Home Tour

Here it is, the new house!

A few things before we start...

1. I don't have a future in videography. Oh well...
2. I'm in my pajamas, the kid is running around, the baby is on hip, and the house looks like a hurricane full of boxes and socks (looking at you Tibs) came through it. So if you get motion sickness that's why.
3. And for bonus points, try to find the moment I clearly don't know left from right.





There are so many things I want to do to the house, but I'll save the To Do list for Nate later.

The Do's and Don't's of Moving with Small Children

Don't.

No really. Just don't. 

Ok that might be a bit over dramatic. It's definitely doable in a you'd-chop-your-arm-off-if-it-were-stuck-under-a-rock-and-it-was-your-only-chance-of-survival kind of way. So I thought I'd share a bit of our process with you. And no, I still don't have pictures loaded of the house, but how about a video tour tomorrow?! Dealzzz (as Damian would say)???

DO adjust your expectations of time and apply the "add a zero rule." So for example, if you think it's going to only take you 20 hours to pack, add a zero, and prepare for 200 hours of box filling fun. Or if you think it's only going to take you a day to paint a room, add a zero an accept it will probably take 10 days and 100 trips to Lowes. I can't imagine why I might have gotten the wrong paint sample...

DON'T be shy about using Mr. TV to babysit the littles. I figure Damian's brain may be a bit more mushy by the end of this move but that's a lot better than having a box fall on him. Or packing him in a box because he refused to stop unpacking them. Or because he wants to "help" paint the carpet.

DO get help. If someone wants to help you, take it. And no I don't just mean from a marriage counselor. (I kid of course!) Sending Damian to the grandparents helps get rid of that darn zero rule. 

DON'T forget to take pictures. Nate really wanted us to do a video walk-through of the house before it was empty. I was opposed only because I didn't want the last recorded memories of our house to be when it was in such a state of disarray. But in the end I'm glad we did it! So much has happened in this house and I want to remember it.

DO hire someone. We went ahead and built in the cost of movers into the savings for home purchasing. We ended up not having movers load our truck (long story that will be funny...one day...I hope...) But we did for unloading the truck. Movers are a whole lot easier. Trust me. (Not that our free-of-charge movers aka in-laws weren't great, but I'm going to assume that they would've enjoyed us having movers too. :-) )

Basically that's how we are surviving--well that and some craft brews and bottles of wine.

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