Now it is 25 years later and I'm packing for 5. Well, technically my husband packs for himself, but he also traveled around Greece for 2 weeks with less stuff than I take to the park with the kids so I usually add a few things to his bag. We're having the year of the roadtrip in our family, and right now I'm trying to pack for a week at Grandma & Grandpa's house. The good news is that we no longer need to include things like diapers or portable cribs. The bad news is that we need to include most other things.
The kids try to "help" by packing up toys which they wish to take along. We'll usually take about 1/3 of what they pack and they probably won't look at their toys until we return home. I think that after years of packing I have finally learned (sort of) that less is more. It is alright if everyone wears the same outfits more than once on a trip, and kids very quickly overcome any disappoinment regarding a toy which didn't make the trip. I have even cut way back on the snacks that I take along for long car trips - fewer choices usually mean fewer diagreements.
My packing latte is this, make sure you have the most important items, and the rest will (after a little bit of stress) fall into place. I always feel better about 30 minutes after we leave the house when I realize what it is that I forgot. As my mother always said, "You can just buy as you go."
