The Big Switch

So far no bites on our house - it will sell when it sells.  So I've decided  it's time for me to stop tip toeing around and just live like I normally would.  Which means completing what we call "the big switch". 

 

This is an event that takes place twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring.  It is a time we celebrate both changing seasons and growing children.    It is time for me to economize and reorganize all that is stored in our closets.  The whole process takes about 3 days to complete.

To begin with, I focus on one child at a time and pull out everything that they already have (which means it should all be washed) and their own personal "shopping bin".  The shopping bin is a concept I came up with after much frustration in trying to store hand-me-downs according to size and season - that was too many bins and too much work.  Now each child has one very large bin full of items handed down from siblings and cousins as well as things picked up at garage sales and clearance racks.  When they are in need of something new we "shop" the bin before shopping anywhere else.  So during the few days "the big switch" takes place there are clothes, bins and piles everywhere!

It is important to have good bribes on hand, especially for boys, otherwise the simple act of trying on clothes will set you back several hours.  I'm not a big candy gal but I'd be sure to slip them a few M&M's or chocolate chips just to keep the process going.  Another help is some sort of inventory or shopping list like this one that Marie Ricks has created.

I continue by going  through the old season's clothes making piles labeled:  still good for this season, hand-me-down,  good enough to donate, and totally worn out/trash.  The hand-me-downs go immediately in the younger sibling's bin and then its time to try on what has been saved especially for them in their own "shopping bin".  We make a pile of what works and they are willing to wear (even boys have opinions about clothes).  Then we lay all the items out and match them up into outfits as pictured above.  I make note of where there may be missing pieces and make a sort of "grocery list" for clothes.  The outfits are then rolled into pillows as also shown above.

  

Rolling the outfits into pillows is a huge time saver for dressing Clara and Henry and is also a good way to keep dressing simple for William and Peter.  James and Maryanna on the other hand  prefer their clothes unrolled - they demand more freedom in their dressing.  For these two it is especially important that #1 the clothes fit well and #2 they all coordinate. Otherwise........well, remember this and this?

Now I don't know what the magic number is for how many outfits are needed.  It depends on the individual but we are averaging 10 weekday outfits and 3 church outfits per child.  This system has really kept my shopping in check and also gives me an opportunity to focus on sewing only what we really need.    Still, I wish I could simplify it more as I feel we have excessive amounts of clothes but maybe that's just me thinking after a 6 load laundry day. 

But more than anything, I still can't believe how fast my babies are growing.  Nostalgia is sure to slow me down a bit as I pull out and put away clothes that my biggest of babies once wore.  My eyes tear up as I fold their old grubby T-shirts and to make it worse, I let this song run through my head from Charlotte's web.  So there you have it Mary, this post was especially for you.  Who knew clothes could make us think so hard, may we someday come to balance our practical, economical, stylish, and sentimental selves.

How very special are we
For just a moment to be
Part of life’s eternal rhyme
How very special are we
To have on our family tree
Mother Earth and Father Time
He turns the seasons around
And so she changes her gown
But they always look in their prime
They go on dancing their dance
Of every lasting romance
Mother Earth and Father Time
The summer larks return to sing
Oh what a gift they give
Then autumn days grow short and cold
Oh what a joy to live
How very special are we
For just a moment to be
Part of life’s eternal rhyme
How very special are we
To have on our family tree
Mother Earth and Father Time