Tag Archives: move

Welcome Home!

Posted on March 30 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

We’ve made it, we’re in our new home.

Oh goodness readers, I am tired, no, make that exhausted. It has been a really really long weekend, but we’re completely out of the old house and slowly getting settled in the new.

View from the new place.

So what’s been going on?

Well Friday morning, the movers arrived almost exactly on time, they might have been 5 minutes late, but I was amazed at how promptly they arrived. I think I’ll write a thorough review of the movers at a later time, but let’s just say, I was completely impressed with their service. As soon as they got to the house, they came in and made an inventory of every large item we had that needed to be moved and then got to work on our boxes. They loaded those boxes so quickly, and actually the entire pack-up at the old place took 1.5 hrs. It was so fast! However, getting into the new place was much more difficult.

The boxes were obviously easy to get in, and so was most of our furniture… BUT, and it’s a big but, our full-sized couch would not fit in the door. 🙁 The movers tried EVERYTHING, short of cutting it apart or busting in the doorway. It was just too large! It had too high of a back and too wide of a girth, on top of being too long. I don’t blame the movers at all, though. They tried every different angle and spent at least 45 minutes trying to figure it out. So, now it’s sitting our garage, where we’ll either sell it or donate it.

After they unloaded everything, Seamus and I did a few things around here before we headed back to the old place to commence clean-up. We got the majority of it done before we needed to head back to our new home to meet Time Warner for our cable hook-up. While Seamus waited for TWC to hook us up, I went and got Emmett from day care, he was happy to see me as always. When we got home he was a little apprehensive about coming inside, but has been adjusting pretty well.

Saturday we were up bright and early to await the delivery of our washer and dryer. Sears did a pretty good job of doing everything they said they were going to, we got the emails confirming everything, and we got the confirmation call on Friday night that gave us the time they’d be arriving. The problem was, on Saturday morning they called to let us know that they’d be their during the scheduled time, but we got two phone calls – one delivery truck had our washer and the other had our dryer. Not a big deal, they both arrived when they were supposed to but it is just kind of silly. Poor organization on Sears’ part.

After the washer and dryer were installed we all headed back to the old apartment to finish the clean-up. I think the worst part of moving is the cleaning. I don’t enjoy the packing process, but I HATE cleaning and it always seems to take forever. Either way, it is done and we are now completely out of that place… YAY!

Since we didn’t have time to prep our dinner for last night, a crock-pot chicken recipe, we ended up going out to Quaker Steak & Lube for dinner. I had wings, which I’ve been craving forever, they were delicious and totally hit the spot. After dinner, we made a trip to Wal-mart to see if they had some of the things we wanted but they didn’t have any of it. We grabbed a few long-sleeved PJs for Emmett (that were on sale) and headed home.

And finally, Sunday. What did we do today? We started the morning with our first home cooked breakfast in this place, and it was DE-licious! Then it was unpacking and putting things away in our kitchen, which is nearly done and my first 3 loads of laundry. And then since we needed a new couch we went and bought one. We ended up at Ashley Furniture, and thankfully they had exactly what we wanted. We left there with (well, it will be delivered in 15 to 28 days) a beautiful blue/grey sectional sofa. I love it, and cannot wait to receive it!

Look at that yolk porn!

We made a trip to Target to grab the things that Wal-mart didn’t carry, then to Wendy’s for dinner and home for a tiny bit of relaxing, and finally bed.

And now, here we are, Sunday evening at 10 pm. I’m ready to sleep for a many MANY days.

That about does it… phew!

Your turn!

How was your weekend?

What fun or productive things did you do?

Filed Under: Family

Preparing Your Toddler for a Move

Posted on February 16 by Jillian416 • 86 Comments

Tips for Preparing Your Toddler for a Move

I don’t know about any of you, but I get super unsettled when I know I’m moving in the near future and won’t feel “at home,” for several weeks. While you pack your clothes, or in your toddler’s case, their toys are packed up, they will know things are changing. You at least have the ability to comprehend the changes that are occurring around you, your toddler likely has no way to understand without your help.

Emmett’s pretty bright, but I could tell that he was feeling a little off yesterday when we first started cleaning, throwing things away and putting stuff into boxes. He seemed a little on edge and was more cranky than normal. Plus, he refused to go down for a nap, which rarely happens. It got me thinking, I have NO idea how to prepare him for a move, so some research was in order.

Since the whole point of my blog is to share my experiences as a first time mom, here are some of my tips for preparing your toddler for the upcoming move.

Ways to prepare your toddler for a move

Fill Your Little One in – They’re more perceptive than you might think, so take the time and get down to their level and explain what’s going on in short sentences they’ll understand. We did just that!
As soon as we found out that we would have to move, Seamus spoke with Emmett and told him we’d be living in a new place soon, but that we loved him so much and would do our best to make it easy for him
Involve the Little One in Viewings – I know some folks may disagree with me here, but I think it’s a great idea to bring your child along to go visit the homes they may be living in. It’s their home too, and they deserve to see it.
We took Emmett with us to the viewings we had the other day, and intend to include him each time. I really want him to know how important he is.
Comfort Immediately – With all the changes that are bound to be going on, your toddler is likely to have some rough days where they just need a long hug and some kind words. Don’t hesitate with these! Yes, you are busy and there’s a lot going on, but nothing is more important than the care and needs of your toddler. Hug them, talk to them, heck, even play with them if they need a change of scenery.
Stay Happy and Upbeat – I totally get it, maintaining a positive attitude when you have eight thousand different things going on is tough, but around your toddler hide the anxiety and put on a happy face. Toddlers mimic the behaviors of you and the other loved ones in their lives, so keep everyone happy.
Keep the Consistency – Your toddler craves consistency. That means, if at all possible keep them to the same routines. So if the bedtime routine starts at 7:30 each night, stick to that. Try not to flip around too much or the changes already going on, mixed with a sleep-deprived toddler, will lead to some massive meltdowns.
Share the Details as They’re Happening – Your child may not understand every word that comes out of your mouth, but they really can understand much more than they can communicate, so as you find a place or as you book the movers, share those details with your toddler. It will encourage them to adjust faster, by knowing that no surprises are coming.

Moving is rough, but being armed with these tips you can ease the transition for you and your family.

Your turn!

Have you moved with little ones? What are some tips you can share? Share in the comments below!!

Linking up with Skip to My Lou.

Filed Under: All About Me, Family