I am so proud of myself for another solution I recently brainstormed. I tackled the sock basket.
Let me explain that we have a round laundry basket that sits on the floor of the master bedroom, and holds socks. The socks are not paired or folded, but they are clean. I tend to prefer folding laundry on my bed, but I tend to just toss the socks into the basket. I always plan to take the time to fold up all the socks and put them away......later.
That basket has been sitting full for well over a year.
It dawned on me the other day, that some of the socks in that basket are probably too small for any of our children to wear anymore. Considering how quickly Jersey #5 has grown, he is nearly in the same size socks as Jersey #4, and they do not trail their older siblings by far.
As kids get older, sock sizes become more broad, so many of our kids will be in the same size at the same time. In some ways, that really should make our sock situation simpler. At first, I thought maybe I should just buy all the same kind of sock for all of the kids to share. Then, I realized that would not go over very well, because each of the older children has a preference for the type of sock they like to wear. No matter how big the sock basket becomes, they tend to search for specific socks.
And, that is when the sock brainstorm hit me! I decided to purchase a couple packs of socks for each person in our family, choosing specific socks to match their style, making sure each was different enough to identify easily. This way, as we are folding laundry, we can toss the socks onto the pile of the person who they belong to, and there will be no question of whose socks are whose. The Referee, and our children have no problems identifying Mommy's socks and Daddy's socks. So, I just need a sock style for each child, and we can all identify all of the socks. There will be no need to keep a sock basket anymore. The kids are old enough to wear out their socks before they outgrow them, eliminating much of the hand-me-down clutter as well.
I am so proud of myself for this simple organization, that I am almost giddy with excitement!
To stick within our budgeting goals, I decided that new socks will be the primary gift in the Easter baskets this year (along with candy, of course). So, I will officially eliminate the sock basket and all its contents next month.
I went online to shop and compare sock styles and prices. I discovered that I can order socks for myself, The Referee, Jersey #1, and Jersey #3 from Hanes. That will make it easy to keep an eye out for sales, discounts, and free shipping. I like Bobby socks or thin crew socks. The Referee likes crew socks, with extra padding on the bottom of the foot. Jersey #1 likes thin ankle socks (she really prefers no socks at all, but I make her wear them to avoid blisters, so the thinnest, shortest socks are the best compromise). Jersey #3 likes crew socks. He really prefers the quickest easiest sock he can locate, and will even wear his sisters' socks if they are on top of the basket. (This has lead to one of the reasons as to why I am not just buying everyone the same sock.....because Jersey #3 stains and dirties his socks and his sisters do not want to wear any socks that he has previously worn, even when washed).
I suspect that I will be able to buy the boys the same socks in the future, unless one develops a strong preference. For my toddlers, I really like those turn cuff socks that have the non-skid rubber grippers at the bottom. Different stores sell them, but I tend to buy from Old Navy because they go all the way up to size 5T, along with a larger assortment of colors. I bought a boy color assortment for Jersey #5, and a girl color assortment for Jersey #4. These were the style of sock that I used for all of the kids when they were younger. My sock basket problem didn't actually begin until the kids started growing out of the 5T non-skid sock size, and my sock buying became more random.
Jersey #2 is in a league of her own. This is true for many things, not just socks. I actually have to get her socks from a completely different place than the 2 stores mentioned already, because neither sells the style of sock she likes. Jersey #2 loves bright, flashy, colorful socks with a variety of patterns, ribbons, and beads. She does not care if her socks match. She likes the crew length sock, but she pulls it taut up her leg to the point where it almost resembles a tube or knee-length sock. She truly has her own style! When I asked her what kind of sock she liked best, she pointed to the pair she was wearing that had the ribbon sewn around the upper rim. Hmm, well, since those are hand-made, I am going to have to do a little hunting for her socks. I found a few sites online that had plenty of designs that will fit her style. There are even sites where I can buy a pack of 3 single socks that do not match! I am going to ask around amongst the talented folks I know to see who makes the bobby socks trimmed with lace or beads. I know my sisters have dabbled in those before, and I am sure that someone in our homeschool group probably makes them. I'll pick her up a few crazy print socks from one of the online stores too. Oh the adventures this child takes me on...
My goal is to streamline as much of our daily life as I possibly can to help our household run smoothly and efficiently, and leave more time for play. I am hoping that the elimination of the sock basket is a small step toward great efficiency in my future.
Let me explain that we have a round laundry basket that sits on the floor of the master bedroom, and holds socks. The socks are not paired or folded, but they are clean. I tend to prefer folding laundry on my bed, but I tend to just toss the socks into the basket. I always plan to take the time to fold up all the socks and put them away......later.
That basket has been sitting full for well over a year.
It dawned on me the other day, that some of the socks in that basket are probably too small for any of our children to wear anymore. Considering how quickly Jersey #5 has grown, he is nearly in the same size socks as Jersey #4, and they do not trail their older siblings by far.
As kids get older, sock sizes become more broad, so many of our kids will be in the same size at the same time. In some ways, that really should make our sock situation simpler. At first, I thought maybe I should just buy all the same kind of sock for all of the kids to share. Then, I realized that would not go over very well, because each of the older children has a preference for the type of sock they like to wear. No matter how big the sock basket becomes, they tend to search for specific socks.
And, that is when the sock brainstorm hit me! I decided to purchase a couple packs of socks for each person in our family, choosing specific socks to match their style, making sure each was different enough to identify easily. This way, as we are folding laundry, we can toss the socks onto the pile of the person who they belong to, and there will be no question of whose socks are whose. The Referee, and our children have no problems identifying Mommy's socks and Daddy's socks. So, I just need a sock style for each child, and we can all identify all of the socks. There will be no need to keep a sock basket anymore. The kids are old enough to wear out their socks before they outgrow them, eliminating much of the hand-me-down clutter as well.
I am so proud of myself for this simple organization, that I am almost giddy with excitement!
To stick within our budgeting goals, I decided that new socks will be the primary gift in the Easter baskets this year (along with candy, of course). So, I will officially eliminate the sock basket and all its contents next month.
I went online to shop and compare sock styles and prices. I discovered that I can order socks for myself, The Referee, Jersey #1, and Jersey #3 from Hanes. That will make it easy to keep an eye out for sales, discounts, and free shipping. I like Bobby socks or thin crew socks. The Referee likes crew socks, with extra padding on the bottom of the foot. Jersey #1 likes thin ankle socks (she really prefers no socks at all, but I make her wear them to avoid blisters, so the thinnest, shortest socks are the best compromise). Jersey #3 likes crew socks. He really prefers the quickest easiest sock he can locate, and will even wear his sisters' socks if they are on top of the basket. (This has lead to one of the reasons as to why I am not just buying everyone the same sock.....because Jersey #3 stains and dirties his socks and his sisters do not want to wear any socks that he has previously worn, even when washed).
I suspect that I will be able to buy the boys the same socks in the future, unless one develops a strong preference. For my toddlers, I really like those turn cuff socks that have the non-skid rubber grippers at the bottom. Different stores sell them, but I tend to buy from Old Navy because they go all the way up to size 5T, along with a larger assortment of colors. I bought a boy color assortment for Jersey #5, and a girl color assortment for Jersey #4. These were the style of sock that I used for all of the kids when they were younger. My sock basket problem didn't actually begin until the kids started growing out of the 5T non-skid sock size, and my sock buying became more random.
Jersey #2 is in a league of her own. This is true for many things, not just socks. I actually have to get her socks from a completely different place than the 2 stores mentioned already, because neither sells the style of sock she likes. Jersey #2 loves bright, flashy, colorful socks with a variety of patterns, ribbons, and beads. She does not care if her socks match. She likes the crew length sock, but she pulls it taut up her leg to the point where it almost resembles a tube or knee-length sock. She truly has her own style! When I asked her what kind of sock she liked best, she pointed to the pair she was wearing that had the ribbon sewn around the upper rim. Hmm, well, since those are hand-made, I am going to have to do a little hunting for her socks. I found a few sites online that had plenty of designs that will fit her style. There are even sites where I can buy a pack of 3 single socks that do not match! I am going to ask around amongst the talented folks I know to see who makes the bobby socks trimmed with lace or beads. I know my sisters have dabbled in those before, and I am sure that someone in our homeschool group probably makes them. I'll pick her up a few crazy print socks from one of the online stores too. Oh the adventures this child takes me on...
My goal is to streamline as much of our daily life as I possibly can to help our household run smoothly and efficiently, and leave more time for play. I am hoping that the elimination of the sock basket is a small step toward great efficiency in my future.
No comments:
Post a Comment