Packing Up

We are preparing for the move back home and I've been organizing and packing totes for shipping.

The packing essentials: white duct tape, clear packaging tape, zip ties, scissors, sharpie, 18 gal rubbermaid tote, drill

Label with numbers.  Other than using the tracking at the post office, I know what is in each tote and know which ones have arrived.  I keep the post it notes in my wallet.

The first time we shipped these totes up here, we wrote in sharpie on the lid.  To cover that up, and make the address more visible, we used white duct tape.

Zip tied and ready to be shipped.

Drill six holes through the lid.

These are the empty totes I am saving for our last week.  (To pack the things we are still using now)

I put white duct tape labels on them, drilled the holes, and taped zip ties to them.  

They are ready to be packed and sealed.

Empty totes ready for packing.

With a friend at the post office.

We mailed all the totes "Parcel Post" which is the cheapest, except for one, which we sent as "Media Mail" because it was filled with books and movies.  Media mail is actually the cheapest, but can only have books, movies, etc.  These four totes going from Alaska to Missouri, with insurance and tracking cost a total of $186.

During the packing process, I was forced to go through papers and documents.  I usually just throw these all in one drawer and "hang on to them for later." Well the drawer was packed full, so I needed to sort through what I wanted to keep.  

First, I sorted (the papers I needed to keep) into piles including: health insurance, teacher retirement, student loans, important receipts, tv/cell phone documents, professional documents, taxes, etc.

Behind me, I threw papers into a trash/shred pile.

I had these binders and folders already.  So after I finished sorting, I put each pile into its own pocket.

I had to create my own labels.  I just used what I had, post it notes and  a sharpie.

I placed the labels on the folders (and secured with some scotch tape).

I went from a messy drawer packed full of papers, to just two medium binders.  Now I have quick access to things I actually need! I plan to keep this system going.

We have been going on a lot more walks lately because the weather has been so nice.  We took another peek at the new school.

The baskets are installed and boards are laid down on the new outdoor basketball court.

These metal pieces will be installed as a barrier around the court so no one will drive over it.

The playground has a nice black rubber square surface.

The exterior looks finished with black siding and a red roof.

The loading dock in the back.

The sky has been amazing lately along with this gorgeous weather.

The thermostat in my classroom still thinks it should be 40 degrees colder outside, so to get some fresh air and relief from the stuffy classroom, we had class outside on the deck one day.

My senior/junior class working outside.