with my car. The shipping folks packed up the items allowed to travel with my car into a box and placed them in the trunk. My car now awaits shipment. We are told the car should arrive in Italy around July 5, a few days after our arrival. I'm just jealous the care gets to go to Italy via boat. I would love to take a cruise to Italy rather than flying. Lucky car!!
Addio Auto!!!
P.S. The kids are being really helpful with the shampoo. Now to tackle that dish detergent too.
We shipped the car on Friday. I am sad to be without my car for a few weeks and i know it will be an adjustment, not to mention I will need to have patience with my husband since I will be sharing his truck. Wow, when was the last time we were a one car family? It's been a LONG time! We drove to Baltimore to deliver the car since it's the nearest shipping facility. Apparently there are only 6 or so ports in the US. I am glad we aren't in Nebraska anymore. That would have been an exhausting drive.
We got to the shipyard and well of course, we had too much gas. My fault for filling up earlier in the week and not travelling as much as normal. So we had to leave the facility and drive back towards the house (about 40 minutes away), have some lunch and then head back. When we got there the second time, we were dead on with the gas. You can only have 1/4 tank of gas or less in your vehicle and it must be cleaned on the inside. Luckily, I did all that prior to taking the car down. My husband told me they inspected the inside and outside of car thoroughly. Apparently a neighborhood cat has been leaving nice little claw marks on the hood of my car. Now if I find that cat, and I am sure I know which one it is, I may have more in store than a few choice words for it. Thankfully, that was the only thing going on with my car. The shipping folks packed up the items allowed to travel with my car into a box and placed them in the trunk. My car now awaits shipment. We are told the car should arrive in Italy around July 5, a few days after our arrival. I'm just jealous the care gets to go to Italy via boat. I would love to take a cruise to Italy rather than flying. Lucky car!!
Addio Auto!!!
P.S. The kids are being really helpful with the shampoo. Now to tackle that dish detergent too.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
The garage is set
Today we tackled the garage and all its contents. We have cleared it out and are ready to have the items moved. Again, we divided it into take with us, give away, and store. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.
The house here in the states in coming together. We have a pre-move set in a couple of days and my car will be shipped on Friday. It takes about 45 days for the car to arrive via boat so we have to send it ahead of time. Now to work on that international license and study for the driver's test i will have to take.
Have been looking at the houses for rent in Italy. They are colorful, small and each bathroom has a bidet. Let's try explaining that to a 6 yr old who I am sure will try to bathe her baby dolls in it. I am told we will be in temporary loading for about 3-5 weeks, while we look for a house. A part of me wonders what are we going to do in lodging for that time frame and how we will adjust to close quarters, but another part of me thinks, who cares, you'll be in Italy! The time will fly by I am sure.
Better get back to sorting. And I am happy to report, I have successfully used another bottle of shampoo and conditioner.
The house here in the states in coming together. We have a pre-move set in a couple of days and my car will be shipped on Friday. It takes about 45 days for the car to arrive via boat so we have to send it ahead of time. Now to work on that international license and study for the driver's test i will have to take.
Have been looking at the houses for rent in Italy. They are colorful, small and each bathroom has a bidet. Let's try explaining that to a 6 yr old who I am sure will try to bathe her baby dolls in it. I am told we will be in temporary loading for about 3-5 weeks, while we look for a house. A part of me wonders what are we going to do in lodging for that time frame and how we will adjust to close quarters, but another part of me thinks, who cares, you'll be in Italy! The time will fly by I am sure.
Better get back to sorting. And I am happy to report, I have successfully used another bottle of shampoo and conditioner.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Italy activities
I know its important that the kids have things to do once we get over to Italy. What I'm doing is trying to give them a sense of normalcy. I have located and registered the girls for Girl Scouts. What I didn't know was that there is a committee called the USA Girl Scouts Overseas - North Atlantic, http://www.usagso-na.org/, just for girls in who families are in the military and serving in Europe. I will say there are some civilian locations too covered by this committee. So cool, right? I sent the paperwork to New York, where the committee is located, and they sent it to the person in Italy. It's a shame she is PCSing too, as are some of the leaders, but she did tell me about the training I will need. I guess I will continue to be a leader in Italy too. Not too shabby.
My biggest concern though was trying to locate a gymnastics place for my girls. I have one that is really talented and could make something of the sport and another who does it for the fun aspect. She is talented too and if she applied herself, i know she could do well. She's got a mind of her own though and doesn't want my opinion on the subject, like any other nine year old girl i suppose. At any rate, one would think this should be a hard thing to do, find a gymnastics club. I searched the USA Gymnastics site for some clues on how to start overseas. Then I found the world federation of Gymnastics. That helped a little too. What I wished they would do is to put a link to gymnastics clubs. I did finally find one and translated the page enough to figure out where they located and what they offer. This is the place, http://www.vicenzaginnastica.it/contatti/index.php , Vicenza Gymnastics, Italy is the rough translation. But prior to this, i contacted the SKIES program with the Child and youth Services program through the post in Italy and no one got back to me. I wanted to email or talk with the gymnastics coach they have there, he teaches a basic class on gymnastics, but to no avail, received no response. At any rate, if i could ever contact this gym in Italy, because as it so happens, the contact page does not work, then i could enroll the girls. I can however say i have located a place. Yippee!! That is half the battle right?
I've also been researching ACS, the Army Community Service, program in Vicenza. It looks like they have some great trips planned to beaches and little towns over the summer. The girls and I will have to immerse ourselves into the culture and this sounds like they way to do it. Hopefully by end of the summer, they will be speaking a little Italian. I am so excited for this adventure to began. We set foot in Italy on 28 June. We have 5 weeks until the big move and 2 weeks with family.
Update on the shampoo situation: I am happy to report that the children wasted another bottle by leaving it open on the floor so that it could flow out of the bottle and pool around on the tile floor. I am nearly finished with my set of shampoo and conditioner and hubby told me he tried the lather, rinse, repeat method and his hair was squeaky clean. In other words, he liked it! See, there are benefits to my madness. In an unrelated note, we officially went through the toilet paper stash I had.I know I have not bought toilet paper in months and had to purchase some just the other day to keep us going. Time to tackle the canned goods.
My biggest concern though was trying to locate a gymnastics place for my girls. I have one that is really talented and could make something of the sport and another who does it for the fun aspect. She is talented too and if she applied herself, i know she could do well. She's got a mind of her own though and doesn't want my opinion on the subject, like any other nine year old girl i suppose. At any rate, one would think this should be a hard thing to do, find a gymnastics club. I searched the USA Gymnastics site for some clues on how to start overseas. Then I found the world federation of Gymnastics. That helped a little too. What I wished they would do is to put a link to gymnastics clubs. I did finally find one and translated the page enough to figure out where they located and what they offer. This is the place, http://www.vicenzaginnastica.it/contatti/index.php , Vicenza Gymnastics, Italy is the rough translation. But prior to this, i contacted the SKIES program with the Child and youth Services program through the post in Italy and no one got back to me. I wanted to email or talk with the gymnastics coach they have there, he teaches a basic class on gymnastics, but to no avail, received no response. At any rate, if i could ever contact this gym in Italy, because as it so happens, the contact page does not work, then i could enroll the girls. I can however say i have located a place. Yippee!! That is half the battle right?
I've also been researching ACS, the Army Community Service, program in Vicenza. It looks like they have some great trips planned to beaches and little towns over the summer. The girls and I will have to immerse ourselves into the culture and this sounds like they way to do it. Hopefully by end of the summer, they will be speaking a little Italian. I am so excited for this adventure to began. We set foot in Italy on 28 June. We have 5 weeks until the big move and 2 weeks with family.
Update on the shampoo situation: I am happy to report that the children wasted another bottle by leaving it open on the floor so that it could flow out of the bottle and pool around on the tile floor. I am nearly finished with my set of shampoo and conditioner and hubby told me he tried the lather, rinse, repeat method and his hair was squeaky clean. In other words, he liked it! See, there are benefits to my madness. In an unrelated note, we officially went through the toilet paper stash I had.I know I have not bought toilet paper in months and had to purchase some just the other day to keep us going. Time to tackle the canned goods.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Gypsies & the Mafia
Here's what i've been told. Ask anyone about going overseas and all i have heard about are the Gypsies. "Beware the gypsies, they'll rob you blind." " There is a problem with gypsies in Italy, lock everything." But my favorite was when someone told me, "If you pay off the Mafia, then when and if the gypsies rob you, you'll get your stuff back almost immediately." Really? I know there is a recent fascination with gypsies lately due to the show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, but I'm not sure what to think and to believe that one group of people are just this bad. But I am sure I will learn my lesson one day soon. But now to bring the mafia into all this?? Geesh!! I was told that basically the Mafia works hand in hand with the gypsies and tells the gypsies which house they (the Mafia) protects and which one is up for grabs. This sounds a little crazy to me, but who am I argue with this train of thought? So when in Rome, or Vicenza, do as the Romans, and pay off the Mafia, unless you want to rebuy your stuff at the market the very next day. :)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Oh the piles!!
I feel like I am on an episode of Hoarders, minus the trash of course. Moving abroad is more complicated than moving to another state. All the other times we moved, I never thought much of the little crap you can accumulate. Yes, we had yard to get rid of stuff and took things to good will or the salvation army, but this seems so different. Or maybe I am just looking at this like some daunting task the lies before me.
We've been organizing the household items, mostly into piles of keep/take with us, giveaway, keep/store. How do you really decide that you don't need something for 3-4 years? I'm of the mindset, if I haven't used in the last 2 years, then I won't need it in 3 years. Like my rotisserie, I love the darn thing, but truly it is bulky. In our current house, it sits downstairs in the basement on a shelf. Whereas at the house in the Nebraska, it was in the pantry on the floor. Out of sight, out of mind. Or I suppose you could say it pure laziness to not want to go down to the basement to lug the darn machine up for a chicken i could easily roast in the oven. see my point?
So my end goal this weekend is to hit the kitchen, hard. I've already decided on some things that need to go. And I was thinking the other day that we would want some pots and pans to cook with while we are in temporary lodging but not all the pots. Yeah, now to see which pot will be the lucky ones that get to come first and which ones come second. Poor pots, I hope they don't get a complex thinking I don't need each of them all the time. Geesh, then they would stop performing for me, or worst yet, escape in the move and never be heard from again. (Much like those infamous socks in the dryer mystery.) I know for a fact i do not need 2 toasters, one is a regular toaster and the other is a toaster oven. One will suffice, however, I'll need a converter and maybe it's just easier to get a European toaster while i am there or hit up this lending closet I hear so much about. Choices, choices. And the blender, its not coming with us. I'd rather get a new one because mine asks kind weird sometimes when i make drinks in it. But I still can't get rid of it right now because I will probably make a couple more margaritas in the next 6 weeks. A girl needs her margaritas to make it through the day sometimes. Ok let me clarify that statement so i don't come off as an alcoholic, I have two girls and a dog, and a crazy schedule to boot, and once in a while mommy likes to unwind with a frosted beverage. I know other moms would agree with me.
At any rate, these piles are getting to me.We have one room set aside for some of these piles Right now, it's the dog's room. Poor thing is getting less and less space to sleep int there. God love my husband, but he has divided the room into a major take and store pile. You can barely move in there and if you try to move something in there or reorganize, well let's just say, beware of falling objects.Some of the take with us stuff is one pile upon another and frankly, I just don't have the heart to dig through it and down the bottom to get the one thing I may need. It's more frustrating than anything. And the kids have piles of toys they are storing for 3 years, mostly stuffed toys. My oldest will be 12 in 3 years and the likelihood that she will need all those stuff animals in 3 years is slim to none so why are we storing them? I think because daddy offered her a comfort blanket and she took it. I am thinking that one day I will enter that room and poof, some of those toys may magically get lost in the move. Of course that last time that happened, it was a toy she liked and she talk about that toy gone missing for YEARS! So this may not be the best course of action. she might actually miss a 4 ft tall sock monkey when he doesn't come out of a crate in 3 years. And these darn Lincoln Logs we've had for a few years. i hate the things, but you know what? They are in the store pile!! Oh heck no, that is not happening. They are definitely a lose in the move item for sure! The girls will be 9 & 12 when we move again, they won't be playing with them and I know they are a daddy item anyhow.
Well off for more organizing today. Perhaps I will tackle that kitchen after all or attempt to access a pile of stuff in the guest room. Or even, attempt to pare down the 10 boxes of Christmas stuff I have. Shoot, it's not like the don't celebrate Christmas in Italy, but maybe not in the same gaudy fashion as we do in the US. Guess I will have to store some of the Christmas items too. Woohoo, more piles to start in the garage, let the hoarding begin all over!
Oh and courtesy of the children, another bottle of body wash and shampoo bite the dust! Love those kids!!
We've been organizing the household items, mostly into piles of keep/take with us, giveaway, keep/store. How do you really decide that you don't need something for 3-4 years? I'm of the mindset, if I haven't used in the last 2 years, then I won't need it in 3 years. Like my rotisserie, I love the darn thing, but truly it is bulky. In our current house, it sits downstairs in the basement on a shelf. Whereas at the house in the Nebraska, it was in the pantry on the floor. Out of sight, out of mind. Or I suppose you could say it pure laziness to not want to go down to the basement to lug the darn machine up for a chicken i could easily roast in the oven. see my point?
So my end goal this weekend is to hit the kitchen, hard. I've already decided on some things that need to go. And I was thinking the other day that we would want some pots and pans to cook with while we are in temporary lodging but not all the pots. Yeah, now to see which pot will be the lucky ones that get to come first and which ones come second. Poor pots, I hope they don't get a complex thinking I don't need each of them all the time. Geesh, then they would stop performing for me, or worst yet, escape in the move and never be heard from again. (Much like those infamous socks in the dryer mystery.) I know for a fact i do not need 2 toasters, one is a regular toaster and the other is a toaster oven. One will suffice, however, I'll need a converter and maybe it's just easier to get a European toaster while i am there or hit up this lending closet I hear so much about. Choices, choices. And the blender, its not coming with us. I'd rather get a new one because mine asks kind weird sometimes when i make drinks in it. But I still can't get rid of it right now because I will probably make a couple more margaritas in the next 6 weeks. A girl needs her margaritas to make it through the day sometimes. Ok let me clarify that statement so i don't come off as an alcoholic, I have two girls and a dog, and a crazy schedule to boot, and once in a while mommy likes to unwind with a frosted beverage. I know other moms would agree with me.
At any rate, these piles are getting to me.We have one room set aside for some of these piles Right now, it's the dog's room. Poor thing is getting less and less space to sleep int there. God love my husband, but he has divided the room into a major take and store pile. You can barely move in there and if you try to move something in there or reorganize, well let's just say, beware of falling objects.Some of the take with us stuff is one pile upon another and frankly, I just don't have the heart to dig through it and down the bottom to get the one thing I may need. It's more frustrating than anything. And the kids have piles of toys they are storing for 3 years, mostly stuffed toys. My oldest will be 12 in 3 years and the likelihood that she will need all those stuff animals in 3 years is slim to none so why are we storing them? I think because daddy offered her a comfort blanket and she took it. I am thinking that one day I will enter that room and poof, some of those toys may magically get lost in the move. Of course that last time that happened, it was a toy she liked and she talk about that toy gone missing for YEARS! So this may not be the best course of action. she might actually miss a 4 ft tall sock monkey when he doesn't come out of a crate in 3 years. And these darn Lincoln Logs we've had for a few years. i hate the things, but you know what? They are in the store pile!! Oh heck no, that is not happening. They are definitely a lose in the move item for sure! The girls will be 9 & 12 when we move again, they won't be playing with them and I know they are a daddy item anyhow.
Well off for more organizing today. Perhaps I will tackle that kitchen after all or attempt to access a pile of stuff in the guest room. Or even, attempt to pare down the 10 boxes of Christmas stuff I have. Shoot, it's not like the don't celebrate Christmas in Italy, but maybe not in the same gaudy fashion as we do in the US. Guess I will have to store some of the Christmas items too. Woohoo, more piles to start in the garage, let the hoarding begin all over!
Oh and courtesy of the children, another bottle of body wash and shampoo bite the dust! Love those kids!!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Lather, rinse, repeat
About a year or so ago, I got into couponing, big time. I lived for the Saturday weekend paper so I could get my coupons one day earlier than everyone else. It was great to look at the ads and coupons a day earlier and get my grocery planning started one day earlier. During this time I acquired quite a stash of toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other toiletries, such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and razors. I really loved knowing that I had toothpaste for 6 months or that whenever I ran out of laundry detergent, I had 10 more bottles waiting in the wings. My friends thought I was a bit crazy but I know they secretly wished they had what I had. It really did cut down on staples you get at the store weekly, and no, I wasn't buying stuff I wouldn't use, because I did have a need for it, just not an immediate one.
About 6 months ago my husband looked me in the eye and said i had to stop buying toothpaste because we couldn't bring it all with us. The shock set in, holy crap how was I going to use up my stash? I hadn't thought about NOT bring it with us, but it made sense. I at least know I can use up the laundry detergent and had enough on hand to get us through the 6 months until we moved. But all the other items, paper towels, napkins, shampoos and conditioners, body wash, deodorant, how were we going to use those up? Then I came up with a plan.
The kids and the dog. Yes the kids and the dog were going to play an important part in the consumption of our items. My girls don't really understand the concept of placing a shampoo bottle on the side of the tub or in a metal holder on the side rather than leaving it on the bottom of the tub, open, and running out all over the tub. I don't know how they don't know this concept because i swear I have told them about a million times when I tell them to clean up the bathroom. But it just falls on deaf ears. I think all they hear is "wah-wah-wah-wah, shampoo, wah-wah- wah." It has to be, because I haven't started speaking my broken Italian to them yet. At any rate, I figured that this could play in my favor. Why yell at them when we have such an abundance that NEEDS to be used up?
I was happy when my oldest would tell me that Sydney, the youngest, had used all the body wash or shampoo in the tub to make a bubblebath. Awesome!! And when the bottle was accidentally knocked into the tub and all its contents came spilling out, well I simply gave them another bottle with a large smile on my face.Or when Sydney took the whole bottle of shampoo and put in in the tub to fill it back up with water, essentially making it useless, I looked at her and smiled, "It's okay honey." But the stash wasn't being used as quickly, or maybe I just kept buying more items. I'm not sure, why but I needed more reinforcements. This is where the dog came into play.
He's a handsome chocolate lab, about 7 years old. I figured that we could save some money on his baths by washing him at home. It's a darn good thing he has fur that repels water. What that means is that he needs ALOT of shampoo to lather up his fur. No worries there, I've got plenty. I'm thinking he needs a weekly bath now and we'll get through it quicker.
But again, I've got the shampoo that I use and the ones my husband uses. Well my husband's shampoo is a lost cause. Why? Because if you've ever been with a military man, a thick head of hair they do not have. He has 5 bottles of shampoo left to use and 7 weeks to use it. That won't happen. Me, well I have 5-6 bottles of shampoo and conditioner to use, one is a really big.set too. Finally though I remembered what they used to write on the bottles of shampoo, "Lather, rinse, repeat." I always thought it was a ploy to get you to use more shampoo and buy more product. But I thought i had nothing to lose in trying. And you know what? It's great. The first shampoo gets the oils and dirt out, the second shampoo really washes your hair, then conditioner, do the same and it feels great. I should have been doing this all along.
7 weeks and counting, let's see if I can get through my bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
You'll be happy to know that the body wash is all used up, but the stash of body lotion I have from Bath and Body Works, now that is another problem.
About 6 months ago my husband looked me in the eye and said i had to stop buying toothpaste because we couldn't bring it all with us. The shock set in, holy crap how was I going to use up my stash? I hadn't thought about NOT bring it with us, but it made sense. I at least know I can use up the laundry detergent and had enough on hand to get us through the 6 months until we moved. But all the other items, paper towels, napkins, shampoos and conditioners, body wash, deodorant, how were we going to use those up? Then I came up with a plan.
The kids and the dog. Yes the kids and the dog were going to play an important part in the consumption of our items. My girls don't really understand the concept of placing a shampoo bottle on the side of the tub or in a metal holder on the side rather than leaving it on the bottom of the tub, open, and running out all over the tub. I don't know how they don't know this concept because i swear I have told them about a million times when I tell them to clean up the bathroom. But it just falls on deaf ears. I think all they hear is "wah-wah-wah-wah, shampoo, wah-wah- wah." It has to be, because I haven't started speaking my broken Italian to them yet. At any rate, I figured that this could play in my favor. Why yell at them when we have such an abundance that NEEDS to be used up?
I was happy when my oldest would tell me that Sydney, the youngest, had used all the body wash or shampoo in the tub to make a bubblebath. Awesome!! And when the bottle was accidentally knocked into the tub and all its contents came spilling out, well I simply gave them another bottle with a large smile on my face.Or when Sydney took the whole bottle of shampoo and put in in the tub to fill it back up with water, essentially making it useless, I looked at her and smiled, "It's okay honey." But the stash wasn't being used as quickly, or maybe I just kept buying more items. I'm not sure, why but I needed more reinforcements. This is where the dog came into play.
He's a handsome chocolate lab, about 7 years old. I figured that we could save some money on his baths by washing him at home. It's a darn good thing he has fur that repels water. What that means is that he needs ALOT of shampoo to lather up his fur. No worries there, I've got plenty. I'm thinking he needs a weekly bath now and we'll get through it quicker.
But again, I've got the shampoo that I use and the ones my husband uses. Well my husband's shampoo is a lost cause. Why? Because if you've ever been with a military man, a thick head of hair they do not have. He has 5 bottles of shampoo left to use and 7 weeks to use it. That won't happen. Me, well I have 5-6 bottles of shampoo and conditioner to use, one is a really big.set too. Finally though I remembered what they used to write on the bottles of shampoo, "Lather, rinse, repeat." I always thought it was a ploy to get you to use more shampoo and buy more product. But I thought i had nothing to lose in trying. And you know what? It's great. The first shampoo gets the oils and dirt out, the second shampoo really washes your hair, then conditioner, do the same and it feels great. I should have been doing this all along.
7 weeks and counting, let's see if I can get through my bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
You'll be happy to know that the body wash is all used up, but the stash of body lotion I have from Bath and Body Works, now that is another problem.
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