Packing while fasting

Spring Break.  This is something we did not have back in the "olden days" when I was a child.  We had Good Friday off and maybe a half-day on Thursday prior to that, and we called that Spring Break.  Good enough.  Now, however, Spring Break is a sacred week, one that not even make-up snow days can touch.  

Since my man and I have been together we have taken this week to spend time with not only our kids, but also my man's family, and this year was no different.  We enjoyed some time in Florida, where we have come to expect sun, swimming, sand in the most inconvenient places, tired children, weight gain, and sea-shell collecting.  This year, however, there was one thing that was significantly different from years past...the way I packed for our trip.  

Typically I would start scanning websites a month or so ahead of our trip and start ordering new outfits, swimsuits and shoes for everybody.  More shoes and clothes than one person could possibly wear in one week, but I always told myself that it is good to have extras, just in case.  Then I would typically pawn my children off on somebody for a day and do yet more shopping for this week of our life, because, you know, the locals totally care if my child is wearing a brand new outfit versus one that they wore last year.  Heaven forbid that happen.

Well, until this shopping fast thing happened.  And then that is exactly what happened.

Let me give you a little child-by-child rendition of how packing went down this year.

First up, Taityn, our wild and crazy 3 year old.  If you don't believe she is wild and crazy, just sit by her on a 1 1/2 hour plane ride.  This child does.not.sit.still.  Ever.  But she is as cute as a button and those brown eyes are killer.

This sweet little thing wore nothing but hand-me-downs from either her sister or cousin all week.  I spent approximately nothing on her for this trip.  It's sinful how much clothes and how many shoes are available to this child.  She did not go naked at all on our trip, and came home with many outfits that weren't even worn.  And, wait for it, she lived through it.  I know, she's one tough cookie.

Next up is her big sis, Boo.  She is 4 and a half, and please don't forget that "and a half," it is important to her for who knows why, and she will correct you if you end it at 4.  You have been warned.

She is a sweet little thing too, and also wore primarily hand-me-downs from her stylish older sister.  I did splurge and purchase a $5 pair of skinny jeans and a $3 pair of shorts from Wal-mart for her, as well as a $10 swimsuit so the chlorine/sun combo wouldn't ruin one of her "good" swimsuits.  In hindsight that decision didn't make any sense, but it's all water under the bridge now.  The sticky protective strip has been peeled off, thrown away, and the swimsuit has been worn.  She also required 1 new pair of sandals, which came to us from Target...just one step above Wal-Mart.  At this point in my life quality isn't important.  Keeping my man happy is.

Moving on....

Emerson.  She is our fun-loving, peace-keeping 8-year-old who wants equality for all.  The injustices of this world tug at her heart-strings, and she longs for a day when life makes sense.  Which will be never.  But I haven't told her that yet.

Being the oldest girl she doesn't have a tote (or two) of hand-me-downs waiting for her in the storage room, so she pretty much gets all new clothes.  So I was anticipating having to buy quite a few new things for her.  But apparently God was preparing her closet for my fast.  Odd.  But true.  I did not need to purchase one new thing for her.  She received a new outfit for her birthday that we took along, and I also bought her, for the same irrational reason as Boo, a new swimsuit from Wal-mart for $10.  Totally not needed.  She has enough swimsuits that she could wear a different one every day of the week(or longer) and never have to wear the same one twice.   I have a problem.  We already established that.  That is why I am right here, right now.  Remember?  

And then there is Holden.  I don't even have a picture of him by himself.  Bless it.  Someday, in 40 years, when I get his scrapbook done started, he will need therapy because of it.  But for now I'm just not even going to apologize for it.

So Holden is our 9-year-old boy who is growing up faster than I can handle.  I would love to put a brick on his head and slow it all down.  But then he does something completely boyish, like burp and toot at the dinner table, and I start counting down the days until he is going to be out of the house.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  

Ok, can I just say that packing for a boy is a million times easier than packing for girls.  There is no comparison.  A few random t-shirts and a couple pairs of mesh shorts and you are good to go.  The only thing this boy required for our trip was a new pair of shoes.  No new dresses with matching shoes and hair bows.  Shorts, t-shirts, and shoes.  The end.  I could pack for him to be gone for a week more often.  

Moving on to my man and me.  Oddly enough we have a picture of just the two of us...just look at that beautiful ocean behind us.  Makes me want to go back.  Right now.  So help me if it really snows again tomorrow.  Oops, got side-tracked.

We also were fairly easy to pack for.  The rules of my fast are pretty clear...no buying clothes for myself.  So I grabbed a few things out of my closet, put them in a bag, and called it good.  My man did the same thing.  And we also both came home with items that we didn't wear.  

When I started this fast in November I was immediately thinking of ways to "cheat" for Spring Break.  I was just sure that I would need to justify a lot of purchases.  I was tempted many, many times to order a few new things and later, like when the kids were wearing them in Florida, convince my husband that the kids needed them.  But when it came right down to it, this was perhaps the most stress-free packing I have ever experienced.  Even if I was packing for 6 people for a week away from home.  

The pressure to have my kids dressed in new clothes everyday and night vanished.  The pressure to keep up with everybody else was nonexistent.  And I suddenly had the ability to just enjoy our vacation without the need to look a certain way.

Thank you, Jesus, for another unexpected blessing from this fast.


Please note that my man is convinced that I need to do a shopping fast prior to Spring Break every year.  The jury is still out on that one.