{SQT} We Moved Into our New Home!

I am writing this entry on a Tuesday and back-posting it, so four days late due to the move!

1. Saturday

Ice skating/hockey lessons as per usual . . . oldest two kids became Red Cross-Certified Babysitters . . .

David protesting my packing up toys

Learning pool care

Playing on the swing set already moved over to the new home

Climbing a tree at the new home

Thomas sitting on a great perch at new home

2. Sunday

Mass as per usual . . . So bizarre to think that by next Mass, we will be residents in the new home . . .

3. Monday

Music lessons . . . painting of new home finished after a week . . .

All dressed up fancy by himself!

Grocery shopping trip to deliver food directly to the new home

Kids can still climb this tree even after I removed rope ladder

Stocked the new home with our games to be prepared for moving days

6"-wide luna moth at our new home!

Whimsical frog doorbell at our new home

4. Tuesday

Carpet being installed at new home late late into the night. . .

5. Wednesday

This is the first day we moved many items over ourselves to save money. The moving company advised us specifically to move framed artwork, lamps, electronics ourselves to save the most money, so we spent a few days doing that!

We got my famous White Board moved over to the new house and then everyone felt like they didn't know what to do every minute of the day!

On Wednesday night, I had everyone pack up one suitcase each of a few outfits, a stuffed animal, and any special treasures. This exercise was important pragmatically but unexpectedly (to me) set off panic in the youngest set who thought they had to pack everything they owned or they would lose it, and could not be convinced otherwise. I did not anticipate how much emotional, spiritual, and psychological counseling we would be doing around moving.

6. Thursday

Professional packers packed up everything that I didn't . . . Specialty movers moved our two pianos, gun safe, and exercise equipment . . . We hired two babysitters to help with the children all day, and it turned out to be a pretty easy, glorious day because the weather was good and we had the run of the empty new home. (That's foreshading for how the next day was not nearly so easy.)

Chris set up our altar the day before we moved in

Having a floor picnic in the new home

Even got David to nap on a mattress in an empty upstairs bedroom!

The last night in the old home was an emotionally tough one. Some of the children were distraught. A very tearful rosary was prayed one last time in the old home.

I keep saying that it can be hard to open one's hand for a new, wonderful blessing when that requires letting go of what was already a wonderful blessing (our old house).

7. Friday

Moving day was tough for all involved. Our original team of professional movers were six men with two trucks, but they quickly realized that their management should have bid this as a two-day job, so they brought in four more men and two more trucks . . . and all of them still needed ten hours to complete the job, the latter half of that in a deluge like we get in the summer in the South.

The two babysitters managed the children again, but it was not nearly so easy because the rain kept them indoors, and the only safe room was the den, so there were eight young people trying to occupy themselves in one room all day with very limited TV. Once the furniture began arriving, I took up my post at the front door directing traffic and I needed so much focus that Chris took the two babysitters and six children out for many hours; no little ones got naps that day. Even my standing post at the door wasn't enough and I spent hours running back and forth across the house, answering questions and directing placements for ten different men who were increasingly exhausted and frustrated. I actually nearly lost my voice by the end!

So, so many boxes stacked high in every room

Dear neighbors came by and helped finish assembling beds and aided me in getting sheets on all eight beds. At the end of the night, I got three tucked in asleep and found the other three cheerfully playing Quirkle in the girls' room, which was heartwarming to this mama after many frayed nerves and character weaknesses had displayed themselves during this move. Nothing like Real Life to expose all of our areas needing improvement!

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.