Tell me I can do it....Moving in 2 hours and Chest Infection...hints to get by

[FishfingersAreOK]

After 7 months our renovated house is finally ready to get stuff out of storage. Removal men are arriving about 11am. This should be exciting. The culmination of all these months.

And I have the most horrific chest infection, am on antibiotics and feel truly, truly dreadful. I just want to go to bed.

DH offered to stay behind but he is self employed so would not get paid. And tbh he and I agreed he wouldn't know where to direct the men to put stuff anymore than a stranger off the street. He and MIL between them are covering DCs school run/after school.

So, I can do it right? All I have to do is tell them which box to put where. Just standing around. (Last time we moved we went from a teeny house to an enormous house and no DCs so was easy).

Oh fuck (crying now) how am I going to get through this. Any hints gratefully received. I have 2 hours til the tsunami of stuff comes. What can I do to not have to stand around in the pouring rain.

I take it everything is already in the boxes. If so, grab a marker pen and write which room everything is to go in on each box. And stick labels / post its to the furniture. When you get to the house stick a post it on each door to designate each room. Then sit down and let the movers get on with it.

If they're packing, just leave them to it.

You will be fine. It must be awful moving when you feel so terrible. This will be one of those things you look back on and wonder how you did it

Could you maybe leave the movers a set of keys so they can lock up when they're done at yours/let themselves in to your new place and let them just get on with things. You could even sketch a rough plan so the know roughly where to put everything at the new house. Then you can go somewhere warm and non-stressful while they get on with it.

So sorry you are feeling so rotten on what should be an exciting day .

All the removal men (never known any removal women ) I've known have always been very kind and helpful, they probably don't want people harrassing them all day anyway - just keep warm (can you stay inside - why do you have to be in the rain?, make sure they unpack a comfy chair and kettle first and keep yourself stocked up with hot drinks - let them make their own, and make your's. Hpefully you can just point them in the right directlon without having to speak . Good luck.

Make yourself a thermos or a bottle of water and have tissues with you. Put mugs, tea coffee etc out ready for the movers (if it's a long job you would make them tea for) and ask one of them if they'd mind doing that themselves as you are unwell.

Then just stand out of the way in the hall and as they walk past you say 'master bedroom' or 'kitchen' or whatever and leave it at that.

I was astonished how quick ours were, hopefully it will be over before you know it.

If I were you I would just get yourself there. Get a warm room and somewhere to lie down ( sofa/ bed) and then just conk out.

Make sure you have kettle/ mugs/ medication / tissues to hand.

Once you and your belongings are safely in you have all the time in the world to get sorted.

Let the movers do as much as possible and leave the rest till you feel better.

Goes without saying but call on any RL help .

How did you get on?

I stood (sat if DH is reading this) huddled in my puffy coat and directed the 3 lovely men where to put stuff. I occasionally carried a sofa cushion.

I told them to tell me when they were going to have a break and I would make coffee. And they just did it.

Dh & I had already decided by default a lot of the stuff was going to be put in the separate sitting room and we were going to unpack box by box from there. So if I couldn't function/decide I just said "sitting room".

Bedroom furniture all in the right rooms (though my god - very higgledy piggeldy - they offered to rearrange properly but had lost the will to live, so stupidly I said not to bother - I shall play bedroom furniture tetris later in the week) They have put all the beds back together though - including DD's Cabin Bed). Kitchen/family/Living room is almost livable....just need to take the TV through.

Garage and workshop are not quite as crammed full as I had feared. Phew.

Sitting room is a sea of boxes - at an estimate there are over 100 boxes to unpack. Hopefully at least 1/3 can go...ebay charity shops, I don't care where.

But I survived. We are in a static in the front garden and have been for 7 months. We have our essential stuff with us. The rest can wait. Just not sure all those boxes will be unpacked before Christmas....

Thank you for your words of encouragement . And thank you anti-biotics for having kicked in.

Tomorrow...the sea.

Well done, now get yourself to bed poor woman