We're Moving!

Change is part of life.  It's not always fun or easy, but it's necessary.  For our little family, it's time to make a pretty big change.  We're moving.  Now, there is a small possibility that we'll simply be moving to the other side of Orlando, but more likely we'll be moving to San Marcos, TX (it really all depends on my husbands company and where they need him more).  Bottom line is, we're moving out of the home to which we brought our son home from the hospital.  It's bittersweet...we have created many fond memories here and we will truly miss our family and friends in Orlando, yet the prospect of a fresh start in a new city is exciting!

I will be sharing our journey with you on this blog and giving out some tips and tricks along the way for how to make an easy  less difficult move.

As of right now, my focus is to purge and organize.  You don't realize how much stuff you've accumulated until it's time to move it all.  And man, do we have a lot of stuff.  My first piece of advice here is simple: get real.  Are you REALLY going to wear those skinny clothes ever again?  Not likely...you'll want to buy new stuff after losing weight.  Are you REALLY going to fix that lamp you got for $1 at a garage sale last summer?  Probably not.  Relieve yourself of the junk that just takes up space.  If you find yourself on the fence about something or just having a hard time letting go in general...let me break it down for you like this:  Is the cost to replace the item greater than the cost to move the item?  If yes, and you really believe that in your new home you will have room for and use said item, then go ahead and pack it.  If not, then ditch it.  You can sell it before moving (more on this later) and put the money towards a replacement in your new home.  

Going through everything is overwhelming, especially if you don't have a lot of time.  To make it more manageable, break it down by room.  Start with the easier rooms like bedrooms and bathrooms and work your way up to the harder ones like the kitchen and garage.  It's also best to work from the top of your house down, just like with cleaning.  

Designate an area for things you're getting rid of.  Bins or boxes labeled 'donate' and 'sell' are a great way to keep things organized.  Of course anything you're throwing away should go directly into the garbage bin outside...don't let it clutter up your house!  

Check back for more tips on moving and to see our progress!

Coming soon...

My sincerest apologies for the silence on this blog as of late.  It's been a busy holiday season and I have been without a laptop for much of it.  Just yesterday, my wonderful husband bought me a brand spanking new laptop and I'm so excited to put it to work with this blog!

I hope everyone put my post about holiday prep to good use and that it helped you have a stress-free holiday season!  Now that the new year has begun, I have some new goals for myself and I'll try to share my progress along the way.

Goal 1: Get organized.
We plan to move to a new home this year.  We're not 100% about the when or where...it will be in 6 months or less and we will either move across town or to Texas.  Everything depends on my husband's job and where they need him to be.  So in preparation for moving, I'm starting to purge and organize now so that moving will be as easy as possible.  I've started by weeding through my son's toys and clothes.  Anything broken went into the trash, things he's outgrown are getting passed down to his cousin, and anything else is getting donated.  I already have three large boxes of things out of his room alone!

Goal 2: Get healthy.
Last year, my husband and I started on this goal by eliminating junk food and in general making healthier choices.  Over the holidays we let a lot slide but we're ready to get back on the wagon.  We've decided to join a gym since now is usually the best time to do so because gyms tend to have specials in January.

Goal 3: Stop being wasteful.
Wastefulness really bugs me.  I hate throwing perfectly good things away.  You can ask my husband...I get really mad when I have to throw food out and I'm a bit of a pack rat with other things because I can't stand the idea of throwing something out and a month down the road needing it.  However, I'm also sick of having no spare storage space in our home due to all the stuff I'm hanging on to.  This kind of goes hand in hand with my first goal for this year...I do not want to purchase anything new that I'm not going to use.  No more impulse buys just because something is a good deal!  No more knick-knacks for the house...we have enough decor and really, with a toddler and three dogs, it's not a worthwhile investment.  So...more restraint when shopping and as far as food goes, I'm going to start cooking smarter.  This means cooking meals that will either be finished off the same night it's cooked or will make a meal that will definitely get eaten the next day!