Make Unpacking Fun
If you've ever gone through a moving day, the idea of unpacking and fun together seems as fun as the process you went through to buy a house or sell a house. Fortunately, with some planning and a bit of imagination, you can turn a stressful activity into something enjoyable.
The Magic of Symbols
First, you have to pack right. Designate a color and symbol for each room in your home, such as a blue star for the kitchen, red triangle for the master bathroom, and a yellow square for the living room. Make sure every box is marked with the proper room's symbol and color, using stickers, strips of tape, or heavy markers
After you’ve arrived at your new home, simply tape a copy of each symbol on or near the proper room doors. That makes it easy for the moving crew to unpack the moving van properly.
Use a Map
Part of the challenge of unpacking at a new place is figuring out which rooms are which. Some rooms, like the kitchen and bathroom, are obvious. Others aren’t, like which kids get which rooms and which rooms will be the living room, office, exercise room, family room, media room, etc. Sketching out a floor plan of the new home can help outline where the furniture and items will go. Taping the floor plans outside each room, along with the room symbols, will make it easier on your moving crew as well as your family.
A Coping Mechanism
Here is a fun and useful contingency plan when you can predict that unpacking isn’t as fast as it ought to be. Pretend that you’re going on a week-long vacation. Fill a bag or suitcase with the items of clothing and toiletries you'll require just to get through a week in the new home. Don't forget important items like medication, a first aid kit, diapers and baby gear for your baby, and other essentials. This ensures that everyone can survive for at least a short time in their new house without ransacking the pile of boxes just to find their prescription pills or some clean clothes.
The Kitchen Party
Pack a basics box for each room in the house. Rather than put all the linens you own in a single box, fill a bedding box for each bedroom: sheets, pillows, comforters and, for those in need, bedtime toys. Bathrooms will need toilet paper, bath towels and mats, a shower curtain, soap, garbage can and — trust me — a plunger. Let the kids fill a box with the personal items that make their rooms feel like home: posters, toys, photos, books.
