Moving, Schmoving

I've never done an open thread before. But I'm moving on Tuesday.

TUUUUUUUUESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

And I'm trying to pack and drive 15 hours with 2 kids and I need help. So, do you have advice about moving, driving, or anything you just feel like sharing?

Then leave it in the comments. And if you're on the way to Atlanta from Philly and you'd like house guests, let me know that too.

Comments

[Joel]

I totally agree with getting a portable DVD player. We got one of thebuilt-in players with our new van last year.I questioned the expense at first, but after several trips to Florida, 8 hours each way, it was some of the best money we've spent. There's nothing like sitting in a quiet car while the kids have headphones on. Whew!

[Joel]

I totally agree with getting a portable DVD player. We got one of thebuilt-in players with our new van last year.I questioned the expense at first, but after several trips to Florida, 8 hours each way, it was some of the best money we've spent. There's nothing like sitting in a quiet car while the kids have headphones on. Whew!

[Holly Arjoonsingh]

Good luck! Hope your trip goes smoothly! My family has moved 5 times in less than 5 years. (We've averaged 14 months per place). I was lucky enough that they were company moves and so we had packers and movers. But I still had to pack up whatever we'd need until we could close and get settled in our new house. Did I also mention that we'd always only gotten about 2 weeks notice before my husband had to start working in the new location? Yeah, we've been from Cali to Minnesota to Upstate NY to Philly and now back to Minnesota.
It's probably too late to give you advice on how to make the trip smoothly, so I'll give you some advice for when you get there. Make sure you get your kitchen set-up asap and that the TV and toys can be setup asap as well! I sympathize with you! Happy travels!

[karen]

buy a portable dvd player and also some headphones so you don't have to listen to the movie. I'd also recommend a magna doodle and a sticker book for preschool age, these can entertain for quite a while in the car!

[Amanda]

We just moved two months ago!

Label your COFFEE MAKER in BIG GIGANTIC letters. It's THE most important thing you'll want to unpack when you arrive. Ditto for the phone.

If at all possible, ride in the backseat with the baby because if your hooters are as big and floppy as mine, you'll be able to nurse the baby without unbuckling your seatbelt. This could save you a stop or three along the way.

Also go for the really BAD snacks. I tootsie roll pop is good for a least a half an hour of happy toddler time.

[Kim]

If you are driving I-95 to I-85 to Atlanta, please note that the stretch of 85 between where 85 splits from 95 (Exit 51 I believe) to Durham is DESOLATE!!!!!!!

If you have a AAA membership, give them a call to pick up a trip plan and ask them to help you figure out the best places to stop. You don't want to be stuck with screaming baby and whiney pre-schooler in that stretch of highway.

The stretch between Greensboro and Charolotte is also pretty devoid of places to stop, but it isn't scary desolate. Charlotte traffic is a bitch.

I can't tell you about the stretch between Charlotte & Atlanta as I think I only traveled it once. I think it was pretty empty.

Good Luck!

[m]

Get little circle stickers and color-code your boxes -- blue for kitchen, red for living room, yellow for bedroom, green for Q's room, etc. Let Q. put on the stickers (one on each side of the box)--she will love it. This was a help for us and for our movers, and my son the sticker king enjoyed 'helping.'

[Alicia]

Last week I just drove from Central Florida to the very opposite edge of Ct with two dogs, one bird and a toddler... by.my.self. I, along with most other comments, recommend frequent stops. I chose to drive no more then 6 hours a day, and that didn't include lunch and dinner breaks. Those lunch and dinner breaks were always taken inside. A good 30-45 minutes of just not driving did wonders on both me and my daughter.

[Dana]

In my early 20's I moved seven times in 3 years. My dad owns apartment buildings and I'd fix them up while living in them and once I was done I'd move again. It SUCKED.

I can tell you what not to do. Don't put your silver wear inside your dish towels like my mother told me to do. When unpacking, knives and forks fell to the floor and my dish towels were all wrinkled.

Not that I cared, but still it's funny to think back on that.

[Damselfly]

Poor you. I recommend stopping to let the kids play out of their seats as much as possible. (Does Drew sit up yet?) Otherwise, I think kids go a little stir crazy when they can't release any energy! Have a safe drive ... hope you love your new home.

[Wendy]

I strongly second the DVD player. I never moved, but was stuck in evacuation traffic. We were stuck in the car for a few 14 hour trips during that month. The DVD player was our friend. My daughter would watch the same movie about a hundred times which gave me much needed peace. We, also, let her pick the movies she wanted to bring.

I would put your daughter in a Pull-Up. I dont know if she is fully potty trained, but it is better than cleaning an entire carseat on the way. My daughter was never good at telling us when she had to go.

I am not sure about your boy. My son tends to get really cranky on our short trips to Florida, when he hasnt napped. It is weird, but if he is overtired he will scream the whole way and nothing will soothe him. For the time that he is in good spirits, I bring favorite books, toys or pictures. Sam loves pictures of ELMO. I dont get it, but if it keeps him happy I dont mess with it.

Good Luck

[Heather]

Um, Mozart cds?

Tuesday? Wow! you know you'll be like 5 hours from me. My stalking tendencies may increase. Consider yourself warned. :-P

I moved two years ago, but only three hours away. But I did move twice within 7 months. My advice....have the kitchen boxes most readily available. You'll need it before anything else, other than diapers and toilet paper. And I've seen pictures of the types of things you do with toilet paper.

[Christina]

I second the recommendation of labeling everything very carefully on the boxes. Also, pack the stuff you need the most last, so it'll be the first boxes you pull off the truck. That way you'll have the necessities even if you don't feel like unpacking everything else that first day.

And the portable DVD player is a Godsend. It's how we survived going to and from Chicago last weekend.

[Mary]

I have not moved with my daughter but have taken her on several cross country trips in the car at various ages from 6 months to 4 y/o. The best advice is leave early !!!! the earlier the better. She always slept or at least was out of it for the first 4 hours or so if we were able to leave by 4 or 5 am. Then we would stop for breakfast around 9 drive a couple of hours, stop for lunch around 12 and then stop for the day by 2 or 3. With that schedule you could easily make it in two days. We found if we tried to drive too late in the day it was just too difficult. Good luck.

[Arkie Mama]

I had to move on my own too -- from Arkansas to San Antonio, and then back again a year later -- because the spouse was on assignment (conveniently) both times.

That said —

Letting your tot watch as the movers pack up his/her bed and belongings? Bad idea. Mine ran, shrieking, after the movers, demanding that they return her things. Then she cried for hours.

Plan so that you are driving during naptime/bedtime. You'll make better time when they're passed out. (and it's peaceful) In our case, that meant leaving at 4 a.m. They slept. When they woke up, we stopped for breakfast. They played, read books, whatever until lunch. Went through a drive-thru. Naptime. Stopped to let them stretch their legs & get a snack. Then we had only a few hours left of driving.

Oh, and do not *ahem* accidentally pack treasured toys or stuffed animals.

[Arkie Mama]

I had to move on my own too -- from Arkansas to San Antonio, and then back again a year later -- because the spouse was on assignment (conveniently) both times.

That said —

Letting your tot watch as the movers pack up his/her bed and belongings? Bad idea. Mine ran, shrieking, after the movers, demanding that they return her things. Then she cried for hours.

Plan so that you are driving during naptime/bedtime. You'll make better time when they're passed out. (and it's peaceful) In our case, that meant leaving at 4 a.m. They slept. When they woke up, we stopped for breakfast. They played, read books, whatever until lunch. Went through a drive-thru. Naptime. Stopped to let them stretch their legs & get a snack. Then we had only a few hours left of driving.

Oh, and do not *ahem* accidentally pack treasured toys or stuffed animals.

[mamatulip]

Label each box with absolutely everything that's inside, despite how often your husband points and laughs at you while making an L out of his thumb and index finger and pressing it against his forehead. You'll appreciate it when you're all moved in and can actually find that can opener.

[Smiling Mom]

Buy a portable dvd player!!

[mayberry]

I wish I were on the way! Would love to see you.

I just saw a cool travel gizmo on a blog the other day: A desk thing that sits on your child's lap so she can read or draw. Maybe Q would like that.

[Amy Jo]

Be prepared to stop. A lot. My husband mapped out our entire Philly-Atlanta trip with only 2 gas/bathroom stops. Unfortunately for him, we ended up stopping 3 times in the first 4 hours. And we added an unplanned overnight stop. He was disappointed, but since I hadn't gone into the trip with a bag full of unreasonable expectations, I was A-ok!

Since Q is 3 and Drew is still a wee baby you might have an easier time of it. When we drove to Pittsburgh from ATL for Thanksgiving, Sam was only 10 months old, and not too much trouble. And Q might be old enough to deal with on a more intellectual level.

Either way, good luck! Once you get settled, we should meet up. Then you can give me all of your advice for when we make the reverse trip in a few months!

[jodi]

I'm in DC, not sure if I'm on the way, but sure. I have no guest room, just a day bed w/ trundle in the basement, but hey, there are lots of toys for your kiddos down there.