How long do you leave your suitcases packed after a trip? Five minutes? Until the weekend? Until the next trip?

We just got back from a four-day trip with two small children, and I’m seriously wondering if we’re going to need those clothes again or if we can just throw them out and buy new luggage for our next trip.

Before the trip, it was all about getting ready for the trip. Everything else went on the back burner in the flaming glory of travel anxiety. I planned and shopped. I packed with amazing efficiency, thanks to this video. Now I have 75 pounds of clothes and gear gathered by the front door. Mocking me.

Here’s what’s on my list of things to do now that this trip is over, just to wrap up the trip:

Unpack and wash and put away 30 pounds of damp and dirty clothing.
Unpack and put away 15 pounds of shoes, 10 pounds of clean clothes that weren't worn, and 20 pounds of other crap.
Buy a new baby car mirror to replace the one we left in the rental.
Return the rejects from last week’s shopping spree.
Post and/or email photos from the trip.
Write thank-you notes. No, seriously, I mean it this time.

Once I deal with the post-trip hangover, there are some fairly significant things queued up, waiting for my attention:

Potty train my oldest, which means getting used to a new way of wiping ass. And floor.
Wean my youngest, which will make me crabby. Husband confirms this.
Oh yeah, get a job. Shouldn’t be too hard, in this economy.
Mow the lawn (you should see it).

If I don’t unpack the bags, maybe I’m not really back. Maybe I’ll kind of ease into it, unpack a small bag tomorrow. After a nap.