Y’all. I spent all day packing. My husband taped up like 10 boxes yesterday to get them ready to pack, then jokingly challenged me to have them all packed by the time he got home today.
Mission accomplished!
I even went into the garage to get more boxes. And now George is pumped to help me fill boxes. Olivia…not so much. She’s a little confused as to what’s going on, which is completely understandable. Then again, when I explain we’re moving to a new house, she clasps her little hands together and squeals, “Ex-sigh!” (Her version of “excited”). She’s a smart cookie if there ever was one.
As I pack our material possessions into box after box, I keep thinking of things I’d like to share with you. I’m obviously a professional mover now, as I’ve moved twice in eight months. Either that, or I’m really bad at staying put!
Things I’ve learned to help with a move:
First, since moving stinks, you should time your move to coincide with a similarly horrific task. That way, when you want to procrastinate packing, you will feel a bit more motivated to complete the other task and vice versa. Case in point: Move during tax season! This way, you can stare at spreadsheets when you pull a back muscle after lifting a box of books, and you also can pack boxes when your vision goes blurry from spreadsheet-staring! Brilliant! Both a physical and mental workout.
Second, leave all of the dust in the old house. Holy wow! Does everyone have This Much Dust in every nook and cranny? Seriously. I was pulling things out from under our bed today, and it was like a mid-western dust storm. I decided to pull out the mini vacuum to suck up the dust bunnies instead of fighting them with Pledge. I briefly considered simply shoving the dust-covered items into a box, but then sighed and did my due diligence to only bring clean(er) items into our new home.
Third, don’t sit down. And absolutely no reminiscing. If you chance a rest to flip through a box of photos or middle school journals, you will find yourself in the same position 45 minutes later. You won’t be able to trash or cull down anything because you’re too busy fondly reliving your acne years. This is counterproductive to your goal of filling cardboard with your live’s random miscellany.
Lastly, duct tape does not stick to cardboard. I learned this the hard way after using at least 20 strips of the supposed “man’s best friend” fix-all to secure picture frames in a cardboard box. Yeah, definitely use the clear, packing kind.
Well, I suppose I should stop lounging on my couch being witty and get back to the grind. Though a nap sounds much more appealing…
Currently Reading:
Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer, chief copy editor of Random House. Grammar and punctuation may be my love language. Though, admittedly, I bend the rules to my own will for the sake of my blog’s conversational tone.