Category: Moving
I’m Back!!!
| April 25, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Moving |
Oh my gosh guys … I am SO excited to be back on the blogosphere! Thank you for still being here! All I can say is that the last couple of days have been full of emotion.
When we got to Savannah on Saturday we immediately set out to paint the house. As we got deeper into the house serious red flags started popping up.
1. There were random wires EVERYWHERE. I guess the home owner liked to do his own electrical work. We have since had an electrician come out because we were a little nervous about it being a potential safety hazard. One of the doozies the owner left us was connecting wires to the lighting of the microwave and using that to power lights underneath the kitchen cabinets and some lighting in the kitchen. When you press the light button on the microwave not only does the microwave light come on but the rest do as well. The electrician said in 30+ years of working he’s never seen it done before. HA. Luckily the electrician is going to cut some of the random wires and place boxes over the areas he needs to.
2. Missing baseboards. The baseboards in the pantry and laundry room were missing exposing grossness. All the other baseboards in the house were installed by the owner at a half-rate job. I am going to be caulking them myself.
3. There are holes in the walls. Again, Mr. Owner likes wires, so he installed digital photo frames throughout the house and took them when he moved leaving 3 in holes in the walls.
4. The blinds are NASTY. Nothing more to say.
5. The handle on the back door is broken. The only way to keep the door shut is to deadbolt the door. This can only be done with a key.
6. The house was filthy. They sent a cleaning lady today but she didn’t do the best job. We have been scrubbing cabinets endlessly.
We have spent the last couple of days painting, cleaning, and arguing with our property management company. After several visits and one home visit we finally got work orders put in for all of our complaints. They should be coming to fix everything this week. I am absolutely exhausted because on top of everything else Emmie has decided she wants to get up 2-3 times a night again. Apparently there is a 6-month sleep regression … not happy because the 4-month sleep regression nearly killed me haha.
I desperately need to get back to blogging about my favorite things … food, fitness, and family. On my agenda this week is to scope out the gym we are going to join and get ready for Go Dirty Girl this Saturday!!
Again, thank you for being patient with me 
So We Are Moved …
| April 21, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Army, Georgia, Misadventures, Moving |
Now it’s time to get settled!
Something I have learned about moving is that Chris and I always underestimate how much stuff we have. See that car in front of me? What do you see behind it? Oh ya … a UHAUL. HAHA. Seems so much like our last move 
Technically we could have made it without out but having it made things way more convenient. Chris used his Ninja Tetris skills and packed everything perfectly and we successfully made it to Nashville where we picked up the trailer for convenience
We have been running around turning on utilities and getting the dogs on flee and tick medicine. Ticks are a relatively foreign concept to me … IE I have never had one. Not 2 hours after checking in to temporary lodging on base Chris found his first tick. I dreamt about them all night and will probably flip out the first time I have to remove one. On that note … I have been looking up natural tick repellants. Anyone have success with one??
Our weekend is going to be spent readying the house for our furniture to be delivered on Monday. I am not going to lie … I was pretty disappointed when I walked in and saw how things were left. It wasn’t awful but it also wasn’t how I leave a house when I move out. There are a ton of nails and holes in the walls for us to patch. Then there are God-awful blinds that will be coming down tomorrow. Our landlord told us the owner had just painted the house … however, they failed to mention that the paint was canary yellow. WHY would you paint THIS color when you know you have renters moving in??
Needless to say we have some painting to do as well. I know it will feel like a home in no time but right now it is a tad overwhelming.
Thanks for sticking with me during this move! I am so thankful to my guest bloggers for helping me out and coming up with some fantastic posts to keep you guys entertained In case you missed them, here they are again:
I also wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for your kind words on Chris’ and my one-year anniversary. Reading your comments put a smile on my face and a few tears in my eyes. It truly means a lot to me!
I am really looking forward to brining you along for the ride that this next chapter in our lives is going to be. I plan on getting back to blogging about more food, fitness, and family issues ASAP! Just let me get my desk back
Tips For A Successful PCS Move
| April 13, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Army, Family, Georgia, Home Organization, Moving |
As you all know we are in the middle of a PCS move to Savannah, GA. In Army talk that means a “Permanent Change of Station” … basically Chris is now assigned to a job at another base. That being said, I have been getting some emails from fellow military spouses about our move and requesting some tips to make their impending moves go smoothers. I am by no means an expert but this is our 3rd PCS in less than 3 years. I also reached out on Facebook to my friends for their input. Some of them have been military spouses for a LONG time and have PCSing down to an art. Now some of these tips may be military specific but I am sure anyone going thru a move can benefit
1. Inventory your house. The easiest way to do this is by taking pictures of each room or doing a walk-thru with a video camera. Write down the serial numbers to all your electronics. Videotape them turning on and off to prove that they are working in case you have to claim them. The movers will inventory things also but it is good to have your own list.
2. Clear the clutter. This is the perfect time to make a big donation to Goodwill or hold a garage sale.
3. Keep one closet room as “Do Not Pack”. This is where you should put everything that you plan on keeping with you! Label it and explain to the movers that they are not to pack anything in that room. We did this in our guest room and had them get the furniture out of there first. Then we shut the door, put a sign on it, and were good to go. Make sure to include any toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies you will need in this room. Otherwise you might end up without any TP … it happens a lot.
4. Take care of your movers. I spent some time talking to our movers and wouldn’t believe how many people treat them poorly! Stock your fridge with waters and Gatorade. Make sure they know they are welcome to it. Provide them lunch. We did pizza one day and Subway another. Treating them right might give them some more incentive to treat your stuff right … treat them poorly and who knows. That being said … you can also keep an eye on them to make sure they are packing things the way you want it done.
5. Saran wrap is your friend. I learned this from a friend who is the queen of PCSing … Carmen I’m “looking” at you! You know how you have the utensil trays in your kitchen drawers holding all your random utensils? Wash everything in them, put them back in the tray, and saran wrap the whole tray. That way your stuff stays clean and when you get to your new house you just cut the saran wrap and slide the trays back to where they go.
6. Giant Ziploc bags are awesome. Ziploc now makes giant sealable bags in 2 gallon an 5 gallon. I washed all of our extra bed linens and all the curtains, folded them, and sealed them in a 5 gallon bag. Again, your stuff stays clean and they are all in one place.
7. Make sure there is a “parts” box. Our movers brought a separate white box for all hardware. When they took something apart, they put all the parts in a Ziploc, labeled what it was, and put it in the parts box. It was the last box on the truck and will be the first one off. Sometimes with movers they will throw random parts in random boxes and then you have to play a game and figure out what they belong to. You could always ask to carry this box with you to ensure it safely arrives at your destination.
8. Empty trashcans. As gross as it sounds I have heard many a time that movers packed the trash can as is. Meaning if you had rotting food in there it went in the truck. Make sure all your trashcans are empty before they come.
9. Make sure your valuable items are inventoried correctly and specifically. I put Post-It notes with a description on many of our nicer things. This included Emmie’s BOB, our Kate Spade serving stuff, Waterford crystal, etc. If something happens to that box and it’s not labeled specifically it can be rather difficult to file a claim and get your money back.
10. Carry anything of major value or importance on you. We are taking our security safe with all our important documents in it, Chris’ gun, my jewelry, etc. with us on the move. You also want to have a folder of sorts with you for all your receipts while traveling as some of that is reimbursable (IE: Hotel bills).
11. BREATHE. Sure there might be headaches along the way but don’t get too worked up about it. Be flexible and go with the flow. It will all get done.
#1 tip from the movers when I asked them … be prepared. Know what you want to take with you, have it set aside, and be clear in your descriptions and expectations to the movers.
#1 tip from Chris … take the baby and get out of the way. The man knows what he is doing. LOL.
Have you ever had a major move before? Biggest tip?
*I’ve also had some requests about my tips for getting to know people at a new base. I will be a getting a post on that up soon! This will be my 3rd time playing that game so I hope to give you some ideas
WIAW: Moving Edition
| April 11, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Breakfast, Cardio, Dinner, FitFluential, Lunch, Moving, WIAW |
Today is the final day of the movers! It’s kind of bittersweet … Sweet because it means our stuff is on the way to Georgia … Bitter because now we have nothing to sit on and an air mattress to sleep on. Oh the joys of moving
Since it’s Wednesday, it is time for another “What I Ate Wednesday” with the lovely Jenn from Peas and Crayons!
Breakfast
Typical pre-workout breakfast … Rudi’s whole wheat with flax English muffin with peanut butter and chia seeds. Strawberries and blueberries on the side. Iced coffee so I could keep my sanity.
Lunch
McDonalds Southwest Chicken Salad. I only used 1/2 of the dressing pouch. At 290 calories total, and only 70 from fat, the salad itself isn’t that bad. For the dressing, it was 50 calories and 3g of fat for 1/2 the pouch. Not the BEST in regards to dressing but still a relatively decent lunch for McDonalds.
Workout
Since Chris was home, I left him in charge of the movers and Emmie and I snuck off to the gym to get a quick workout in. I am officially tapering for my half marathon on Sunday so I did 4 miles on my favorite trail on post.
It was another beautiful day for a run. Even though I didn’t head out until after lunch, the temperature was still in the low 60′s. My Garmin died on my way to base so I decided to run free. More on that in another post I ended up doing 4.1 miles in 35:45 … for an average of 8:48/mile! I honestly couldn’t believe it … and just another reason why I love short runs. I had parked at the gym so I headed right in to do my Best Body Bootcamp workout. Today’s was a back-focused superset workout utilizing drop sets. My lats are burning!!
Dinner
Skillet chicken seasoned with good old Mrs. Dash and Alexia Harvest Saute on the side. Quick, easy, and still healthy!
In regards to snacks … we are eating our way through our refirgerator. So snacks are still Greek yogurt, fruits, and veggies with hummus. Proof that a week without furniture doesn’t mean your diet has to stink
How do you eat healthy on the move? Whether that means you’re moving our just MOVING around …
Short Vs. Long Runs
| April 10, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under 1/2 Marathon, Bootcamp, Cardio, FitFluential, Moving, Running |
This is what my house looks like right now …
Our movers are really nice and interacted a lot with Emmie while they were packing up. They got most of the house done yesterday and will finish up on the garage today. Tomorrow we say “bye-bye” to our belongings and “hello” to an air mattress, folding chairs, and a pack-and-play. I must say … this was A LOT easier than our last move. Back in September we did a FULL DITY (do-it-yourself) move AND I was 36 weeks pregnant. Army movers from now on … no question
I even managed to sneak in a workout yesterday. Chris was home so I peaced out and hit the gyn for a quick 30-minute workout. I did “Workout C” for Week 6 of Best Body Bootcamp. It focused on “push” movements and made my triceps burn. It felt awesome to sweat it out
On the topic of sweating … as my half-marathon training is winding down I’ve really been contemplating some of the aspects of running. One of those being the difference between short vs. long runs and what I like better. In order to do so I made a list of pros/cons for both.
SHORT RUNS … (<5 miles)
PROS
- I like to run FASTER. My body naturally wants to move at a faster pace … however I cannot maintain that pace for long runs at this point. On short runs, I can run without abandon and not worry about still having 6+ miles to go.
- They are quick and dirty … I can knock out a 3-mile run in less than 30 minutes.
- I can easily take Bailey with me … good exercise for her … protection for me
- I can also take Emmie … by myself. I max out at 4.5 miles pushing the BOB.
- Easy to combine with strength training.
CONS
- Sometimes 3 miles just doesn’t seem ENOUGH.
- Can’t train for races on short runs alone
LONG RUNS
PROS
- Long runs make me feel STRONG.
- Major stress reliever
- Total “me” time where I can zone out and not think about anything important
- Fun family time when Chris and I take Em.
CONS
- I honestly don’t know if my body is capable for long-term long runs
- I beat myself up if I can’t keep the pace I want
- Time consuming
I have to say that right around 5 miles is my favorite distance … right now. It’s short enough that I can keep my pace where I want it but long enough that I feel I had a great workout. I also still have time to do weights since I try to keep my gym time to 1 – 1.5 hours. Maybe over time my love for long runs will surpass short runs but as of now it’s short runs for the win!
Do you like short or long runs better? OR … how long do you like to spend in the gym?
This is what my house looks like right now …
Our movers are really nice and interacted a lot with Emmie while they were packing up. They got most of the house done yesterday and will finish up on the garage today. Tomorrow we say “bye-bye” to our belongings and “hello” to an air mattress, folding chairs, and a pack-and-play. I must say … this was A LOT easier than our last move. Back in September we did a FULL DITY (do-it-yourself) move AND I was 36 weeks pregnant. Army movers from now on … no question
I even managed to sneak in a workout yesterday. Chris was home so I peaced out and hit the gyn for a quick 30-minute workout. I did “Workout C” for Week 6 of Best Body Bootcamp. It focused on “push” movements and made my triceps burn. It felt awesome to sweat it out
On the topic of sweating … as my half-marathon training is winding down I’ve really been contemplating some of the aspects of running. One of those being the difference between short vs. long runs and what I like better. In order to do so I made a list of pros/cons for both.
SHORT RUNS … (<5 miles)
PROS
- I like to run FASTER. My body naturally wants to move at a faster pace … however I cannot maintain that pace for long runs at this point. On short runs, I can run without abandon and not worry about still having 6+ miles to go.
- They are quick and dirty … I can knock out a 3-mile run in less than 30 minutes.
- I can easily take Bailey with me … good exercise for her … protection for me
- I can also take Emmie … by myself. I max out at 4.5 miles pushing the BOB.
- Easy to combine with strength training.
CONS
- Sometimes 3 miles just doesn’t seem ENOUGH.
- Can’t train for races on short runs alone
LONG RUNS
PROS
- Long runs make me feel STRONG.
- Major stress reliever
- Total “me” time where I can zone out and not think about anything important
- Fun family time when Chris and I take Em.
CONS
- I honestly don’t know if my body is capable for long-term long runs
- I beat myself up if I can’t keep the pace I want
- Time consuming
I have to say that right around 5 miles is my favorite distance … right now. It’s short enough that I can keep my pace where I want it but long enough that I feel I had a great workout. I also still have time to do weights since I try to keep my gym time to 1 – 1.5 hours. Maybe over time my love for long runs will surpass short runs but as of now it’s short runs for the win!
Do you like short or long runs better? OR … how long do you like to spend in the gym?
