So, next week, my husband and I will be going on a trip to Maui (WHOOOOO ) for a week, but without the kids (half whoo/half BOOOO ). Char is almost 3 (in July) and Harry is 11 1/2 months. They will be staying at home and our parents will be coming by to watch them while we're gone (my mom, who watches them M-F while I work from home, will be here 4 days, and the in-laws, who Char loves, will be here for 2 days).

I think I have the basics down:
--meal ideas (C is a typical picky toddler, how to prep the million pieces in a Dr. Brown's bottle and defrost milk for H)
--nap and bedtime general schedule
--ped's number, nurses line, poison control, dosage for baby Advil
--how to use our DVR to watch favorite recorded shows (haha)

I don't want to have a giant notebook of rules or anything, because a) grandparent time is supposed to be fun time, b) they raised us and we're fine; I don't need/want to micromanage, c) the kids will survive-- but I want to make this as easy as possible for everyone involved.

I was reading online that Skype is too much for toddlers to handle (they don't understand why we're not coming out of the computer), so I don't know if we'll end up doing that or not. I was also reading that we should do some sort of countdown or tear-away calendar so Char can physically see how many days are left. Our parents aren't too comfortable with driving with the kids, so I don't think they'll be going to the park AND we just started potty training, so it's not like she can be out of the house for that long anyway. I'll ask them to take the kids outside at least once a day, either for a walk around the block or to play in the yard.

Anyone been in a similar situation (extended period of time without either parent)? I'm not as worried about Harrison, since he's still so little, but my mom has asked me to leave my sleep shirt so she can have something around that smells like me (?). But Char can be clingy and sometimes says, "I miss Daddy" while he's away at work, so it's definitely going to affect her. Any tips or tricks would be great!