First just let me say how extremely thankful I am to receive hand-me-downs. I used to be too cheap/frugal to buy brand new kids’ clothes, but now I’m also just too damn time-constrained to do it as well. Leisurely shopping…what’s that??? So to all my friends and neighbors that give me the cutest girl and now boy hand-me-downs, I LOVE YOU for it.
However, I’ve been DREADING going through Henry’s clothes. But his poor body just can’t be jammed into those 12 month jammies anymore. They’re supposed to be pants, not capris. And the pink 18 month onesie he’s been wearing to bed isn’t exactly acceptable. It was the only thing I could find in the girls’ closet that would fit him. Not that I’m against men wearing “salmon”, but this is GIRLIE. Oops.
But one thing other moms don’t warn you about…the clothing hell of season or size change-out. Especially when you have multiple kids. It can be storage hell and just plain time consuming hell trying to be sure your kid is clothed.
So I’ll admit I used to laugh at my BFF when her 3rd child’s clothes looked a little off-size. Too big or too small at times when I’d be babysitting. I GET IT NOW. She was just trying to at least clothe the child. And at times, that’s the goal of the day…covering body parts.
I’ve had a HUGE bin and a garbage bag of stuff to sort through for Henry sitting in my Dining Room for weeks. I finally went through it tonight and wouldn’t ya know…kid could have been in football or dinosaur jammies this whole time! I’m sure his short time in pink will well-round him…and probably won’t be his last.
So here’s what I have to wash tomorrow…basket is for now, pile is for cooler weather.
Here’s what’s now in the 24-month and up pile…not sure he’ll be in that blue monster this Halloween:
Um, see the bag hidden behind the stroller, beach bag that still needs put away from vacation, and grocery cart? Yep, that’s a bag of boy hand-me-down shoes I got back in MAY.
And I’ll have to start thinking about the girls and fall soon. I went to the zoo with a dear friend Friday and she unloaded these two bags of girls’ clothes on me. So that’s next on my list.
And here’s where it all lives once it makes it past the dining holding room and sorting. Or after it’s been through one kid and waiting on another. What do some of you do without basement storage???
Poor Thomas had been on the same 5 outfits rotation for at least a few months before Todd thought to look in all of the boxes labeled ‘clothes’ from your sister. Now our once scantily dressed child has more clothing options than maybe all of us combined. Those boxes had been taking residence on the top shelves of every single closet in the house! Leila is need of a new wardrobe(she has finally surpassed the height limitations of 2T clothing, not the weight though). Tax Free Back to School Shopping Weekend, here we come!
Now baby 4’s clothes are “a little off” too. I found a bin full of 18-24month clothes that she could have been wearing all summer. Good thing she is short so the 12month clothes don’t look so bad.
One without-basement mama here… Well, you know what I mean… 108 year old stone basement that I don’t yet trust to store clothing items in for fear of mildew. Although we’ve been totally leak-free and dry for the past year, so there’s hope after all!
It sucks not having basement storage. J keeps insisting we have way too much stuff. I keep insisting we have the “typical” stuff, just not the typical basement to store it all. Coolers, beach chairs, christmas decorations, etc. That stuff takes up a LOT of valuable prime closet space.
You’re aware of my kids clothes bargain shopping predisposition. Not a good characteristicfor someone short on storage space. The clothing change-out can be a burden. I succumbed to stacking bins of future-sizes for the kids in my closet. Which is one reason I’m getting a new wardrobe unit for the guest room. So, I guess it all works out.:-)
C still wears boys pjs. And her current favorite pair of shoes? Black velcro shoes that couldn’t get any more “boy.” In a pinch to grab some shoes suitable for muddy & wet farm camp (that actually fit her growing feet), I used a pair that J had just grown out of and were conveniently still in our shoe cubby. Now, I’m thinking of resorting to bribery to get her to wear her own shoes. 🙂
So, H will be okay, even while wearing coral pink clothes. Although he probably won’t like it too much when photos of him wearing it show up in his wedding slideshow.
Enjoyed your oh-so-true post.
One of the only advantages to Bear being underweight is that I haven’t had to do any sorting because he’s been in the same size for 14 months.
we have no basement and no storage but I confess – I like it that way. I’m a minimalist at heart and LOVE getting rid of things! So I say downsize baby – clear out everything and I mean everything you haven’t used in the past 6mos or do not forsee using in the next year. It will feel glorious! That said, good luck finding the time to get that down right?
ps. my son sleeps in a pink swaddle blanket so don’t feel too bad about the sleeper!