Any Advice for Moving Out of State?

You just have to be strong and try to focus on only the positive. As a military wife I am no stranger to big moves, and I have found that once you get settled, you find that everything is alright, and you just keep getting on with life. Best of luck to you in your new home.

Good luck! We have moved cross country twice in the past two years(NC to AZ to PA), no kids but with 3 cats, 1 dog and lots of live fish. The moving company was awesome the second time, first time we did it ourselves. It is amazing to watch them pack an entire house in a day and when they unloaded everything went right where we wanted it. Anything they took apart they put it back together and we had nothing break! I love the year we had more on the west coast, very different area and lots to explore and see before moving back east. I still stay in touch with a few friends from each place we have lived. The one was a rental and it took some time, but we did find a place that would take all of our pets.

Make sure if you haven't driven long distances with the animals before that they travel well in the car and if not talk to your vet, since there are many options. We have to drug two of our three cats, the third one could care less. They also travel in carriers with a small litterbox that is a 9x9 tin pan. I also have them on leashes with harnesses (a little worried just incase someone gets loose along the way) and they have break away collars. The harnesses and collars both have tags with our contact info. Our one neighbor before the first move thought we must have had a very sick pet, since I was taking them for drives every other day trying out meds and different dosages to see what we needed. Took three 30 min drives to find the best choice for him. The dog also either went in a crate or leashed into a seat with tags on her collar. I used shrink dink paper to make tags so they would all have enough and I could have extra incase anyone lost one while traveling.

Savannah will have lots for you to get out and explore too, so that may help. Try and relax and enjoy the time you have left where you are and go any of the places and restaurants you will miss. For the kids if they are interested get an address book so they can have their friends addresses, phone numbers, emails, etc so they can stay in touch. Maybe try and get them involved in an activity once you move or join a pool so they can meet kids their age this summer before school.

The driving itself will be hectic I'm sure, we did both moves as fast as possible because of the animals and live fish and slept in rest ares as needed. The first night in AZ we were sleeping on towels on a tile floor since we got in at 2am and weren't opening the truck up at that time.

Good luck on your move and hope all goes well!

You will be very busy and it is exciting. I have never been there but friend was from there. I always thought family is a flight away and phone calls keep us in touch. Meeting new neighbors and kids friends will be fun too. The children will have the hardest time. So beware. Have a new adventure and enjoy going to new things. God Bless G. W

You have gotten some good advice. You really will be fine. It can be overwhelming though.
Be sure to put like things together. Take everything off the walls, all pictures go in one place, all wooden shelves, all china, glass, fragile knickknacks in the dining room near the china cabinet. That way when the movers come they don't have to have a small box for these fragiles and another for these in this room. THey are all together it will make their day run so much smoother.
Have them pack the vacuum last so when they finish in one room you can vacuum it. THen when they bring everything outside you can give the house a good sweep.
Movers do not pack any liquids or candles, Money, or ammunition. They will have a list of what they can't touch.
THey will pack garbage so make sure all your garbage is out on the curb. Even if it isn't garbage day.
Also pack your car before they get there. If you tell them not this room, closet, cabinet, they will make mistakes and something will get packed that you wanted to take with you.
Be super positive but tell the boys you are nervous. Find out about your new area and if they have any sports teams to jion, soccer or whatever they are interested in. Or what there is to do in the area. Have the 12 year old start looking up the new place on the internet. Allso he can look for houses. Give him the criteria and go to Realtor.com and Militarybyowner.com. He can figure the websites out. My 12 year old found 15 houses, all of which were good contenders. We are moving this year too for the 7th time.
Take a phone book from the old location to the new. You won't need it after a couple months, but it will come in handy.
Be sure to get the boys' shot records. Med files can be transfered later but you will need the shot records for school and if you have an emergency while on the road.
Have a great road triip to GA.

Try to bring the animals. It will help the kids adjust if they have Fido with them.

Dear S.,

I understand your mixed feelings about the move. One piece of advice I would offer - above ALL ELSE - take your pets. The move will be MUCH easier if you don't have to break up your family....not only for YOU, but especially for your boys. There are places to rent that will allow pets. Try to do some research prior to your move. Just remember, innocent animals are abandoned every day because of a family move. The family thinks that because they are such great pets that they will have no problem placing them. That is NOT the case. Most of the time - in at least 98% of the cases - the animals end up being euthanised because they don't understand being left behind, being torn from their families, being split up from each other, so they do not re-home well. Unless some of your family and/or friends can take your animals - where they would know them, it might not be so traumatic. But, your children will adjust much better if they have their furry friends to hang on to!

Good luck in your new adventure!

God bless.

I've made several big moves over the years, so I understand your feelings. A positive attitude is your best friend for this challenge. Try not to focus on what you're losing, but on your new "adventure". It's hard enough on the kids without them seeing how sad you feel. (You can admit you're sad, then move on to show them how to cope with change.) If you attend church, that's a great way to meet people in a new town. Also, you'll have new neighbors, and new friends at work and school. The kids will have time to make friends this summer before school starts---I think going to a new school is the hardest part for kids. Taking pets can be a problem, but if you're like us, our pets are part of the family. We boarded them while we got moved and settled, and then the boarder put them on a plane for us. Maybe a family member could help out with that. The animals will adjust, and the kids will enjoy having them to make the transition easier. Good luck on your new adventure!

We did this very thing about 1 1/2 years ago...moved from Central IL to SW Missouri for my husband's job. My 12 year old boy, then 10 yrs old, entered 5th grade. His advice to tell your 12 y.o. to relax and it won't be as bad as it seems. He made friends very quickly and only the first 3 days were rough. My 5 year old son really hasn't been effected too much, he was only 3 when we moved. Get them involved in as much sports or programs as possible, that helps everyone to make friends and get to know the community. I would say the first year is the hardest. I felt very stranded being so far away from my friends and family. I went through some pretty tough depression and should have gone to the doctor to get meds, but I didn't. I'm better now though, it's just a huge paradigm for everyone in the family. Stay in touch with them as much as you can via phone, facebook (great for constantly posting videos and pics of the kids), and Skype is great. Good luck :)

Will the company pay to pack your things? That would give you time to read up on the area and sell the positives to you and your kids. Hopefully, you can minimize the drive time with a hotel night or two so that it doesn't become the worst day or two of your life. Course, be sure to carry with you the most sentimental and fragile of things.

Sure, part of this you will need to act the role of the optomistic mom and wife to help this along but you can admit to being very curious about the differences all the while knowing that everyone will have what's familiar around them in the home and you'll do lots of things to help get the family acquainted fast with the new neighborhood, schools, parks, fun spots, church, etc.

You didn't say where you'll be staying while you determine where to live or buy. Can the moving company store your stuff and you live in a residential suite or furnished home in the meantime? I haven't had to do that before.