Seven Days' Worth of Clothing

Online a month or two ago, I read an article touting the benefits of paring down one's clothes to seven days' worth.  The author contended that choosing her outfit, gazing at her closet, and laundry had grown easier since implementing this step.  I procrastinated for weeks, directing the dinner theater and preparing for Holy Week.  Then I procrastinated for days, just procrastinating.  Finally on Friday, I found another article online describing clothing needs for seven days - four short-sleeved shirts, three long-sleeved, three jeans, etc.  I adapted the list to my situation, wrote a short memo of how many different articles I needed and set to work.  After hauling all the clothes out on the floor, I started putting back only those items that fit well, looked good, gave comfort and didn't go over the limit.  I filled a bucket with sentimental, seasonal or "I might need these later" pieces, and piled up at least ten things to give away.  Now - voila!  The writer was right!  Gawking at my closet gives me the giggles; this morning I had no trouble deciding on what to wear to church, and hanging up clothes couldn't be easier with all the extra room.  I wish I had a "before" picture to post, but here's the "after" and this is a course I highly recommend.  Suffice it to say that if spring ever gets here, I will do the same with my spring and summer clothing!

Rearranging (Again)

One of the recurring tasks in this now-decreasing household is the rearrangement of our stuff to fit the existing space.  Joel moved to Mankato on Friday, thereby reducing the number of live-in children to the number of bedrooms upstairs.  So on Thursday night, the men tore down the bunk bed/storage combo and hauled it down to the office.  We moved clothes around and settled in to another new arrangement:  Daniel in the "solo" room, Andrew and Philip sharing the "duet" room, which is really two rooms in one, and Sarah in the same room she's had for years (with Michelle for a while) and redecorated last summer.  We'll find a double or queen bed for Daniel's room; he and/or Sarah will be bumped for guests, including our newlyweds.  Also, when Joel comes home he'll have a good twin mattress on the floor and possibly even a place to put his clothes - unlike David, who has had to sleep on the couch and keep his suitcase in the bathroom.

Andrew started making, with Pete's help, a new shoe shelf, much smaller and less bulky.   Our laundry system has changed also; we used to sort the clothes from the dryer into personalized laundry baskets, from which each person would fold his own clothes while we watched a movie or TV show.  Now, however, we're rarely all home at once, and I find it relaxing to fold the clothes myself while watching something.  I removed the laundry baskets from their shelves and replaced them with the blue plastic hole-y boxes that formerly contained the shoes.  The four boxes will be catch-alls, one for each remaining kid.

And so begins another chapter in the never-ending saga of reorganization as the seasons of family life change yet again.  :)