Today’s Large Family Organization tip comes from Erin, mom of soon-to-be 5 and Stacey, mom of 7. Erin blogs at Filling Quiver.
The reason I combined both these tips is because they were so similar, I thought they nicely complemented each other.
First, Erin:
I have all boys and one thing that helps streamline our laundry time is to buy all the same brand of socks (same color, same markings etc) but in the respective sizes for the kids.
Sock matching time then is just matching sizes (although sometimes daddy gets a little boy sock in with his mix). It makes it much easier for little hands to help match socks. They can lay one on top of the other and see if they “fit” together. My 2 year old helps match socks and loves that he can be helpful!
and Stacey:
I buy 6 bags of unisex white socks for all the children to share and I put them in a plastic bin near their shoes near the door.
No time matching they just go from the washer into the bin.
Every six months or so I throw all of the old ones away and buy six more bags that way they always match and there is never an old sox with a new one.
I have 4 pairs of black dress socks the same kind that I put in a box with their church shoes that we get down on Sunday.
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Now, it’s your turn! Your link doesn’t have to be about socks! And you don’t even need to have a large family!
Heather says
We keep all of our socks by the door too, it saves time with everyone running to find them and getting distracted by toys or whatever else they run into on the way. While we don’t have all the same socks, everyone does share. No fights, the boys feet are so close to the same size it doesn’t matter, and the twins feet are the same size, so it works well. They each have a drawer in the shoe room with their socks and it’s sooo simple! –matching on the other hand is frustrating, but I try to do it once a week to refill their drawers…
Natasha says
I was wanting to link up, but I think I must be losing my mind. I can’t seem to find your linky tool. What am I missing?
Amy says
ACK! Just realized I still had it set for in the morning! It’s up now! 🙂
Tina @ A Gentle Mother says
Amy,
The code for the LFO Button is not working for me. I am copying and pasting it but it does not come up???
Amy says
Try it now…that code is so fickle because when you copy and paste the quotes turn around. 🙁
Valerie says
Socks! My laundry nemesis! Ugh. Thanks for the ideas!! I’m so fed up with mine, I’m about ready to pitch every sock my kids own (good and bad!) and throw them in the trash and just start over from square one so I know they all match! Has anyone ever used something like this (http://www.sockmatchers.com/) that keeps the socks together for you? Would it be worth the logistical nightmare of training the kids(five boys, ages 8, 7, 5, 4, and 2…I handle the 2 yr old’s socks still) to use something of this nature?
Ginger says
I’ve done that (throw them all away and start over). I didn’t regret it. 😀
Desiree says
Is there any way I can edit my link? When it said “name,” I thought it meant me – now I see that it should have been the name of the post. Live and learn…:-P
Amy says
Yes, I can do that! 🙂
Desiree H says
Thanks! 🙂
Kouichirou says
No tips, but you reminded me of a funny (well kinda but not rellay) story. When my dad was a baby he was the same way, so my grandma apparently used rubberbands tied around his ankles to hold his socks on. They were so tight and were on so long that his circulation was cut-off and he was at risk for loosing both of his feet! So you might not want to do that. ;)Maybe if you just let your LO realize how cold he’s going to get he’ll eventually leave at least his socks on?
lisa says
If you have different size socks you can still do this. Take a sharpie and put 1 dot on the sock of the oldest 2 dots for the next child and so on. When the socks get passed down you just add a dot and you know which child it belongs to.
We live in flip flops so our socks tend to last a while.
Hannah says
That’s similar to what my mom did when I was growing up. We each had a different first initial (she did that on purpose) so she would take a permanent marker and put our initial on the sole of each of our socks. Although, one time, she let my younger sister do it and she wrote the initial wherever she felt like. It was a little embarrassing when my older sister came up to me in church to tell me that I had a big black “H” on the back of my leg.
Anita says
I’m with Stacey. I buy all white socks same brand, different sizes and keep them by the shoes at the front door! It’s taken me a while to get here, but finally we have socks when and where we need them!
Ginger says
I buy each of the kids a different style of white sock, so it’s immediately obvious whose socks are whose. I used to buy them all the same and it drove me nuts!
I, too, buy new socks about once or twice a year.
Christy Keller says
I do this too. Everyone has a different thread mark or gray spot on their sock. So much easier for each kiddo to grab their own socks. And they usually don’t last long enough to make it to the next child in line.
Wendy Gunn says
Great sock ideas! There’s nothing more to add:) These are methods that really work well. Thanks!
Wendy
(If you’re beginning to think about Christmas, or even well on your way, check out my new series on having a Calm Heart, Organized Christmas! and let me know if you have specific areas you want me to talk about.)
Sarah says
I hate socks to!! Thanks for the tips.
This is a site I found recently and love. Lots of good ideas! My favorite is the school work organization.
http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/11/school-paperwork-storage.html
Nikki says
I suppose it’s because there are only 4 in our family and 1 is a baby, but I actually find matching and folding socks somewhat relaxing and therapeutic. Perhaps is the organizer in me….
Naomi says
What worked well in our family was safety pins–when we took our socks off at night, we pinned them together. No more spending lots of time matching. 🙂 Since there were 4 boys, Mom took embroidery thread and made a knot in the toe of the dress socks, a different color for every boy, she always knew whos was whos. 🙂