So if you haven't heard our BIG NEWS- go back a post :)
Our Plan......Hope this doesn't make your head hurt...because sometimes it does mine :)
* Over the next month we will work as normal on top of packing. We have retreat groups every weekend except the one coming up. All wanting food service :) The first weekend of March we have weekend camp! So programming, worship, Bible studies, food service, etc. will be going on. After weekend camp we officially are not working any more.
So we have to wrap up, set up for the next director (s), and get promotional information out about summer- because YES summer will still be happening!!!! And YES GOD still has AWESOME things that will be happening. This camp is NOT our ministry- it's GOD'S!!! :)
* So we pick up our first moving truck (26') Monday March 7th pack it up!!
Jason drives to Florida .....unloads truck with help of friends and relatives. Then he flies back home. We go pick him up at the airport...leaving our suburban there for his next flight :)
* Saturday the 12th we pick up moving van number 2 (16' this time). Pack it up and we all drive down on the 15th to a vacation rental (for a couple of months). Me and all 8 kiddos, daddy and the pets in the moving truck. Unload truck 2 into storage. Daddy flies back one more time....and drives back in the suburban.
Did you catch all that? Yeah- that is 3 trips of 15 hours for daddy in a matter of 2 weeks as well as 2 flights back. Adding in all the loading up of all our "stuff" and unloading all our stuff in storage. YIKES!!! :)
So we get to temporarily settle in as we find a home, a job, a church.....
BUT a HUGE BLESSING already is the fact that some of you who live in the area we are moving too- have contacted us and we have contacted you too. We know of a foster/adoption group already!!! We have some contacts. AND we already have people that will be visiting us once we get there!!!!! AND THAT MAKES ME SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously has already BLESSED our hearts!!!
Any packing tips???
Congrats! Moving is hard work, good thing there are so many hands to help you!
ReplyDeleteWow! Jason is like superman to make that trip so often!! I'll be sure to pray for his safe travels!
ReplyDeleteThat last time we moved we only had 1 child who was small and didn't have a lot of toys, so we had significantly less "stuff." We weren't homeschooling yet either. But before that we moved a lot. Something I've found helpful is the things you hang up in the closet, don't take them off the hangers. You can invest in wardrobe boxes (which might be good since you are putting stuff in storage) or even just keeping the clothes on hangers and laying them in a box neatly. It's so much easier to just grab them out and hang them up! Also use your towels, sheets, old shirts, dish towels, etc... to wrap all of your breakables. This has worked so well for us. We've never had anything break and we've never used bubble wrap!
So exciting to hear that so many details are working out all ready. You aren't even there yet!! :)
Rent a good sized dumpster. We did this and really started pitching a lot of things because we just didn't want to pack and unpack them later and they weren't really needed. You'll be glad you did. It is refreshing to purge some of the old when venturing into the new phase.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to think about rolls of plastic in case it rains for loading boxes. You can roll them out as walkways throughout the house so you don't track mud in. But you know if the weather would be nasty around that time of year where you are. Just a thought. :)
Oh! I wish I was there to help! So exciting and crazy and wonderful at the same time. Didn't make my head hurt, but I got a little dizzy (smile). I am seriously excited for you guys! BTW I have the EXACT same basket which the twins empty out and crawl into...lol.
ReplyDeleteLooks like my house...!!! Love homeschool!
ReplyDeleteTips for packing.... got nothing. I think if you can find the sheets, and your toothbrush that first month- you should get an award!
Buy Jason loads of caffine! With that schedule- he will need it. (you will need it too!!!)
I've moved several times with increasing numbers of kids (once I was 8 months pregnant, had three kids under 6, three more under twelve and we moved Thanksgiving week, I've almost completely blocked the entire month from my mind). My best advice is LABEL EVERYTHING. Every single box should say somewhere what is in it. It will save you a ton of trouble, especially if you are packing early and you happen to need something you have already packed up. I also packed one bag of personal items for each person. An outfit, toothbrush. bottle, paci, diapers. Whatever anyone might have to have if you are seperated from your things or if you're just too tired to unpack them.
ReplyDeleteOh just a thought....could you ask a family member or friend from FL to fly out and drive the suburban with you all so Jason doesn't have to make another trip by himself? You'd pay the same price but a lot less headache on Jason.
ReplyDelete1) Last time we moved, we were doing a temporary thing like you are. We packed all at once, so the boxes that went to our "temp. house" I put florescent squares of paper on, so there was no wondering if it was to keep out or to put in storage. Helped a lot! I still labeled these boxes with a lot of details, so we knew where stuff was.
ReplyDelete2) This is random, but when you pack your plates in the kitchen they're better going vertical than horizontal when you put them in their box. Individually wrap them, and stand them on end. It's how professional movers do it.
3) Speaking of professional movers.... We didn't have the money to have someone drive our stuff from South Carolina to Utah. We are in full time ministry too. So we utilized ABF - you pack the truck, they drive it. We were very happy with their service. Since we are terrible packers when it comes to loading the truck, we hired a couple of guys from a local moving company and they were great. They packed the truck as we brought them stuff and it made things go a whole lot faster, AND they got more in the truck than we ever would have. This made it possible for the two of us to travel together across the country.
Oh, and 4) Label the SIDES of your boxes too. It takes a little more time, but saves a lot of headache when you're on the other end looking through stacks of boxes.
ReplyDeleteMy best of advice (and I've moved a lot!) is to label well... not just what room, but specifically what is in it. When things go in storage, you will think of that one thing you need. Much easier to find if it is specifically labeled. Do this especially as you get closer to the end and it is boxes of hodge podge, stuff from all over the house that you can find to fit in the last few boxes... label well! Congrats and good look! Can't wait to follow your journey!
ReplyDeleteI am soooo excited for you. I wish I had advice, but I can't really remember a THING that happened in the past two months. I do recall that we kept needing more boxes. And we never had enough tape, and we always ran out when I was on a roll with my packing. Oh, and at least once (possibly twice), the girls managed to get a hold of my box-marking marker and put it IN the box I was about to tape up, without my knowledge. I spent an awful lot of time searching for markers. Buy extra. :o) See how helpful I am? Can't wait to watch it all unfold. What an adventure!
ReplyDeleteUmmm ... how exactly do you put 8 kids in a moving truck??? All of the moving trucks I've seen only have room for 2 or 3 people. Can't quite picture this. (it's late ... maybe I read something wrong here ...)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to think of moving tips. Our last BIG move (not across town) we did with 9 kids, 2 days after baby#9 was born. While packing the moving vans, I went to the dr. and he said, "We are inducing tomorrow." Papa drove first moving van across the state and raced back to join me at the hospital. Yes, baby's "drive home from the hospital" was a 3 hour drive.
So excited for you all, and the GREAT plans that the LORD has for you.
:) :) :)
Why don't you drive the Suburban and Jason drive truck #2?
ReplyDelete:) :) :)
Congrats on the big move! I will be praying for you guys. This is a huge step. Good time to simplify and go through things that you don't need anymore too. that is how we always did it. Little at a time, otherwise it is overwhelming. Wish we lived closer to help! Lots of love and prayers!
ReplyDeleteJill
Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing how it all works out. And how wonderful that God has already provided support for you in your new place. :-)
ReplyDeletePraying for you as you prepare to move. I can't imagine!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Amy
packing tips? Start with the children first. Pack them up in roomy, breathable boxes and then you will be able to get done all you need without interruption!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have only made 1 move with very little stuff, 1 baby and it was only about 1 mile down the road! Sorry I can't be more help. I know you can do it--put those kids to work! :)
Awww. My tip? LABEL EVERYTHING! Every box, all the details, etc. It makes it so much easier when you are looking for something ;-)
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
Future Mama
http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com/
The last big move we made, the biggest lifesaver was to color-code the boxes. Give each bedroom a colored dot or piece of paper to tape to each box - on top and on two sides. That way, no matter WHO is helping unload into the new place, they know which colored boxes go into what room. It was especially helpful when we had non-English speaking moving helpers! Also, get some special boxes that will be your "first to unpack"... maybe rubbermaid totes, or something just very different from the rest. Make sure those have sheets, towels, toilet paper, some busy toys... all the necessities of life for a few days. They will be easy to spot and you will know you have those things at your fingertips! You could also do one box like that per room... Kitchen box would have coffee maker and supplies, a pot and a pan, paper goods, plastic utensils, cups, and maybe some granola bars or something... and whatever else you know you will want FIRST THING. It really helped us a ton! Blessings!!
ReplyDeleteOur biggest help in our last move was packing many boxes for storage.
ReplyDeleteWe moved from 2700 sq ft to 1200 sq ft rental. I packed many boxes whose home would be my garage till we found a permanate home. They were all labeled well, just in case. We did this with school supplies as well. I kept out what I knew I needed for the year, then packed everything else by grade level and labeled well.
Oh I think I have a good idea for you! I only moved my family a couple of blocks, but we had to sell our house first and it needed to be staged with most all of our stuff taken away for several months!
ReplyDeleteWe used PODS, you can find them at www.pods.com and it was fantastic! You call them up and they deliver a huge moving truck size container to your home. You fill it with all of your stuff and then they store it for you for a very nominal fee! Then when you are ready, they deliver it back to you...wherever you tell them, and then you take everything out and they pick it up again!
I am telling you it was sooooo easy! And I think the storage fee was only $50 or so per 30 days! (But you should go on their website or call them for correct info.) It would sure save you a lot of driving/flying back and forth!
Good luck with the move!
I second ABF or /pods specially since you will be in transition. Depends on how much stuff you have. I am a bit of a list maker so I numbered every box and typed up a spread sheet with the number and box contents, and label the box with contents. So excited for you!! We vacation at Indian Rocks Beach so we will hunt you down next time we get down there.
ReplyDeleteI thought of something else for you. Every time I have moved I kept a small lidded box on hand and put into it all of the screws, bolts and fasteners that came off of stuff as we took things apart. I threw in a couple of the scredrivers that we used and it was a lifesaver having all of that stuff together when we were reassembling everything.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are already more organized than we are, and we've been planning our move for a few months now! We still don't even have a "go" date yet. We are moving our family of 7 from IN to Puerto Rico sometime by the end of May (we hope).
ReplyDeleteOne thing that might help is that we are not taking any furniture, minus a few things from the kids rooms. We are hoping to get buy with as small of space as possible in the moving truck (ABF)...which is 5x8x9.....most of our stuff is clothes, school 'stuff', and odd/ends knickknacks.
I'm less worried about that part, more worried about juggling the 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 1 cat at the airport! Not sure I have enough hands! We are selling both of our vehicles, so that leaves us with relying on friends to help out with the moving our of large group!
Soaking up the packing tips! We haven't moved since we first got married and we've accumulated a lot of stuff (and kids) in 6 years!
Wow Dawn, I am just catching up on the news! I am soo excited for your family, and our family will definitely be praying for peace while packing and guidance as you head to Florida!!
ReplyDeleteI am so behind you guys, but wanted to let you know that I am 1. excited for your move and 2. praying for you!
ReplyDelete