Chaos begins today - movers arrive in 48 hours. Quack!

I'm putting my 'ducks' get in their rows and hoping they stay there!

Paper ducks - passports, medical, etc... notarized documents to travel with kids are vital, and something no one should attempt travel without.  Border people are particular about that!

Toy ducks - as in Toy Story- I hope they get with their buddies and stay together.  Lego sets will be managed by their creators... Yet another reason zipper bags are so great.

Kitchen ducks - I think all's well with these ducks, though we have a mountain of dishes to do after our last BBQ.  I'm happy to do them, we had a great dinner, and fun conversations with friends! We still have a couple extra big kids here--so they'll be great help in eating up what we have.  And since food is often the subject here...a brief aside: I made gluten-free apple pear pie  tarts...they didn't come out completely intact, but they were really, really good.  Jeff brought back a mix for me the last time he was in the US, and I thought I'd try it for the party.  It asked for shortening- which I rarely stock - so it was an all butter adventure.

It's altitude and humidity differences that have taken credit for a few fails here; but slowly, I've been adapting the recipes and methods--more dry, less liquid.  This one needed two eggs, but it seems impossible that it would work that way, so I used only one, added cinnamon to the crust, and carried on.  I tried rolling it-not even close to possible, so I decided tarts would be best, flattening a ball of dough into a circle for the tart, and it worked really well.  A friend of ours took a cooking class, wherein the chef recommended sautéing the apples first, and with our oven loving to burn the bottoms of dishes, I thought that seemed clever for the tarts too-no worries over hard apples...it also allowed a taste test of the filling...I added a couple shakes of ground cardamom.  But now...back to ducks.

Clothing ducks - when we're vacationing, I have no problem choosing; but when we're moving, I have issues.  How long will the container take to arrive?  Will it be in the same season? (Less an issue this time, as we've got all of our cold weather gear at the cabin.) Shoes?  Those are bulky and I'd prefer not to have them in my luggage, buuuut, I don't really like wearing the same ones repeatedly.  It's partly that I like the wardrobe variety, and partly because my feet feel better when I change up my shoes--less aching is good.

Book ducks - the movers in Chile damaged a few, so I'll have to be really clear about protecting the books.  Generally, people are more gentle here, I think it will be good.  If the container is slow, which books, if any, will I want with me? Mostly it would be about working, I reference a few now and then...

Kid ducks - I joke.  I'll be serious about the actual kids now, because much of what I do when we move is with the kids' transitions in mind.  They need a few toys with them, but not too many, because then suitcases and getting in and out of guest rooms is more work.  No worries over school supplies, there are plenty in Canada, and time to stock up.  I think a pack of markers and a book to draw in go a long way with Little Miss... For the Middle Man, a few special Lego seem to make it right, as well as a few mini stuffed toys--I think they're symbolic sentinels of his stuff...familiar things are always good. (He loves camping on the floor at Grandma and Grandpa's...which appeals to me very little-but it's familiar to him from when he was much much smaller, so it's still a good thing for him-though, more and more, when the biggest brother's elsewhere, and he get the bed in that room - he does just fine!! For now, the floor bed still works.)  For the biggest kid - hardly a kid anymore - he handles all his own goods (and has for years now!), and as long as he has his computer and headphones, he's happy. I really love seeing how they pack, because sometimes, they're so efficient and practical; but they're still young enough that the underwear to toy ratio is a deep-down smile...

And now, it's finally time to go and physically line up some of these ducks.  Switching clothes to travel hangers...bagging shoes filled with socks for protection and space saving...Stocking up the kit with sunscreens and sadly, accepting that our window for the tropical beach is most likely gone...so the northern beach will be the one for us!

While I pack, I'll be reviewing and adding to my lists...and remembering to exercise, so that the body gets to toil at a pace similar to the mind!

Cheers and chao.