Moving six hours away in three days! Give me advice/tips!

[phathui5]

So our big move from Baltimore, MD to Syracuse, NY is in three days. We leave Sunday afternoon and are driving up there. A trucking company is taking our stuff, so it's just us, the van, the kids and the stuff we'll need for the first couple of days.

 

Give me advice. How should I handle the next few days here? The trip up? When we get there?

 

I've never moved outside of Baltimore, so we've always had our big network of people here to help.

[Cera]

Take lots of breaks. The trip from Baltimore to Syracuse is under 10 hours so it shouldn't be too bad (I used to drive that route all the time). Once you are there and unpacking try to remember to take 15 minutes out every 2 hours or so to pay complete attention to the kids, it makes them so much more patient if they know they will get that time (I usually set an alarm). If you get a chance the mall in Syracuse has a fun carousel, maybe take a trip out for a break. Also, unpack the kitchen and their bedrooms first.

[FO4UR]

:lurk5:

 

I'm moving to OH from NC ...we are leaving on Monday. We are treating it like a vacation for the kids, and we are visiting G'parents between leaving here and getting there. For the actual trip -6 hours isn't bad. Plan to stop every 2 hours (someone will have to potty) and bring audio books and music. We've traveled 2x to OH (12hr trip w/3 dc) in the last couple months and having a *new* audio book kept them listening (and quiet and happy) for a good long while.

 

My dc are 6, 4, and 3 so I have had to reassure them a few times that the toys/clothes/stuff we are packing in boxes are going on a big truck and we will unpack them in our new house in OH.

 

I am keeping a kitchen box out and handy for stuff I need the last days here and the first days in the new home (paper plates, baking sheet, spatula, ...the bare minimun for "cooking" boxed dinners LOL)

 

Kids each have their own tote - every earthly item they need for the next week is in that tote.

 

Dh and I are living like this is a hotel....our toiletries are even packed in the totes we will travel with. It's just easier for me to see what is left to pack/clean this way.

 

I sit here amidst a MESS of "what we have left to pack"...it feels good to know I'm not the only one moving this weekend!:tongue_smilie::lol:

[Lisa in Jax]

Here are my top few tips for making first few days after furniture delivery easier:

 

1. Put a set of clean sheets, pillows and blankets for each person's room in the dryer for the move. Then, when you need to find the bedding, it's clean and easily found.

 

2. Pack a box with paper plates, plastic utensils, cups, paper towels and toilet paper and put it in the car so that you can make snacks or order pizza w/o hunting for plates, and you'll have TP.

 

3. Put cleaning supplies in a clean kitchen trash can, along with lots of liners, so that you can clean the bathrooms, etc., before things are moved in.

 

4. If you own a small tv/dvd or vhs player, take that in the car and set it up for the kids while the truck is being unloaded.

 

5. Buy colored stickers and put a different color sticker on the boxes for each bedroom. (Red means "Johnny's room," blue means Janie's room, green means "master bedroom," etc.)Then, hang a piece of paper with a corresponding color on the wall next to the door, so that the movers know where to put each box.

 

6. Fill a cooler with any sauces and condiments that are full enough to warrant saving. If you freeze some water bottles, those can act as the ice, and you'll have cold water for your trip. We also include some bread, sandwich meat, peanut butter and jelly, etc., and put that in the cooler (along with a couple of plastic knives), too. When you get to the new house, you won't have to spend a ton of money buying brand new mayo and mustard, etc., and you'll have sandwich makings for the road. ;-)

 

7. (As noted by WendyK) Put all of your important documents (birth certificates, credit card account numbers, checkbook, bills, insurance info, etc. into a folder or a file and put it in the car with you.

 

Good luck with the move!

 

Lisa

who has moved 13 or 14 times in her life... ;-)

Edited October 2, 2009 by Lisa in Jax
Forgot something that another post reminded me of!

[jenL]

We moved 16 hours away, and I agree with all the other posters in terms of logistics/ease once you arrive. We left both sides of our families who had never left the area, and we both lived there for 30+ years before our move. Like you, we had a huge network.

 

One thing I suggest is to take the time to drive around your local area and take a last look at some of your favorite places. It sounds corny, but we made the time for that, and it provided some closure since we kind of said "goodbye" to each place. I also went into every room in our house right before we drove away -- they were all empty; I just stood there and remembered a few of my favorite moments in them. As silly as this sounds, I got this idea from a children's book where the child character says goodbye to his house. I'm big on needing closure, so for me, these things helped tremendously.

 

HTH! Best wishes on your new journey! :)

Edited October 2, 2009 by jenL

[K-FL]

In your box w/the TP don't forget a shower curtain & towels.

[sadiegirl]

We have moved 7 times and this is all GREAT advice!! My main bit of advice is to not get overwhelmed when unpacking and only open one box at a time and put those items away in the proper place(subject to change of course as you get settled!) Also, I culled out alot before we moved each time but as I unpacked, I also kept a box close at hand for items that slipped thru and we really didn't need...those went to charity! After you unpack an entire moving van...you really start evaluating what you need!

 

Here are my top few tips for making first few days after furniture delivery easier:

 

1. Put a set of clean sheets, pillows and blankets for each person's room in the dryer for the move. Then, when you need to find the bedding, it's clean and easily found.

 

2. Pack a box with paper plates, plastic utensils, cups, paper towels and toilet paper and put it in the car so that you can make snacks or order pizza w/o hunting for plates, and you'll have TP.

 

3. Put cleaning supplies in a clean kitchen trash can, along with lots of liners, so that you can clean the bathrooms, etc., before things are moved in.

 

4. If you own a small tv/dvd or vhs player, take that in the car and set it up for the kids while the truck is being unloaded.

 

5. Buy colored stickers and put a different color sticker on the boxes for each bedroom. (Red means "Johnny's room," blue means Janie's room, green means "master bedroom," etc.)Then, hang a piece of paper with a corresponding color on the wall next to the door, so that the movers know where to put each box.

 

6. Fill a cooler with any sauces and condiments that are full enough to warrant saving. If you freeze some water bottles, those can act as the ice, and you'll have cold water for your trip. We also include some bread, sandwich meat, peanut butter and jelly, etc., and put that in the cooler (along with a couple of plastic knives), too. When you get to the new house, you won't have to spend a ton of money buying brand new mayo and mustard, etc., and you'll have sandwich makings for the road. ;-)

 

7. (As noted by WendyK) Put all of your important documents (birth certificates, credit card account numbers, checkbook, bills, insurance info, etc. into a folder or a file and put it in the car with you.

 

Good luck with the move!

 

Lisa

who has moved 13 or 14 times in her life... ;-)