Moving along

As promised, here is part 2 of our moving experience.  Been in the South for three whole weeks now and loving every minute of it.  Things seem simpler, calmer, fresher.

Here’s an edited moving guide from my sister Donna:

• Pray & strategize. Talk with family on how each one can help ease/do his part during the move.  Mom isn’t 100-percent able even if you want to be a superwoman, super packer, and “unpacker.”

• Maximize the movers. Make sure your boxes are labeled and movers know which room something goes to so that saves time and energy for another person to bring it to the right room.

• Equip yourself. Have a belt bag for supplies: rubber bands, ziplocks, tape, pentel pen, post-its, cutter, scissors, duct tape.

Keep handy post-its, trash bags, tissue, toilet paper, and hand soap.

Have lots of cooked food packed that may be easily reheated in a few days, which you can store in your ref if plugged or keep fresh in a cooler: for instance, adobo, baked spaghetti, menudo.

• Categorize boxes. Donna’s husband Gilbert gives this tip: Sort stuff in the old house and only those that are meant to go to the new house goes. All trash, all giveaways, etc. don’t go to the new house for sorting or storing. So hopefully, you’ll have the time to sort this first. 

The boxes can fall under the following headings: boxes for donation, boxes to return (to those you borrowed them from), boxes or trash bags for throwing, boxes for garage sale/stuff for sale.

• For the actual move, take note:

Run, Ella, run: Ella Pangilinan gets into her favorite sport running.

1) Assign a person in charge of the move. Someone should be in charge to coordinate with movers as they unload. Better if only one or two people will solely coordinate with the movers. Boxes are numbered so this/these person/s will check if all boxes are accounted for. This person should be able to decide where the boxes go.

2) Secure valuables. All valuables such as documents, jewelry, and gadgets go with you in your car.

3) Prepare for a good night’s rest after the move. Know where the pillows and beddings will be packed for your first night so you can sleep well.

4) Celebrate! You would need paper plates, cups, drinks, water in jugs, forks and spoons, lots of cleaning rags, vacuum, drawer linings for all cabinets, lots of ice cubes in a cooler.  Your husband might enjoy an ice-cold beer after all the sorting, carrying, and helping out so have one or two chilled. Even you (the mommy in charge) might also love a cold Tipco, an all-natural juice drink.

Here are more reminders:

• For movers: Though movers take care of their own meals, they’ll be blessed with merienda, cold drinks, or coffee during the tiresome day of moving and envelopes with tips, if you wish. You might also want to to provide water for all.

• For family members: Prepare lots of ice-cold towels, have a suitcase for each kid, each of the parents, for personal stuff including towels and clothes good for a week as it will take time to unpack so at least there’s no pressure or rush to open boxes to brush one’s teeth or find a medicine or something somewhere. You might even want to pack a bag of energy boosters, food, merienda for all of you as this will be very tiring.

• For sanity’s sake: No one said you need to unpack everything so don’t plan any hosting of friends over for a month. Not unless you are okay with food takeout or delivery.

Don’t get uneasy with living with boxes for a while. Go easy on the unpacking to be stress-free.  Unpack the necessary stuff.  It’s nice to know where everything will be stored rather than helpers just figuring out where to put what. It’s so liberating to be in the know as to where everything went and which cabinet, which drawer has this. This also prevents any misplacing, any lost stuff.

We are slowly familiarizing ourselves with the surroundings and it does help a great deal that we are surrounded by family members who live in the same vicinity. Since we moved here, we’ve had a daily family reunion of sorts, finding ourselves visited by my grandmother and my mom who came with loads of food and my nephew who delivered fresh produce from their garden, or having dinner at the house of my neighbors who happen to be my in-laws John and Vicki, who is, by the way, the architect and interior designer of our new home being finished nearby. 

Then there were birthdays that followed so we went to those, too, plus the Father’s Day celebration at my mother and father-in -law’s home, and the long weekend where we had the chance to bond with Kuya (senator) Kiko who, together with his daughter Frankie, prepared for us sumptuous Austrian steak, sausages, raclette, and pasta meal, whew!

The children have loved every minute of their time at the Acacia Waldorf School in Sta. Elena Estates. They look forward to going to their farm-like campus where there is fresh air because of the tons of trees planted all over.  Because their classrooms don’t have air-conditioning, we noticed that my daughter Hannah’s skin asthma has adapted quite beautifully as perhaps there’s a free-flowing movement of air that is fresh and clean. 

I’m happy to share that we may be many miles away now, but thanks to national team coach Dan Brown, Anthony’s triathlon training for the 70.3 Camsur Ironman is in full swing, especially now that we are in the midst of beautiful sceneries, fantastic roads, and training essentials.

My daughter Ella is also able to train with coach Ani de Leon since she gets to hitch with my in-laws Gilbert (of Team Clear Sabak) and his wife Donna who regularly meet up with her at the Makati Oval.  The rest of our Team Pangilinan are blessed to have found coach Anthony Lozada, CEO of the Bert Lozada School, as the new multisport coach who trains tri-kids in our village pool.  Of course, that inspires me to get fit especially since I have rediscovered my swim buddy in my sister-in-law Vicki who has shared my passion for swimming since we were neighbors and childhood friends back when we were about seven years old!

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