Clothing Chaos

Managing the wardrobes for the 10 of us is a never-ending, sometimes overwhelming task. The frustration comes in when the majority of the clothes are knee-deep on the closet floor. And also when clothes are found in the hamper with the hangers still in them. I try to convince myself that Jacob probably did wear that shirt with the hanger in it all day, bless his heart. Surely my dearest darlings would never put clean clothes in the dirties rather than hang them back up!

Changing out clothes for the new season is here again, and this time I was determined to do it properly. I read an excellent post at Raising Olives about switching for seasons and clothing limits.

I first worked on the boys clothes all at once since they're close in size. Then the two little girls. Tonight it was Meggie's turn. I pull out everything hanging in their closets (we hang everything except socks, undies and jammies). I rummage through the clean laundry and pull down the boxes of clothes in the appropriate size. Everything goes to the nook table where I work on it after the little loves are in bed (so I'm not subjected to their opinions/questions/etc.).

I sort everything into piles: give away, too small, too large, just right. I only keep items that I really would enjoy seeing on the children and are in good condition. Four big bags have gone to Goodwill. Halleluiah!

In the morning, the child gets to shop from their piles for the pre-determined number of articles (see below). They've absolutely loved this part! Meggie's been asking for a week to go "shopping." Whatever they don't pick, I box up immediately while the recipient hangs up their "new" clothes.

The next night, I do the same thing for jammies, undies, and swim suits. I still need to work on shoes and Spring coats. It's been a big job the last couple weeks, but their closets are so much tidier which makes for a happier mommy!

Boy Summer Clothing
2 swim suits
3 PJs
5 nice short-sleeved shirts
5 play shirts
3 long-sleeved shirts
5 shorts
1 pair of khakis
2 jeans or other pants
1 pair of sweat pants or track pants
1 sweat shirt
1 beat-up pair of pants for work pants

Girl Summer Clothing
2 swim suits
2 PJs
6 play outfits
6 nice outfits
1 pair of jeans or capris
1 pair of sweat pants or track pants
2 sweatshirts or cardigans