When we moved into our house 5 years ago, we were a unity of 4 plus 3 furballs. We had more room than we knew what to do with, and our kids lived comfortably in their new, large rooms with a spare room, a fully unfinished basement, a toy room and more!
Fast forward a year and a half and another human, and we were full on the sleeping spaces and about ready to finish the basement and get the toy clutter under control. We contracted the basement to be finished and prepped ourselves to have the house be a bit of a mess for a couple months…. during a global pandemic.
Our little magic bonus baby came last year, and our house that had so much room to grow into has really filled in nicely. So much so, that we had to finally do the room shuffle to make room for our little bookend girl, which meant that we needed to get and assemble bunk beds, get the nursery furniture out, move the boys around, and reorganize the basement. (Plus, get out all of the baby toys from our mess of storage.) Here are a few tips that we learned through this process of growing exponentially over a short amount of time:
- Have a clear plan. Make yourself a chart with where everything goes. I like to color coat post its on the items that need to be moved and repurposed. Even the giveaway bags and items have their own color. This truly helps with organization while moving– even if it is just within your own 4 walls. Before you move anything, make sure to let your moving help know what colors go where. This will aid in getting things moved efficiently and quickly without confusion.
- Get the kids out of the house for an extended period if possible. We had the kiddos go to their grandparents for a day while we sorted through all of the things. We kept any new things in the basement to alleviate any anxious kiddos from stressing about upcoming change.
- Go on a short trip. This sounds so crazy, but I meant to write it! We went on a quick trip to the lake and let my mom help at home by turning the rooms into a surprise to come home to! New sheets were purchased and little details were placed to make it exciting when the kiddos returned from the weekend away. It made sleeping in the new situation a breeze! #3 is a creature of habit, so we were worried about change, and he was a champ when he came to his new room– he even picked to be on the top bunk!
- Call in the experts. For those larger items and even the smaller ones that require stairs to move, get the experts in! They will move your items in a fraction of the time WITHOUT damaging your walls while shoe horning things into the basement. JC Movers and Lumper Service Inc are all about the local moves and furniture help. They even offer labor only services like we needed at Chicago Labor Movers. They will even help you pack and assemble your items! This is honestly the best investment in keeping your house sane and protected while you make big changes. They are local and professional and will take care of your items as if they are their own!
Moving is not for the faint of heart– even if it is within your own 4 walls! We are now settled in our rooms for now with the furniture where it should be- our next project is basement organization, and we will be utilizing the labor services at JC Movers to help with that process. Growing from 4-6 humans in just a few years brings lots of logistical changes and we are so happy we chose a house to grow into in a town that we adore!


