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Donna Marie
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Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: New Jersey
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Posts: 2530
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| Posted: Dec 07 2010 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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 CLOTHING!
I need a plan...help??
How many of each clothing item does a child really need?
Pants
Shirts
sweaters
sweatshirts
Dress Clothing
socks
underwear
gloves
Our kids are (almost17) twin girl dd, 15yods, 11yods, 9yodd(tameable yet eclectic clothes collector), 7yods, (almost6)yodd, 2yods, 3mo dd
That is 9 dc and the baby is in with me so she is manageable. 4 boys in one room and 4 girls in another...
The boys clothing is stored in one room (no closet!) I have a few triangle hooks that are over the side of a bookcase and the back of the door.
and the girls in another with a closet that has this cute dresser/mirror pushed into it. We were thinking of adding a bar above it and shelving down the wall on either side of it.
They will get new clothing for Christmas. They are not into the latest styles and like modest yet attractive things. What should I ask for...brands that last and can be handed down?
I need to cull the winter chaos. I have VERY little space to store clothing. If I had any extra space it would be for BOOKS! :o) (one must have priorities after all... 
If you had virtually no closet space...what creative solutions would you come up with that would make it easy for the clothing to put itself away?
If I could purchase something that would fit into a space that is big enough for one bookcase, like a bin-type system, what would it be and look like??
I REALLY think that housing design firms should hire housewives with children to design living spaces!!..but, I realize that I am digressing...ahem....
I have to divide my attention between so many people and all of the STUFF that I realize that I can limit my feeling feeble-minded if I limit how much each person is putting into "The System" aka..the laundry pile.
I am the little young woman who lived in a shoe...only I am trying to do more with my shoe than the original woman because I also HOMESCHOOL! LOL Ok? ..totally different layout needs to be had!
...please help me poor poor post-partum brain figure this out??
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Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 9dc!!
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SuzanneG
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Joined: June 17 2006
Location: Idaho
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| Posted: Dec 07 2010 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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Donna-Marie~
Clothing organization! Oi!   
Here's what is currently working for us....keeping in mind 5 girls...all clothing in one room.....
We have 1 short dresser that I use for the youngest child/baby's clothing. Then.....
We have 1 armoire that opens and has 4 shelves on each side. Each girl gets one shelf to keep outfits and main clothing. I use the other shelves for various sorting, storage, holding-shelf, etc.
We have 1 larger dresser where each drawer is for "the little things" and each girl has a separator (aka: a shoe box) for "their little things."
**Socks in 1 drawer
**Underwear in 1 drawer
**Bloomers/Tights in 1 drawer
etc....
And, then we use the other drawers for other various things for storage and rotation.
We have a 24" rod for hanging things like church outfits. And, we just recently put another 24" rod at their height for some things that they need to hang now that they are older.
We use OPEN SHELVES for the following:
**The toddlers clothing is on 1 open-shelf, because I'm in control of it, it's easier for me to "do" if it's an open shelf, even if it does look messier.
**HALF-DIRTY bin.....where clothing that is not completely dirty and doesn't need to be washed yet resides until the next wearing. I don't want them putting it back into the armoire, so this clothing has to "live" somewhere. The half-dirty-bin is strictly enforced here....as it cuts down on laundry significantly!!! Everyone shares the bin. And, they are "supposed" to check it in the morning to see if there is something in there to wear before they pull something new out.
**Shoe bin for each child
**Slipper bin for all combined.
**Clothing that is waiting to be taken downstairs or repaired.
And, we just recently put up 5 hooks for pajamas to hang....before that, they were on an open shelf.
At the beginning of every season, I "make outfits" from the bins in the basement and write them down. I post the outfit-list on the inside of the armoire and these are their outfits and clothing for the season. Everything else, with a few exceptions, goes back downstairs to the storage bins.
In addition to their "outfits", each girl also has.....
--1 or 2 pair of jeans
--2 or 3 long sleeve shirts
--Hoodie or Sweater
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Suzanne in ID
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Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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mamasue
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| Posted: Dec 07 2010 at 9:15pm | IP Logged
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Love the idea of the half dirty bin!!
And a second closet rod in each closet has been a huge help for us!
One thing I can add is somehow utilizing the space near the ceiling. Not sure how it would work, maybe a shelf with curtain hiding what's behind it. Or a closet rod spanning an entire wall could even be hidden by a curtain. Maybe not the most beautiful idea, but definitely practical!
Under the bed space is also premium space for storage!
everyones Socks could all be thrown in a box in the laundry room, mudroom or coat closet.
Use space above washer and dryer to hang shelves for sweaters, sweatshirts, etc
The back of bedroom and closet doors can hold hanging shoe organizers with various items- gloves, socks, hair accesories, underwear, even rolled up sweatshirts
Hope I've helped a little! Good luck!
Suzette
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Pilgrim
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Joined: Feb 28 2007
Location: Wisconsin
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| Posted: Dec 08 2010 at 3:30pm | IP Logged
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Nothing to add, just sympathy!  I put off, and put off getting ready for new baby and switching out clothing between upstairs and downstairs, until a couple weeks ago when I decided I HAD to do it. Oh was it a CHORE. But then, in the middle of it all, while trying to offer it up and not complain, I kept thanking God that we have all these clothes to have to deal with! 
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Gracesmom
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| Posted: Dec 08 2010 at 5:50pm | IP Logged
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I don't have much to add, as I seem to have the same problem.
For the little ones, I hung shoe organizers from the hanging bar in the closet...there are 10 little cubbies that hang down on each one, and I can roll up 10 little outfits when I do laundry and put them in the cubbies. That makes things WAY easier everyday AND my "matching challenged" husband can get the kids ready all by himself if he has to :)
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: I gotta havea plaaan!
