The Great Clothes Change-Over

Gone are the days of Spring. I remember them as part of my childhood, the not quite cold, not quite warm days that had a little bit of wind and required a light jacket. On some days, you could go outside and try to fly a kite or do some other spring activity. The whole point was to enjoy the weather until it got to hot to move about.

Now, Spring is like a blip on the radar. When the daffodils pop up, it is still considered winter weather and then all of a sudden, it gets hot. When the temperature goes from 30 to 80 in four days, (-2 to 28c) the foliage reacts, like "oh crap, I must catch up"  and before you know it, your car, and everything else is covered in a light green haze. It's like zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds. 

And when the weather gets hot, the clothes that were in your kids' drawers are now too warm for the season. Each season I empty and restock their dressers and leave only the clothes that are weather appropriate, because fighting with a child because they want to wear shorts in February is one fight I choose not to have. I call this process "The Great Clothes Change-Over", because packing, sorting and purging clothes for five kids is an immense task. So, the weather abruptly changes, I have to go into the basement and get the bins containing the appropriate clothes. 

The boys are easier, because they are easy; Shorts? Shirts? Check, check.  I have a system for giving away what is  too small and move on with the day. Although #1 will has severe sensory issues and refuses to wear short sleeve shirts even on the hottest days. He will wear shorts if I take out every pair of pants out of the drawer.

With the girls, sentimentality comes into play for two reasons: they are the babies, my last ones, my girls, and they are girls. We all know that when we go shopping for children's clothes, the girl's section is three times the size of the boys. Girls have all the cutesy dresses, matching leggings, coordinating head bands and socks. Dressing a girl can be a big to-do. Many of these designers keep in mind that mommies are the big buyers who now can live their childhood fantasies of dressing their own children. Don't let your five-year-old self down by throwing sweats on your girls.

Girls clothes are also more ambiguous. The sizes run differently from each manufacturer, which in boys clothes, isn't that big of a deal, but with girls clothes it matters. My girls are a bit girthy, which means that they aren't jeans, snap, button or zipper material. I'm not willing to send them to the treadmill yet, they're just built like their mom; brick-house style. (I just had an image of a hearty Korean dancing) The clothing is more flexible in some ways. You can get several seasons out of knit dresses if you buy them a size bigger than they are now. As they grow the dresses get shorter and eventually can be worn as a shirt.  Leggings can be still worn as capri leggings as they grow. So, in some ways, you are getting a bit more for your money because they get more wear out of them.

When sorting through the girls clothes, instead of being able to read a label and make a decision, "keep or toss" you have to view it differently which slows down the entire process. Not many kids are willing to stand there while you try clothing on them without bribery or a mutiny. Though, with two, I could make it into a runway show and call it "Baltimore's Top Toddler". Work that hallway, baby. On second thought, just imagining changing two children countless times is enough to make the vodka bottle vibrate, so, no. 

I guess now, I have to get into my meditative stance and imagine myself completing the process so I can get the bins ready and get to work. I may have to call a friend to help me through the process. 

 Well, at least the one piece of clothing I don't have to worry about during the hot weather is socks. Just knowing I don't have to wash and sort socks for the next three or four months makes the rest of it bearable. Wait, do you hear the Bailey's vibrating? Must go check it out.