Getting back on track with the old blogeroo

As some of you may have noticed (well, probably only Mimi, and maybe Cat), I've been a bit inconsistent in my blogging of late. I think I was getting to the point where I was just blogging for the sake of blogging, something most busy moms just don't have time for. Lately, however, I've been appreciating how useful blogs are for sharing, connecting, getting to know someone's thoughts that they might not share elsewhere. Because lets face it--blogging is talking about yourself/myself. When else do we have an unlimited amount of time/space to talk about whatever's in our minds? Dan's eyes would roll back into his head permanently if I tried to do that to him (which is probably why he rarely reads my blog....)

Anyway.

On the agenda for the rest of the week is the Great Clothing/Shoes Swap of 2006, part 2. For most parents who have more than one child of the same sex and/or friends with older kids, and who don't have an unlimited clothing budget, hand-me-downs are a fact of life. We are blessed to get PILES of clothes from a co-worker of Dan's every month, perfect condition Gap and Old Navy outfits that are only a couple years old, boy and girl, enough for about 5 kids. As well as clothes from my mom, and her neighbor, and a few other people. And of course we keep everything that Shiloh grows out of for Mariah, and then for Esther. Because things get ripped or stained or are the wrong season whatever.

HOWEVER, swapping them out every time we need to move up a size is right up there with getting my toenails slowly ripped out, one by one. Unloading the entire storage area to get to the boxes I need, sorting clothes into piles of "outgrown Shiloh", "new Mariah", "outgrown Mariah", "new Esther", "Goodwill", "wash, then Goodwill", "next summer-Mariah", "next summer-Esther", and on. And then the kids come and get into one of the piles the second I walk away to get the phone or whatever. And Dan's less-than-thrilled disposition when he comes home to the aforementioned piles (I won't list them again). Seriously, my house looks like the Goodwill kids section threw up in it for about a week every time I do the Swap.

So this week I have a plan that will hopefully minimize the kid clothes barf...we'll see if it helps. For perspective/sympathy, I've posted the closet in the girls' room, just so you all can see what three girls sharing a closet in a small house looks like on a good day.

And with that, I'm off. :)