Rocking the Weekend Move

moving-box.jpgToday, Priya shares six tips for rocking the weekend move:

I move a lot. So far, I have retained at least 20 different addresses (not counting the multitude of college dorm rooms) in 2 countries, 5 states, and 11 cities. You might think that would mean I have moving down to an art form, but no. I have grown to dislike moving so much that I usually procrastinate until the last moment and then throw everything haphazardly into boxes. The end result is I lug stuff around I should have parted ways with, and end up with countless "miscellaneous" drawers and boxes everywhere I go.
Needless to say, when we bought our new home, I was dreading moving. Not only has it barely been a year since we moved cross country from Los Angeles, but I could not get more than a day off work to orchestrate the whole thing. Move and unpack with two under two in 3 days? I thought about crying but instead we accepted the challenge and I am happy to report, we survived and I even made it to work on time on Monday morning. Here's how to do it (spoiler alert: you won't find any tips on how to avoid the miscellaneous drawer here):

1. Ask for advice. I talked to a lot of mom friends that had moved with their kids and got some great tips. None more helpful than Christine's post on moving with toddlers. After reading it, I made a couple of adjustments to my plan, including getting our usual sitter to keep the kids occupied and out of the way while the truck was being loaded.

2. Treat your move like you are travelling. Another seasoned mover told me that before she moves, she packs her carry-on as she would for a week long business trip. This way, there is no hunting for hair dryers, flat irons, cosmetics, etc. come Monday morning. Taking the commuter rail (after being able to walk to the office) was an adjustment for me and this totally saved me from either being late or showing up to work with soaking wet hair.

3. Befriend wardrobe boxes. The truth is, my house did not get fully unpacked in one weekend. But it didn't matter because I packed about two weeks worth of outfits for work (important to make sure you actually have complete outfits) straight from the dry cleaner and into a wardrobe box. This gave me plenty of time to organize the rest of my clothes, find my iron, and clear a space among my boxes for the ironing board!

4. Get your home hooked up. I work from home as much as I can and I never know when something might need my attention. I learned from past experience that you don't want to be caught without internet on your first day in your new home with a work fire to put out. Making sure internet was setup before we moved in not only saved me a trip into Boston on Saturday when I suddenly had to take care of something time sensitive for work, but it also helped keep Kimya entertained off and on while Pete and I tried to unpack. As an added bonus, I am pretty sure that this Sesame Street clip with India Arie single handedly taught her the entire alphabet.

5. Check your smartphone coverage. If you rely on your smartphone to stay in the loop for work, make sure to check out your coverage in your new place as soon as you can. My BlackBerry works OK, but Pete's iPhone not so much. AT&T informed me that we have to wait until fall of 2013 for a new tower to be put up in my area, so I'm thinking of giving one of these boosters a try.

6. Designate a safe spot. Is there anything more frustrating than hunting for your keys, wallet, security pass, or [fill in the blank]? Keep a banker's box near the door (but out of reach of little hands!) for all of the essentials you need to get out the door every morning until you are settled (or, if you want to make things feel homey in a hurry, use a small decorative tray near the door to collect your daytime essentials). Set a reminder for yourself on your phone for around the time you are walking through the door to put everything back in your designated spot. Not arguing with your spouse while you hunt for your keys? Priceless.

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net