Surviving a PCS with young children/Pets

  I just want to make a very clear warning this post may be a little all over the place. This is 100% real life. I wrote my notes for this as the movers were packing up the last boxes in our house. During bathroom breaks on the road to Louisiana. After the boys went to bed the first couple of days when we stayed down town at a hotel till our temporary lodging on base was ready. So bare with me! I promise after the end of this you will hopefully be better prepared for an upcoming move and take some of the stress off of your mind. Grab a pen and a notebook. Share this link for later. Print it out. Whatever you need to do to remember this and have it when you need it!


  A few things I jotted down when the movers were almost done packing up are as listed below.


 -Ipad/Tablet/Laptop
-Air Mattress
-Snacks/Non-perishable goods
-Towels
-Garbage bags
-shower curtain
-Pack N play
-Dog food/bowls/leashes
-Dog Shot records
-Toothbrush/deodorant/hair brush/shampoo/spare clothes
-Phone charges/device chargers
-Sippy cups/kids cups


  I still stand by this list but along the way I realized there were a few things I should have planned better. Also I was thinking of my friends that will be traveling solely by plane and not a vehicle like we did. So I will do my best to accommodate both circumstances as I type.

  Let's start at the very beginning. If you live on housing or even if you currently rent you will be required to leave the house in the way you moved into it. We lived on housing at Cannon AFB and opted to do a paid clean out moving. I just want to clarify if this does not fit into your budget please look into different alternatives. I highly recommend just paying to have your house professionally cleaned. It took so much stress off of us. I would do it again. When we PCS'd from Guam we did it ourselves and it just added to the unnecessary stress. Trying to deep clean with two young kids and two dogs was a big no for me. No matter how clean you think your house is housing will charge you for something. Especially if you have pets. Carpets have to be professionally cleaned also which is another reason we opted to just pay housing for a cleaning.


  When you are packing up those final days right before the movers arrive think to yourself, "what are some things I use every single day and I can't go a month without?". This is a key part of moving I cant stress this paragraph enough because you don't realize what you use everyday until it's not available. There are three major household items that I will always leave out and not let the movers pack. Shower curtain, toilet paper, and a few towels. When we moved from Andersen AFB I didn't leave much out because I knew we would have to move all these suitcases around the airports and then wherever we went after landing. I learned from my mistakes. A big thing people don't take into account is sometimes you don't go straight to temp lodging or a hotel after the movers pack up everything. During this move we were in our house two days before we finally hit the road to Barksdale. You still have to use the bathroom and you still have to take a shower. Another key item is an air mattress. Not all bases provide loaner furniture after your household goods are packed up. Cannon AFB is one of them which is why I left out one of ours and it was a complete lifesaver those 2 nights we spent in our home before leaving. For everyone that has to travel by plane I would recommend considering having a suitcase solely for these items to use at your next location or even while you are still at your current base. I would sleep on an air mattress any day over the loaner furniture!


  When packing your bags I always plan for at least 1-2 months of travel. I know this seems excessive! I promise it's not. When you take into account the days it may be before you even leave your current house and the time until you are settled into a new house the time adds up. Especially if you decide to visit family before heading to your new base. Not only do you need to pack suitcases for an extended period of time but you will also need a small bag. We stayed over night in Texas on our way to Louisiana and I am so glad I packed a small bag of spare clothes for everyone. I didn't have to drag a big suitcase out of the car and bring it into the hotel. Make sure to pack any needed toiletries in this bag as well such as, toothbrush, shampoo/conditioner/deodorant/diapers. For everyone flying this would be great things to place in your carry on bag!

  This will be a paragraph for everyone traveling with pets! Always make sure you have enough food, water bowl, and leashes/collars for them. If your dogs are not up to date on their vaccines I recommend taking them asap. If you plan on staying at temporary lodging they require all pets have a yearly rabies vaccine anything past a year they will not accept you. All other vaccines your pet will only need every 3 years unless the area you are PCS'ing to state otherwise. Another item you will need is a cage/kennel for them to sleep in or be placed in when you are not in your room. Thankfully Barksdale lodging provides every room with a kennel so we didn't have to drag ours out of the truck. Seriously thank you Barksdale lodging for being so accommodating for families with pets!

  An item I wished I had left out for the boys were their cups! Such a simple item but you don't realize how much you need them till you remember the movers packed them up. My oldest is able to drink out of regular cups/bottles but my youngest is still too young. When on the road you will notice gas stations do not have many drink options for kiddos unless you want them to have those sugar packed drinks in the cute bottles. This is fine but sugar hits my oldest like his own personal drug which I wanted to avoid with a 9 hour drive. I managed along the way but grabbed a few new cups for the boys once we made it to Louisiana. I love the stainless steal cups from amazon but found some great ones at Walmart in the camping section for roughly $10 each.


  I'll end this insanely long post with one more grain of knowledge I've learned moving 3 times in just 6 years. Make one area of your home a no pack zone! Believe me it's a must. If you don't specifically clarify to the movers they will pack everything up in your home even your shoes sitting by the door. Learn from my mistakes. We took all the boxes out of our closest and made it our no pack zone and made sure to tell the movers not to touch anything in there. Make sure any needed paperwork/documents are placed in this no pack zone as well. Nothing gives you a bad start to a new base like letting the movers pack up your orders to your new base and having to get everything authorized again to print out. These are common sense ideas but you would be surprised what people forget when moving.


  I hope this gives someone a little piece of mind when you get ready to make yet another major move or maybe this is your first move. Take a deep breath. It will all work out. Remember at the end of the day at least your family is together.

much love,

Mom-ish Chronicles