Vacation?

And we're off to Portland. Well, we spent all day packing for it as a start today. I have not one but four bags packed. Books on classical ed to nature sketching, to quilting, and about 5 sketchbooks, all my art stuff, and books to sharewith my brother-in-law, a new public school teacher. Also a rubbermaid tub of food.
It was all I could do to not bring fabric or my machine. I may yet rethink this. But it is supposed to be a vacation. We have plans to visit the zoo, Powell's, spend one day with my sister, and Papa will be attending the NW Cytometry Meeting, and doing a lot of smoozing. I struggle with this: The kids are poopy, are not working up to speed without complaint, and are really suffering hormonally right now. Do I want to push reading good books (that they have supposed to have read weeks ago, and really need to be read before we start Vol. 4.), or do I have them pick 2 r 3 they would like to read, call it good and then move on? Aarggh. The pains of being responsible for your kids' education. It is good, just challenging at the moment. Do I force them to read while we are there? What else are they gonna do? That's what *I* want to do. Do I just let them pick whatever they want at the bookstore?
Okay, nuff of that. Sounds like Papa needs re-enforcement in the kitchen.
TTFN,
LB

So, I am not sure about