Movin'

I hate moving.

I say that every single time I move. And there have been a LOT of moves since high school graduation. But it gets exponentially worse the more people you add into the family. There is just so much more STUFF. And schedules to be kept in the process? And kids who want their stuff to be right where they left it? Forget it.

So, we are 75% moved. Give or take. Painting is complete and the big furniture has been moved. But there is still plenty to be done. We're getting there.

Last night was the first overnight in the new house. For some of us. It was supposed to be for all of us. But once we hit late afternoon and realized there was no way the house could be adequately cleaned and childproofed by night, we decided not to move the boys' cribs. So, they stayed put with Daddy. But since my clothes and Alaina's bed had already been moved, the princess and I spent the night in the new house. (Not that she slept in her bed. The shadows in her new room led her to spend the night with me. Understandable.)

Fortunately our current situation allows this sort of piece-meal arrangement. Unfortunately, the children are reaching the end of their collective rope and are flat out of patience with the chaos in their life. There has been plenty of crankiness going around.

The end is in sight though. We should all be back together in the next 48 hours. Give or take. In the mean time, I'll leave you with the random thoughts that have been clunking around my head during this process:

1. I wish bugs could figure out that flying into wet paint leads to certain death. And a lot of anger on my part when I see them stuck to my freshly painted doors.
   
   
2. Much like you shouldn't go to the grocery store when you are hungry, you should not go to Target/Bed Bath & Beyond when you are mid-move.
   
   
3. It is amazing how the list of things that "would be nice to have" suddenly turned into the list of "urgent priorities" once the house became officially ours.
   
   
4. For quick local moves, packing in advance is over-rated. My chosen method for this move: throwing things into large trash bags and making a few runs over the course of the weekend. This has worked well for clothes, toys, bedding, etc. It's also gotten me off the hook for not preparing for this move until 24 before go-time.
   
   
5. Home Depot is not my friend. I really miss living near a Lowe's. Although, I am sure HD is not a fan of me either when I appeared there yesterday wearing a paint-stained t-shirt with paint-stained boxer shorts from 1996 (which did not match the t-shirt), while sporting paint-streaked legs, no make-up and one of Alaina's headbands. A vision of beauty, to be sure.
   
   
6. When living in a suburban neighborhood, window treatments should be high on the list of priorities. Lesson learned.