Establishing {Temporary} Roots in a New Community

Six moves in eight years and we officially survived the first one with an infmoving ella (448x600) (411x550)ant. As a military family, my husband and I have established quite the habit of uprooting and resettling all over the country. I love the anticipation and freshness of a new duty location and the challenge of planning a move 1500 miles from where we currently reside. That being said, our most recent move was the first one we made with our daughter. This move focused less on finding a place to live and more about finding a home and a community.  We needed to find a place we could grow together as a family and as individuals.

The military lifestyle is synonymous with movement. However, many families are just as transient as they seek better opportunities for employment, schools, housing, and, even, climate. Just because your zip code may change frequently, this should not prevent you from establishing roots. I have learned many lessons during our moves and implemented a few new practices this time around to help our family adjust, especially our daughter.

  • Find a church. Finding a church is first on my list when settling in to a new city. After weeks of fluster, a little prayer and fellowship is exactly what we need to regain some peace and routine.
    • Moving Tip: This provides an instant connection to those in the community and great initial opportunities to get involved.
  • Decorate. Even if you are only going to live somewhere for a short while, put something on your walls. Yes, this may mean you purchase curtains that only fit windows in that specific room of that particular house, but do it. Make it yours and make it home. I love hanging pictures on the walls and recollecting on where they have been hung in our previous homes.  For this particular move, I decorated the nursery first. I wanted to make our baby’s new room feel familiar to her, but I also did it for myself. As a new mother, the nursery is a special place for me. I needed to have it look the way I wanted to bring some added comfort and self-assurance while trying to get reestablished.
    • Moving Tip: Purchase decorations that go well in any home. I tend to purchase black, ivory, and beige for most items and then accent with color. It helps save on cost and makes it less of a task to decorate.
  • Say hello. I have discovered kind, caring people live on every street in our country. Saying hello is the only way you can meet new friends and learn more about where you live. Some of my closest friends live so very far away from me. Now, as a new mom, saying hello will be how my daughter’s friendships begin, too! And, let’s face it, mamas are the best resources for a community. They know where to get swim lessons, what day story hour is at the local library, if a restaurant is family friendly, and plan the best playdates... you see why this is so important. As an added bonus, meeting new people will expose you to so many new ideas and experiences- embrace this opportunity for you and your children.
    • Moving Tip: Find out if the place you are moving has a CityMomsBlog and start following them right away! You will feel much better prepared when you actually arrive and can plan fun things to do with your family as if you were locals.
  • Establish family traditions. The first night in our new home, my husband and I order pizza and watch a movie on the air mattress.  It’s silly, but it is something we both look forward to doing each move because it has become a tradition. Since our moves our frequent, we may not have the opportunity to establish weekly or even yearly traditions, but I can help establish traditions regardless of what town or house we may be in. Family traditions are just that: FAMILY, which means you can have them anywhere you are together.
    • Moving Tip: You can make traditions simply out of moving, such as taking family photos in each location or purchasing a holiday ornament from every place you live. 

I know we will Ella bloomeventually move from this house and our lovely, quiet community, but our time spent here will be filled with new many adventures and friendships. As a mother, I have determined, it is my role to not only oversee a seamless move, but to make sure our family thrives once we arrive. You must bloom where you are planted.

What are some things you have done to get reestablished after a move?

Tomi Dechant
Tomi is a mover, shaker, and baby maker - which means she enjoys a good dance party in the kitchen and is a mom to two monsters of her own creation. Tomi is from Kansas and is currently a Political Science instructor and author of the children's book, How to Make a Monster Smile.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Tomi:

    What a beautifully written article. You are my hero and always have been. As always, you rise to the top. I am so proud of you. Love you.

  2. we just moved from MN to TX with a 2.5 week old baby (okay that was 9 months ago but I am just now finding my groove). One of the biggest things that I did and am grateful for is finding a moms group. These ladies have been my saving grace with so many things from helping me find a new OB to where to get my hair done, also dentists for my older two daughters and a new pediatrician for all of them. They get me out of the house for play dates as well.

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