I am officially less than 30 days until packers. Just writing that makes my heartrate speed up. Some how the to-do list grows longer and the kids grow more manic as the end of school races toward me (kind of like a brick wall). So I have dusted off my mental "things to do when moving" list. At least I have moved nine times, so I can pretty much do this in my sleep (if the people would just go do something besides follow me around or argue with each other, that is).
#1 on the "ready to move" list- NO MORE LIQUIDS. Or condiments. Or stuff like flour. Or lightbulbs. Or any of that stuff the movers won't take. If I lived on post, I would just carry a box outside marked "Free to good home" and let my neighbors take the furniture spray and vinegar. But the civilians might find that, um, odd. I may drop off a box of randomness at a friend's house. Or maybe the food pantry. We'll see.
Until then, every meal is like that reality show on Food Network- "Chopped". Except the game is fixed. Tails they win, heads I lose.
It goes something like this:
Given 2 cans of tuna, 3 types of mustard, some noodles, canned green beans and diced tomatoes, make something delish. You have 10 minutes and a there is a screaming toddler on your leg. GO!
It is just nuts. My civilian friends need to take a quick look around the house and look at just how many things are liquid, meltable, perishable or flammable. Now imagine having to magically make all those things last until precisely the right date without acquiring any excess stuff that you will have to drive to your next duty station or give away. It's enough to make a grown woman cry.
I did my "can't take this stuff" inventory last week. Why in the name of all that is good and holy do we own SEVEN different OPEN bottles of salad dressing? There are also 2 more in the pantry. The kids eat ranch and Caesar. That's all. I'll eat other types, but I am usually too lazy to get them out of the fridge, so end up eating ranch or caesar also. My husband has his own flavor. That is going to be A LOT of lettuce, people. Guess we're having salad every night til we move. And how did I end up with six bottles of mustard? Three of them are the same freaking type, so that I really don't get. How much spicy brown does one family need? More important, what can I do to use it up?
The people are bound to start rioting soon, because I have begun only buying perishable items we absolutely must have (milk, eggs, bread, ice cream ;) ). The amount of whining over perceived cereal shortages is shameful. There are THREE unopened boxes in the garage. There are FIVE open boxes in the pantry. Too bad if we are out of your favorite. EAT SOMETHING ELSE. Or have a mustard sandwich. Maybe with some Catalina on the side.
About the only thing I am looking forward to emptying is the wine fridge.
NOTE TO SELF: make sure the movers leave me some sort of wine glass and the corkscrew.
