[guest^]

HELP!!!!!!!:LOL

I have moved so many times, but not with 2 small children. I have a packrat for a husband. I am naturally a messy,unorganized person. I try to just maintain basics as far as house cleaning and organizing go.

I am overwhelmed in trying to figure out where to start and how to get things packed efficiently.

Ds is still waking up several times a night, and I am still severely sleep deprived. Staying up to pack while the kids are asleep just isn't an option.

We have no family in town,no regular babysitters.

Any tips,ideas.etc....

Thank you!!!!!!!

mp

 

[its_our_family]

Ok, we moved with a 9 month old 12 hours from home.....

My biggest hint.....

LABEL LABEL LABEL LABEL!!!!! If you have to everything that goes in the box gets written on the outside! Plus label with the appropriate room. This helped big time! It was easier to find what we needed once arriving and it was easy for those helping us move into ou new house!

Pack a box of things you will need the DAY you move; bed linenes, towels, even travel size shampoo if you need to.

I'm not sure how old your little ones are but my son loved putting things in a box and taking them out. They were his own things so he couldn't break anything. It kept him occupied quite a bit!

How long do you hAve? We had about 2 weeks so what we did was started as soon as we knew we were moving. Even if you only get one or 2 boxes packed a day there isn't big pressure to pack 2 rooms in an evening! We packed all the knickknacky stuff and decorating stuff first. Since we dont' need it! Then we packed all things we didn't need in the kitchen, left out enough plates for us and bout paper ones for if needed. We only left out plastic cups. We packed all towels except enough for us (this also helps when you are packing what you need for the day of the move...you already have those set aside!)

Anyway, I'm sure I have more hints if you want them and i hope some of mine helped...I think they re common sense things but sometimes its the obvious we miss! (I know I did....

 

[justmama]

A 12 hour move???? Ick!!!! I moved 2 miles down the road and it was a huge hassle!!!!!! I responded to this post on the toddler's board but I wanted to add here that I second what the pp said. Definitely LABEL!!! Label who's stuff it is and a general list of what's in there. You will be looking at each box as you carry it into the house. Easiest way to do it is to look at the name on each box and carry it into that room and drop it. Assign one parent to play withthe kids and one to carry boxes. Switch as necessary. Buy each child a cheap, new toy they haven't seen before. I know from Toddler's board that you are having a slow move with the remodeling and all so maybe take a few boxes each day???? On the big moving day, break out these new toys. Your kids will be enthralled with new toys and give you a few minutes peace. Do you have a fenced in yard? Maybe take over the yard toys and allow them to run off some steam while you carry boxes with your hubby? Are there any reliable sitters in the area, a mom's group you could get involved in? Moving is a job in and of itself! Also, make sure you start getting rid of the garbage. If hubby is a packrat, that makes 10X more garbage to move. In the next few weeks before the move, try to weed out what you really don't need. Donate stuff in good shape, throw the junk. This helps more than you know! I must have taken about 5 carloads of stuff to Goodwill before my move. That's 5 carloads less to move!!! It also lets you start fresh at your new place without all the clutter.
Best of luck in this. Moving is so stressful.
Meg

 

[guest^]

Thank you soo much!!!!!!

Yes we will label! I was even thinking about asigning each box a number and then labeling each room at the new house a number so when our friends carry in the numbered box, they will know which room to put it in. Dh thinks that is being a wee bit too anal, but I think it sounds good!!

Anyone tried this before?

I love the idea of having ds pack his own little box. And dd too.

Yes, we must unload to the goodwill. we have been, and I foresee many more trips there before we actually move. Our basement flooded a couple of weeks ago, and I think it was a blessing in disguise, as it made us go down and throw a lot of stuff out that we'd probably be fighting about throwin out anyway!

Ok, I will start tomorrow and get 3 boxes packed-oh crap-wait! I have to go get the boxes first then pack! Ugh,forgot that little detail of how and where to get moving boxes.....

I will check out the flylady's site tomorrow....I can only imagine the life changing advice I will get there.:LOL

ugh......

mp

 

[its_our_family]

My grandmother labelled rooms like that. She moved from a 16 room house to an 8 room house so she had a lot to funnel into a smaller space. it worked really well, especially with ppl helping.

As for boxes...the more uniform they are the better! they are hard to pack if they are too odd in size. Also, I would invest in wardrobe boxes. They made a huge difference. We had 2 of them (dh's parents had used them 3 times to move. They jsut save the boxes and reuse them) and you can not only put clothes in them but since you reinforce them so well you can put bed linens or shoes or whatever in the bottom of them...not to mention you can pack them but still live out of them....

Does your dh work in an office? When we moved I was working so I was able to get office depot boxes. They are smaller but they were uniform. That and we spent the money to buy boxes from uhaul. They aren't expensive and they buy back the ones you don't use. Since we were moving so far we had to make sure we consolidated and used as much space as we had.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[mamalisa]

If you try stores in the mall like Eddie Bauer or Gap their shipment boxes are the perfect size for moving. The stock people will gladly get them for you, one less trip to the dumpster!

I agree with packing a box of things you need, tp, soap, towels, jammies, blankets. That way no matter what you can get to bed that night comfortably.

Goodwill and the garbage are your best friends. Chances are there is a ton of stuff in your house you don't need. Toss it. I've moved some of the same boxes 3 times, never unpacked. Don't be like me

.

Best of luck!!

 

[Kerrie]

One of the tips I got when moving was to put a box in the bathtub and put absolute essentials in that you just can't live without - glasses, kids toy to sleep with, medicine, etc. Put it in the car last and unpack it from the car first and put it in the new house's bathtub. Now you know exactly where it is and it's not in the way. Good luck!

 

[shelley4]

we just moved in may, with my son being around 20 months and me being 6 months preggers!

the best thing we did, apart from labelling, was to sort out everything as we packed... not one piece of JUNK got moved into our new house... we had 3 piles.. KEEP (to be moved to new house), SELL (to used children's stores and whatnot) and DONATE (to Value Village or Charity type places).

and of course, garbage.

our rule was... if we don't love it, or use it often, it's gone. why keep stuff you don't use or value? makes for less boxes on moving day too!

 

[Mama2Kimmy]

We just moved back in June and our biggest lifesaver was the huge rubbermaid tubs, we packed everything in those they are so easy, reusable, etc... Yeah they are expensive, but we found at least one use in every room for them after the move, i.e: toy box, laundry basket, pantry/bulk items storage, pet food & supplies, blankets, seasonal clothing, extra bedding, curtains, etc...

 

[guest^]

I am so in denial....have been so busy getting paperwork organized, gonna go collect some boxes today to get started on the big stuff!

So many things to remember, and you've all helped me a great deal!

mp