It’s time to move again! Tips from experienced moms.

The current dwelling is a rental; there’s no attachment other than it’s charming 1920’s Craftsman style with moldings, built-ins, and leaded glass. Charming, that is, if you don’t count the sewage coming in from the toilet. The fourth time the plumbing backed up in a year, my husband announced it was time to move on.

I’ve learned some things about moving. My top four:

• Pack all the finials, bed knobs and appliance attachments into one box. Throw in a

  

  lampshade or one of a set of throw pillows. This will assuredly be the box to get lost. Just accept that and move on.

• Place every book into the largest box you can find, for organization’s sake. Watch your son and husband try to move it without laughing.
• Keeping the cat locked in the bedroom while you are moving boxes to the truck is impossible and will drive you nuts with her yowling. Box the cat first. (Okay, maybe use a kitty crate! Some people are so picky.)
• Best not to move liquids. Drink all the wine while you are packing.

Well, these aren’t really helpful. But I DO do them! (I crate the cat.)

I moved a lot as a kid. It was a chance to dump stuff we no longer needed and get rid of emotional baggage too, because each move was a chance to start over with a fresh slate. I liked that. But each move was a challenge. I’m sure it was hardest on Mom because Dad simply went on deployment two weeks before the movers arrived– handy trick, that. He would return as soon as the moving van was shut. (Mom says he was around for two of the 17 moves.)

I’ve moved six times– soon to be seven, in our 23 married years. My friend Maggie trumps me.  A Marine wife for 23 years, she’s done 15 moves and counting while working around/with/through seven children at home or in college.  My mom wins the prize, though. She moved into 54 different homes and attended 26 different schools in the years with her Army family BEFORE SHE GOT MARRIED. She then made 17 moves as a Marine wife and has been married to Dad for 52 years. Between me, Maggie and my mom, I figure we have pretty much all the advice needed to put some tips together. (Because my first list wasn’t serious. Just in case you wondered.)

So what can be done to make the move easier? you might ask. I racked my brain and called on these two military moms to come up with some practical advice.

I’ll start with Maggie’s first recommendation.

“The first thing I do is grab a cheap notebook and 3-4 months out start making notes for future planning.  I divide the notebook up into sections for 4 months out, 3 months out, 2 months out, 1 month out, 2 weeks out, 1 week out and the day before and day of. Then as ideas come to mind I write them.”

She explains, “On the Month-Out page, I write all the addresses for water/sewer/cable/whatever that must be called and changed.  I might also separately write all the new places I need to call to set up the new house.  I keep everything all together and it lives with me.  I try to take an afternoon out at the start to think through things.  Also, as I talk to people, I have a place to write names/ confirmation numbers/ times and dates called, etc.  That way I don’t loose scraps of paper I usually write things on.  I’ll also jot down verses that help me stay grounded so I can flip over to them when I’m feeling crazy.  There’s always just so much to think about and I need help remembering it all.”

Brilliance. I usually leave all that to my husband to do. Military wives like my Mom and Maggie are the ones to do ALL that stuff. Thank a Vet’s wife the next time you meet one.

Now for The List of Moving Tips…. *drumroll*

• Hold a yard sale before you plan to pack up. Be ruthless in clearing out your clutter. You’ll need about a month before the move to get this done, including time to clean out the closets/attic and get things in order.
• Donate or dump whatever doesn’t sell. (Be kind to the donation center; don’t give them junk.)
• Maggie’s second piece of advice: “If you have movers to pack up and unpack (one of the perks of military life), let them pack it all and if you do pack anything, leave it unsealed so they’re responsible for it.”

“Make sure you’ve emptied the grounds out of your coffee maker before it’s packed.  Same with trash cans.  I’ve done that with the coffee grounds.  Pretty gross especially if it has to sit in storage for a while.” -Maggie

• Remember the helper-folks. Maggie attests:  “Take REALLY good care of your crew and they will take REALLY good care of you.  In general, these folks are so thankful and it’s a great way to show Jesus to them.  And by the way, they’re usually fed pizza nearly every day so I actually ask them what they want. (Call ahead and place an order so everyone in line doesn’t have to wait for you to place an order for 10 sandwiches.  Done that.) Greeting them with doughnuts and coffee is a great way to start and if it’s  during the summer, I keep a cooler of water and Gatorade.
• Document.  My mom and Maggie both agree, get the mover’s names and take pictures of moving day both for posterity and to have pictures in case things are missing or stolen.
• If you have any embarrassing items in your nightstand (need I elaborate?) do not leave them for the movers to find! It takes a certain sang-froid to casually take these *ahem* items from a burly mover and toss them in your purse. Done that.
• Prepare the kitchen the day or two before you actually move. Read that quote above, then check the coffee maker again. As for needing kitchen items, you won’t be preparing anything more than cereal and pb&j’s for this week; You can use the camping box (see below).  As I said above, drink the alcohol now. That was serious.
• If you have little kids, toys are more important to them than clothes. Keep a small variety of special toys and books in a kids’ carry-all (rubber maid box or back pack) for your little ones to keep with them. DO NOT pack the special night-time stufftie/woobie! (Done that.)
• Mattress pads, pillows, sleeping bags- you’ll need those when you arrive. Shove them in the car as bolsters to separate bickering siblings and to keep sharp objects from falling on the kids. (Another way to empty the linen closet: use sheets/towels to act as padding around pictures as they are boxed.)

What NOT TO PACK:

• My Mom is adamant: Military commendations and discharges, birth certificates, passports, social security cards, shot records, marriage and professional licenses, DO NOT belong in boxes. Place these difficult to replace items in a satchel and keep it with you. These are almost as important as the children. Yes, she lost our shot records once. That sucked.
• Keep your camping box nearby— I learned this one from Mom. A staple of every camping trip, I’ve found it handy as we clear out and move in. Make one by filling a large rubber-maid tote with all your outdoor kitchen and toiletry essentials. Put in paper towels, red plastic cups, plastic ware and paper plates/bowls, sponges, dish towels, coffee, trash bags, etc. I also have band-aids, toilet paper, wipes, a few knives, scissors, plastic table cloths, nylon rope, dish soap, a coffee pot and small kettle and hot pads in there.
• Keep a small medical kit with you. This is the time your child will get the flu, you will stub your toe and curse as you look for band-aids, and need to dose your two year-old with ipecac.
• A computer with a dvd player will be your best friend! Whether you have kids or not, when the TV and blu-ray are packed, if your internet is out, you can always pop in a movie to help unwind the hyped-up brain. This is handy for move-out AND move-in.

Finally, YOU’RE MOVING IN!

• Here’s a tip Maggie reminded me of: get those boxes unpacked quickly and send as many as you can back in the truck with the movers. This is one less thing for you to deal with on clean-up. It doesn’t matter if the box contents are thrown on the floor, when you have 100 boxes to get rid of, you’ll be wishing you went for speed in this area, not order.
• One last thing: get at least one room calm and orderly by the end of Day One. For Maggie, it’s the bedroom. For me, it’s the living room.  Get it looking perfect, with throw pillows, lamps plugged in, (remember the light bulbs are packed, so you need to have some in the camping box) maybe some candles and pictures. Give yourself one area of serenity that you can sit in amidst the chaos.

And speaking of moving in, remember, you didn’t move out in a day, it will take a few days to move in. Break out the camping box and the computer, stick in a movie, grab a bottle of your favorite beverage and take a deep breath. You did the move. Unpacking can start tomorrow.

It’s no wonder Maggie is a kindred spirit: “A nice glass of wine and a lit candle is a wonderful way to end the day and to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day- nor will my house be in order overnight.  We’ve been here for 18 months and there were a couple of areas that didn’t fully get dealt with until last summer.  And now everything needs to be dealt with again- that’s the Second Law of Thermodynamics right there-order to disorder.” Thanks, Maggie. I’m right with ya.

*Full disclosure: We move in four days and I haven’t followed any of my own advice (except to crate the damn cat). Also, I just invited my parents over to our new house on Easter- that’s 3 days after we move in. *head on table*