All of the IV supplies are packed and most of the medication and my son's medical supplies are packed as well. We have medical clearance to fly, and oxygen on the plane for my son. We have letters for security for both of us. I have boxes upon boxes of stuff waiting for us at my inlaws. Just off of the top of my head I know there are suitcases, clothing, formula, a feeding pump, feeding pump supplies, pool filters, baking sheets, toiletries, diapers, wipes, car seats, and laundry detergent. We are going as empty handed as we can, since we are going to be pushing our suitcase limits, both in terms of quantity of suitcases and weight limit, coming home.
It isn't that people are generally lacking anything here in Israel. I mean, except for my son's nonstandard medical supplies and diapers we could get most everything here. Right now the dollar is so weak though that things are relatively expensive in Israel if you are spending US dollars and plus, I really appreciate online shopping. :) I can shop without walking store isles and making myself sick, find bargains (6 pool filters for $24 on Amazon with free shipping, instead of 100nis (~$28.50) for one filter here) without running from store to store and shopping in English is a bonus as well. I can type or talk without thinking about how to say what ever it is that I want to say first. B"H my Hebrew is good enough that I can do most of the business I need to, but it requires a lot more though than English.
I love it here, I am glad we live here, it is great for the kids and we are all happy that we made the move, but it isn't the easiest place for me to shop. That is generally a very good thing, my wallet certainly appreciates it.
Besides that I am a bit worried that I packed out itinerary too full. I tried not to plan two days of trips in a row, but there aren't enough days in the month and there are so many people we love and want to see.
Entertainment for the kids (lots of coloring and arts supplies and a bunch of magazines as well) are packed. The freezer is full of cookies that my six year old helped me bake. She has turned out to be a much more persistent cookie shaper than my oldest two ever were. I made the dough and she made five dozen cookies one afternoon. She stops when we are out of cookie sheets or out of dough. I think we might be sharing cookies with everyone on the plane if she continues her cookie making at this rate.
We have two hotel rooms booked for our night in England and kosher food being delivered to us there. The rental car in Boston is confirmed. We have our cell phone for the US and it is in with our trip papers. Before we leave I can actually forward the calls to our US phone number, which generally rings in our home, to ring on our cell phone.
Come to think of it, one of our carry on suitcases is still with a friend on the other side of the city. I lent it to her and need to get it back. I have to remember to ask her about it tomorrow.
I am trying not to stress, just plan ahead and avoid the last minute rush, but I am quite certain there will be a last minute rush none the less. The kids are using their backpacks which they are putting their stuff into for the plane, until the day we leave. Everyone is wearing their clothing still, so besides undergarments, tights which I bought new, and some shirts, I can't pack much clothing yet. After Shabbos I would normally be washing and packing everyone's Shabbos clothing. My nephew's wedding is here on Monday evening though, so I won't be packing them, just washing them to be worn again and washed again before we go.
We are working on emptying the fridge so we can turn it off (with the door propped open to prevent mold) before we go. We need to eat until we leave, but finishing all of the perishables has been a fun challenge. I made cheese cake tonight for no better reason than a bunch of dairy products that I wanted used up. I hope the kids enjoy it, since my waist certainly won't.
Six days to go, and there is so much to do, but so little left that I can do before the last minute. Everyone is so excited though, so even if there is a last minute rush I am sure we will get there and it will all be well worth it.
