In all honesty, I can only recommend that you proceed with today's WFMW tip at your own peril. If your husband is anything like mine (hyper-logical to a degree that is both endearing and maddening), he may be shaken to his very core.
The idea is simple. Our bedrooms are all upstairs. But I keep all the kids' socks downstairs, in a drawer in the living room.
Too many times, we were ready to dash out the door, when the whole getting-ready process screeched to a HALT as my little creatures realized they needed to put on socks first. And so they meandered upstairs, pausing to flush the toilet, rearrange the Lego box, unmake their bed, hang their dirty underwear on a lamp, etcetera, etcetera.
Actually, I have no idea what they were doing up there. I just know that it took too long, and more often than not, they came back downstairs with a blank-eyed look and NO SOCKS.
So I moved the socks into a downstairs drawer, and it has carved a significant chunk of time off the getting-ready process.
But it has nearly driven my adorably logical husband into a mental institution. Socks are clothes, he reasons, and clothes should all be kept together--they just must!--it surely must be in the Bible somewhere! It seriously drives him nuts.
In fact, shortly before my Africa trip, when I was having one of my many emotional breakdowns about dying in a fireball over the Atlantic, I tearfully asked Hubs, "What would you do--WHAT WOULD YOU DO?--if I die and force you to raise our children alone?" He did not miss a beat. "I would move the socks upstairs," he said.
See? At your own peril, my friends.
We have formed a tentative peace on this, based largely on the fact that I--not he--is responsible for the adorning of our children's feet seven minutes before the school bell rings.
But I'm watching my back.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
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Sorry about the blank post, my finger slipper :) It's really, really late.
Posted by: Jill | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:47 PM
oops, i forgot to list what my wfmw was about, can you delete the first link?
Posted by: Briggie | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Great tip! I must say I love living in a ranch home because of the ease of accessing things like socks! :-)
Posted by: Amber | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:52 PM
This cracks me up, Shannon. I actually really like your sock location idea. Thankfully, our house is all one level and it doesn't take long to get socks out of Snuggle Bug's room.
Posted by: Overwhelmed With Joy! | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Even if I don't end up doing it, I'll remember the idea - very well written post! LOL!
We don't keep all the socks downstairs (yet), but the kids and I all have a few pairs lurking in the cubbies with the shoes and dustbunnies.
Posted by: jen | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Having married an engineer (in vocation as well as personality) I can all too well relate!
Our socks are in a bin next to the dryer... And it drives my husband crazy too!
Posted by: LeeAnn (AKA FrazzMom) | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:55 PM
What a terrific idea! We have a serious sock problem in our house. The same thing happens. Children disappear and when they reappear-- no socks! I'm going to run this by my hubby and see what he thinks.
Thanks!
Posted by: Nikki | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:01 PM
Such a funny post! If I ever find my kiddos with a dazed look and no socks I'll remember this idea!!
Posted by: Joy | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:02 PM
THANK YOU!! I have been talking about moving all kids socks to some of those plastic drawers you can buy in the container aisle at WalMart. I would put it right next to my dryer and just sort and toss right as I get them out. I would label the drawers "small", "medium", and "large". When I mentioned this, though, my kids FREAKED OUT! I guess they are the hyper-logical types, too. But, alas, Shannon, you have given my the courage to go for it!
Posted by: Smockity Frocks | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Hilarious!!!! My hubby gets irritated when he can never find shoes and socks for my 2 year old. I keep ALL of them in the van! She NEVER keeps them on. It was always as we were running out the door that I noticed that she was barefoot. The cute little socks and shoes that I had put on her feet moments before were scattered throughout the house.
I don't even put them on her in the van, because after we get where we're going I would just have to look for them again. (They NEVER land in the same place!) I just let her go barefoot until the moment I take her out of the van!
Posted by: The (Almost) Amazing Mommarino | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:11 PM
This is GENIUS! If only I had a drawer near the door. I must rearrange the furniture.
Posted by: Mary ~ 4boys4me | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:18 PM
I keep all the socks in one big clothes basket in my downstairs bedroom. Because you are right if the kiddos go upstairs, they forget on the way up what they are going for!
Thanks for making me feel part of the club as Chad always says, "that is crazy!"
Jenny
Posted by: Jenny | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:30 PM
I'm torn about this. As a mother like you, with practical responsibilities like GETTING OUT THE DOOR with many little people, I think this is absolutely brilliant. As a person naturally inclined to value logical order (though seldom seen in our house), this drives me crazy! Fingernails-on-a- chalkboard crazy! What's a mom to do?
Posted by: Marian | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:33 PM
I love this tip! And what a great story ;o)
Posted by: Amy Jane | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:34 PM
Store it where you use it definitely works for me!!
Posted by: Laura | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:17 AM
Brilliant!! If we had 2 floors I'd surely do the same thing!
Posted by: CC | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:25 AM
We just moved to a 2-story house and I SO GET the socks in a downstairs drawer! Though we take an even shorter route--just skip the socks and go Hillbilly Style to Wal-Mart. Truly, I've surely lost 3 ounces of body weight climbing up and down the stairs getting socks.
Posted by: Stretch Mark Mama | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:27 AM
Great tip! Since you seem to be so sock savvy, can you tell me how to capture that monster that lives in my dryer and eats socks?
Posted by: Joy | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:42 AM
Oh I can so relate! My son often has that blank look about many things!
Posted by: Kim | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 04:10 AM
I think this is a great idea, now I have to figure out where to store them!
Posted by: The Happy Housewife | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:21 AM
I have a friend who doesn't match socks for her family - including four kids. She just tosses them all into a small round laundry basket that gets kept in the front entry closet. I'm thinking that's the way to go - then the kids dig out their own! Granted, her kids are older now - the youngest is eight.
Posted by: Damsel | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:42 AM
@Joy - I figured out that lost socks turn into wire hangers on the floor of your closet! :-)
Posted by: Damsel | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:43 AM
We keep socks in a sock basket too. Also with our kids (we have 6), each child has their own style of socks... one kid has purple heels, one has pink, one with Nike swooshes, etc. That way no one is wearing someone else's socks.
Posted by: Corey | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:51 AM
This is funny. I have never lived in a two story house, but I can imagine that kids who wander upstairs would certainly be distracted!
Thanks for hosting this. It's been quite a while since I could think of anything that works for me! :-) Happy Wednesday!
TM
Posted by: orneryswife | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:53 AM
I often compare my oldest child to the mouse in the story: If you give a mouse a cookie. Because one thing leads to the next and the next and the next...until you walk upstairs expecting them to be putting on socks and you find them trying to give themselves a pedicure with OPI's I'm Not Really a Waitress Red. Good Times!
Posted by: Jackie | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 06:00 AM
OMG are our husbands twins separated at birth??? My DH is also oh too "logical". Your DH isn't an engineer by chance is he?? Mine is!!!
Love your WFMW idea!!
Posted by: [email protected] | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 06:37 AM
That's a fantastic idea! My hubby wouldn't care if I left a big pile of socks in the floor. I am the one in our home that is big on everything in its 'proper' place. But I think the living room is a great place for children's socks!
Posted by: Melissa Markam | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 06:46 AM
I love Works for Me Wednesdays! All the tips are great.
Thanks for doing this, Shannon!
Visit To Love, Honor and Vacuum today!
Posted by: Sheila | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 06:55 AM
TOO funny. You are brilliant!
Posted by: Jenni | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:09 AM
I had slight dyslexia at the end and read "my children's seven feet"...I tried for a few seconds to figure out why your children had an odd number of feet, like maybe one had had a terrible accident. I was relieved I had only read it wrong. :)
Posted by: Starr | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:35 AM
Oh, good, I thought my kids had invented that blank look.
Posted by: suburbancorrespondent | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:38 AM
THIS made me laugh. Our kids' socks are in those bins that hang up with the five openings....IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM DOWN STAIRS! My husband, the logical one, hates it.
My "logical" reasons were the same as yours. Also, it seemed like the baby was always sleeping when the child that shared the room wanted socks.
Plus, with it being in the laundry room I throw them in the bin right out of the dryer.
Posted by: caroline | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:45 AM
Makes perfect sense to me! My husband's socks are in the bottom righthand drawer of our computer desk. In OUR living room. :-D
Posted by: Melanie @ Notebook Learning | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:47 AM
That's a really great idea! But when I first read it, I thought you wrote that you were adorning your children's seven feet... and I was confused. Clearly, I've not been awake long enough yet to be blogging. :)
Posted by: Rebecca | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:56 AM
If I tried that, the socks would quickly be hanging from lamps in the living room.
Could I just keep the children in a drawer in the living room?
Posted by: Veronica Mitchell | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 07:59 AM
I LOVE this idea, it could very possible alter my like! Thanks.
Posted by: Kristen @ We are THAT family | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:13 AM
Hmm... great idea. I have some sock ideas myself. Maybe I'll save for another WFMW. We don't have children, but I can definitely see how this would really WORK. Thanks for hosting!
Posted by: Jenny V | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:16 AM
I do this too- and it helps so much. Each of my three kids have their own bin with their socks and shoes in it. They know that when they get home they have to put their shoes in their bin and since my girls are only 18 months apart having their own bin helps me keep their socks seperate (they're not the same size yet).
Posted by: Candace (Mama Mia) | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:40 AM
When daughter is getting ready for school in the morning, I lay out her uniform and grab a pair of socks from the drawer. I bring them down and stick them in her shoes. Keeping them downstairs is so smart!!
Posted by: Melanie | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:44 AM
I always find it so disapointing when my husband does not share in my enthusiasm over what I think is a great idea. But I've seen his idea of organization, and well, lets just say, it's not very organized.
Posted by: sue | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:44 AM
When daughter is getting ready for school in the morning, I lay out her uniform and grab a pair of socks from the drawer. I bring them down and stick them in her shoes. Keeping them downstairs is so smart!!
Posted by: Melanie | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:45 AM
I meant to leave a comment but left a blank connection. Sorry. This is hilarious. My husband has said many times that the first thing he would do after my funeral is call for a dumpster. My next-door neighbor has promised she would dig out my treasures though.
Posted by: tonya | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:58 AM
We keep socks in the laundry baskets in the basement. Each child has his/her own basket. They often run down in the morning to get a pair of socks. They are welcome to take their socks to their rooms and keep them there, but somehow, they rarely do.
I wonder if it would help to keep socks in the "shoe room" which is what we call our mud room because we have racks on the wall in there for shoe storage.
Since we got our second dog, we have had huge issues with missing socks. My husband used to say that the missing socks went to "underwear hell", but I think they might be buried in the backyard between rawhides these days. I have to admit, I was hoping your post would help me with this issue, but I guess the answer would be to sell the dog. Don't tempt me!!
Posted by: ruth | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:58 AM
Since we keep our shoes off in the house, we store our toddlers socks by the door. It works like a charm! Now I'm ready to move my stockings there too, but I'm not sure my husband would approve. Sound familiar?
Posted by: Joy | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:04 AM
We have the socks downstairs too.
The same reason.
No complaints here, because I used to send the father of the children upstairs so it wouldn't take as long as when the kids went themselves. LOL!
Posted by: Laane | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:06 AM
I'm new to WFMW, but I'm looking forward to being involved more often and reading through all these great tips!
Posted by: Rebekah | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:08 AM
That really is a great idea!!
Posted by: Rhen @yestheyareallmine | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:08 AM
I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one who initially read that you were adorning your children's seven feet. :)
I love the sock idea. We usually have a laundry basket full of socks in the living room. But, honestly, it takes the kids a sweet forever to find a match. I think matched socks in a drawer (in the living room) would be speedy quick! This is definitely a sanity saving tip!
Posted by: jenny | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:08 AM
I meant to leave a comment but left a blank connection. Sorry. This is hilarious. My husband has said many times that the first thing he would do after my funeral is call for a dumpster. My next-door neighbor has promised she would dig out my treasures though.
Posted by: tonya | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:11 AM
wfmw is the highlight of my week!
Posted by: spence | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:24 AM
Your hubby's oh-so sensitive and reassuring comment about moving the socks should something happen to you...had me giggling all night last night :) His sense of humor reminds me of my hubby.
BTW - I keep my socks in a bin in the shoe closet...downstairs...unsorted...right by the shoes and door...for the very same reason you do. It's so much easier to have them all go to one place to get socks and shoes. Plus, it's easy for me to put kids' socks away when I don't have to sort them all and put them in different bedrooms.
Great tip!
Posted by: Daiquiri | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:33 AM
LOL!! Your husband sounds a lot like mine, everything has to be in its proper place!
Posted by: Sonshine | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:42 AM
That is a FANTASTIC tip!!!! I am constantly having to run upstairs because I forgot socks. I love summer time because that means sandals and no socks to worry about.
Posted by: Awesome Mom | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:43 AM
My best friend when I was little was one of five kids. Her mom converted the coat closet into a "dressing room" for the youngest one or two kids. I always thought that was strange but now it makes perfect sense! The kids would get up, have breakfast then get dressed downstairs. They also had 2nd toothbrushes in the downstairs bathroom. It's all about efficiency, right?!
Posted by: aimee | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:45 AM
This post made me laugh, especially the "I'd move the socks upstairs" part. Rolling on the floor. Thanks Shannon!
Have a Great Day!
Kristin
Posted by: Kristin | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 09:50 AM
That's so funny...sometimes I keep them stuffed in the shoes in the shoe box by the front door if they were only worn for a short period of time (re-use, re-wear!)
Posted by: Lynn from Organicmania.com | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 10:01 AM
That's really funny about the socks! My hubby and I have had a few debates about where things should go... some of it comes from the different ways our moms did things, and some of it comes from our differing logic. :) Keeps life interesting!
Posted by: The Koala Bear Writer | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 10:08 AM
That is such a brilliant idea and a funny post! The best moms think outside the box.
Posted by: Pieces | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
Posted by: Joy | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM
I do this, too, and even with the socks RIGHT THERE, right at the back door, they still manage to slip out with shod-but-sockless feet.
And they take them off *everywhere*. Makes me nuts. Socks under the table. Socks by the desk. Socks in the middle of the kitchen floor. Couch. Porch. Van. Shoot, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the microwave.
You hit a sensitive spot in my household issues.
Socks are my nemesis.
Posted by: Ann Kroeker | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:04 AM
Ohk, so I am not the only one who had this brilliant idea. I keep ours in a plastic bin on the top rack of our shoe closet. Y'know I should have made it into a WFMW post. Missed opportunity!
Posted by: Annie | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:11 AM
That is the single most smartest thing I have ever heard in all my life.
Posted by: Marla Taviano | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:12 AM
We are a home of three boys, one father, and a mother who hates socks. So...my wife longs for the day we can all wear the same size sock, and then she is going to throw away all of our socks and buy 50 pairs of the exact same socks. No sorting. So folding. Just a big barrel of the same socks.
Posted by: travis Spencer | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:17 AM
I like your husband...he has a sense of humor...but I like the socks down stairs idea too! I would do the same thing, simplicity saves the day.
Posted by: Rebecca Huff | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I hate sorting socks as well. That's a good idea, although I'm afraid I'd be more like your husband and my husband is more like you!
Posted by: Jennifer D | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:49 AM
We actually have a "family closet" in our laundry room (downstairs) because the shower we ALL use (best one in the house) is also downstairs. That bathroom and the laundry room are RIGHT next to each other.
After a few YEARS of carrying baskets of clean clothes UPSTAIRS, only to carry single outfits back DOWNSTAIRS every time we showered, we just organized the laundry room to hold the everyday clothes. We store off season clothing and "dress up" or work clothing in the our closets upstairs.
LIBERATING.
Posted by: Julie Stiles Mills | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 11:56 AM
I am crying from laughing so hard. Your husband? A funny man.
Posted by: Valerie | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:47 PM
I'm sitting here freaking out. What do you mean their socks aren't kept with the rest of their clothes??? This is certainly not a concept I can handle. I guess I should have stopped reading once I got to your warning;)
Posted by: Kookaburra | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Shannon, I must say that your tip today is BRILLIANT! (said in my best Simon Cowell voice). Seriously love that idea. If only I had a drawer to stuff them in, in the living room.... wait, a basket would probably do and I can stow it away in a table. DONE. I'm putting this one to good use this week!
thanks!
Posted by: Christina | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 02:05 PM
Very smart. My kids are in the same boat and it surprises me that even in the winter they think nothing of putting a pair of shoes over sockless feet in 20 degree temperature. Nice to know it's pretty common. We haven't moved the socks, but have moved two pairs of shoes for each kid near the exit because having to go upstairs to put on both sox and shoes adds another half hour to any departure.
Posted by: Ken | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 02:13 PM
I now keep our girls' socks (mine are 6 and 2) in MY dresser with my socks. Makes getting everyone ready so much easier. Now if only I had a system for getting the socks from their room or wherever they put them to the laundry and back into the drawer.
Posted by: Shauna | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 02:28 PM
That sounds like a great idea! Our laundry closet is on the main floor and there is usually socks to be found in there.
Posted by: Richelle F | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 02:34 PM
THAT is a great idea. I did a post on socks a few weeks back, and BY george, I think I've found my solution! Thanks!!!
Posted by: Jenny @ a latte talk | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 02:36 PM
Whatever works and saves time is good for me. If it were me, I would have some socks upstairs and some socks downstairs.
Posted by: Thrifty Karen | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 03:05 PM
Ooo, I'd do that too if our place was large enough for it to matter ;).
Posted by: Mama Duck | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 03:10 PM
Ooo, I'd do that too if our place was large enough for it to matter ;).
Posted by: Mama Duck | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 03:10 PM
I love this tip-it's brilliant for the exact reasons you posted. I've been in a habit of keeping a couple of pairs downstairs with the shoes for when I'm in a hurry, but this is so much smarter. Just move them all downstairs! Love it!
Posted by: Alicia | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 03:35 PM
Thank you for such awesome tips! My sweetie would freak about the socks too. Great post!
Posted by: Lalena | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 03:38 PM
Love the sock idea! Good tip - thanks!
Posted by: Alyson @ 3 P's in a Pod | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 03:42 PM
That's hilarious. You know he'd move the socks back down a month later, after having to find them on his own. It's a good idea, really. My kids like to put on new socks all the time...then take them off a few hours later, losing them. We never know which socks are clean ("clean" meaning, not worn for a whole day, lol) or dirty. The only problem is....most of our socks are in a laundry basket, clean and mismatched. I leave them for last, get tired, and never get around to them. Oh socks, you are the bane of my existence!
Posted by: Jillian | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Hey, I think it's a great idea. It doesn't have to make sense to everyone else anyways, if it works for you! We moms have to simplify whenever we can, right!?
Bev
Posted by: Bev | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Your husband cracks me up. I love the idea of storing the socks downstairs, but we live in a single story, so maybe in the hall closet? Heh heh heh
Posted by: jennielynn | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 04:54 PM
Great tip! I am always searching for socks!
Posted by: Un-Domestic Mama | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:04 PM
My husband and I have totally different ideas of what logical is too, although we don't have a sock issue. Ours is the pantry...it's all so baffling to him, but it all makes sense to me and I can find anything in two seconds flat.
Posted by: Laura | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 05:10 PM
Somehow, my WFMW got deleted. I reposted with the direct link to my post linking back to your blog. Hmmmmm?
Posted by: Soliloquy | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 06:31 PM
What a fantastic idea!! It actually makes more sense than the various bedrooms.
Posted by: Mari Ickes | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 06:33 PM
But how do you keep the kids from throwing their DIRTY socks back in the drawer?
Posted by: Shelley | Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 08:22 PM
Yes, yes, yes! With boys, keeping the socks where mom can find them FAST, is the only way to go. I have 5 boys under age 13, so I can totally relate to your story. I not only keep their socks within reach, but I also keep their underwear, since young boys only change it once a month unless you physically wrestle them to the ground and pull it off them. Ha!
I keep their church clothes in MY closet, too. Sunday mornings are so much easier if I lay out the church clothes on Saturday night, then put them back in MY closet Sunday, right after church.
Thanks for writing about this issue. I thought I had the only boys who did this.
Posted by: Lady of the Lake | Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:28 AM
When my kids were babies, I kept onesies, jammies and socks in a drawer in the living room. It made the bedtime process easier, since I was always starting the bedtime process downstairs for the older kids.
I like the sock idea. I might start doing that for my two younger ones. The great Sock Halt happens here daily.
Posted by: Lucy | Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Sorry to post twice, but I was just reading through the comments and had to add:
Regarding aimee's comment: we also keep second sets of toothbrushes downstairs - in fact my hubby keeps a toothbrush and paste in every bathroom in the house and in the kitchen. I also keep all my daughter's hair things in a drawer in the living room.
Can you tell we live in a two-storey house? LOL!
Posted by: Lucy | Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Your husband and my husband were separated at birth. I swear!
Posted by: Miscellanous From Missy | Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 12:54 PM
I DO THIS TOO!!!! And, my husband also belives that I am a little "off" for doing this, but it is merely a simple solution to an annoying problem (or so I kep reminding him...)
Posted by: Betsy | Friday, March 21, 2008 at 09:37 AM
This tip is going to save my sanity. Sending my 5 yr old upstairs to get socks and coming down with a blank look is driving me crazy. It happens nearly every day. And right now we have a 5 week old and I'm sleep deprived and this marching upstairs to get socks and coming back down with a blank look is putting me over the edge. Now I have a solution. Thanks, Rocks! Just wanted to tell you how your tip is going to change my life!
Posted by: Sincerely Anna | Friday, March 21, 2008 at 07:50 PM
As a mom to 5 little kids, I am soooo happy to know I am not the only one with drawers of socks in the living room. I bought a big Rubbermaid 3-drawer storage bin which stays in our living room (except when company comes I move it upstairs). One drawer for the 2 and 4 year olds who are the same size, one for the 8 year old, and one for the 11 and 12 year olds. Works like a charm. And yes, my hubby also thinks it's nuts. I love blogs when they confirm that the things I do that I think are a little whacky are not unique. Thanks for the reaffirmation!!
Posted by: Erin | Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 06:48 PM
(I am not sure who you are but I got to this link from "Crafy Pumpkin" and I just loved this little tip despite the fact that I have no children yet)
I am female and also an engineer so logic comes quite naturally to me. I think your husband is looking at categories instead of process. It might help if you explain to him that in this particular instance it is the process that is important. Consider it a mini assembly line - like on a manufacturing line where they line up bins of the same type of screw in different places. AHHH doesn't fit - but why is that okay - it is because it allows efficiency and a better process. I actually have thought that if I build a house some day I will have a LARGE closet with all my shoes by the door since that is my big delay in the morning.
Posted by: Sarah | Monday, March 24, 2008 at 09:55 PM