Rotation Time

Ah Fall. I really feel sorry for all of y'all livin' way South of the Mason-Dixon line that don't experience it. You know who you are. You have that pair of green and red shorts just in case it's a 'little warm' at Christmas! I commented to someone the other day that it FEELS like school. Meaning it was just cold enough that you could just barely feel it, the sky get that deeper shade of blue, the bees start acting crazy. It's not really Fall that I love, it's this time and just when it starts, about a week before 'near peak' on the tree colors in Northwest NJ. Then November and on, it's just pre-winter.

Anyway, it's that time again for those of us with this sick money saving idea and multi-child households to start packing and unpacking again. We see if we guessed right on the clearance purchases from January of last year. If we guessed right on what things could be passed to the next kid. Did Yu-gi-Oh maintain his popularity?

If I had room and time, we'd have this process down to a science. Alas though, there is no magical corner of the attic with named shelve for each kid and season/year useful. There is no time to sort out the summer stuff, while at the same time, scramble for those long sleeve shirt and that jacket we got on clearance for Jason for 7.99.

Two very frustrating things in this process. One is having all the summer stuff packed and lugged into the attic, then finding the odd swimming suit or shorts. The other is finding the season's clothing AFTER the season has passed. This will be inevitable as I dig through the dozens of bags I'll pile through, only after finding every screw sticking out of the attic floor with my KNEES! "Aw man! Here's all those new short sets for the girls that we bought last fall."

Mercifully, we have some ready-made transition children: 10 hand down to 8 by; 5 hand down to 3 girls. This years clothes become next year's basics for the younger. In theory anyway. The boys are becoming two completely different builds: the older, shorter and skinnier, the younger taller and wider. So forget the interseasonal exchange for them. I can't even figure out how to sort their laundry anymore. Pretty much exact same sizes, pretty much no chance for me to get it into the right drawer unless it's one of their favorites or the Zen master of Clothing identification can point it to the right pile. Confucious (Linda) say: "Stripes of white and Spongebob will pass to Dillan solids of Pokeman are destined for Jason's drawer"

Men kinda get a bad rap in the clothing department. Identifying who gets what clothing is a branch of science like zoology. But mothers think it should be some kind of instinctive knowledge. I'll hold something up and say "Grace or Liv?" I'll get the rolling eyes.
"Is that a onsie" (Phyllum)
"Yea"
"What SIZE is it?" (Class)
"4T"
"Does it have one of those extenders?" (Order)
"No"
"Any stains?" (Family)
"Not Really"
"Is Livie's name on the tag?" (Genus)
"Yea"
That's Gracie's (Species)

See men are used to absolutes, this is an evolutionary science. Kinda like studying those fast-mating fruit fly genetics. I never liked Biology (yea, smarta$$, then why do I have five kids, very funny). So textile biological evolution is not for me...

I still love fall, but I can't wait to get through this sorting process...it ends...probably about two weeks before the spring rotation...