Countdown: 16 days until the plane flies.

I’ve got to get to the store tomorrow and shop for a new xx-large suitcase. Why can’t luggage last longer than it does? It seems I can get only one or two good trips out of a piece before either the handle breaks or wheels become damaged or the zipper separates. I just threw away the luggage we took on the trip to Oklahoma because of broken handles so I need to replace that and get started packing. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I pay a lot for the piece or a little.

I’m taking two xx-large pieces of luggage — and three young children. I figure that is about all I can keep up with.

When we go to India one piece of luggage is always for clothing and personal care items and the other is normally stuffed full of gifts. I try to take something for everyone in the family and I also like to have extra items on hand for special people we meet, candy for kids on the street, etc. This trip I also have to be sure to pack the homeschool materials. I plan to take the minimum. We will keep up with our learning to read program and the math program which we’re already using. I will probably take a few of our favorite story books along for bedtime reading, but books in English are available throughout India so I won’t weight down the luggage with many. And the rest of our learning will be just experiencing another culture first hand.

I’ll start now packing the “gifts” suitcase. Then pack the other suitcase which will carry our clothing at the last minute.

We will be in India for the winter months. It can get sort of cool at night and warm in the day time so I need to pack for both. It will never get bitter cold and I could easily pack only shorts and t-shirts and get by fine except for the mosquitos. We need long sleeve clothing along to wear in the evening to protect ourselves.

The first place we stayed during the last trip was literally next door to a mosquito breeding ground. I learned more about fighting mosquitos than I really wanted to know. Most places in India are not air conditioned and windows are without screens. The mosquitos come in and so do the little green lizards.

My kids were too young to remember our last trip to India so I’ve had fun telling them about what to expect. Lizards in the house? No way. Mommy you’re teasing us.

Lizards eat the mosquitos so although I really didn’t like them in the house I could see that I needed them. The best piece of advice I can give for avoiding mosquitos — don’t stay on the ground floor on the building if you can avoid it. We moved to a room on the third floor and the situation was so much better. Otherwise, if you need to be outdoors cover as much of your body as you can to avoid bites and use an insect repellent on the remaining skin. The only thing I found which really worked well was Deep Woods Off.

More about planning and packing later. For now . . . on to our deals of the day.

Swimsuits For All has a couple of fall/winter sales running on their swimwear. Check them out if you’re in the market for a new swimsuit. They have a very large selection available including tan-through suits.

Free $5.00 Gift Certificate from SwimsuitsForAll.com! Code: CM5

10% Off Your Next Order from SwimsuitsForAll.com - Swimwear and More For Men, Women, Children, and Plus Sizes. Use Coupon Code: 1234

And at the other extreme, Alloy is currently running a promotion discounting their outer wear.

Bundle up! 20% off all outer wear! (Exp. 10/23/05)

Free shipping on orders over $75 at Alloy. Use code ASHAFF (Exp. 12/31/05)

There are only 18 days until we leave on our trip to India. I have a lot of things to get done before leaving but a few things top my list today.

1.) Call the doctor to see about any necessary immunizations. Some immunizations take a few weeks before they are effective so this should have been done as soon as I knew we were going on this trip. Unfortunately, I was not yet thinking quite right. I’m not too worried. We’ve all been over there fairly recently and were immunized then. However, the kids were all much younger then. I seem to remember at least one immunization for which they had to be older and so didn’t receive. We don’t yet have a family doctor in this area since we’ve only been here a few months, so I guess that is step number one.

2.) Order mosquito net and any other items which I have trouble finding locally.

3.) Visit India website and print forms for visas. Fill out and have ready to mail. My updated passport should arrive via Express Mail on Monday. (They tried to deliver yesterday, Saturday, but we were not home to receive the package.) Hopefully my son’s passport, coming seperately, will arrive within the next day or so as well. Then we need to immediately apply for Indian visas.

And before I forget . . . here are a couple of hot deals for everyone . . .

New from Florsheim Shoes:

Free Travel Shoe Tree Set with any $100 purchase. Coupon Code 9820. (Exp. 10/31)

New from FootSmart:

FootSmart is having a fall sock sale. Buy 3 pair of socks, get one pair free.This sale includes their support hose and socks as well as their special line of socks for sensitive feet.

As mentioned in my previous post, the kids and I are taking a trip to India. Planning for this trip came up suddenly, only about three weeks ago. My husband is originally from India and his family still live there, including the kid’s grandparents. His mother and father now live in Anantapur, a small village in Andhra Pradesh state in southern India. They have moved there recently to be near their daughter whose help they have begun to need more as they age. It has been a few years since we were last able to visit and so it was decided the time was right for another trip.

It will be only my three kids and I going to India this trip. We leave the end of October. I had hoped to spend a lot of time with grandparents. They are not getting any younger and I would like for the kids to be able to get to know them before it is too late. I have a good relationship with my husband’s family and they have always treated me well. They have welcomed me to their home. However . . . you know how we Americans like our independence. I prefer to stay separately in a place of our own, especially considering the length of time we are planning to stay. I asked my sister-in-law to help me find a place near to their home which we could rent for a couple of months and she has refused to do so telling that it is not safe for a woman to stay alone.

I have stayed alone before while in India and never faced a problem, but I have never stayed alone in Anantapur. In 2001 I traveled alone to India with my son, then two years old, to work out the adoption of our twin girls. We stayed alone in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) for almost six months. I had hoped to do the same this time.

So here I am, two and a half weeks before we leave busy reshaping our plans. How long do I want to stay living in the same house as relatives? I think two weeks is about enough. After that I think the kids and I will go by train to Mumbai. I want to visit friends we made the from the last trip. And the girls want to see the orphanage where they once lived. During our last stay in Mumbai we stayed at the YWCA and I think I’ll see if we can stay again. The last time we stayed in Andheri. This time I think I would like to see if we can stay at the YWCA International Center instead. I have sent email asking their rates and availability and am awaiting a reply.

I am thinking we may stay two weeks in Anantapur, a month in Mumbai and then take an all-you-can-ride Indrail train pass to travel around India for a month or so. Then maybe back to Anantapur for another two week visit with the family before heading back home to the USA. I’ve got two weeks left to get plans finalized. I’ll let you know more later.

For now . . . I’ve got a couple of good deals to post.

From Eddie Bauer are the following two offers:

Buy any 2 or more of fall’s essential styles and save $10 on each.

Get a $25 gift card when you spend $75.

And from Bare Necessities:

Save 15% on orders over $100. Save on designer and name brand bras, panties, men’s underwear and more! Offer expires 11-15-05.

There you go. That’s it for today. I hope everyone found something they can use. I’ll post more tomorrow.

Tata for now,
Amy B.