We're moving house on Monday.

Just for the record:

This will be my 8th house move in 11 years of marriage. In 33 years of life, I've lived (or stayed for more than two months) in 19 different houses or institutions. I've been a resident of 8 different cities, towns or villages in two different countries. Over the years I went to boarding school and lived at a uni college, I packed all my belongings up to shift in and out 32 times.

This move will include starting at a different church for the sixth time in our marriage. And for the twelfth time in my life. (That doesn't include regular visits to at least six to ten 'link churches' who supported my family when I was a child.)

And, once again, it will include having to find another new hairdresser. Rats. I just got happy with the most recent one!

You won't be surprised to learn that I'm quite good at moving. Every thing goes in a box, every box gets a label, and every label corresponds to the map I give the removalist at the front door of the new house. (Smug boast: the last removalist said to me, "that was the most organised move I've ever seen..." hee hee.)

Unpacking is only harder than packing if you haven't sorted everything first. If you've done this well and gotten rid of the junk that clutters up your cupboards, and if you've labelled your boxes properly, it should take less time to unpack than it took to pack. (It also helps to have a mother who is a genius at unpacking kitchens in record whirlwind time.)

I'm not like a good friend of mine, who still has boxes from two or three moves ago which she hasn't unpacked yet. I reckon if you haven't missed the stuff yet, give the whole box to the op shop!

Everyone's a bit stressed in our household right now, including the dog, who has vomited four times in the last 24 hours. I'm trying to look at the positives of packing - rather than bemoan all the stuff we have, I'm happy to have it, to pack it and to take it with us. Imagine doing all of this as a refugee!

Why am I sitting here blogging when I have a kitchen to sort through? I'd better get back to it. See you all after the move!