Unpacking

I am in the middle of a sea of boxes.
    Our moving truck arrived only to find that they couldn't fit in our driveway and we live on a 2 lane road without a shoulder so they legally couldn't block the road.  This was a little bit of an issue but our driver decided to break the rules a bit and block the road but unload everything into the garage instead of taking it to the proper room like they said they would when we booked them.  Not a huge deal but now everything is all mixed up in stacks and stacks in the garage.  I'm working to get through them but it's overwhelming.
Here's my tips if you're moving...
     Don't just label the boxes with a sharpie, put a piece of colored duct tape around the box that you can see from all sides.  Use a different color for each room or section of the house.  That way boxes can easily be carried to that room or if they can't be delivered to that room like in my case you can tell the drivers to make piles of those colors.  So you don't end up with a box of kitchen stuff on the bottom of the garage pile.  My drivers just didn't have time to turn the boxes and read all the words.
     Bring a suitcase with typical overnight stuff (clothes, toothbrush...) toilet paper, some towels, bedding, change of clothes, kids cup if they need one, night light (very important, kids and adults get nervous when they can't find the bathroom in a new house at night), and instant coffee things like Starbucks Via (When unpacking or waiting for your moving truck it sure would be nice to have a cup of coffee) and snacks.  I bought a 100 calorie pack of a variety of cookies and crackers.  This was nice to just open or give kids since we had no dishes yet.  We did make a grocery store run for pb&J, paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware since we were going to be here 3 days without our stuff but it's just nice to always have snacks.   Also good snacks to have on hand are things like gogurts, cheese sticks, and granola bars.  Simple grab and go.  I hate being interupted right in the middle of a good unpacking session with the dreaded, 'Mom, I'm hungry'.  These items kids can grab themselves and there's no mess.  A lamp would also be good if you know your house doesn't have overheard lights.  We knew every room had light except the living room so we didn't worry about a lamp.
     Unpack some toys first and your kitchen stuff.  Nothing feels like home faster than stepping on a lego.  But seriously if you want to actually get work done and make your kids feel like they live here too you have to have something for them to do.  My kids were overjoyed to see their own toys.  I think they doubted that they were ever going to see them again.  Drew kept saying hey this is just like my toys in Illinois.  I opened two boxes of toys, didn't even worry about organization yet and then went on to the kitchen.  You have to eat and eating a home cooked meal is wonderful in your new home.  I'm still unpacking but I think next I'll do clothing since we are still living out of our suitcases, then bathrooms since we have a few towels and the stuff from our suitcase, then we'll move onto office and living room.  I hope to get the boxes all opened within 2 weeks and deal with organizing the best I can.  We really own nothing!  We have so much empty space and space that needs organizers.  Like the silverware drawer, ours is just tossed in there.  We have so many little things like that to buy.  It's just amazing how much it takes to bring an empty house into feeling like a home.  Oh, one more thought.  We live in the middle of nowhere and the previous owners left the blinds and curtains but you might need to think of window coverings if you were moving to a city.  Heck, even taping up a big roll of paper would get you through the night without people peeking in on you sleeping.
    And here's my best tip of all.  When you are packing up your house go out and buy yourself a couple presents.  Bring them home and immediately wrap them up and pack them.  I bought myself some new kitchen goodies when packing.  Today I unwrapped them and it felt like Christmas.  I was so happy to see them again.  I bought myself a new cheese grater, a new wine bottle opener and a new can opener that were on clearance at Target.  Nothing fancy or expensive but something fun to make the task of unpacking more fun.  I wish I had bought myself a new diamond pendant or cartier watch but the can opener is way more practical I guess :)
     Remember to expect the unexpected.  Nothing goes as planned.  While unpacking my daughter shoved styrofoam packing balls up her nose.  That was fun.  I tried to get her to blow them out but she was scared and isn't good at blowing her nose anyway.  Here's what you do if that should happen to you.  Lay the child down, pinch the good nostril closed (assuming there is a good one), then place your mouth over the kids mouth just like CPR and give a good strong blow.  The object should fly out and hit you in the cheek.  Kara laughed.  The next day the same little girl locked herself in her room.  Our old house had push button locks so if that happened you could just pop the lock with a paperclip or kitchen skewer.  This house has traditional turn button locks so I had to find a tiny screwdriver that would fit in the hole and actually turn the lock.  Our toolbox wasn't unpacked yet so it took me a while to locate what I needed but no one was freaking out because Kara had fallen asleep.  When she woke up she was free to roam around again.  I see myself using that screwdriver many many times in the next few years.  I put it on top of the doorframe so I can always find it.  Now that I think about it this might come in handy in teenage years too.