Pack Mule Mama or What I Put in My Carry-On

I’ve meticulously planned out my carry-ons.  (Neurotic, yes.  But, it makes me feel like I can manage this.)   I normally travel with just a backpack and the two big kids’ toddler-sized backpack but I feel like I need extra supplies since this is such a long trip. (I'm calculating about22 hours total: 2 hours of drive time, 6 hours of "wait", 8 hours of flight time, 2 hours to get luggage, potty and grab lunch and then 4 hours of drive time to our new home.)

 Here’s the run down:

Mommy Back Pack (under the seat for easy, in-flight access)

• snacks (4 servings each: peanut butter packets, fruit squeezies, crackers, cheerios, bib, baby food etc)
• Water bottles (for Bunny Girl and Monster Boy)
• Baby toys
• Kindle (Hey, a Mom can dream, right?)
• Emergency packet of formula and a bottle (In case SBG really does nurse all night long!)
• Toiletry basics (tooth brushes, compact, lip balm, contact solution, eye glasses and a comb)
• Diapers, wipes and spare outfit for SBG
• Wallet/Passports/Army Travel Documents/Cell Phone

Spinner Light Weight Carry-On (I purchased this just for the flight. It’s super light-weight and rolls so easily that Monster Boy could easily push it if needed. The plan is to unpack what I need for the flight at the beginning and then stash it in the overhead for the remainder.)

• Spare clothes for ALL of us. (On a 12 hour trip, someone is bound to dump something on themselves and me!)
• Travel pillows & blankets for the kids
• Seahorses (the big kids' bedtime "soothers")
• More food (Duplicate of what’s in the backpack for an emergency)
• Laptop
• Jewelry/Valuables

Kids Backpacks: (Bunny Girl and Monster Boy each have a wheeled toddler backpack)

• “Airplane Toys” Yes, I bribe my kids on the plane. Before a big trip, we pick out one small, new toy to play with on the airplane. I stash it away until that moment of desperation on the plane. Works like a charm! 
•  A couple of toys of their choosing 
• Crayons 
• Coloring/Activity/Sticker Books 
•  iPod/Headphones (They only use these during big trips so when I pull them out, there’s a major NOVELTLY factor here. Awesome.  And, I splurged and picked out a couple of new movies for this trip.)

I will also have my trusty travelling companion BOB with me.  He’s big and strong, can carry heavy loads when I get tired and is great at keeping the kids under control. (BOB…Revolution Duallie.)  He will be carting Sweet Baby Girl’s infant carrier car seat. 

So, that’s the round-up: BOB, carseat, a wheeled carry-on, a backpack, two toddler backpacks, a four year old, a two year old, a nine month old and one FRAZZLE MOMMY.