Multiplying and moving

I have two friends who are both due to give birth in about a month. Both of them are also moving this month. One is moving about 50 miles, while the other is moving about 1,500 miles. I sincerely wish both of them luck with this unique and challenging endeavor.

While I can't (or, rather, don't want to) imagine the logistics of such a move: packing, labeling, moving, unpacking, plus the added bonus of figuring out a new city, figuring out new doctors and a new plan for where you're actually giving birth, I have thought of a few tips that might make the whole process a tad more organized. These two friends are inherently organized people, so they likely don't need these tips, but I felt it was the least I could do. Roslyn and Megan, this post is for you:

• Ask for help. Being pregnant is a perfect time to recognize your limits and engage your family, friends and village to help make this life transition easier.
• Make lots of lists. Lists have a calming effect and help you capture ideas and to-dos that might be in your head one minute and out the next. 
• Try to take it one step at a time. If possible, do a chunk of packing every day and a chunk of planning and preparation every day. 
• Install some support people at the receiving end. Line up family or friends to meet you at the new location to help you settle in. You'll be exhausted by the time you get there and facing a houseful of boxes might be overwhelming.
• Get a lot of rest, if possible. Things will seem more manageable if you're rested.

Good luck!

Creative Commons photo posted to Flickr by awnisALAN

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com. Sign up for Lelah's News, a once-monthly newsletter.

The un-holiday holiday

Halloween is behind us and the fall holiday train is now chugging right along toward Thanksgiving, with Christmas not so subtly waiting in the wings if the displays at my local stores are any indication. At this time of year it can be hard to make time for socializing with friends when family usually takes precedent on these major holidays. In today’s world, people often live far from family members and take the opportunity to travel and visit. But many of us have formed new families with our friends, who we’ll see far more frequently, but sometimes not on the days that are set aside for family bonding. It can be stressful to have to choose between friends and family, and also to deal with the pressure that these high profile holidays can put on even a simple gathering.

One solution to this annual dilemma is to start a new tradition with your friends (or your family, depending on your situation). Create your own annual holiday on a date that doesn’t conflict with any universally recognized ones. By choosing to entertain in an off season, you can avoid the stress of committing to too much during the fall holiday rush, and take time to really have fun, appreciate your loved ones and make a unique memory.

Here are some un-holiday holiday examples:

• For people with birthdays that fall on a holiday like Christmas, celebrate their half birthday instead.
• Find an obscure “national day of” something you love and turn it into an annual homage to pie, or pi.
• Co-opt another country’s holiday, such as Canadian Thanksgiving (Second Monday of October), or Boxing Day (December 26).
• Love poetry or the epic ramble of James Joyce’s Ulysses? Stage your own Bloomsday celebration on June, or celebrate your favorite poet’s birthday with an annual reading and feast.
• Make up something out of the blue. My family started “Salmon and Pork” night accidentally one year when a casual dinner party turned into a night of declarations about goals and resolutions. Now the fourth Sunday in April is a unique, five-year running event.

Creative Commons pi pie photo posted to Flickr by pauladamsmith

Creative Commons Bloomsday photo posted to Flickr by Barnacles Hostels

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com