moving house - what to do with the kids

[iamaduck]

Hi mumsnetters, we are moving house in the summer holidays - eeek !! I know what we going to do with packing and moving etc but I'm wondering what do do about the kids. We have a 7 yr old dd, 11 yr old ds and 13 yr old dd. And a cat. What would you do on moving day regarding the kids. We haven't got any family or friends they could stay with, they all either live really far away or haven't got enough room...

Any help would be appreciated

lol at leaving them in the old house like fixtures and fittings. ha ha.

My last move the children were at school. They are old enough to help, but sometimes even when they want to help you know you could do it quicker and better yourself, other people's children must be more genuinely helpful than mine could be. mine only want to do the jobs they fancy, if you said to them, get down and wipe the skirting boards with a wipe, they'd probably both say "no i want to drive the removal van'. So, I do understand why OP is wondering if there is something else she could do with the children. Could you get a babysitter to take them to the cinema? or bowling? that's what i'd do I think.

We moved house with a 7 y.o. We actually asked the new owners of our old house if they wanted our ds and they did but they said they'd want to do a swap with one of their 5 dds. We didn't really want an exchange so we all kept our own kids.

Our ds was with us for the first part of the move at the old house and the journey, then we left him with his grandparents at their house the next day for the whole day whilst we moved in and sorted out the new home, so he wasn't there for the worst chaos and didn't see the house until we'd got his bed and furniture in his room. I think it would be a good idea to try to arrange something for the 7 y.o. and get the older ones to help with the move. Or could the older ones look after the 7 y.o.?

Alternatively glue them to a floor and insist they are a fixture and fitting.

We sent the boys away to my parents. I know you can't do that but if you can offload them somewhere (what about school holiday clubs etc) then I would. I have no idea how we would have moved with them around, it was hard enough work as it was. This could have had something to do with the fact we both had raging hangovers. I had forgotten that we would actually have to clean the house once the removals men had been in. I was shaking, glugging lucozade and nurofen and trying not to be sick on the bits of carpet I had hoovered....

We will be getting the older two to help and sending the 7 yr old to a friends for a couple of hours. Thanks !

I took mine to a holiday club for the day. She loved it, made new friends and we just got on with it.