I never thought packing up one small boy and seeing him off on his fall school holiday could be so much work, and so exhausting. Intellectually, I figured it was no big deal. He will be spending the time with our good friends and what's the big deal about throwing some clothes, books and games in a suitcase, right?
Pfft.
Because he is spending his vacation where he'll get to play outdoors a lot, and we can't predict the weather but it's nearly November already, I had to plan his wardrobe accordingly. And because we don't have a clothes dryer and the colder weather means air-drying things takes longer, I actually had to wash and organize his clothes about four days ago. Times like this I really miss having a dryer.
Because he was invited to go to the country (Ardeche) with our good friends and their two young boys, he needed rain boots (there is a stream to wade in, and they will go hiking in the woods). And a sleeping bag. While at the sporting goods store, I also picked up good winter gloves (which I'm pretty sure he'll lose within the month), a polar fleece jacket, an extra sweatshirt, and a compressible camping pillow (they're sleeping in the house but I figured he'd like having his own little pillow).
Because he left his really nice red fall rain jacket behind at school on Friday (not the first time he's done this, I might add -- and we never seem to find the coats later on), and I didn't find out until the school was closed and locked for the next two weeks, I had to take him to buy a new winter coat. Luckily, we scored a red one (red being his favorite color). He's extra-warm and he loves it. We'll see what condition it comes back in after he's been roughing it outdoors for the next 10 days, but at least he's good to go.
Because we seem to do a lot of things last minute, despite our own best intentions, we saved the packing for last night, except for those few things we couldn't shove in a sack or suitcase until this morning. I was highly impressed with my own ability to cram 4 to 5 complete changes of extra-warm clothing into a child's small suitcase-on-wheels. And I managed to squish his favorite polar fleece blanket into the bottom of his backpack along with his books, small games and Nintendo DS (and his toothbrush). I am the queen of packing!
Because I didn't bother to check my email last night, I missed the message from our friend asking if I could bring him down to her place a little earlier this morning, so when I got her SMS on my phone this morning, I had to scramble a bit to get out the door (HE was ready; I was the one who wasn't yet dressed). But we made it with time to spare.
And because I simply couldn't bear letting our friend, all by herself (her husband took the car and drove down to their country place on the weekend with the heavy luggage), take three rambunctious boys across town on the metro, feed them at McDonald's, then walk several blocks and across a bridge over the Seine to Gare de Lyon to catch the train... I decided to go along with them. When I asked a few days ago if she'd like me to go along to help, she said no, it would be fine. But when I showed up today and suggested it again, this time I could tell she seemed a bit relieved (I know *I* would have been, in her shoes). And it proved to be the right move.
So, I saw them to the train, helped get the Little Guy's luggage on board and get him settled in so my friend could do the same with her own two boys (ages 8 and 4), kissed everyone goodbye, and even waited on the platform until the train pulled out so I could wave them off with a smile. I was so glad that I'd come along.
I was even more glad when I finally got home, after stopping on the way to check out the books over at W.H. Smith first. I've been exhausted on the couch all afternoon. And I'm not even the one who now has to look after three little boys for the next week and a half.
I don't know how she does it. But it's 6:35pm and I can barely keep my eyes open. Poor Georges... he's coming home to a pretty boring wife tonight, I think.