Taming the Clothes Monster

We added a a beautiful baby girl to our family last May. My two oldest girls are 9 and 7 and my boys are 6 and 4.

After my first beautiful baby, I packed up all those precious clothes in banker’s boxes and put them away in the basement. It wasn’t long before I was dragging them out again. And packing them away again.

Then God blessed us with a son, and most of the clothes that I had packed away after baby two weren’t appropriate. (I couldn’t bring myself to dress him in anything with pink or flowers, even if no one else would see it!)

So suddenly I had a new baby wardrobe to pack away. My pile of boxes was quickly growing. I now had boxes for girls in sizes newborn to five, and boxes for boys in sizes newborn to 2. In addition, I also had a few unsorted boxes of clothes for both sexes that were too big, but I didn’t know what to do with them. I couldn’t figure out best how to sort and store the clothes that were soon going to be used. I had also noticed that some of the girl clothes that had been stored for a long time were stained and the elastics were crunchy.

Something was not right here.

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Were these clothes “treasure” that I was storing up?

What about being a good Proverbs 31 wife? She made sure her family was clothed.

I didn’t know if there would be more babies. I had a rather tight clothing budget.

I couldn’t just give up all those clothes, I might need them. But honestly, they were consuming my time, my thoughts and my basement.

My good friend D mentionned, as I shared my woes, that we didn’t have any baby clothes or baby furniture in storage before baby #1 had arrived and we had managed just fine.

I ruminated over her advice and than began culling clothes. I tried to keep only those I loved seeing on my children. Even with that criteria I still had a good amount of clothes to store and I was having trouble sorting them all. The manufacturer’s sizing seemed useless. Something labelled a size six would not fit my four year old, but something else labelled a size six might fit my seven year old. So I designed a personal sizing sytem.

My Sizing System

Basically, all my clothes are measured with a flexible measuring tape, checked against a Children Clothing Size Guide that I created and then the new size is written on the tag with a permanent laundry marker. So now all the clothes within a certain measurement range are marked and stored together. This eliminates the confusion of varied sizing systems.

It took me about a three weeks to touch every single piece of clothing in my home, but I am so glad I did it. Not only did three garbage bags of clothes get culled, but the remaining ones have been so easy to sort and store.

Once labelled with a new size, clothes are stored in roughnecks. One size per roughneck, half girls, half boys. I keep mainly church clothes, as play clothes are easier to buy at the Good Will.

The new marking system has also made it easier for my husband and children to sort the existing clothes. Each one knows that anything marked 5 belongs to my youngest boy, 6 to the next , etc. No more adding X’s or dots to the tags. Having every piece of clothing marked with a consistent sizing system makes dealing with clothing so much easier. If I find a piece of clothing on the floor, or in a box, it’s simple to determine where it should be or who could wear it. My DH and kids can now sort and put away laundry easily, taking some of the load off of me.

When it seems like someone is running out of clothes, we pack up the existing size and unpack the newest.

Incoming unmarked clothes are put in a bin in the laundry room and sorted once a week. For each piece I spend 10 seconds with a measuring tape, my chart and a marker and then the item can be added into the rest of the clothes. Clothes that are too small are put in another special bin in the laundry room and either packed away in the appropriate roughneck or passed on.

Now, if I can just figure out what to do with the half-full laundry basket of unmatched socks I have…

Please feel free to share any of your laundry taming tips!

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There are seven people in my family. That adds up to a lot of clothes. Throw in towels, diapers, sheets, kitchen cloths, and a few extras and that adds up to a lot of laundry. A mountain of it in fact!

SO here’s a few ideas I’ve used along the way to help lessen the load…

Limit the amount of laundry. For us, this has meant lessening the amount of clothes, towels and sheets.

Two sets of sheets per bed. This might even be too much, but with some still in diapers, I need the extras. One set is on the bed, the second set is in the bedroom closet.

One week worth of kitchen cloths and towels (seven of each). If I need more, I need to do more wash. I also have seven hand towels for the bathroom.

One bath sheet, one bath towel, and one swimming towel per person. These are stored on towel racks in their bedrooms. Swimming towels are stored in the laundry room area. I actually have my towels colour coded. It makes it easy to know who’s leaving wet towels lying around.

We also limit the number of clothes each person owns. The following is my clothing list. This is what I aim for. Most of the children do not have everything, and I ruthlessly try to weed out the extras. We live in a extreme climate, so we really do have two sets of seasonal clothes. (More about how to deal with clothing storage tomorrow.)

Children Clothing Size Guide.

Play Clothes

5 t-shirts, 5 long sleeved t-shirts, 3 sweatshirts, 3 pants for girls or 5 for boys (min:1 pair jeans), 3 long shorts, 1 pair sweats, 1 pair long johns, 5 dresses or jumpers and 5 tights or leggings (girls only), 4 pj’s, 1 housecoat, 10 underwear, 10 socks, 5 pair knee length shorts, 1 bathing suit

Good Clothes

4 complete outfits for summer and 4 for winter, 1 good sweater

Outdoor Clothes

1 light jacket, 1 winter jacket, 1 rain coat, 1 pair splash pants, 1 hat, 2 pair mitts and 1 scarf, 1 wide brim summer hat

Footwear

summer sandals, winter good shoes, running shoes, rubber boots, winter boots, slippers

Other Laundry Ideas:

My husband cut a hole in the floor of our ensuite which is right over the laundry area. Now it is easy to get clothes down to the laundry room. If we did not have this, I would give each person their own laundry hamper and it would be their responsibility to take their clothes down every night.

Down in the laundry room I have three baskets for sorting dirty clothes – lights, darks and others. This is a quick initial sort. When it’s time to do a load, I pick out a more specific load (like all the whites, or all the reds, or all the denims) and put it in the washing machine. Everything except sheets and towels is washed in cold water wash - it saves quite a bit on my natural gas bill.

Dried clothes are folded in the laundry area and sorted into personal dishpans – one per person. Each child is to fetch their clean laundry before breakfast and after supper and put it away. (My children start this, with help, at about 2.)

I try to put through four loads a day. (we call it a 4×4 – an idea we got from Kim at the now defunct Large Family Logistics, but you can visit her new blog)

Truth be told, I never feel like I’m totally on top of laundry, but we generally have clean clothes and towels, and really that’s all I can ask for!

This is a continuation from yesterday, reprinted from an article I wrote for the Manitoba Association of Christian Homeschools

We read. We read two or three hours a day. This is the highlight of our day and the heart of my children’s education. I generally choose books that I personally would love to read. Our core book, of course, is the Bible. We love reading it as history, as poetry, and as an instruction manual. We have found great joy in memorizing scripture together as a family and as individuals. My husband and I did not grow up in Christian homes, but we have had the joy and privilege of reliving our childhood years with our children. We are all building a “firm foundation” together.

Our reading then goes on to include fiction and non-fiction, Christian and secular, historic and scientific, biographical and fantastical. My favourites are historical and biographical, and my children appear to be following in my footsteps. We simultaneously read Pilgrim’s Progress and a biography of John Bunyun. It was wonderful. We have read through the history of the world in a four-year rotation. We are about to begin a new rotation and I look forward to reading about ancient times with my boys who are too young to remember our first time through.

In addition, my children read to themselves. My oldest sets her alarm in the morning so that she can get up and have enough time to read. My youngest are desperate to learn to read on their own. We use a phonics-based program and go slowly, a letter or two every day. I love to see the wonder on their faces as they discover a new sound, a new blend and suddenly a new word. I caught my six year old, just today, sounding out words in his bible so he could have his quiet time on his own, like his older siblings.

Math is taught informally as well, through everyday cooking, counting, measuring, and lots and lots of games. My nine year, who has not really had any “formal” math, picked up Saxon 54 this year and starting working her way through it on her own. Occasionally she needs some clarification, but she’s doing wonderfully. I am encouraged by this.

Writing is also very laid back. My youngest sit at the table and learn the shapes of the letters. Then they start writing small words and quickly progress from there. My oldest children write – letters, journals, stories, poetry, songs, newsletters and more. None of this is assigned by me. I tell them they should write something everyday. I do, so they do. Sometimes we correct these; mostly when the item in question will have an outside audience. If the item was personal, just for the child, then it does not require correction unless the child requests it. Correction provides an opportunity for teaching grammar. This is a wonderful time to introduce simple rules about spelling and punctuating. We have several reference books that we use constantly. The dictionary has a permanent place on our table and gets used daily by my husband and me. My children are learning to use it by watching us use it.

What about other subjects? Everything else falls under that reading time. We often pause in our reading to discuss things. Sometimes we try something that we discover in a book. The Little House books have proved helpful here – we’ve made butter and candles. I would love to try soap this summer and maybe cheese. We’ve tried science experiments. We love arts and crafts. We listen to classical music, biographical CD’s, Mrs. G’s Bible Stories, and sermons by various preachers around the world. We also spend time working on our fixer-upper home. My children are learning steel frame construction, electrical wiring, drywall mudding, tongue and groove panelling, painting, nailing, and power tool safety, to name a few. We are seven people living in half of our house right now. We’re learning patience, submission and helpfulness. We recently had a baby. My children are learning hands-on childcare. I doubt they will need a babysitting course when the time comes. As a family, we are learning piano and guitar. It’s been challenging but fun.

I haven’t mentioned our hymn sings, our family musicals and plays, our service projects, our fellowshipping, our attempts at a healthy lifestyle, our recording adventures, our long list of projects and adventures (some failures, some successes)! Not that we do these things as regularly as I would like, but we are always ready to try something new. I pray, try to keep my heart and schedule open, and God answers. It’s always an adventure.

As my children age, I realize that I will need to become more formal. My oldest is almost ready for that. She’s growing up and demanding more from her education. Both she and I will need to become more organized, but I look forward to it, and she does too. We’ll do it together and that’s what excites me most.

The other day my little guy asked me, “Are we doing school today?”

“No.” I replied. “We’re doing life.”

And I love it!

12:53 PM - Feb. 14, 2006

This is a reprint from an article I wrote for the Manitoba Association of Christian Homeschools

“I hate doing school!”

It was not one of my children that uttered this complaint. It was me.

I feel a definite call to homeschool my children. I know this is the greatest thing God has ever called me to. I love being with them. I love learning. But I hate “doing school”.

“So don’t do it,” my wise husband answered. “Ask God what you should be doing instead.”

And so I did. And things have never been the same.

While I want my children to be well educated, I don’t really want to be spending time in textbooks. I want to be living life. In the beginning of my educating journey, I spent lots of time trying to find a curriculum that would work for my children and me. Nothing seemed to help. I hated “doing school”.

Then, through God’s grace, I stumbled across the idea of informal education in the early years. Aha! This seemed more like me. The idea is to create an environment rich in learning experiences on which our children will build as they mature. This is not unschooling. The definition of unschooling, as I understand it, is child-led education. My children do not lead the education in our home. I do. I just don’t do it like a classroom.

We have not used textbooks in any formal way. There are no tests, quizzes, or workbooks in my home, but there is lots of learning going on. It’s learning that helps me love school.

My goal in the early years is to immerse my children in knowledge. This time, referred to in classical education as the grammar stage, is the time of discovery. That’s what we are doing together – we are discovering the world.

So, you might ask, what do we do?…

I’ll post part 2 tomorrow.

I have long looked for a book to read with my girls about becoming a woman of character, and yet everything I found was too old for where we were at.

I know that Dear Princess by Mary Landis came highly recommended, but I shied away from it. We are fairly conservative, but not Conservative Mennonite and wondered about how useful it would be for us. Finally, last year I broke down and bought the book at our homeschool conference.

Read the rest of this entry »

My littlest is sick - a high fever that keeps lingering.This morning I was awake before the sun to try and spoon some more medicine into her reluctant little lips, and to sponge her off in a cooling bath.

She finally drifted off to sleep and as all the others were still asleep I took some time to go through my scripture memory box.

I became convicted about memorizing scripture about three years ago.

In the beginning it was mostly for my children and we started with some books from Scripture Memory Fellowship. I ordered from their newsletter catalogue, because I found it had more freedom for choosing rewards. My children love this program and work diligently at it. We have made it one of the first things we do “for school” everyday.

A couple of months ago I came across this amazing way to keep track of and review all the scripture they had memorized. Scripture Memory System from Simply Charlotte Mason

Now they memorize God’s word and do thier copywork at the same time.

This has all been wonderful and I have enjoyed learning these bits of scripture, but niggling at the back of my mind was the idea that it wasn’t enough. They were indeed just bits and pieces.

So I went to the place savvy individuals go when they need help - the internet.

I stumbled across an article by Dr. Andrew M. Davis entitled An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture and began an amazing journey.

I have been able to memorize the entire book of Philippians and am now working on James. It is slow going (two books in over two years) but I am trying to be consistent.

I cannot begin to describe the blessings that have resulted from hiding these scriptures in my heart. I feel, not only that I know God’s Word, but that I am beginning to know God.

My children, seeing me accomplish this great feat, have been spurred on to work harder on their own books, so that they can graduate to the “bigger ones.” This, in turn, spurs me on.

This morning I thought I was just getting up to be with my fevery daughter but God is so generous. I got to be with Him too.

Psalm 119: 9-16

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Today was cleaning day.

Since the birth of my fifth blessing, I’ve had trouble get on top of things in my house. Nine months of a difficult pregnancy followed by a busy summer and an even busier fall, and things in my home just feel unbearable.

Last week a dear friend told me God was impressing the need on her to look after my children for an entire day - so I could focus on the house. I swallowed my pride and shame and dropped the children off early this morning.

Then a second dear friend offered to come and help me all day. I swallowed even more pride and shame and she arrived mid-morning. This dear sweet friend of mine went through my “stuff” loosely organzing it into piles on my dining room table. Then I sorted through the piles, filing, storing, and chucking.

We did the dining room and living room, which also serve as the pantry, computer room, school room, library, entertainment area, office, toy room and cloakroom.

It was a big job. A job I never would have gotten done on my own.

It was tough to accept help. I’m not sure why. We all need help.

I’m glad I had friends who offered. I’m glad I had the courage to accept.

ECCLESIASTES - CHAPTER 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.