Tips for Moving while Pregnant

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As daunting as the prospect of moving may seem to most people, it can be especially nerve wracking when you or your loved one is pregnant during moving to a new home in Chicago.The emotional and physical toll can be overwhelming, and it is important to understand that you must take very good care of yourself and remind mindful of your situation, as being pregnant can hamper your ability to do things that may have caused you no trouble before (such as picking up and carrying large boxes).At The Professionals Moving Specialists, we provide moving services in the Chicago area, to help alleviate the physical and emotional stress of moving.However, it is still very important to remain aware of your pregnant state, and avoid any complications that may arise as well as stressful conditions and circumstances.The following guidelines below, are ways to help make the relocation process easier while you are pregnant, and provide tips to ensure a successful and productive moving experience.At The Professionals Moving Specialists, we want to make sure you view these guidelines as helpful tools.

Tips for Moving While Pregnant.

Avoid Stress Inducing Situations

Stress inducing situations can be very harmful to a pregnant woman, as the emotional tolls of stress can sometimes lead to complications and problems during the pregnancy.It is therefore extremely important during the moving process, to separate yourself from stressful situations.Be wary of moving scams and frauds that try and tackle on hidden moving fees and unnecessary costs.Fraudulent moving companies are an example of things to remain vigilant of, and avoid if you want to avoid stress.Always make sure to have a professionally licensed and insured moving company such as The Professionals Moving Specialists, take care of your moving requirements.

Avoid the Physical and Laborious Aspects of Moving

This one is a no brainer.As a pregnant woman you should avoid at all costs the carrying and handling of heavy furniture or equipment, as it can be detrimental to your pregnancy.Strenuous activity should be avoided and you should make sure to not be involved in any of the relative moving of your belongings.It would be in your benefit to inquire if your moving company provides packing and unpacking services, as well as ask a friend to help you in the more physically demanding aspects of the moving process.The includes the dismantling of large furniture, packing of large equipment such as televisions, and all manual moving situations.

Remain Organized

Organization is very critical in any successful moving experience, and can be especially beneficial for pregnant women.Doing things such as researching your moving company to ensure they are professionally licensed, using cost estimators to manage financial moving costs, listing and cataloging your packed items for management, and taking care of all pre-move tasks such as changing mailing address information, can ensure that you avoid the type of overwhelming, stressful situations that can be harmful for a pregnancy.

Move Smartly

As part of this increase in organization is it also important to pack and move smartly, to avoid moving stresses and complications.It is recommended that you give yourself flexibility through time management, to arrange your new home and unpack according to your liking.All physical aspects of this should of course be relegated to your friends, or moving, as you must again avoid all kinds of strenuous activity.Be sure when your belongings are packed into moving vehicles, that the most important items are placed last, thus giving you easy access to them as soon as you enter your new residence.Be sure to label all immediately necessary items beforehand, so that you are aware of which boxes require unpacking as quickly as possible.

Remain Conscious of Your Condition

The most useful advice that we can give, is simply to remain aware of conscious of your condition.Being pregnant means that you are simply not capable of doing the things you were before, and it’s always best to err on the side of caution.Rather than attempt to push yourself to get things done, simply remind yourself of your condition, and remember that it is okay to ask others for help.Throughout the moving process remain aware of all of the stress inducing problems and try to distance yourself from them as much as possible.Organization, time management and attention to details can all help in making sure that you have a successful move that is never to strenuous or difficult.

At the Professionals Moving Specialists, we want to make sure that your moving experience is as stress free as possible. By following all of our mentioned guidelines, we hope that you can ensure for yourself a successful moving experience that alleviates the daunting aspects of the relocation process, to make moving easier for pregnant women.If you are looking for assistance and professional service on your moving in Chicago sure to contact The Professionals Moving Specialists, one of the most trusted named in Chicago moving.

24 Essential Moving Tips

You have successively found a new place in Chicago to call your home! It’s all perfect and exciting until you realize about how much much you have to move. Below are 24 Essentials Moving Tips by The Professionals Moving Specialists.

Label the Outside of Your Moving Boxes with Not Just Inventory, but the Room the Items Are Likely to Go:

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Stay ahead of the game!You can save yourself a lot of time and headaches by simply indicating on the outside of your box what items are inside and in what room these items will be going.

Pack an Overnight Bag with First Day Essentials:

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The day that you move in, there will be items that you will likely need right away (food, toothbrush, soap, toilet paper!)Make sure you pack an overnight bag that you keep on you so that you are prepared for that first day.

When Packing Silverware Such as Plates, Pack Them Vertically Rather than Horizontally:

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Packing plates vertically can help to prevent any kind of damage as opposed to horizontal placement, where plates are more prone to moving around in transit.

Try to Clean the New Residence before the Move:

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This is something most people forget to consider, and they just move in without realizing that they will in fact be spending the night.Make sure to clean all rooms, especially bathrooms, to make sure that it is decent and ready for your arrival.Don’t wait till after the move, as you will only be exhausted and will hate yourself for not thinking about it sooner!

Use a Garbage Bag for clothing :

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This might sound absurd but I have friend that moves many times that swearby the garbage bag for packingkeeps your clothes on their hangers, for much faster unpacking.

Label Any Small pieces and Parts and place in a small press and seal bag:

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This one is also sort of a no brainier, but still many people make this mistake.If you had to disassemble anything, make sure that you keep all of the screws and other items together, and label them so that you know what they belong to.The best thing to do is place them in a plastic bag, label them, and tape them together, so that you know what goes with what.

Take Photographs of Hard to Assemble Items:

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Keeping photos of hard to assemble items is an effective way of reminding yourself how something fit together before you disassembled it for your move.This can apply to furniture, electronics and hardware.

Use Reusable Plastic Moving Boxes as Opposed to Cardboard:

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Reusable plastic is much more efficient than standard cardboard for moving.It is more durable, water proof, and contributes no waste products to the environment.Essentially you’ll be going green, and making things easier for yourself in the process.

Vacuum Seal Clothing For Easier Packing and Transport:

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This is an ingenious maneuver to make packing a lot easier.Simply vacuum seal your clothing before packing, and you can maximize the amount of storage space you can use for your move.HOWEVER, always remember that while you may be conserving space, the weight is still the same, so don’t think that by vacuum sealing and packing clothes it somehow makes it weigh less.It does not.Always consider the weight!

For Fragile, Antique, and Piano Moving, It’s Best to Hire a professionals moving company:

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Moving can be a very difficult process and if you are inexperienced you could end up damaging your valuable and antique belongings.In regards to moving these significant items, its within your best interest to hire a professional mover that deals in antique, fine art and piano moving.Some even offer climate controlled vehicles and storage facilities.

Hire a sitter for your pets or kids:

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Living in the city of Chicago, IL and moving without any help from neighbors or friends or family. Hire a sitter on your moving day, last thing you need to worry about on moving day is where your kids or pets.

Make Sure Everything Is Packed Before You Begin Moving!:

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I don’t think this one needs to be explained

Make Sure You Inform the Post Office of Your Change Of Address Prior to Moving:

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Be sure to inform the post office of your change of address, otherwise your mail will be sent to your previous address, and this can be potentially harmful when you consider the bills that you will not be receiving because you forgot.

Bring Dental and Medical Records With You Or Have Them Transferred Along With Any Other Important Documentation:

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This one is also pretty straightforward, just keep in mind these items are important in your new residence.

Enroll Your Children in Their New Designated School Before Moving:

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Make sure that you know what school your child will be zoned to attend, and be sure that you have them enrolled before you begin your move.It is important that you don’t have you child miss any necessary amount of time from school!

Sell Or Donate Your Unused Items:

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If you know that there are items that you will not be taking with you, properly dispose of them, sell them or donate them.Any perishable items must be either recycled or disposed of in the proper manner.And if you are having a tough time selling any unused items, and they are still usable, simply donate them to charity.Organizations such as The Salvation Army will take your unwanted clothing and donate them to those less fortunate.

Give Yourself Enough Time to Manage All the Various Aspects of your Move:

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It’s recommended to begin planning your move roughly a month to two weeks before the move is scheduled to take place.Give yourself plenty of time so you are not stressing it!!

Do Not Purchase Grocery 2 weeks prior to Your Move:

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You cannot effectively move the food in your fridge during the move day, as you run the risk of leaks, spills and spoiling.It is recommended that you do your last bit of grocery shopping at least 2 weeks prior to the move so that the majority of your food is at least consumed before you begin moving.

Defrost Your Fridge before Moving:

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Pretty self-explanatory.

Remove Trash and Hazardous Materials:

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A mover, by law, cannot move any hazardous materials or perishable items.Therefore, it is your responsibility to properly dispose of trash and to not include items such as propane, or gas along with your moving materials.

Take Care of Your Movers/ Helpers:

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Whether you hired professionals or bothered your friends, show some appreciation to the people who are helping you move out of your house.Offer them water, refreshments, and make sure that they are properly cared for (after all they are the ones carrying your personal belongings!)

When Hiring Movers, Make Sure They Are Professionals:

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The Better Business Bureau keeps a listing of all accredited business that are deemed legitimate in accordance with government regulations.You can check this site when hiring a mover to make sure that you are not taken advantage of by fraudulent moving companies.

Prepare Your Children for the Move:

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Make sure your children are well accommodated during the moving process, and make sure they are kept well informed during the process.Children can become anxious moving into a new place, away from their friends and the places they were familiar.Simply reassuring your child or children can go along way in easing them into the transition.

Don’t Stress It:

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Most people let the prospect of moving stress them out, worrying about their new neighborhood, their new neighbors, and the quality of their new residence.Simply remain calm and remember this is not the end of the world!The best advice would be to have friends or family assist you throughout the entire moving process so that you are not constantly worrying about the state of your belongings.Also its always cool to throw a housewarming party, invite neighbors and family so that you can make new friends, learn about your neighborhood, and not feel like a stranger in a strange land.

20 Things People Forget When Moving

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Through the course of your move, while you are rushing to get organized and get your things in order, your belongings can occasionally be misplaced or forgotten altogether. Amidst all of the chaos, it is therefore important to remain organized, and make sure not to forget critical things that you will need in your new residence. At The Professionals Moving Specialists, we want to make sure that you stay well coordinated in your move so that you don’t leave anything behind. Past moving experience of helping clients move from one location in Chicago, IL to another, we have unfortunately heard individuals have forgotten key items that they have needed later on. Below is a list of the top Items Regularly forgotten during moving process.These items include:

1. Personal Records - Often times during the moving process, one of the most significant and forgotten items are personal records. Personal records take a decent amount of time to accrue, and should be gotten weeks prior to your move. These include dental records, medical records, veterinarian, and birth certificates.

2. Valuables - Jewelry and other valuable items are sometimes forgotten as they are usually placed in hidden or well protected areas. Make sure that you have all of your expensive and valuable items packed before you begin your move.

3. Library Books - This is one is also one of the most forgotten items on the list. Typically people tend not to forget to pack their bookshelves and books, but they do forget that some of these books are library books and are, in fact, due to be returned. Make sure to return all lent and borrowed library books to their proper library.

4. Dry Cleaning - Dry cleaning is also a very common thing that most people tend to forget while moving, as people leave their clothes at the dry cleaners and forget to pick them up. Make sure that if you have laundry or dry cleaning tickets around you make sure to recover all your clothes and not leave them behind.

5. Plungers and Toilet Bowl Cleaners - This is an example of another item often forgotten that people forget is theirs and not apart of the home. Plungers and toilet bowl cleaners as well as all other bathroom appliances are necessary in your new home.

6. Phone Books - Other typically forgotten items are phonebooks and address books. Be sure that you remember to bring your phonebooks with you as you don’t want to leave behind all of your contacts.

7. Keys - Keys of all kinds can be forgotten during the moving process. This can include old house keys, new house keys, car keys, cabinet keys, safe keys etc. Make sure to recover all of your keys as it will cause you difficulty later on.

8. Household plants - Household plants are another very common item that is often forgotten. Do not forget your household plants as they will not be properly cared for and watered and will likely wither away in your absence.

9. Coffee Makers - Often forgotten as if a piece of the abandoned kitchen themselves, many people forget their coffee makers in their old house. Pack you coffee makers or else how else will you wake up in the morning!!!

10. Gardening Tools - Gardening tools are typically located outside of the home which explains why they are typically forgotten. Hoses, lawnmowers are among the most forgotten items, so be sure you do not forget them when you are preparing for your move.

11. Microwaves - Another kitchen appliance often thought of as part of the kitchen themselves, and the main reason why it is left behind. A microwave is a significant part of your home and home dining, so be sure not to forget to pack it.

12. Medicine - Often left in cabinets and closets, medicines are a very important and should not be forgotten. Some prescription medication is needed regularly and forgetting them can be an extreme detriment to your well-being. Be sure not to forget your medicines.

13. Tools - This refers to all kinds of household tools such as hammers, nails and thing of that nature. Make sure that you collect all of your tools and place them in a tool box that is easy to carry and manage.

14. Toilet Paper - Arguably the most important item on this list. Do not forget toilet paper...you will regret it later.

15. Mail/Bills - A common mistake people tend to make when moving is to inform the post office of their change of address. Failing to do this will result in your mail being sent to your old address, and you will not be able to get a hold of important bills and other significant mail.

16. Garage Door Opener - Another example of one of the most forgotten moving items. Garage Door Openers can sometimes be an expensive tool and most people forget to remove their openers to bring to their new residence.

17. Gym Memberships - In a similar light to mails/bills, most people forget to cancel their gym memberships in their old neighborhoods and still incur the costs associated with membership fees. Be sure to cancel your gym memberships and all other memberships and subscriptions.

18. Trash and recycle bins - Another group of items people often forget are their trash and recycle bins, as they are located on the outside of the home. Make sure to recover these items, as the new residents will most certainly use them.

19. Lamps and other lighting equipment - People often forget their lamps and other lighting equipment in the home as well. Make sure that anything that is plugged into an outlet is removed which brings us to the next item...

20. Chargers and other plug ins - Once again be sure to remove any items plugged into outlets. Chargers especially are important as you cannot use your phone without them.

The Professionals Moving Specialists hope is by showing you this list, and making movers aware of commonly forgotten items, you can become more organized in your move. And if you are looking for a superlative moving company to help you transition into your new residence, be sure to contact The Professionals Moving Specialists, one of the most trusted names in moving.

10 Things You Don't Need But Should Bring To Your Dorm Anyway

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College can be the best time of your life, but also very stressful.  Where else is it normal to see young adults sprawled and asleep in the most random places, curled up on the couch or floor like a child?  Once finals week hits, it’s a free for all and everyone is eating and sleeping in those free minutes in between studying for a different class.

This is exactly why you should have an escape.  For those moments when school is too much and you need to relax with your friends, make sure you have everything you need.

Here are 10 things to bring to your dorm that you don’t really need, but will be glad you brought anyway.

TV

You never need to bring your TV.  It’s just nice to have around, especially if you are like me and watch basically every show on air.  It’s also a nice, mindless activity for the moments when you don’t want to think.

Game Station

Whether you have an Xbox or a Playstation, bring it with your TV.  Sometimes there is nothing more relaxing that gunning down enemies in Call of Duty or beating all your friends in Super Mario.

Snacks

This is sort of essential, but sort of not.  It depends on what kind of snacks and food you bring.  Sometimes you just need to be unhealthy and stuff your face with chips and chocolate.

Board Games

Video games can only take you so far.  Sometimes there is nothing better than breaking out the old Monopoly board or a surprisingly aggressive game of Cranium.

Nintendo DS

Do you have one?  Because if you don’t you should get one…or a PSP.  Yeah, I know phones have apps nowadays, but battery life goes so fast.  Not to mention, those games aren’t half as complicated as the ones you can play on the DS.

Snuggie

Whoever created the Snuggie is a genius, especially on those winter nights where it’s warm in your room, but somehow you still have a chill under your skin.  Not to mention they are great during testing weeks when you fall asleep where you are studying.

Books

They weigh a lot and take up space, but sometimes you just need your favorite stories with you.  You know, the ones that are beat up with pages ripped because you’ve read them so much.

Stuffed Animals

Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like stuffed animals because they are most likely evil.  There is nothing better than cuddling up with your favorite teddy bear as you are trying to figure your way through the chemistry textbook which seems to be written in every other language but English.

Baking Sheets

There are moments that can be made a thousand times better by the smell of baked goods.  Every dorm has a kitchen and every kitchen has an oven.  Grab some of your friends and whip up a batch of brownies or cupcakes or something.  It’s fun and you’ll have something sweet to eat after.

Kirugumi

Kirugumis are the proper name for animal onsies.  They are so comfy, you really need to get one.  So what if you’re a college student?  The time to do it is now because you won’t have an excuse later.  On cold days, have a Kirugumi party with your friends.

For more information about student moving in Chicago, click here.