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Sarah Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 17 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 2:09pm | IP Logged
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I've had sock issues for years then I got a clue
Share your sock systems. Mine has boiled down to each kid and myself only having one kind/color.
It sounds extreme but works so well!
__________________ Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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SusanJ Forum All-Star
Joined: May 25 2007 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 2:30pm | IP Logged
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That was an encouraging read. Socks are a huge problem here, too. We have so many and I can't tell you how many times we've been late to Mass for want of matching socks. I'd been thinking about doing one color per size and we're about to the end of the Great Hand-Me-Down Sock Bounty so I may do that when I next go sock shopping.
Susan
__________________ Mom to Joseph-8, Margaret-6, William-4, Gregory-2, and new little one due 11/1
Life Together
[URL=http://thejohnstonkids.blogspot.com]The Kids' Blog[/UR
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JodieLyn Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006 Location: Oregon
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 2:46pm | IP Logged
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we've taken to doing the one color per size type of thing here.
We also have eliminated a lot of excess.. we're buying the kids wool socks (smartwool) which makes it easy to find different colors/designs (we also find them clearances.. rarely buy 'em full price) and so there's 6 pair per child.. and that's it. The plus to me is that they're not all in the white load.. they're spread throughout the lights and darks.. so I'm not confronting a huge basket of socks all at once.
We do have dress socks.. but it's 2 pair to match each pair of dress pants (gives me a bit better odds in finding one pair) the girls have tights of course.
those are winter socks.. they'll be put away over the summer..
I haven't quite figured out summer socks yet.. we do need some.. but I'm thinking only 2-3 pair each.. so much of the time they spend in crocs or sandles or such without socks.
Oh the reason we switched to the wool socks.. they hold up really really well and really help the kids keep warm in our winters.. but the topper was that I've had to literally chase down kids and take the socks from their feet to get them washed.. they just love their wool socks.
__________________ Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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lilac hill Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 15 2005
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 3:17pm | IP Logged
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With our youngest at 13 and my husband , the only man in the house, our situation is now diffeerent than just a few years ago. All the females wear the same size and the girls "steal" their father's warm wool socks. If I cannot find a match as I pull from the dryer or off the line it goes in the sock bin, and if you want to wear socks, find the match on your own.
Giving the children more responsibility for their own clothes and laundry was suggested to me by an older mother of 5 , closely spaced children.
Occasionally I go through the sock bin and match or purge for the rag bag.
When they were smaller I was more careful about washing the entire Sunday outfit for the next week.
__________________ Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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crusermom Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 09 2007 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 6:03pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the help here - I really need it. I have a friend who has 14 children who told me just to think of socks as fraternal twins - not identical!
This is her philosophy on the whole sock issue. I have a hard time being so relaxed but in a pinch I remember her wisdom.
Mary
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Lori B Forum Pro
Joined: March 24 2006 Location: Canada
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 6:44pm | IP Logged
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My kids sort the clean laundry- and believe me, they make sure that a sibling does not end up with THEIR socks
__________________ 22yod, 16yod (Asperger's), 14yos (dyslexia, APD, ADHD), and 11yod (JXG, glaucoma, legally blind)
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bfarmmom Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 12 2006 Location: Kentucky
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 7:42pm | IP Logged
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AAHHH socks! This had also been such a huge issue in my house. We had so many and so many that were mismatched that I finally dumped them all. I hated to do it but it was such a management issue. We started over. Now My oldest three and myself wear the same ones, I think Hanes with the blue bottoms. It is amazing that we all fit in the same size! My 4 yr old has crew socks with gray bottoms. My 3 yr old has all white socks. The baby either wears Robeez or Bobucks and she has only a few pairs of white socks. My husband has his dress socks for during the week. And white crew socks for the weekend.
All of the socks are stored in the laundry room in a basket. Very easy to find a pair when you need them. This has been by far the best system for us. There are not to many so it is easy to manage. And it is easy to match them up when they come out of the laundry.
__________________ Peace,
Kirsten
ds13,dd12,dd10,ds7,dd6, dd 4, ds 2
Sonlight Garden
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Mary G Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 7:51pm | IP Logged
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The two younger boys have the same style sox but in different sizes; younger daughter just seems to keep hers in order; for my 16yod: I make 'em, she wears 'em ...
Because I do laundry everyday, I match them as they come out (and usually have a small pile of mismatched ) and put them in each person's pile for picking up from the laundry room and putting away.
__________________ MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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juststartn Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 17 2007 Location: Oklahoma
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Posted: March 05 2008 at 8:56pm | IP Logged
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I'm going to be going to all one style/brand/color. Period. With three girls so close in age/size (they are almost 8,6, and 4), and then the boys wearing the same sizes...well, we wear white with everything. The girls spend 90% of their time barefoot, even in the winter time. They're like me--I can barely stand to have something on my feet--shoes OR socks. LOL
Rachel
__________________ Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
Ava Maria, in the arms of Jesus, 9/5/08
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Barbara C. Forum All-Star
Joined: July 11 2007 Location: Illinois
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Posted: March 06 2008 at 8:18am | IP Logged
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I can't remember which brand it is, but there is one that they carry at Target where each different size is marked by gold rings around the toe area. The smallest size has one ring, the next size has two rings, etc. I think going up to about four rings. They make casual and dress socks.
I buy all white socks, and right now it's not a problem sorting them. The problem I have is trying to save them for the next child, because I can't remember exactly what size they are. The only exception is the newborn socks. They're so teeny-tiny that it's pretty easy to tell which feet they would fit.
__________________ Barbara
Mom to "spirited" dd(9), "spunky" dd (6), "sincere" dd (3), "sweet" dd (2), and baby girl #5 born 8/1/12!!
Box of Chocolates
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juststartn Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 17 2007 Location: Oklahoma
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Posted: March 06 2008 at 10:31am | IP Logged
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OOOOO!!!!!! Thanks for that tip! I'll definitely be hitting Target for socks!
Rachel
__________________ Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
Ava Maria, in the arms of Jesus, 9/5/08
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Kristie 4 Forum All-Star
Joined: June 20 2006 Location: Canada
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Posted: March 06 2008 at 11:12pm | IP Logged
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I alternate between going a week with the mismatched socks in the bottom of the clean laundry hamper and putting singles back in the drawers to await their mates!!
__________________ Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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Erin Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005 Location: Australia
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Posted: March 07 2008 at 3:44pm | IP Logged
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Sarah I read your post the other day and loved it. Mind you I don't know if I could be ruthless and discard all previous socks. For some time now dh has been buying a set colour/style for each of the older children and himself as the three of them are the same size socks. It is a wonderful idea.
A couple of other tips whilst we're talking management,
- each of my children have their 'own colour' for towels.
-a friend of mine with 5 boys shared this, she buys different brands of underwear for each boy, saves standing there reading tag sizes(so frustrating when tags have faded). I have done this with by boys now and it is so much easier. Need to do it with my girls as the two little ones are getting themselves confused.
I have long put all unmatched socks from each load into a bag in my cupboard, I then check to match up old ones in the bag with new ones. It is soo hard though for me to discard socks that have sat there for a long time I keep hoping their mate will turn up sometimes they do
__________________ Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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JennGM Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: March 07 2008 at 3:49pm | IP Logged
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Love to read these ideas. My mother with her seven kids and socks just used a permanment fabric marker and marked our toes on the white socks with big black initials. I was JN, another sister with J beginning was JS, the rest was just first initial. Not pretty, but worked well.
We used the initial thing on other clothing and items. The funny thing is later on in my life outside of the home I had scissors and other things with a "JN" and nobody could figure the initials out, because it didn't stand for first and last name, but just two consonants in my first name.
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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