embrace the new
Upheaval is imminent and as we pack boxes, navigate the chaos and attempt to maintain some semblance of rhythm, I’m reminded of the similarities between moving house and having a baby.
Yesterday Daniel was going through the film he took when I was in labour with Percy. There was a clip of me sitting on the bed, staring at the wall, looking mildly unimpressed. I was annoyed, agitated and impatient. I recall so vividly the moment – knowing that all the days of early labour; my waters breaking, hospital monitoring and hospital transfers were really just the beginning. My baby was close but the true, hard work of labour hadn’t even started. It was a mentally and emotionally challenging pace to be in, to say the least.
Right now is similar – the brand new house is so close but the hard work of moving must come first. No lavender spa baths just yet!
I’ve been nesting though, thinking ahead and considering where things will go and how we’ll live within four new walls. I popped into my friend Vanessa’s house yesterday and collected one of her Deluxe Abalone Sets, perfect for letting go of the old and bringing in the new. Serendipitously, she plucked a card from her collection to place in the set and it so aptly says: embrace the new.
“The Deluxe Abalone Set is about bidding farewell and saying hello. It’s about creating space to invite something better in. Elements to help you both clear and embrace.”
It seems only right to follow on from my singing-to-the-universe-in-the-backyard-at-dusk with a little energetic cleansing. We get the keys late next week and first on the agenda is an official invitation for all the good. And then? I think I’m going to tackle the kitchen first – move everything over in washing baskets in the car (I keep a pretty minimal assortment of kitchenware) and set it up, pantry and all. It’ll be good to know that I can make a cup of tea without rifling through boxes when it comes time for that lavender bath.
Any tips that make for a smooth move? Please, tell me all of them!
No tips but wishing you calm.
I'll take that wish x
The last move we did seemed so easy. I think not having to rush it all in a day or so helped, as did having my parents visit to help with the massive clean we had to do before we moved in. What didn't help was that the house had been vacant for a while (we bought it from an elderly couple who moved into a nursing home) so the power had been turned off rather than just ticking over until we moved in. We had to hire a generator to run the vacuum and boil the kettle!
All the best with your move.
Thank you!
It will unfold so much quicker this time, just you wait and see. You're a packing and unpacking pro! 😉 Great idea to tackle the kitchen. Then maybe the bathroom necessities and freshly made beds. All the rest can happen when it needs too. Best of luck, lovely one. xxx
I think I'll wash a set of linen for each bed the day before…how nice will that be in our new home. At least I can actually carry boxes this time (so pregnant last time!) x
You're a packing pro! I think the best tip I ever heard was to pack an overnight bag for each member of the family so that on that first night you're not rifling through boxes trying to find the things you absolutely need to get to bed. Makes sense when you're unlikely to unpack a whole house on moving day. Oh, and spring for removalists for the heavy stuff if you can afford to. We moved all personal effects but had removalists for the fridge/washing machine/beds etc and it was so much nicer than doing it ourselves.
The overnight bag is a great idea. And yes, removalists already booked! We're using the same local company we hired last time – they were affordable and efficient and they saved our backs (important!) x
Once the furniture is in don't do anything else but make all the beds and have pillows on them…that way if you get tired at night you are not fumbling around trying to make them when everyone is tired. Take the sheets/pillows and bath towels in your car so when the beds arrive…….you have them ready to make them…..if you have your kettle and tea/coffee etc…nothing else matters on day 1. Oh everyone's clothes for the next morning in a little suitcase in your car too……..
As above a little suitcase each, set beds up first and then the Kitchen… the rest can just come over time, no need to rush.
The best move I made with young children was to organize a moving party. Several of our closest friend families arrived at 8 am on a Saturday. While the kids ran around in and off the truck, all the able adults loaded the truck and all their personal vehicles. When we arrived at the new house around noon, I brought in big burritos and beer for all. We had a nice outdoor picnic and then some folks left and a few ladies stayed to help me further. By the time I fell into bed that night the kitchen and bedrooms and bathrooms were done and all the furniture was set up in its first iteration. Well-labeled boxes are key to room placement when you have helpers and later, to setting up. Good luck and look forward to hearing how it went!
In the middle of it right now. There are two things I am doing everytime I am relocating; packing a box for the first hours in the new home. Fresh laundry, candles, wine, coffee and some chocolate. And I am trying not to listen to all the people, who are little too sad to see me leaving. Rather listening to the ones who are happy for me. Wishing us all a lot of smiles over the next days!
The last move we did, I hired someone to do the packing. It was extravagant but needed with a one year old underfoot. Now, however, I would just follow their system which was to start in one corner of one room, and move clockwise and pack everything in sight. That way you minimise the overthinking/procrastinating and weird assortment of boxes with some kitchen, some bedroom and some bathroom stuff all mixed in. And it was QUICK!
Some good ideas above, too. Mum always says have coffee and cereal ready for a quick snack and break and my husband always sets up beds first.
Best of luck!
I am getting ready to move with three children also, so am loving reading through all the suggestions. My grandma always said to make the beds first thing, so in every move, that is always what I have done. We are only moving three blocks this time. And while I hear it is just as much work as long move, I am excited about being able to just pack my kitchen in my car and drive it over. It sounds to me like it will make unpacking the kitchen that much easier.
I moved three weeks ago and agree on the "kitchen and bed first"-rule! I found it helpful to have more boxes than I thought I needed – in the end, there's always some leftover stuff and it was very convenient to have an extra box for it.
Rather than taking all the time to individually write on boxes, we just chose a different colored sticker that represented each room and put them on the boxes. If I were going to move again soon, I would add a second colored sticker onto each box to label whether we would need it pretty much immediately, possibly in the next month, or if it was good to stay packed up for a few more months at least. Saved us loads of time, and the movers knew exactly where to put everything without us having to stand there and direct everything!
Agree about the beds. Another thing we did was hang the couple of pictures that mean home to us.
Hi Jody, your blog is wonderful! Your phots enachant me. What camera & lens do you use? Always your Panasonic Panasonic GF1? Tks!