Advice on Preparing Family for Move

My advice will basically be all about packing. I love packing.

For your move, I would advise that you begin to pack up everything you don't use daily. (Holiday china, summer clothes, books, etc). Clearly label all boxes. I have two methods of labeling.The first involves, the letter for the room the item is designated for followed by a sequential number. The second method involves just numbering the boxes and on a separate piece of paper writing down the boxes contents. I keep the primary list in a moving journal which I keep on me at all times. It contains dates, times, phone numbers, everything I gather about the move. Mostly I use both methods and it also helps with storage.

I also make a point of packing my dishes in towels, washclothes, sheets, curtains, etc. This method kills two birds with one stone. When moving I bring the family towels and sheet sets down to two each (one in use and one clean and ready to be used next). These are the last things packed and the first things unpacked. It makes setting up the new home faster and most efficient.

I let the kids, even as little as yours pack their room essential boxes with their favorite books and toys. This is also packed last and unpacked first.

The greatest boxes in the world are the boxes which house reams of paper. They are sturdy and come with a great lid. My job has tons of them and if I just take them before the cleaning people get to them they are FREE. I stock up.

When I bring boxes home, I begin to pack them up over the weekends. This way I'm not overwhelmed with that responsibility on top of everything else.

For the kids, throw a party at their new schools. Keep it simple and fun with maybe some cookies or cupcakes to break the ice. Their teachers can really help in this area. Great success with your move I hope this helps.

Your children are still a bit young to talk about moving too far in advance. I wouldnt even mention it until its a done deal. You might not find an apartment right away or your husband might decide he hates the job. There are a lot of things that can change. Just tell them Daddy has a new job and you are going to visit back and forth. When its time to pack then you can tell them how exciting it is that they are moving to be with daddy ALL the time and how much fun its going to be to get to know new friends. Dont even mention about missing old friends or old school..Make everything positive and exciting.

We just moved. Some things that helped - be upbeat and excited about the move - the kids pick up more on the vibes than the words you say.

Finding out about the area - get in touch with your high school and college alumni in the area, you fraternity/sorority, your mom's best friend's daughter, churches and ask for advice. Ask your husband's colleagues for info on neighborhoods. If someone offers to drive you around to show you areas, accept help.

That is another big thing - accept help. When people say, "If there is anything I can do for you, just ask." Have a wine and cheese packing party for the ladies. And/or a men's packing pizza and beer party. Put the packed boxes in the basement or a spare room. This way you are having fun, seeing friends, they are getting to help (which deepens friendships and strengthens community) and you are getting packed up.

If there are things you are moving to DC but not unpacking until you get in to a bought house, get a big colored sticker for those boxes and put them in one corner of the room. Then those boxes can be moved in to the attic/basement when you move without having to sort things through.

check out Arlington or Alexandreai as they are very close easy commute via public transport and reallly great areas. Vienna is also lovely and had good schools. My brother has lived in Arlington and worked in dc for over 10 years. good luck

First of all, I feel your pain because we are about to relocate as well. SO overwhelming! Our move starts next week. I asked a similar question a few days back, so definitely check the answers there - many mamas gave me some really fantastic advice!

Also check this out: http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp

I had not heard of Fly Lady before a couple of mamas right here on Mamapedia shared that website with me, but WOW, these are some great tips! She really breaks things down on how to get organized to move (baby steps, and she breaks it all down for you on how to do it and not lose your mind!).

Other than that, in terms of finding the right neighborhood, I think the best thing to do is when your husband gets there, have him ask all his new co-workers with kids what neighborhood they live in, if they like it, if they had it to do all over again, where they would live. Chances are good you'll hear the same answers several times. Check into those neighborhoods. Also check out greatschools.org and see if the schools in those neighborhoods are good. Once you have an area in mind, go check them out when you visit your husband. Go to some open houses, walk through the neighborhood, go to the parks, grocery stores, etc. You will get an idea pretty quickly if this is the right neighborhood for you.

I hope that helps! Good luck with your move!

I don't know how to prepare your kids, since I haven't had to do it. But being from the DC area, I can tell you it's not cheap, so when you are scouting a place to live really look into taxes, home prices and overall cost of living. Check out city-data.com. They have information about the various cities and forums where you can ask questions about the area. I lived in Montgomery County, MD, Fairfax County, VA and Alexandria City, VA, all of which border DC. They are great areas if you are looking to live outside the city. If you are more city people, I have friends that absolutely love Capitol Hill. They live in Southeast near the Marine Barracks and it is amazing. You can walk to everything and it's got great charm. The downside is, most places in DC you will have to go private school. Fairfax County is usually ranked in the top 100 public school systems.