Moving overseas for a year (with 4 kids) ... What do you pack????

When we were contemplating this adventure I scoured the web looking for information from people who have done it before and how they did it.  I also was desperate for information on what to take and what NOT to take with me.  I really did not find much.  Most of the links and blogs out there are about the adventures everyone had while overseas.  So this post is for people thinking about if and how they would manage such a nutbar thing.

We have only been here for 1 month so far and there are a few things I wish I had brought and a few I should have left behind.  I'm sure this will change as time goes on...

As an intro for those who don't know us...  Matt and I are family docs from Canada who decided to go to New Zealand for a year and drag the kids along.  The kids are as follows:

Thing One:  Adrian,  the 15 year old skateboarder/snow border dude who prefers to be upside down and got his braces off less than 24 hours before we got on a plane.  He is only mildly impressed to be moving across the world.

Thing Two: Joelle, 13 year old riding nut who is very upset she could not bring her saddle as her carry on item.

Thing Three: Luke, 9 year old happy go lucky guy who will wear the same pair of underwear 5 days running if you don't watch him.

and not to mention Thing Four:  Jamie, age 7, is only truly happy when he is immersed in the Pokemon world.

We moved into a fully furnished and equipped house.  It had a dishwasher, stove, fridge and microwave.  Small appliances were also here including a kettle, coffee maker and vacuum.  There is also a TV and DVD player.   Bedding and linens were supplied as were towels and dishes.  I still have purchased a few odds and ends but in general most of our purchases will be things we take home with us ie: I did not have to set up house so we only had to bring personal items.


I will start with our limitations and what we brought...  and then go on about what we should have left behind and then complain about things I left behind and miss.

Matt and I were allowed to take 2 pieces each of checked luggage and one carry on  bag and our "personal item/bag" as the recruiting company paid for our second bag.  The kids each had one checked bag and their carry on bag and their backpacks as the "personal bag".

Matt only packed one checked bag and his carry ons as he is a minimalist and is happy just with his towel (think Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy)

I am not.  'Nuff said.

For the little boys we packed:  5 pairs of pants, 5 pairs of shorts,  6 t shirts, 5 or so long sleeved shirts,  2-3 sweaters,  lots of socks and underwear,  1 rain jacket, one winter jacket, ski pants, 1 pr each of:  running shoes, sandals, winter boots,  mitts and hats, bathing suit, 2 pair of PJ's.   They also brought their blankies, Nintendo ds, multiple games,  a ball cap and I think that is about it...

Joelle packed her riding boots, helmet, spurs  riding jacket and show gear.  The girl has priorities.  For clothing she brought 3 pr of jeans, 2 pr of yoga pants, 2 pr of sweatpants (aeropostal and bench - priorities again) Her down winter coat, rain shell, a pretty dress and 2 hoodies and 8+ T shirts.  For shoes she brought a couple of pairs of sneakers, flips flops, black patent flats and uggs.  She did not bring her ski suit b/c it was just about too small and we are going to get her a new set here.
For 'stuff'  Joelle packed her DS, Kindle, ipod touch, all her Pony Club books, and her drawing kit.

Adrian packed his own stuff and I "think" he brought just about everything he owned that fit him.  His wardrobe is rather small at the moment b/c he is growing like a weed and I have been hesitant to purchase too much at one go.  That being said... he has 4pr of jeans, multiple t's and long sleeved t's several hoodies, his rain coat, his snowboarding coat, ski pants and several pair of skate boarding shoes. No boots.  Boots are not cool.   His "stuff" included: his laptop, ipod, blackberry (thank god for interchangeable sim cards) super large skull candy headphones and a bunch of skate magazines.


One thing of note is that in the area we are in, all the kids wear uniforms to school.  This did cut down on what they needed to bring as none of this clothing gets worn to school.  However, I needed to buy a full uniform set for everyone once we got here.

I don't know what my husband packed...

I had the dilemma of needing both a work and casual wardrobe.  And if you don't know me,  I have an issue with shoes, lots and lots of shoes. Sigh...  Plus I try to run on a regular basis (not so much lately) and therefore need workout gear too.

I'll start with the easy stuff...

Work clothes

5 pr dress pants: 2 black, 2 beige, 1 grey,
3 skirts: 1 black, 1 black and white cotton skirt, 1black and beige print.
3 cardigans: 1each of black, beige and grey
4 blouses: 1 white, 1 navy & black print,  1 black and beige print, 1 brown and beige print
6 dressy T's:  1 white, 1 navy, 1 pink, 1 grey, 1 black and blue block print, 1 black
2 dresses: one multi print, one blue knit
3 sweaters: 1 black, 1 red, 1 green

Dress shoes, 1 pr black heels, 2 pr flats:  1 beige and black (picture spectator pumps with a flat heel) , 1 black,  1 pr of white and beige sandals,

I really tried to pare things down and have stuff that worked together.  Honestly I'm tired of it already and it has only been a month sigh...

Work out gear:   4 pr of sneakers.  Yes that is excessive but I am a princess and have to have my favourite shoes, plus the plan is that I will use them all up while here and have the packing space for cool new stuff to take back home.  3 pr of running tights - long, calf length and capris.  3 pr shorts.  2 long sleeved tech shirts,  5 short sleeve/sleeveless tech shirts, multiple bras, socks etc.  2 swim suits, bathing cap and goggles. running beanie,  2 running jackets (one shell and one heavier) and a waffle layer and my super cool biking jacket even though I hardly every get on my bike (it's really cute and looks great on me ;-)

Casual clothes ie: the mommy look.

This is what I live in 90% of the time.

Bottoms: 1 khaki cotton skirt,  3 pr jeans, 1 pr of hiking pants, 3 pr of cotton shorts, 2 pr of capris,  2 pr of yoga pants, my nike dri fit pants (best pants ever!!),  1 pr navy cords and my lululemon  lined studio pants (ok, these ones might be the best pants ever, sorry nike).
Tops: 8 t-shirts, 2 tanks,  3  light sweaters, 1 polar fleece cardigan, my roots hoodie, 1 mid-weight sweater, 2 turtlenecks, 1 fleece vest, one quilted zip vest.
My stretchy dress I use as a bathing suit cover up, 2 pr PJ's, a belt.  One purse (OMG!!!)

Shoes: 1 pr of flip flops, my Keen sandals, 1 pr black ankle boots, my winter boots, slippers,

Dressy stuff:  a girl has to have priorities, one super little black chiffon cocktail dress and red satin shoes to go with.  shrug...  a black sequinned top and Kenneth cole pants (very cool flocked velvet pattern)  and a cotton sleeveless black print dress you can wear anywhere with the above mentioned black cardigan.

I also brought my riding boots and helmet and breeches.  I don't have show gear, it is not a pretty thing when I ride.

My ski coat and pants,  a bomber length down coat, couple of scarves, mitts, hats etc. Rain jacket.

The other stuff...  my laptop, the ipad, my ipod ( I have the shuffle, it is the size of a quarter) a couple of books I have yet to read.  My gym bag, a tote bag (for work, really, sigh...), camera, 3 pr of sunglasses, minimal jewelry.  I did NOT bring a hair dryer.  Mine was not dual voltage so I picked one up here for $30.  A sewing kit.  (I am in severe sewing machine with-drawl though)  My embroidery project.  The Christmas stockings (all 6 of them).  2 water bottles.  External hard drive for computer.  Electric toothbrush (the princess thing again) Reading glasses (aging princess) .  My Garmin.

I fit this into two large suitcases, a regulation carry on and a totebag.   I am also sure I've missed a couple of things I've packed but are not coming to mind.

I'm not sure I should have bothered with my riding gear, I might pick up some lessons later but it is not looking like that will happen.
I wish my eldest had brought the trucks and wheels to his skateboard b/c we could have just got a new deck instead of a whole new setup for him.
We had one voltage converter plug before we came and I got the apple travel pack as well but ended up buying 2 more converters  at LAX and I am glad I did.
Most of the electronics are dual voltage and/or can be charged via USB and the computer.  BUT this is really important to check prior to going.  It is your regular electrical stuff that is the issue such as my hairdryer, it just won't work here or will get completely fried after a while.  Just not worth it to lug it here to die.

Most of the stuff I may need or want is here anyway.  But we are here for a year so it is hard to plan out an entire years wardrobe and recreation.

We did NOT bring our ski gear.  This may turn into a bit of a mistake.  But it is heavy and bulky and expensive to transport.  So we are going to take our chances of new stuff or just renting.  We shall see how it goes.

Purchases so far...  New skateboard for Adrian, scooters for Luke and Jamie, Shearling slippers for everyone! And I did pick up the cutest pair of shoes the other day and the zipper just broke on my purse...


Addendum:  Update at 4 months...

We have now been here for over 4months... (just in case you did not figure that out with the Addendum thing).

I think (for me) one of the most difficult things so far about this trip has been the "austerity factor".  To elaborate: we came with minimal luggage and we will go back with minimal luggage.  So that means every purchase that is not a consumable must be mulled over regarding size, weight or disposability.

As a consummate shopper this is quite difficult (and frustrating) for me.

Also there are things that will make life easier but you know you will just be buying and leaving behind (muffin tins, extra glasses for the kitchen).  Another aspect is that some things are just so much more expensive here than in Canada it kills me to pay for them ($149 for a pair of ski goggles for Adrian and those were the cheapies ack!)   Especially when they are duplicates of objects we still have at home.

Plus Matt and I have some differing ideas of what things are necessary or not.  Him: hunting gear (very extensive list).  Me: toys for the kids,  crafty stuff.   Even books have become a bone of contention, pricey, heavy and take up a lot of space.  We do have a kindle and 2 ipads but the younger boys do better with paper.  We have been using the library but a few purchases have occurred...

As well Matt could live out of a backpack for a year and be quite happy.  Me, not so much.

I am trying (desperately trying) not to treat this like an extended vacation but that we are living here but it is hard to build a home when everything is borrowed and you feel like you are living as a university student again.  I am surprised at how attached I am to my house and my stuff!

Other aspects are how spoiled we are in Canada.  I don't mean spoiled in a bad way but that we live in a large country just next door to the largest consumer market in the world so we get a huge benefit from that regarding products: cost, diversity and availability.  Quality as well.  High end consumer good are very expensive, there are cheaper options but there does not seem to be a middle ground. 

Part of the factor here is that we are in a small town not a major centre.  Limited number of stores unless you feel like driving to Christchurch (about an hour) and have free time on the weekend.   I've done small town and rural living.  I also did not realize how much I liked living on the edge of a large city.   Lots of personal revelations in the this trip.

And it is not all bad.  Please don't take the above as moaning.  We are seeing many new things and going places I never imagined (the road to the ski hill at Mt Hutt, trust me I never could have imagined that!).  It is a different country on the other side of the world and the adjustment is larger than I thought.

Background check:  We have moved before. A lot.  The longest our family has lived in one place is our most recent move to Ottawa which was 5.5 years.  On average we move every 4-5 years.  We have lived in Kingston ON,  Milan Ohio, Aylesford NS and then Ottawa ON.  Not much compared to some military friends, but still  quite a bit.  I have found it takes (in general) a year to settle into a new community and house.  So as I keep telling Matt, once we have figured it all out we will be leaving!  Plus after this trip we will be moving BACK to the same place and house.  So I think the other end will be good in that we will be able to settle into old routines etc.  At least I will know where everything will go when we unpack in our house!