5 Tips for an Easier Move With Kids

 

I have had one messy move with one almost-two-year-old. I'll be moving twice more this year, so I'll share any wisdom I gather. But for now, learn from my mistakes and lucky guesses with these five tips:

1.  Pack the children's rooms last. They'll feel more secure if their belongings are in order, and it may help them sleep better leading up to moving day.

2. Let them help you pack their own things. If they are putting their toys and other things into boxes, and watching you, they'll feel less worried that all of their things are being taken away. Even if young children are unpacking as much as you're packing, they'll feel included. Reassure them that they are being put into boxes so that they can be taken to the new home, and that they can be played with on [x date].

3. Try to have fun. Everyone would likely agree that the process of moving brings frustrations. Children are known for finding the joy in simple things. Join them. Let them draw pictures or scribble on boxes*, and save on big empty box as a fort.

4. Keep a suitcase of must-haves with you on the move. This may be a bag for each child, with their special security item (blanket, stuffed animal), their bed linens/pillow/blanket, and night routine supplies (toothbrush, pacifier, pajamas, diaper, night light), plus a snack and a change of clothes.

5. Set up the children's rooms first. Before unloading, give the house a proper greeting and tour. Bring in the beds as soon as possible, and make them right away, so that bedtime goes as smoothly as possible. If the furniture is placed, the bookshelf is stocked, and a few toys are put in place, the room will feel more familiar at bedtime, and the children will have a place to play while everything else is unloaded and organized.


* Dry-erase markers wipe right off of skin (more easily than washable markers) and usually wash out of clothes. Hilighters stain everything, like the couch, the recliner, clothes, unpacked dishes....

How to Pack Books for a Temporary Move

Our new home is a summer sub-lease, and we're not sure where we'll be in the fall. This made packing extra tricky, but I was glad for the chance to go through all of my books.

I knew I wanted Baby A to have access to a lot of picture and board books, but we have enough to fill her bookshelf five times (I keep them in a closet for rotation), and storage space at the summer apartment is limited. I had to choose carefully what to bring along.

If you ever find yourself in a temporary move or extended vacation, here's a smart way to pack up your books:

1. Figure out how many books you would like to bring with you. If you are on an extended vacation, consider the weight they will add to a suitcase, and how quickly you or your child may tire of the book.

2. Sort all books by season. Make separate piles for summer, fall, winter, spring, and all/no specific season. Seasonal books were not restricted to holiday or with a season theme--any books with storylines specific to a time of year were placed in the appropriate pile. Ex: Jamberry by Bruce Degen is a picture book poem about berries, inspired by Degen's berry-picking childhood summers, so it was placed in the summer pile. The all/no specific season will most likely be much larger than the rest, so you may want to break it into sub-categories, such as animals, bedtime, counting/colors/shapes, etc.

3. Choose books from the all/no specific season pile that you'd like to bring with you. Combine those with the books from the season most appropriate to your new home. Add or take away from the pile based on the number (or poundage) of books you've decided to bring with you.

4. Prepare the boxes. If using a cardboard box (I prefer diaper boxes for books), tape the bottom of the box with three slightly overlapping strips of tape along the bottom and halfway up each side. Line the bottom of the box or the entire box with plastic bags, or stack the books in plastic grocery bags before putting them into the box. Top the box with a plastic bag, as well. This will help protect them from water and dust. 

If you are packing books into a suitcase, line underclothes/socks along the bottom of the suitcase, and pack books on top of them. Try to create a flat surface. Keep lightweight and activity books in your carry-on bag.

5. Pack up the books: 10-20 pounds of books in each box, with a detailed label of what kind of books are in each box. Cover the label in tape so that it does not smear. Color-code the box(es) going with you with duct tape so that they are easy to spot should they become mixed with storage boxes.

Luckily, we are storing the books we did not bring with us at my parents' house, so Baby A will still enjoy them whenever we visit them.

I also happened to score this little cardboard display shelf at my recycling center! Now Baby A's books can be rotated between her bookshelf and this (which is tucked out of sight) to keep her books exciting this summer.

Do you sort your books by season? Do you have any book-packing tips?

Earth Day Art Map and Arbor Day Book

How will you be celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd, and Arbor Day on April 27th?

Since I'm moving on Earth Day, I decided to celebrate a little early. I collaged this map, and wrote a couple of my favorite author's sentiments about Earth onto it.

Here's a simple how-to:

1)  Tear scrap paper into a variety of strips. 

2) Brush a thin, even layer of mod podge onto the cardboard rectangle, in sections, and quickly form continents and oceans with blank strips.

While I did that, Baby A 'painted" (brushed water onto her own scrap paper).

3) Write the quote(s) on the map.

I wrote my quotes across like a banner, but it would also be fun to write the words onto strips and paste them on for a patched look. I wish I had written them larger, in a more interesting color.

4) Gloss the entire map with the mod podge. 

 
The quotes I used:
"All things of the universe are miracles, each as profound as any."
-Walt Whitman

"Earth laughs in flowers."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

For Arbor Day, I recommend reading Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. Grandpa Green artistically carves out his life legacy. This might be my favorite Lane Smith book, though as a child I pouted and cried in the car until my parents went back into the book fair and purchased The Stinky Cheese Man for me. (I still feel guilty; it was totally uncharacteristic for me to whine like that, and for my parents to give in like that.) I won't throw a fit for Grandpa Green, but I will add it to my pretty-pretty-please-it's-almost-my-birthday list.

Don't you think that planting, saving, or appreciating a tree is one of the best ways we can build a legacy for our future generations?

P.S. more springtime and Earth Day books

P.P.S. Does your library read for the Earth?

Visiting Little Treetops

Thank You, I am also smart.

 Friends of mine have co-founded a delightful online shop: Little Treetops. Vintage-inspired and forward thinking words and images are hand-screened onto cotton onesies. I'll bet you can't pick just one. 

I'm excited to be a guest over there today, so hop on over to read my secret to building baby's first book collection, and have a look around the shop.

Baby Shower: Books for Babies and Parents

If you know someone who is having a baby this summer (two of my sisters-in-law are having girls!), here are seven (okay, twelve) books sure to be treasured by baby and parents.

Duck and Goose by Tad Hills. There are lots of Duck and Goose books, but in this original, Duck and Goose have rivaling ideas of what is best to do with the egg they find together. In the end a surprise leaves them both happy. It is a subtle reminder not to sweat the small stuff and to stay on the same team in parenting, although the book is about the silly adventures of two friends. 

Seven Hungry Babies written by Candace Fleming, pictures by Eugene Yelchin. This tale of a nearly indefatigable mama bird feeding her chicks one by one is lyrical, funny, and relatable. This book would be especially appreciated by a mom of multiples or subsequent children, though I appreciated it when my mom gave it to me while I was pregnant with my first (and only).

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Clement Hurd. I almost didn't include this because it's on every list out there, but I couldn't help myself, because it was the first book I bought Baby A while I was expecting her. The soft rhymes are soothing to newborns, and really, to anyone. It's nearly impossible to read it without lowering your voice, slowing down, and feeling calm. Buy it from a bookstore nearby, with the receipt taped inside, so that if they get a duplicate you can exchange it for another book on their list (or this list).

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt. Another obvious choice, I know! This makes a great first interactive book, because there aren't parts that tear off, and it has a little mirror. If you'd like to spice it up, go for Pat the Cat or Pat the Puppy by Edith Kunhardt. My copy did not hold up very well (the pages tear away from the binding and the ribbon comes right off the bunny). Although it is a board book, it is a thinner cardboard than other board books, so it will not withstand any mouthing. But because it is so beloved, it is always in stock--so, easily replaced. Another fun texture book: Tails by Matthew Van Fleet.

My Animals by Xavier Deneux. The simple white-on-black illustrations are visually stimulating, particularly for newborns, but have details for older babies. Also: the Elmer books by David McKee are like a visual festival for newborns. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This book truly grows with the young reader, and is educational for newborns and first graders alike. Baby A and I enjoy this book in the oversized board book version. If the parents already have this Eric Carle book, go for the less popular, but also beautiful Mister Seahorse or The Tiny Seed.

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, illustrated by E.H. Shepard. There is a reason this book first published eighty-six years ago is enduring--it is as touching and relatable now as it was then. It is a chapter book, but it is never too soon to collect classics for a nursery.

What would you add to this list? Do the soon-to-be-parents you know register for books?

Easter Basket Books

If you're playing Easter Bunny this year, stock your baskets with some sweetness that can be enjoyed over and over again.

For the one in perpetual motion:

 

Peepsqueak! by Leslie Ann Clark

For the detail-oriented and/or the artist:

The Easter Egg by Jan Brett. You can also make a mural with the illustrations.

For anyone past the phase of ripping pop-up books:

Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt. It's a gorgeous interactive pop-up adventure based on Beatrix Potter's original illustrations.

For everyone remembering the true new life of Easter:

If the Savior Stood Beside Me by Greg Olsen. This is a compilation of Olsen's  paintings, mostly of Jesus with children, with text inspired by (but not really quoting) the song by Sally DeFord. I'd like to make it a tradition to put a book in Baby A's Easter basket each year, and this year I chose this book. I prefer portrayals of Jesus to be realistic (as opposed to cartoonish) and I especially like to see portrayals of Jesus with children of diverse physical attributes and cultural backgrounds, because an overwhelming majority of portrayals that I've seen showcase only white, sandy-haired children. Any suggestions?

What are your Easter basket favorites? Have you been reading any Easter books this week?

P.S. A tip: Baby A is still playing with the plastic eggs my mom gave her last year. Opening and closing the eggs is great for fine motor skill development. Sometimes, when we're going somewhere she needs to stay seated, we put a tiny surprise in a plastic egg and pull it out when she gets antsy.