The Good News & The Bad News

The Good News is I went shopping today for my care package.  The Bad News is that I think I bought enough for 10 soldiers!  Either I wasn't really paying attention (most likely since the kids were with me AND I was trying to call/text on my new phone which I still haven't figured out how to fully operate yet), or I figured I could somehow squeeze all this stuff into a regular sized box, tetris-style. 

The OTHER Good News is that I went through the http://www.usps.com/ website & found that if you go through their "Support The Troops" link, you can get mailing boxes for FREE!  I ordered a pack of 10 that will be delivered to my home sometime within the next week.  So what doesn't fit into 1 (or 2) boxes will just be put into another.  Anyway, when I finally brought all my purchases home & laid it out, this is what I had...  (click on pics to enlarge)

Toiletries/Hygiene

2 boxes Kleenex

1 pk baby wipes

1 stick deodorant

3 bars Irish Spring soap

1 can medicated foot spray

1 sm. bottle lotion

1 sm. bottle aloe vera

3 travel-size antibacterial gel

Meals/Snacks

6 boxes "Singles To Go" flavored water mix (Crystal Light, Wyler's, etc.)

1 box instant coffee singles

1 box powdered coffee creamer singles

1 box Quaker oatmeal snack bars

1 box Nutri-Grain bars

1 box fruit snacks

1 box Strawberry Pop Tarts

1 box microwavable popcorn

2 bags trail mix

2 bags beef jerky

1 bag butterscotch candies

1 bag Twizzlers

1 bag sunflower seeds

1 bag 6pk Chicken Ramen Noodles

4 pks. Hormel microwavable meals

4 pks. Betty Crocker microwavable desserts

2 pks. Easy Mac mac-n-cheese

1 pk. chewing gum

1 can toffee peanuts

Games

3 pks. water balloons

1 pk. playing cards

3 magazines (People, US Weekly, etc.)

1 sm. board game of Checkers

Miscellaneous

1 Nalgene water bottle-32 oz.

1 notebook

1 Sudoku book

1 Word Find book

1 pk. ink pens

1 pk. index cards

1 box small envelopes

1 letter from Alison

1 drawing from Aidan

1 Thank You card

1 picture of kids holding "Thank You" sign (not finished yet)

The other BAD News is that I realized afterwards that NO aerosol sprays are allowed (medicated foot spray) and ONLY travel-sized items should be sent (Kleenex), so those 3 items will just be used here at home.  I have to admit, a lot (ok.. MOST) of the items I bought were NOT on my soldier's request list, but were items that I saw lots of other soldiers requesting.  The items on MY guy's list were a $250 gun holster (sorry, but not gonna happen) and a $50 folding foot stool (again... nope!), so I just went with general snacks, games & mailing materials.  I'm sure they'll be used & appreciated either way.

Comments are welcome!  Please let me know if something on this list is a no-no and I won't include it in my care package.  (Like the pre-cooked bacon I also bought before I remembered NO PORK PRODUCTS ARE ALLOWED because of local customs... LOL).