This afternoon, I called Jonah inside. He was sitting on the neighbors' steps watching the neighbor kid leaf blow his front lawn with his dad's heavy duty leaf blower, one of those gas powered machines that you strap onto your back. It was a fascinating spectacle, but there was work to be done.

We had to pack up for a three day class trip into the woods. I sent him off to find clean underwear and socks. I Sharpied his name on the labels of his jeans and t-shirts.

I explained to him the importance of plastic bags when you pack. Your shoes always go into plastic bags, because you don't want them to touch your clean clothes. Dirty clothes also go in the plastic bags. I have been unsuccessful in teaching my husband the importance of clothes segregation in suitcases, so now we have separate suitcases when we travel. When I went to Europe in college, my travel-mate had germ issues and some of his neuroses stuck on me.

Jonah was surprisingly enthusiastic about the packing. I expected him to throw the socks in the bag and then run off to return to the leaf blowing show, but he stayed for the whole thing and even ran down to the dryer to pick out his sweat pants. He said, "I feel like I'm going to Hogswarts." 

Steve is one of the school chaperones. He's driving up to the camp along the Hudson and staying over night in the cabin. He was very grouchy about using up two days of vacation time for this responsibility, but Jonah really wanted his dad there. It was a really bad week to take off work. It delayed the start date of a new hire. There were some big important meetings that had to be put on hold. He'll probably be on his blackberry in the cabin.

This afternoon, Steve had gotten over the guilt of delaying important business and was positively giddy about not having to go to work today. Charged up from an afternoon at the gym, he made a pot of chili and took Jonah to the soccer game.

I straightened up my desk and made a game plan for work for the week. Ian drew pictures of Captain Underpants and got way too anal retentive about a game of Kerplunk making sure the sticks were in correct color order. No idea where he gets that from.

I do like it when things are organized. When things are labeled and there is an apartheid of clean and dirty clothes in the suitcase. When I've got the work game plan. When the sticks are color coded. It means that you're ready for a trip or an adventure.