Moving! - Santa Rita,GU

Try to make the move fun for the children and not stressful. Depending on their ages and temperaments they may love it or hate it. Try to keep their routine as normal as possible during the move and after you arrive in Arizona.

They need to know that some things will ALWAYS be the same...that mom & dad love them, movie night is Tuesday, dinner is at 7, and bed is at 8 or whatever is normal for your family.

Take lots of photos of your current house and their rooms to look at once you are settled in AZ and they become home sick. Make each child a small photo book of special friends, your house and neighborhood, the grocery store, what ever may be special to them.

Now is a good chance to sort toys and clothes. If you don't need it or want it it's easier to give it away now instead of taking it and trying to get rid of it later. But, keep in mind that the kids will expect to have their old things in their new house. So don't make them throw out special things.

I also think it's important for you to get here in time for your younger children to start school in August/September. It'll be easier for them to make friends if they are the new kids on the first day of school instead of mid-year. Give them time to settle into the house and neighborhood before they have to rush off to school.

Good luck with your move. Hope you get lots of great advice!

Congratulations! Moving can be exciting and, yes, stressful. However, you have older kids, so they will be a lot of help. I'm assuming you are moving yourselves? Even in you are having a moving company pack you, you may still want to do a lot of it yourself. Do you really want them packing your underwear drawer? They do not label boxes specifically. They will write- living room. When I pack, I like to write what's in the box because stuff that ends up in boxes isn't always from that room. I will put on the box living room, but add "Baby's downstairs toys". The kids should have their own suitcase with everything they can cram in there to last for a couple days. Once you are in the new house and trying to unpack everything, it may take awhile to get access to the clothes, etc. so if they pretend they are going on a vacation and pack everything they'll need, they should be fine. Set up the kids first, once you get to the new house. If they are settled, they will be able to start resuming normalcy. If they are exploring their new area, you will be able to concentrate on the rest of the house. Know that eating out will be a necessity at first. Even if you get the kitchen started first, grocery shopping will probably not be for dinner as much as it will be for snacks to get by during the day. Of course your husband will already be there and have some of this set up, so that will be a huge help. He will know where the nearest pizza place is and who delivers the best Chinese. And if he doesn't, have him figure that out!! LOL!! I don't know the ages of your kids, but when we were moving ours many times at ages 8 mos through 4-5, it was all about trying to keep things as close to normal as possible. If you are stressed out and anxious, they will follow your lead.
* I'm thinking of more "tips"......for last minute stuff, I'd use clear totes instead of boxes. This way, when you are popping the top to look for things you try to pack, but have to keep pulling out, you aren't bending up the tops of boxes and can sometimes just look in the side to see if the item is in there. Also, make sure you keep out some tools. You may need the screwdriver to take something apart, or the scissors. Pens and paper will be needed to write yourself reminders. I also would write things on my hand as I lay in bed thinking of things. As far as what to do first, pack photos and stuff on the walls. Pack decor items and anything you do not use on a daily basis. The closer you get to your departure date, the more you pack up.
As far as your son's graduation, try to simplify as much as possible. I don't know if there's a party planned or anything, but if so - how much does your son even want? Most graduation parties I know of have more to do with the parents than the kids. I remember begging my mom to leave my party so I could go to other's. I didn't care much about the food or decor. I'm thinking your son wouldn't either, so if you are doing a party, simple and casual is the way to go!
I will keep posting if I think of more things, but for now this is what I came up with. Good luck and congrats on your exciting adventure!!!

Okay - moving from Guam is different than moving in the mainland. I've moved from Guam to RI and from RI to Hawaii and overseas moves have another level of chaos.
1. Since your husband has already gone, you are in good shape as far as having someone "on the ground" in AZ to get the first level of "settling in" done. (Elimination house hunting, getting the lay of the land, finding a pediatrician, etc.)
2. If you're going with the military, you will be granted a "main household goos shipment" and an "express" shipment. (Ask your coordinator what is good to go in each kind of shipment.) If you're civilian, you can probably find a moving company to pack large containers for furniture & household goods and pack boxes to mail for your express shipment. However it will be expensive so sell/donate as much as you can before you leave if you have to foot the bill yourself. Also, as you know from living in Guam, postal services may say "priority" but that really only applies in the mainland and the shipment dates are always estimations when you're dealing with Guam. This means going BACK to the mainland, as well. Carry all important things with you as much as possible (valuable jewelry, kids' loveys, medications, family pics, etc.) We moved about 4 yrs ago and did not need passports to fly from Guam to US UNLESS you're taking the flight out through Narita in Tokyo (which sometimes is the less expensive route.)
3. Again, if you're doing this yourself I can't emphasize enough how it will make your life easier to sell WHATEVER your can before you leave. Since your hubby is already in AZ, he can purchase replacements before you arrive. He can check craigslists so you don't need to buy everything new.
4. For whatever you're planning to take, take measurements before you pack it and keep a list of all those measurements on a laptop computer (which is a worthy purchase for while you're in transition if you don't already have one or a computer set up on both ends.) Likewise, as much as you can scan/ keep on a hard drive for important papers/photos back-up would reduce how much you have to carry/ ship. Anyway, back to the measurements, if you have those, you can plan your household even though it will take a while to get your furniture (plan on about 3-4 months.) I got a roll of blue painters tape and just went around the house before the furniture arrived and wrote the names of the furniture pieces on the tape and stuck it to the wall so I only had to direct furniture to the right room, once the heavy lifters got to the room, they could read the labels to put it in the right place.
5. If you have military priviledges, and are looking for a new car to replace the car you will probably leave in Guam, you can order your car at the military base dealerships, get the overseas discount, and have the new car shipped to a dealership in AZ for a lot less than to have it shipped to GU. Alternatively, you can obviously buy a used car once you arrive in AZ - probably for less than you can ship the cars from Guam.
6. For the plane ride, pack snacks and entertainment for the kiddos. For the length of this plane ride, you'll probably not be able to carry enough books to keep them all happy (unless they are voracious readers and each have a great novel to start!) I suggest some kind of electronic entertainment - ipod, video games, kindles, etc. That is one heck of a long ride - even for adults and although they usually play at least two movies, it's going to be tough. Get as much rest as you can before you go because you are going to need to be at the top of your game for this one with five kiddos. In your carry-ons pack at least one change of clothes for EACH person - maybe more for little ones - particularly of they are prone to motion sickness or are not potty trained. As much as they are able, kiddos need to carry their own stuff and check for any forgotten items before you leave the airport gates, hotel rooms, get off planes, and get out of shuttles/taxis. Impress upon them that if they leave something behind, you will NOT be able to go back to get it! If hubby can fly back to help with the flight, he needs to do it. If you're going through Narita, you may want to take advantage of a hotel and get some rest before the next leg of the journey. Likewise, you may want to have a long layover in Honolulu if you're going that way. We have gone with short layovers back to the mainland and it's usually at least one full 24 hr transit and we have had one that was 36 hrs. That is one heck of a long time to entertain, comfort, and corral five kiddos in a confined and unfamiliar environment. As much as you are able, try to figure out from them what they would want to do for that amount of time. Prepare, prepare, prepare them as much as they can understand and try to get them to see it as an adventure and to work as a team. (I say all this even though the last time we flew, both my kiddos were under 18 mos and we just did the RI to HI trip with more than one kiddo. GU to RI was with only one baby - not so bad. Sooooo I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm not really in the same position you're in and can't guarantee success!) ;-) If you can take something to help the kiddos sleep on the plane *benadryl* it might be worth it. Just be sure to give this a dry run and talk to your pediatrician before you try it on the plane. Some kids get hyperactive with benadryl. You don't want to find THAT out on the plane!
7. If you can at all afford it, do not try to "cheap out" and hold an infant in your lap for this trip. Get everybody their own seat and bring car seats with you. Also, have hubby research before you get there to find out about gettting a shuttle from the airport that can accomodate your whole family (including luggage and carseats.) Make sure you have this transportation arranged and RESERVED before you get on the plane and confirm them repeatedly! The last thing you need is to touch down in AZ after being in the air for an eternity and not be able to get out of the airport!
8. A last word about loveys - sew labels on all irreplaceable loveys with your AZ address and a phone number where you can be reached in AZ along with a plea for anyone who finds it to PLEASE contact you. Again, no guarantees, but maybe you'll be lucky and have a compassionate soul send your lost items back to you.
That's all I can think of right now. I hope it makes sense. Good luck in your new place!
:-)
jen

Put all like things together, all pictures, glasswares, pots,
Stage the house, my dining room has all the china and any breakable from any room on the table
THe piano room will have all the pans, pots, kitchen electronics, pantry items
Sometimes they take down beds, sometimes they do not.
If you have to, make sure to tape with packing tape all the screws to the bed frams
Put the legs of piano benches in the bench
Take any mirrors off dressers and put with pictures
Start using paper plates about two days before the move
Have your suitcase packed and in the car or at your neighbors before movers come
Give away anything and everything you don't want or need on the other end. Do that now.
Movers don't pack candles, liquids, lighters batteries
They will do a preinspection before they come out to actually move you and they will give an estimate as to how many pounds you are moving.
When the movers come it is nice to get them pizza for lunch, have lots of water and soda in the fridge
Put any animals in the kennel while movers are at the house
Involve the children, but do not let them be underfoot while movers are in there
Have them get online and check out the new area
Go to Greatschools.com and check out the schools.
Get them some journals to get all their friends; addresses, emails, etc.
Get your older children involved, they can sit in a room and watch movers and help put like things in like areas.
This is a hectic time. Tempers will flare.
Good luck

You already have lots of good advice so I will try and stick to the things not mentioned.

Go to a store that sells stick on name tags. Get them in several colors. All of the boxes that go to a specific room should have that color name tag on them. If you get time, you can write on them as the movers are packing so you'll know what is inside. If you are letting the movers pack anything of economic value, write down the box number and the valuable that's in it so you can check to see if it is still in the box when it gets there. (Every time !!! I've moved I've had things stolen or come up missing. You have to file a claim within a short period of time or the moving company won't accept it.)

Have your husband call the police department where you are going to live and find out where the low crime areas are. Use your computer to find the locations of sex offenders (Megan's Law). If you see anywhere there are multiple red dots at a given address, that is a halfway house. Avoid those neighborhoods, if at all possible.

If you are church going people, call the pastor and get suggestions from him on the best schools and neighborhoods. He should be able to help you a lot. Its best for your husband to rent an apartment, rather than buy a house immediately. That way he has time to find the traffic flow and decide where will be the best commute. I had a 60 mile long territory and found out I could save lots of commuting time by finding a place where my commute was against the flow of traffic. That made a big difference. He will also get to know people and they can direct him to or away from places to live. Different communities have different laws and taxes. (Example: If you had chickens in Guam and like the fresh eggs, you'll want to find a community that will allow that.) Be aware that Arizona is the mixing of two words Arid Zone. Arizona is hot and dry with little or no rain all year. In Guam you could plant a garden and the rains watered it. In Arizona, if you are going to have a garden you are going to have to water it. Avoid communities with water rationing or high water rates.

Good luck to you and yours on the move.

I've never moved more that two states away, but here is the best advice I've ever received. Get a spiral bound notebook. Designate a few pages to each prospective room of the house and note that page with initials or a letter (i.e. MB for Master Bedroom, S for Steve's room, etc.). Then, as each box is packed, you list everything that went into that box next to its number. Each box has the designated room and box number on all top right corners and upper face of box (ie. box one for Master Bedroom would be MB1). A move is tiring, no matter what excitement you may feel now. You may not get all of the boxes unpacked right away. With a clear list, you'll know which boxes are most important to unpack. Also, each designation corresponds with a sign on that rooms door (in large letters) so each box can be placed accordingly. Sounds like a lot of work, but when you need to find something when unpacking, you don't have to unpack every box for that room just to get to the ----fill in the blank---. And, you don't have to list everything in the box on the outside of the box. Also, as great at stickers are, I've had a hard time with them coming off and then I don't know where the box goes or what's in it.

BTW, I did this with the move to my current house. While all boxes were not unpacked, I still had what I needed to throw a dinner party. Thankfully the company understood the box pile in my kitchen. They actually thought it was fun 'treasure hunting' for the correct box to find all the needed items for a pasta dinner... just by using my list. I've heard that one of them used this method while moving a few years ago.

As with Puerto Rico, Guam is a territory of the US and you do not need a passport. Arizona has its own beauty. I've lived there and have family there. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Happy Moving! I wish you well in your travels and new adventure.

Pack one suitcase with sheets. Have each person pack one towel/washcloth in their suitcase.

When I move, I always set up the kitchen first. That way when everyone is tired, hungry, thristy, stuff is available to cook with and someone doesn't have to run around finding stuff, or out to the store for food.

I like the idea of putting color stickers for each room. That worked wonders for us last time. When you get to your house have a sign for each room that goes on the door/doorframe to identify the color of the room. Also make a map for the front door that shows where all of the colors are located.

When you find a place to live, be sure to call ahead to have your phone, cable, electric, etc turned on. Also for trash pickup. This can all take 2 weeks.

Also, have your husband send you a copy of the DMV driving rules for Arizona so that you can study. You'll need to retake the driving test.

I know that Guam is a territory of the U.S., but I'm not sure if you will need to get passports or not which could take some time. I know some new travel restrictions went into place. Just can't remember if they include the territories.

M.

Hi N.,

Your husband will need to find somewhere that you can all live, look into schools for the rest of the kids, and get a general layout of the city: grocery stores, parks, libraries, etc.

You'll need to talk to your husband about what you want to keep of your furniture and find out the best way to ship it over. Good luck.

Congrats first on your husband's new job. I would say if your husband moves first it will cause some stress and strain on the family. But knowing it's a short time is definatly a plus. I would definatly have him find a place and get things situated as best as he can, so when you do move you have things already set up. If you are able to go out there once to check things out for yourself that's always a positive as well.

I come from a large family, and my dad took a job in a new state, and my parents did the same thing. He went there first, and we only saw him on weekends, but after about 3 months he decided the job wasn't for him, so it was a good thing that we didn't all move there right away.

Definaatly have a family meeting and let everyone know what's going on, and have a timeframe. Having the timeframe will help make everyone feel less anxious about the move since they will know when it is happening, and you can all plan accodringly to that.

Do you need to sell your house? If not that does make it a tad easier and one less thing to do... If you do have to sell that is something to start on right away.

Dose your family have a house in AZ already? If yes then start packing things up and send as much as possible ahead of your family, that way a majority of the items arrive before your family. Can do a big shipment by air or sea, you will need to arrange that ASAP so you can figure out which is best cost or fits your schedule best.

Figure out what you are taking and leaving behind (we left most furniture behind, either selling or giving to people we knew, because that stuff adds shipping weight/cost). We put post-it notes on items we were leaving and then would pack up a room as much as possible.

My family moved from Wisconsin, US to Sofia, Bulgaria and then 7 years back to Wisconsin, US. Our family totaled 6 people (2 parents, 4 kids). The biggest thing we did was we packed each room up at a time leaving only items that we REALLY needed (a few pieces of clothes, hygiene items or in kitchen used paper products and had a lot of non-cooked meals like sandwiches or eating out), every box was labeled like K.'s Room, Kitchen, Living Room, Master Bedroom and so on. That way those boxes could go directly to the correct room.

When you arrive at your new home in AZ spend a few days unpacking a room or two a day. We did Kitchen first, bedrooms (each of the kids, if old enough, unpacked their own room boxes), then the rest of the house.