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Getting Ready for The Big Move
We are currently buried in “To Do” lists, boxes, paperwork, phone calls and trips back and forth to Home Depot as we try to get ready for the big move next week. Moving, let me tell you, is for the birds. Who has time for all the prep work needed to vacate one home and prepare to move into a new one all while parenting a toddler? I certainly don’t.
I’ve discovered that packing and making phone calls to utility companies is nearly impossible to do with a toddler around. I tried to get started packing a few boxes this morning only to have Maya take the items out of the box as fast as I could put them in. I decided that I will leave most of the packing for those afternoon hours when she is peacefully sleeping. She just wants to help, I know, so I figure if I do need to pack while she is awake I’ll just give her a few boxes to pack up her toys and books and just let her have at it.
Packing with a toddler around is no piece of cake but it seems incredibly easy compared to making the necessary phone calls to the various utility companies to make sure we have lights and a working stove and working air conditioning when we move.
Yesterday Maya was sitting quietly in her room reading so I decided to take advantage of a few moments of peace and make a few phone calls. The minute I dialed the phone and someone answered on the other end she decided it would be the perfect time to come find me, which was fine until she decided to have a meltdown because I couldn’t read her a story “RIGHT NOW!!!!”. I think I need a personal assistant to take of all this stuff for me 
So, nap time, over the next week or so will no longer be my relaxing “me time”, it is going to be filled with me sitting on the phone with utility companies and busting my butt trying to pack all our stuff up before the movers arrive on Thursday. Boy does that sound like fun.
Any tips on getting this stuff done with a 2 and a half year old running under foot? I would love to hear how you veteran moms and dads have done.
We moved last year when Catie was 2 1/2. I don’t have a ton of advice because, yeah, it sucked bigtime. But these are 2 things that helped:
1) Give her a job to do. It could be something that genuinely helps you (“here’s an empty box, see how many of Daddy’s books you can fit in here!” or “let’s try to get ALL the sheets in here!”), or invent a game that lets you work while she’s distracted. One of mine was to run about 10 empty boxes upstairs, and then let her push them downstairs one by one. (Key word there: EMPTY boxes! Not full ones.) She thought that was a riot. Of course, it did involve me having to stop packing to run downstairs & retrieve the boxes for round 2, but you know, whatever. You could also give her some crayons & let her draw pictures on the outside of the boxes. Might be fun for her to have an alternative to paper, as sort of a special treat.
2) I hate to say it, but desperate times, desperate measures: just let the TV be your baby-sitter. A little PBS Sprout or Nick Jr isn’t going to hurt her. And then you’re free to make your phone calls.
Cindy,
Thanks so much, those a great tips. I’m definitely going to give her a box and let her “help”. She loves helping and feeling like she is responsible for something so I might as well take advantage of it
And, when all else fails Sesame Street and Barney are going to be my best friends!
We moved in November when Avery was 15 months and I was 7 months pregnant. UGH! The tv was on a lot, luckily our kitchen was gated off because it was our only non carpeted area to keep the litter box, so packing the kitchen was fine. Anytime she was distracted I would run into the bedroom and start packing things in there just to keep the boxes away from her. She and the kitten kept trying to pull the tape off the boxes to get in tthem… It was a lot of late nights alone packing (my husband works nights). We moved packed boxes and any fur inure we could down to our garage to clear out more space to organize things and start cleaning in all te hidden corners of our completely filthy apartment. I ha e no idea how it got soooooo gross under our bed
Maile,
I think I’ll be doing a lot of naptime and nighttime packing.
The idea to give her a box of her own is brilliant.
The other thing I recommend that I’ve found a huge help is to bring over a ‘mother’s helper’. A 9 or 10 year old girl who will come over and entertain M so you can get stuff done without playing the ‘put something in a box and Maya takes it out’ game.
Good luck!!
Jenn,
That’s a great idea. There is a 12 year old girl down the street that just adores Maya and I’m sure she would love to come over and play with her for a couple of hours. I hadn’t even thought of that, I think I’ll check with her tomorrow.
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