packing & moving

 my mom and dad are moving, and i am sooo wishing i could be there to help!  patrick & i have moved seven (7!!!) times in the 5 years since we've been married, so we've become pretty comfortable with the whole packing & moving thing.

it's 6am, and i can't sleep.  sam slept for 6 hours straight tonight, and since my body isn't used to falling asleep when i'm not bone-weary, here i am, wide awake.   i've been lying awake in bed for the past hour, imagining what i would do if i was at home.

i'd go over & help my mom & dad pack up.  i know how overwhelmingly huge the job seems - and it's always easier when you have a plan.

with two weeks remaining, we could kill this move in a few hours (or less) every day.

this is what we'd do first:
day 1: pack up all the books.  and don't forget books in the kitchen, bathroom, coffee table ... hunt down every book you can find.  then - pack 'em.  i've always had 2 rules when it comes to packing books:
1) don't open them, even just to flip through for a minute (distracting & time consuming!  prowl through your books once you're settled in your new place).
2) keep the boxes light enough to carry.
and that's it!  that's all we'd do on day 1 - and it's amazing how quickly empty bookshelves appear once you start packing.

the next thing:
day 2: pack up all the wall art & knick-knacks (i really don't know how to spell that) & framed photos around the house. and don't forget the knick-knacks in the kitchen.  again, 2 simple steps:
1) dust 'em before you pack (don't get fancy with sprays & special cloths, just featherdust).
2) for big/breakable things like picture frames, wrap them in towels or linens & tape, then pop them in a clear garbage bag so everyone who is helping you move can see that they're breakable.
day 2 is always a quick day.  (hurray!)

followed by:
day 3: photos & papers.  this always seemed the most awful step ... first off, they're so distracting - you need to read the papers and look at all the pictures ... no!  don't go down that road!
1) sort papers into really broad categories.  for me, i like to sort them by year.  that way, if i'm looking for a paper, i only have to go through 1 bundle because i usually know what year it's from.
2) pop photos into a keepsake box.  once you move, you can sort them if you like, organize them into albums, or frame them ... but for now, just stick them all into a special photo box & feel good about it.  (don't forget the photos on your fridge!)

okay, i think i'm starting to get sleepy again.  days 4-6 will come later.  

mom, i so wish i could be there to help you like you always help me.  i love you so much.  xoxox.