Three days ago, my husband, two kids, ages 2 and 5, and I moved into a new house. While we love our new abode, the process of getting there? Well, that was a special level of hell. Pre-marriage and -kids I moved a lot, and although it was stressful, it was also exciting, an experience that usually meant a new job, a new school, or a newly committed relationship. I had so little baggage. I'd pack up my few pieces of furniture, my many, many pieces of clothing and accessories, and head off to my next adventure, where I'd rearrange my stuff for a few hours and go out for a glass of champagne.
This move was just a little different, involving two months of decluttering, searching for a new house in an expensive market, selling our old one, packing, dealing with insane financial stresses, demo, construction, kids who think construction zones are a great place for a game of hide and seek . . . you get the picture. Now that the major work of the move is over (I'll probably get through those garage boxes in a year or two), and I have a minute to think, I came up with a list of what moms really need to get through a move with kids. Will my checklist get you smoothly from one house to another? Nope, but it might just preserve your sanity.