Moving Q & A
I got such a positive response to my recent empty apartment home tour, which I filmed a couple of days before we moved in. You guys asked a lot of great questions about our move and I did my best to answer them in detail, so hopefully it can help you if you're also moving with kids soon. If you have any other questions, please leave a comment below! Without further ado, here’s the Moving Q&A!
Q. Is your old apartment available to rent and how much? We need more space!
A. Unfortunately our old apartment is rented out and new tenants have already moved in. Our old landlord listed as soon as we gave notice and I think a lot of people are looking for apartments with outdoor space so it rented out pretty quickly. We did a lot of projects and made so many memories in that apartment! It was bittersweet to leave!
Q. What prompted you to move?
A. Once my husband started working from home full time due to Covid-19, we began looking more seriously to move to a home with at least 3 bedrooms, so he could have a private office. In our old place, his desk was in our bedroom, which was less than ideal.
Q. What made you decide to move?
A. Given some of the unknowns about what the future looks like due to Covid, we aren’t sure what our plans are for the girls’ preschool will be in the fall. We wanted to move to a home with a dedicated place for them to play and for us to homeschool or do distance learning, depending on the situation.
Q. Moving day logistics with kids
A. My kids slept over at my parents’ house the night before the move and spent moving day with them in NJ. This was our first time moving with kids. I’m glad they were around during the actual move, since it was all hands on deck!
Q. Are you hiring a moving company to help or doing it all on your own?
A. A combination of both! Many moving companies offer the option of packing for you. I wanted to do a lot of the packing myself since we weren’t moving from a very large space and I like knowing where things are (I think it makes unpacking easier.) 😅 But it was very helpful to have movers for all of our furniture and bigger items! 💪
We got quotes from several different moving companies and they were very $$$ for such a short-distance move (less than 5 minutes away from our old apartment to the new one.) Luckily we got the keys to our new place a few days before we had to be out of the old one (and it was vacant!) so we were able to begin moving some of our smaller things (clothes, toys, books, household items, etc.) over in the days leading up to the move. On moving day, we used a local moving company to move all of the furniture, artwork, and a few large boxes. Overall, it went really smoothly!
Q. Did you move to a bigger apartment?
A. Yes 🙌 Our old apartment was 2 bedrooms/1.5 bathrooms all on one floor. Our new apartment is a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom duplex. Our primary reason for moving was to gain more space!
Q. What are your favorite features of your new house?
A. The apartment is in a historic Brooklyn limestone. I love the original details that have been restored like the bay windows, crown molding, and parquet floors. But I *ALSO* love that the apartment has been tastefully remodeled with modern touches and amenities like a finished basement and in-unit laundry!
Q. Was Adina sad to go? I'm having this with my child since we're moving and it is so sad!
A. We talked a lot about the move with the kids in the weeks leading up to it. They actually came with us to see the new apartment twice before we moved in and while we were there, we asked them what they thought. We talked to Adina (age 3.5) about all of the fun things she’d get to do in her new home (have her own playroom, play in the kiddie pool, get bunk beds (eventually!) with Noa in their new room etc.)
Since we've moved, Adina has mentioned a couple of times that she misses something about our old apartment or her old room and when that happens, I just take a moment to acknowledge it. I usually say something like "I know, we made so many fun memories in our old home. And we will make so many new ones in this home. Thank you for all of your help making this new apartment feel like home!"
Michael and I spoke about the move with genuine excitement and joy and I believe that kids really do feed off our energy. So anytime we talked about the move, it was something positive and exciting and I think that rubbed off on the girls a lot! I also tried to include Adina (to whatever extent you can include a 3.5 year old) in different aspects of the move. For example, she helped me pack her pajamas and sort through her books. I think doing this helped her feel slightly more empowered about the experience. Rather than the move being something that was happening TO her - it was something she was actively involved in. Same thing when we moved into our new place - I asked her to help me set up some of the toys in her playroom and for help hanging the mezuzahs, which gave her some ownership of the new space.
The girls' transition has been really great overall! There is so much change going on in the world right now and moving homes could be A LOT for a little kid to process. But my best advice is to talk openly and honestly about WHY you're moving and remember to be kind to yourself and your child. Change takes time.
Q. Why did you decide to move? Are you replacing a lot or keeping most stuff?
A. We moved into our old apartment 4 years ago when I was pregnant with our older daughter Adina. At the time, our 2 bedroom/1.5 bathroom apartment with a private backyard seemed like a great size for our family! - just 2 adults with a baby on the way. Then Adina was born and we began to accumulate ALL of baby STUFF! The feeding gear, strollers, high chair, toys, clothes... and our apartment started to feel much smaller!
After Noa was born, we moved the girls into the same room and used our living room as a play room. We continued to make the apartment work for us by being strategic about how we used the space and by doing frequent decluttering! Then Covid happened and my daughter stopped going to preschool and my husband began to work from home full time. Once the 4 of us were home together 24/7 doing Zoom preschool and F/T work, it became clear that we had outgrown the space.
We aren’t ready (and not sure if we ever will be) to make the move to the ‘burbs so this apartment felt like the perfect next step! It gives us the space we need (a separate office for my husband and a dedicated play space for the girls) but we can stay in BK, while we figure out what our next move will be!
We are keeping the majority of our stuff. The bedroom, living room, and outdoor furniture is all the same. We are replacing our dining table and chairs (they have had a good long life!) and getting some new furniture for the office.
Even though we won’t be replacing most of the furniture, I like giving rooms a refresh by swapping out bedding, throw pillows, rugs and other accessories to make them feel like new. I’ll also move around art and swap out hardware sometimes like I did with the art above our bed (which used to be in the girls’ old room) and the handles on this dresser!
Q. Move with old and slowly replace furniture you intend to get new? Or buy all new before?
A. We kept our existing furniture for most of the rooms. But the one space where we want to get some new pieces is the “great room” on the main level, right when you enter our apartment. This is where our dining room and a small living room will be. (The family room with our TV and bigger couches are on the lower level.)
We decided to work with a designer from Havenly (not sponsored) to carefully design the room and select pieces that would fit our space well. Here is the concept we’re working on (not going to be the exact pieces but this is the inspiration/mood board that we’re going for.) I can't wait to share more!
I also think it is helpful to actually LIVE in your home for a little while before buying new pieces (unless you absolutely have to) to see how you function in the space and what you really need. In our case, we have been using our old dining table and chairs until we buy our new set and it’s been working just fine! You don’t need to rush - especially if you are investing in pieces you want to have long term!
Q. What were you looking for in a new place with two kids?
A. Our kids shared a room in our last apartment and for the most part, it has worked out great! So giving each of them their own bedroom was not a priority for us in our new place. The main thing we were looking for was a dedicated place for them to play and learn at home.
In our old apartment, our living/family room was ALSO our play space and it was definitely a pain point for me because I was constantly cleaning up toys, given our limited space. It stressed me out a lot to walk into our apartment and see toys and clutter everywhere! In our new place, the girls have a TON of space to spread out, play, do arts and crafts, and potentially to do distance learning come school time in the fall. And it’s on the lower level, out of sight! 🙌
Q. Do you have a backyard?
A. Yes! We feel so grateful to have a backyard in our new home! Private outdoor space was one of my must-haves and it’s not that easy to come by in NYC. We love grilling and hanging out outdoors and we wanted a place where the girls could play outside so we were so happy when we found this place! There are 2 entrances to the backyard - one from my bedroom and one from the office.
I have to admit that moving during a pandemic was kind of strange... we had to wear masks the entire day of the move - which was a 90 degree day! Even things like looking at apartments was different, since many places were only doing virtual showings and there is still a lot of uncertainty about the future. But now that I'm on the other side of it, I can confidently say that it was a great decision for our family and I can't wait to continue sharing apartment updates with you all!