The stress of moving

Moving is never easy but if you have children, the potential for stress is compounded by the number of children you have.  Unfortunately, there are very few families who are able to avoid moving at least a few times while the children are young.  So, you might as well learn a few things to cut down (at least a little) the stress.

1. First and most important, involve your children.  Don't try to hide the fact that you are planning a move.  Your kids can tell that something is going on so share with them your plans.
2. As soon as you know you are going to move, start clearing out clutter and items that you no longer use or want.  Why go through the hassle of packing and moving boxes of stuff that you won't be using!  Again, involve the kids in going through THEIR belongings.
3. Designate an area of the house for packed and labeled boxes.  Stack boxes there.
4. Speaking of boxes, save yourself a ton of hassle by going to Home Depot or Lowes and buying standard size and shape boxes.  They're really inexpensive.  It is so much easier to pack boxes that are the same size than a haphazard collection of used boxes you picked up behind a grocery store.
5. And labeling?  Mark each box with the room it will be in as well as a basic description of the contents.  If there are a number of people helping you move boxes, it is useful if they know what room to put their boxes in.  And, writing the contents will help you when you are faced with 20 boxes marked KITCHEN and you need something specific.
6. Try to keep your routine as normal as possible for the kids.  Try to keep the upheaval to a minimum.
7. Pack the kid's belongings last.  Unpack them first.
8. Remind yourself that this chaos is temporary.  Soon the stress of moving will be over and you can relax in your new home.