Not Uprooting just Replanting!

 

My Boys are Crazy!!!

   We are moving. Again. I have moved so many times in my life that when I married my Airman moving was not a hangup in my mind, it was another part of our great adventure story. When we had our son, however, moving took a turn for the complicated. To adults, Movers who come in and pack up our stuff and move it onto a truck are lifesavers, grape flavored...to toddlers they are bad men who are disrupting their world and taking their stuff. In order to ease up on the issues that moving can create it takes a little planning and a lot of help. So as the master of lists I sat down and figured out what I needed to do to make this transition as easy on my son as possible. 

   We are moving in town. That in and of itself helps. While we love our current house and the big yard the distance from our stationed base is tough on our family. It cuts us off from our community and has made us feel isolated. So my husband suggested moving into Base Housing. We took a look (and I did some research into the floor plans, community layouts, drama issues, etc) and decided that all pros outweighed the few cons. We also found out that we qualified for a contracted move so my Husband and I don't have to lug the furniture ourselves up all those stairs! Thank goodness! It left us with a few things that needed to be handled that are pretty common across the board for moving.

• My Child's Sanity
• Cleaning
• Food / Opened Products
• Overnight Accommodations
• Animals

So let's tackle these one by one.

My Child's Sanity: 

Awesome Splash Pad with Pixie Pads :)

 I know that it can be traumatizing whether he is there when it is happening or not but when professional movers come in they are loaded down with exacto knives, scissors, and tape guns. My child likes to touch everything. I like to monitor the movers as they care about the number of boxes over the fragile items being at the bottom...(read that as antique american flag under pile of stilettos last time we moved). Balancing those two can be tricky so we decided that having a family member come into town and taking care of Monkey was a better idea. He gets to spend time running around with family and going to fun places all while missing his house being torn apart. He gets to spend the night at a hotel room with them and then in his own room in the new house the next night if all goes according to plan. Changing rooms can be traumatic enough for a three year old. Try to eliminate the soon to be questions and issues by getting ahead of them. Pack a bag of toys up and hide them away till the day of. Pack an overnight bag including their favorite stuffed animal and PJ's. Anything needed for their bedtime routine as well, i.e. sound machines, humidifiers, etc. I know it sounds like a lot but it is about making them feel like they are at home to eliminate the possibility of screwing with their schedules. You will be tired enough, you don't need a toddler who doesn't want to sleep on top of that.

Cleaning:

   Most Yard Sale sites have people who are willing to clean for fairly decent prices. Ask for a Move Out clean. They will deep clean the bathrooms, kitchen, windows, and even the fans and baseboards. Most places have requirements for what needs to be cleaned before they will sign off on your move out. It will affect your deposit as well, so be aware of the cleaning. 

   I also like to have a carpet cleaner come in out of courtesy since we have a kid and animals. Most apartments will offer it but if you rent a house they won't. However it can also affect your deposit so plan wisely. If you have tile or wood Carpet Cleaning places can clean those as well but we use our Kirby personally (best Christmas gift ever from my Hubby). You also can use various cleaning products and do it yourself with a sponge and bucket and save yourself some money. I'm a fan of Seventh Generation everything personally so you could find something in their line to use that will be safe and effective.

Food / Opened Products:

I keep finding him sitting in the fridge
during the summer...like a pregnant chick :)

     No moving company will pack or move opened food or chemical containers. If you are moving out of town you just plan appropriately and  give things away or leave the cleaning and painting supplies behind. When you move in town you pack them in boxes and transport them yourselves. Just double check the lids on everything and throw a tarp or paint cloth down in your car to protect your interior in case anything spills. No reason to buy anything you don't need to so take your food with you. Your cupboards you can clean out ahead of time and take over as you go but your fridge you need to plan ahead for. Box quickly, take it straight over, and unpack right away. No need to waste food because of poor planning and the more food you save, the more money you save (which will come in handy as your wallet is probably hemorrhaging money right now). Don't forget to plan that before your cleaning crew comes in to the old house and after the new house fridge has been wiped down. 

Overnight Accommodations:

   We are using a Military amenity with this move. The Contracted Move is being paid for by the Air Force but the timing sometimes can take awhile. As well, our beds may not always be available to be used. You can ask the movers to save the beds to last but you will still end up with a night or two without a home or a bed so plan accordingly. If you are military, use the hotel on base and save some money. If you aren't take a look in advance at some hotels close to where you are moving and make a reservation for one night on either side of what you think you will need it for. You can always call and change the reservation as needed but better safe than sorry.

Animals:

A Boy and his Dog :)

 

  If you have animals please take them into consideration. If you have animals who are super sensitive (like our cat) board them at a place they know. If you can take their stuff to the new house first and get them set up in a safe area where you can close the door then do that. Just take into consideration that they are family too and they have their own temperaments. You don't want to traumatize them either with this. If they are easy going like our dog, a new bone in the new back yard is all he needs but hey...each animal is different so be considerate.

Military Specific:

•  All On-Base moves possibly qualify for Contracted Moves. Check it out!
• You will need your Pre-lease form for your AF150 form (double check to make sure that is still correct as the military always changes things :D)
• Forest City is in charge of a lot of Privatized Base Housing but all Bases have their own websites with a housing link. Check your base to make sure who is in charge of yours. As well, it will help you research your area, floor plans, community plans, etc. 
• Don't be afraid to request things like your preferred housing layout or community. It never hurts to ask! 
• Once your AF150 is filled out (by the active duty member) you can request a start date for your move. Try to take holidays and weekends into account as they will slow things down, rack up hotel costs, and make things harder on your toddler. A little planning can go a long way so ask a lot of questions and whip out those calendars! 

   Moves are a part of our lives and I never run away from the adventure of them, but I do plan for them. I have a printable list that I use that breaks this entire blog down into easy reminders so I can check them off one by one (it makes me feel accomplished :D). You can print it HERE yourself! I hope your move goes as smooth as possible and just remember, whatever goes wrong just becomes a great story to tell later down the line. 

Best Wishes,

Jules & Monkey