The Moving Dilemma

Moving is no fun! Packing is really no fun, especially with asthma.

So, I reported on the "Renting Dilemma." I gave up on renting and moved on to the "Looking For House Dilemma." Now it’s on to the moving dilemma. Yikes! It seems like I just go one from one dilemma to the next. Still, I think I will be good once I get into that new house.

Packing Day #1: Dread

I knew this was going to happen. I knew my current rental was only temporary. So, I made sure not to bring much furniture into my rental house. Over the past few years, I also made special efforts to organize. I put my baseball cards in plastic cases, then in plastic air-tight containers. I even organized all my picture books in air-tight plastic containers.

This move by "past me" makes the "current me" very happy. Still, I wake up on day #1. I get out of bed. I take the kids to school. After re-entering my home, I scope the house to determine where to start.

I sigh.

I decide to go back to bed and take a nap. Delay! Delay! Delay!

I really need to pack

That was a week ago. Now, time is getting closer. I need to start packing. Stupidly, I decided to start in the basement. For crying out loud, you’d think I’d know better. But, this was the place with the least stuff. So, I figured it would feel good to have one room done.

What do you store in basements? Boxes of junk. Boxes of old bits and pieces of the baseball card collection and boxes of holiday stuff (mostly Christmas). Basements are havens for dust mites and mold spores. They are havens for dust. So, ten minutes into the job and I’m already experiencing a tight chest and burning eyes.

Done! Can’t do anymore. And that’s what I mean by patience. I have learned to do a little every day.

Packing Day #2: Triggering my asthma

So, the basement is close to done. All that’s left is boxes and heavy stuff. By heavy, I mean my weights. Like, I am not looking forward to moving them at all. But, when I do, that will be the only project for that day. Likewise, that will be my workout for that day. No point in overdoing it.

My chest is a little tight today. So, I have no choice but to take it easy. So, I move on to my bedroom. I open the closet.

Sigh!

It’s packed full of baseball cards and pictures. This is a closet full of the cards I want to organize. It’s also filled with all my loose pictures. These are the ones I aim to someday place into picture books. Unfortunately, I never got around to finishing it. So, now I have to find a temporary home for them.

I can't escape the asthma triggers

I figured this would be a trigger-free job. But, stupid me, I should have remembered about those pesky dust mites. I must have inhaled one or a million; my chest was tight. I did manage to get the closet cleaned out and get all my “stuff” packed into boxes, triggering my asthma most of the way.

I decided to risk going on, though. I use my Ventolin inhaler. I move into my "littles' room". My two littlest kids share a room. In the new house, they each get their own (yay!). Believe it or not, their room is pretty clean. Myles spends most of his playtime playing video games or watching gaming videos.

Laney is not a gamer at all. Her Barbie dolls and other toys were scattered (in an organized fashion) all about the room and Barbie houses. So, my job was to pick them up and put them away. Somehow I managed to avoid triggers in this room.

That’s enough for one day.

Looking forward to the actual move

Well, I kind of just lied with that subheader. But, I am looking forward to just doing it and getting it over with. In the meantime, we are living among a bunch of dusty boxes. For Myles, this is just fine, as he’s a gamer. Laney, on the other hand, is going to have to go a week or so without her toys. Sorry! But, she loves reading, so she can just read. Or she can play games on her phone. And me, well, I’m going to force myself to pack just one or two things per day, which will hopefully keep my asthma in check.

To be continued…

What about you. What is your experience moving with asthma? Please share in the comments below.