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Keeping your toddler smiling, entertained and calm can be difficult during a move. There are two main things to remember when moving with toddlers. First, they will pick up on your moods and emotions. So, if mom or dad are stressed, then they probably will be too. Secondly, sticking to a routine will help give your child a sense of security in what can be an unsettling time.

1. Communication

Talk to your toddler about the move. Explaining what it means will help them process the information. Read them a story about moving, or perhaps act it out with their toys and stuffed animals. Keep your explanations clear and simple.

2. Have a Plan

Begin your moving process at least two months before your move date. Create an organized checklist and thorough budget and stick to them. Having a plan will reduce your stress level and in turn, help keep your toddler calm as well.

3. Maintain Meal Times

You can set a clock by when a toddler gets hungry. So, it is important to keep their meal times on track and feed them according to their regular schedule. Plan meals in advance and create an alarm on your phone to make sure that you break away from packing or other activities to make sure your child has his scheduled meal.

4. Get Them Involved

Let your child help with the move. Have them decorate a cardboard box then personalize it with stickers and crayons. Help them pack some of their favorite toys into their special box. Or, use color-coded stickers or labels for each room. An adult can assist with sticking them on the correct boxes.

5. Take Time to Say Goodbye

Take some photos and create a scrapbook of the old house. Include pictures of favorite rooms, hiding places, swing sets and other spots with special memories. These photos will provide comfort when at the new home.

6. Ask for Help

Recruit friends and family to help with the move. Packing up your whole life can take time, so asking people that you love to help will make it more fun. Or, ask a family member to babysit or entertain your toddler for the day. A sitter can also help assure that your toddler will be safely out of the movers’ way.

7. Moving Day Treat

Distraction can also be a useful tool. Add into your budget a new toy for your child that you can give to them during the move. They’ll be fascinated with what is in front of them rather than what is going on around them.

8. Last On, First Off

Pack up their room last, so that they still have toys to play with. Give them a small backpack that they can fill with their favorite toys for the car journey to the new home. When at your new house, unload their items first and create a ‘play space’ especially for them in their new room.

Not a Single Temper Tantrum

Follow these simple tips for a happy move with your toddler. We’re ready to help you make your move seamless and stress-free, contact us for a quote today. 

Are you or a loved one moving to a retirement community?

Relocating to a retirement community can be a move that comes with lots of emotions, and is a situation that needs to be handled delicately.

Here are five tips on what you need to know when relocating to a retirement community.

1. Start the Discussion with Reflection

Talking to a loved one about this topic can be difficult in more than one way. It’s important to recognize that there is a lot of emotion that surrounds leaving a home. For many people, this may be the home they have lived in their entire adult life.

Use websites such as  myLifeSite.net to research retirement communities. There are many different types of communities, so you’re sure to find one that is just perfect for you or your loved one.

2. Ask Questions

Many residential communities have set rules that you will want to know.

For example, some communities prohibit pets. Others might restrict younger guests from visiting for extended periods of time. Make sure that you or your loved one fully understand what it means to live in that given retirement community before signing any paperwork. You wouldn’t want there to be any surprises as you’re about to move in.

3. Take, donate or trash?

It’s time to downsize. As mature, older adults, people tend to have accumulated a lot of belongings during their lives.

Go from room to room and decide which items to take to the new property, which to donate, and which to discarded. Remember never to assume, what might look like trash to you might be a prized possession to someone else.

4. Avoid Stress and Stay Prepared

We all know when it comes to relocating, you need to be prepared and organized. Being prepared also creates free time to get excited about all of the amazing facilities and hobby-based activities that are available at your chosen retirement community. To help with the logistics of planning, use free online tools, and remember to color code and clearly label boxes.

5. It’s Time to Start a New Chapter

Retirement communities are known for their enjoyable activities, so why not try out some new activities in advance? From pools to tennis courts, and cooking clubs to fitness classes, it’s time to get active and to find new hobbies that interest you or your loved one.

You can see which activities are available in your local area online. For example, check out the local park district or senior center for lots of hobby-based group and programs.

Help With the Move

Our staff of movers can help get you to your new community. Let us assist you with the big move. Contact us to see how we can help serve you.

Perhaps you and your loved one have decided to start a family, or just want to move to a better location?

Whatever the reason, moving day can be a mine-filled operation. Potential arguments lay hidden behind every door and within every packing box. A survey by SpareFoot found that 31% of Americans who have moved in with a significant other, had some of their worst arguments while moving.

So, we know there is a potential for arguments during the moving process, the question is, how do we avoid them?

1. Make a task list for each person

There are many tasks to accomplish before you settle in your new place; from packing and organizing boxes, to clearing rooms and taking out the trash. Use a checklist to discuss and decide who will be responsible for each task.

2. Plan ahead

Moving isn’t just a one-day affair; it will take a few weeks of careful planning. The trick here is not to leave things to the last minute; otherwise, you’re guaranteed to be rushing and stressed which will only lead to arguments. Make sure that you have a clear plan, so nothing is forgotten. There are plenty of planning tools online, check out this planner that starts two months in advance.

3. Be clear about expectations and budget

One of you thinks that you need a beautiful new 75” flatscreen television while the other thinks that your old television is fine, and you shouldn’t be wasting money. Sound like a familiar “discussion?”

Start a list of items that you think need replacing and another list of purchases for your new house. Check those against your moving budget.

Sit down together and look at Pinterest for creative money-saving ideas that you’d both be happy with.

4. Make time to date and dine

Don’t forget that you are a loving couple, and you need to nourish that relationship. Carve out some time to spend together having fun. Cook a last meal in your old kitchen together, take pictures of the big clear out, and celebrate when everything is boxed up and ready.

5. If it’s not yours, then don’t assume

When sorting through your belongings and packing up, be respectful of each other’s personal items. Avoid thinking “I’ve never seen them use this. They obviously don’t need it, so I’ll just throw it away.” You never know, it may be a treasured family heirloom or memento.

6. Speak freely

We all get frustrated, but what makes it worse? Bottling it up and exploding later on. It is much better to calmly voice your frustrations gently than becoming hot-headed and allowing your temper to flare.

Nodding in agreement?

Think that these ideas sound great and you’re nodding in agreement? Great, the first step is to show this article to your partner and get some decisions and agreements sorted. You’re already part way to a stress-free and happy move with your loved one!

Let us help take the hassle out of your move. Contact us for a quote!

Moving is an exciting time! A new home awaits. But, before you move in you will need to take care of a few essential things. Here is a list of some key tasks you will want to take care of when you move into your new house.

Deep Clean

It’s possible the previous owners have left your new home in excellent condition, but just in case, if you have the opportunity, spend a day at your new place deep cleaning, literally from top to bottom. Scrub everything from ceiling and exhaust fans to baseboards and carpets, plus everything in between.

Give particular attention to disinfecting the kitchen as well as the bathrooms as those are the rooms where germs linger. Also, replace the toilet seats!

Or, if you just can’t squeeze in the time to do do the cleaning yourself, hire a professional cleaning service to take care of the dirty work for you.

Turn on Utilities

Take care of your utility changes well in advance.

If you are in an area where you need to maintain electricity or gas between the closing date and your moving in, you will need to make arrangements based on your closing date. Otherwise, plan to have the services turned on a day or two before your move-in date. Or, if you plan on doing that deep clean day, make sure your power and water are on for that.

When scheduling the disconnection from your previous home, plan to have the services discontinued a day or two after your scheduled move-out date so that you will have the utilities you need throughout your move.

Set-up Internet and Cable

In this age of technology we depend on these services, so you will want to have them available as soon as you move in.

Contact the internet and cable service companies for at least two to three weeks in advance to schedule service. Sometimes an installation appointment is necessary, so get on the schedule ahead of time to get these services up and running as quickly as possible.

Change the Locks

As soon as you move in, change the locks on all of your doors. Or, hire a locksmith to come and take care of it for you. Since you have no idea how many keys might be floating around out there it’s best to be on the safe side and have the locks replaced.

Change Address

Take care of changing your address as early as possible so that you don’t have to depend on the new tenants of your previous home to forward your mail.

Notify the post office of your new address through their online form.

Contact businesses and government bodies individually to assure your mail is forwarded to the correct address. Remember to:

• contact car insurance and registration provider to change your address
• update magazine and other subscriptions
• update the details for voter registration
• notify your bank

Personally update your friends and relatives with your new address through a text message or email.

Locate the Main Switches

Locate the circuit breaker box and primary water shut-off valve in your new home. It’s important to know how to shut off the electricity or water in case of an emergency. Also, make sure the circuit breaker panel is labeled correctly.

Let Us Help With Your Move

With so many details for you to take care of you might need some assistance with packing and moving. We can take those tasks off your plate for you so that you have plenty of time to do the rest and enjoy your new home. Give us a call today.

You’ve wandered around the house a few times, you’ve picked things up and put them in a different room. Let’s admit it. You’re no closer to starting your move than you were last week.

We’ve all been there! When it comes to moving, one of the hardest things is merely knowing where to start. Let us tell give you a tip… “start by picking up your smartphone.”

No, we don’t mean scroll on Facebook or get lost in the world of Instagram. There are now plenty of amazing apps designed to make your big move as easy as A, B, C. Let’s take a look at the top ten.

1. MyMovingList

Are you looking for a time plan of how to manage your move? MyMove allows you to create a timeline of up to 8 weeks before the big day meaning that you won’t be leaving things to the last minute. MyMove is the ideal app to avoid moving day stress.

2.  Wunderlist

This is the ideal app if you like making lists. Wunderlist allows you to create, update and share your lists with collaborators, so you know exactly where you are in the moving process

3. Mint

Not great at budgeting? Then let Mint do the hard work for you. Simply link the app to your bank account, and you can organize your transactions, create graphs and quickly see where you are underspending or, overspending concerning your move.

4. Sortly

Do you find yourself thinking “Ah I’ll put that somewhere safe” only to forget where you packed it? If this sounds like you, then Sortly will be a dream come true. Take a photo of essential items, label them in the app and log where you pack them so when you move you know precisely where they are.

5. TaskRabbit

Sometimes it is just easier to get someone else to do the hard work, and that is precisely where TaskRabbit comes in handy. Need some repairs on your new place before you move in? With this app, you can find someone to clean your new home, hang new curtains, or even mount shelves.

6. MagicPlan

Trying to imagine how everything will look in your new home, but struggling? Then MagicPlan might be your ideal app. Take pictures of your new house (the app will tell you how), and you’ll be able to create and edit a virtual floor plan of every room.

7. Pinterest

A great app partner for MagicPlan. Search for decorating ideas and inspiration on Pinterest. You can save your favorite ideas onto different pinboards for each room.

8. Postmates

If you realize you’ve forgotten something, run out of toiletries, or maybe you’re just hungry? Whatever it is, Postmates will deliver your needs right to your door, so you can continue with your move without having to leave the house.

9. Thumbtack

A whole host of home services are available at the touch of a button. From interior designers to home security installers, Thumbtack has you covered.

10. Nextdoor

Connect with your new neighbors to find out about local events, great eateries and much more right in your community. Note, you’ll have to verify your address for access to your local group. You can also receive alerts from police, so you’re always in the loop.

Become a Moving Superstar

That’s it! Our top ten list of amazing smartphones apps that will turn you from a confused moving day wreck into a Moving Superstar. Sounds good, doesn’t it? So, what are you waiting for, it’s time to get organized!

At Browning Moving & Storage, we’re moving experts. Let us help you get all of your stuff to your new home. Contact us for a free quote.