Things I've Learnt from Moving House

Things I've Learnt from Moving House

Last week we finally exchanged and completed and it was time to say goodbye to our little 2 bedroom flat which we have been in for the last 10+ years. We loved living there but we just ran out of room and wanted somewhere bigger for Elliot to grow up in.

We're still in cardboard box city with lots to unpack but I thought I'd share 10 things I've learnt from moving!

1. Toddlers do not have the patience for packing

I attempted to pack the bulk of Elliot's toys prior to our moving day but he always seemed to want the toy that had been packed away! We had a couple of meltdowns where he wanted something specific that was buried under a pile of boxes and he just didn't understand why he couldn't play with it. It was also quite hard packing with him the same room – as fast as the items were going in the box, he'd be behind me pulling things out saying “oooh what's this mummy!”

2. I am far too optimistic

The day before our moving day, I said to my sister “the hard bit is out the way, tomorrow will easy!”. I thought it would be a case of money transferred first thing in the morning, the removal men arrive on cue at 11am and we'd be in our new home mid afternoon and able to unpack. Erm....it definitely didn't go like that!

3. I do not cope well under stress!

I'm not one of life's flappers, I just get on with things and don't generally let stress get to me. Not the case on moving day! There were tears....there were frantic phonecalls...there was lots of flapping...there was frantic dashes to my parents house to borrow their printer....there were more tears. I felt so stressed that I didn't even remember to eat all day – this is unheard of for me!! ;)

4. We had far more stuff than I realised

It took the removal men two trips to take all our stuff plus 3 cars full....I definitely didn't think we had so much! I just kept finding boxes that had been stored away in the garage.

5. My husband is a bit of a hoarder

Out from the garage came a big bag of stuffed toys and apparently one from his childhood that he couldn't bare to be parted with! (It'll be going straight into our a new garage, never to see the light of day again!)

6. Hire good removal men

The removal men I hired weren't the cheapest but they had great reviews on Checkatrade and they were amazing!! The way they packed the lorry was just incredible, like a jigsaw puzzle and they used every spare inch. They worked solidly for 5 hours and definitely earned their money!

7. Moving day is made easier when you have friends and family to help

There's no way we could have done it without a little bit of help – my Mum looked after Elliot, my Dad stayed at the new house while we went back and forth with boxes, and our friends filled their cars with our junk. My parents then returned the next day to help with the unpacking. Team effort!

8. There's always more dust...

I thought my flat was relatively clean until all the furniture had been packed and I saw what was underneath!! So much dust, my poor hoover has never worked so hard.

9. WiFi makes me happy

We have spent the last 10 days without phone or internet which means we've had to rely on a very weak 3G signal. Which means my blogging and social media has had to take a back seat. I did go and borrow my parent's WiFi for a few hours at the weekend and I managed to do a few important bits online but I've missed being able to go online when I like and have instant access, not a Facebook page that takes 10 minutes to load! I don't think I could ever survive without the internet :-o

10. Moving house is hard work

Moving house is meant to be one of the hardest things you'll ever do and I now understand why! It's exhausting...it's stressful...you'll probably fall out with your other half....you'll be up to your armpits in boxes for days after. But it's totally worth it!!

Elliot enjoying having a nice big garden!

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