7 QT Friday - The Secrets to My Moving Success

I've decided that my Fridays 7 Quick Takes posts aren't actually quick at all.  I think it's time to speed things up! A couple of weeks ago I was working out while watching the Pioneer Woman on Food Network (why else does one work-out, but so that she can eat things made with butter and bacon??!!), her focus for that episode was was to make 3 meals in a certain amount of time.  She set a stop-watch for herself and then busted out some crazy yummy platters of heaven in just minutes.

So, I thinks to meself, could I blog as fast as she cooks?  Then, I decide to engage in an imaginary "who's the fastest" contest with little Miss. P.W.!  (I know I'm shocking you with my brilliance right now.) Today is my first attempt at making my 7 QT's quick.  30 minutes from start to finish. I'm gonna set the timer and let my fingers set the Mac keys ablaze!  Here I go!!

7 Quick Takes: The Secrets to My Moving Success:

1.  Hand over the tape gun, boxes and sharpies to your kids.  Grab your headphones and a sedating beverage.   Keeping your fingers crossed, continue to move junk and empty boxes in their direction. This is my Type-A child working dutifully, in an organized fashion and this.....

...this is my l-m-n-o-p child who thinks chores are a recreational activity.

2.  Keep caffeine and carbs within reach at all times. Behold - one iced coffee and one slab of homemade granola bars.  That's how you give exhaustion a swift kick in the pants. One night I collected 7 coffee mugs that had been scattered throughout the house during the day of packing. I'm gonna need a patch after this whole thing is over.

3.  Have your husband read to you while you labor through the drudgery of of bubble wrapping all things fragile. We are a little bit obsessed with this book right now.  You know you've found a great read when you stay up until 1:00 a.m. in conversation over everything you've read that day with the one you love....waiting for the caffeine to give your eyeballs a break.

4. Know where your tape dispensers are at all times.  Or, better yet, use them to accessorize the one who is also reading to you....

...or flexing for you, or showing off for you, or distracting you from your bubble wrapping duties.

5.  Pack up all of toys except for one that will force the kids to entertain themselves without battery powered nerve-severing noisy things.

Every day while I packed the boys spent some time building with Keva planks. If they worked cooperatively, used every single plank (over 1,000!), gave a presentation on their design and cleaned up afterwards, they were given some small reward.  This is their parking garage deluxe. My kids will do just about anything for a donut!

6.  Take breaks.  Thankfully the weather was beautiful the week of the move, so the boys were able to spend an ample amount of time outdoors.

{Good-time Charlie!}

One evening, Ben and Steve chipped off our farm greens while the little ones rounded up golf balls with their dump trucks (because that's how you do golf on the farm!).

As the week came to a close, the amount of groceries in the house began to dwindle.  Thankfully, we had a little bit of extra nourishment in the garden for the boys to harvest, including green tomatoes and a few ears of corn that weren't quite ripe.  Watching Charlie chomp on the little tiny kernels reminded me of the scene in the movie Big where Tom Hanks nibbles on a piece of baby corn at an office party. Hilarious!

7.  Make time for proper good-byes.  Our good friends, the Pfeifers, also have 5 boys, and they came over one morning to spend time with us before our departure.  We will miss them and so many more of our wonderful friends from Southwest Kansas very much!

24 minutes and 18 seconds later this post is published.  Bam! BTW, that time included one rush to the bathroom and a predictably high number of interruptions from adorable boys who refused to sit contentedly and watch Micky Mouse Clubhouse and eat Cheerios. 

Hasta la vista!
Have a great weekend, my friends!

More great reads here!