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).