Am I the only one?

Am I the only mother who gets emotionally wrapped up in packing away outgrown clothes? I'm sorting through clothes that don't fit Big Girl and Two anymore, so I can resell and donate, and I get a little bit soft and fuzzy, even a little weepy, looking at some of these outfits. I remember how small and cute they were - they're still cute, but not so small - and what they could do when they wore those outfits. I have major "stuff" issues with my emotional attachment to objects, and the clothes thing is a big one for me. I have a hard time parting with things. My house is bursting, with way too many things, and actually Hubs is even worse about hanging on to things that a lot of people would consider junk. We watched some of the clean-out-your-house shows several months ago and we think some of those hosts and home organization "experts" are cruel, heartless people. Yeah, we know we have more than we need, and more than we can really store efficiently, but our emotional baggage often takes physical form around here.

I'm not keeping many outfits, just the most special ones. We may have another child at some point, but we just don't have anywhere to keep these things. And I'm sure my relatives will happily provide an ample wardrobe for any future progeny. They're good like that. I could get away with never buying clothes or shoes for my kids, if only I could resist the temptation to pick out cute outfits myself.

So that's today's naptime project: sorting through little people clothes of days gone by, and getting all mushy about how fast they're growing up. Surely I'm not the only sap who reacts this way.

Shopping Alert! Clothing for Men and Kids

Talbots has discontinued their clothing lines for men and children, and I spotted some great deals in the Outlet section of their website. Some nice stuff for women, too, but I was particularly pleased with some good buys on kid clothing for Big Girl and Two to wear next year. There are some great deals in Men as well, but they're a bit harder to find for a cheapie like me. I don't mind so much that Talbots won't have men's clothes any longer - Lands End will work fine for my husband-shopping-needs - but I'm sad to see the pretty little dresses go. Big Girl has worn so many adorable outfits from Talbots in years past.

Of locks and doors

This morning was the first morning of school for Big Girl and Two. I got up early to allow plenty of time for breakfast, bathing, and dressing. But then I walked into Big Girl's room and grabbed the knob to open her closet door. Wouldn't turn. Locked. And in my mind, a conversation Hubs and I had a couple of weeks ago flashed though my mind...

Hubs: Did you realize that knob on her closet locks on the inside? That's kind of silly. She could lock herself inside!
Me: Yeah, I wonder why they put the locking knob on a closet?
Hubs: It's strange. I need to change out that knob for one that doesn't lock.

Meanwhile, back in the present, I found something to extend my reach so I could get down the little pokey thing from its perch atop the doorframe to Two's room. The pokey thing is a long-stemmed metal question mark; the stem can be inserted in the tiny hole in the center of the doorknob, and theoretically if you poke in the right spot, you can unlock the door. I don't know its real name - I just call it the pokey thing.

I got the pokey thing and began working on the closet doorknob. I fiddled. I tinkered. I wheedled. I poked. No luck. Still locked. I jiggled and wiggled the knob. Tight. I messed around with the knob for several frustrating minutes while Big Girl sat on her bed, looking contrite, and Two bounced on the bed while I was too busy to stop him. Eventually, I wiggled and bounced the thing too much, and the knob fell off in my hand. I poked at the mechanism in the gaping hole before me, to see if I could hit the spot to trigger the lock's release, and the knob on the inside of the closet fell off. Greaaaaat.

So I fished out Hubs' toolbox from its spot in the bottom of the linen closet (not my idea of a good home for a toolbox, but I was overruled). I got out a hammer and a flat screwdriver and began removing the pins. With much sweating, prying, pulling, and cursing beneath my breath, I got the door down. It took a long time - the hinge at the top didn't want to give and may be a bit warped. But I finally got the door down. Two had been banned to his room during the process for chanting "Mommy! Mommy!" and driving me a bit batty. Big Girl continued to look contrite and she repeated her mantra, "I wanna be a good girl." I finally got inside the closet, got her some clothes, and we got out the door. All on the first day of school. I hope tomorrow is easier. Hubs has volunteered to put the door back on its hinges and put in a non-locking door knob this evening.

This Ain't Spring.

This morning it snowed. Not sticking, of course - it was around 40 degrees at the time - but lots o' flurries, throughout the morning. And for a lot of that time, it was sunny, too. And now? It's cold - 37 when last I checked - and a bit windy, but sunny. This is not spring. I was all ready to pull out the shorts and capris and cute spring dresses for big girl, and to hint overtly to my mom that baby boy could use some new spring clothes too. Good thing I waited before switching out the winter clothes. The kids wore heavy coats today and got pink cheeks from the brisk wind.

In case you're wondering, big girl is taller but otherwise still the same size as last fall, so she can still wear most of her old clothes, including several cute outfits that were never even worn last year. But baby boy is definitely a bigger boy now. He has a few things that I bought for him at the end of last summer on sale, but he'll need more once it's warm. And my mom loves to shop for them, so I'm going to hold off until after his birthday so I have a better idea of what he needs. Other than shoes, that is. I will buy him some adorable little boy shoes, and soon.

Wishful Shopping

I'm browsing around looking at cute clothes that I won't actually buy. I found this dress that would look amazing on Big Girl, but I won't get it for her because she already has several cute dresses for spring and summer. I made out like a bandit when I was shopping the clearance racks last fall. And she already has special occasion dresses for Easter and her birthday, so I must restrain myself.

I did pick up an Easter outfit for Baby Boy, finally. I exchanged some adorable clothes that my mom got from Gymboree, which unfortunately were too small, and got him a nice outfit that should be appropriate for cooler weather, since Easter falls so early this year. I remember that Big Girl couldn't wear her Easter dress for her first Easter because she would have been far too cold, so I tried to shop with that in mind. He can always lose the sweater if it's warmer that day.

Clothing manufacturers need to get their acts together

It's really confusing and frustrating for the big girl when the tag isn't located in the back of her clothing. I've been teaching her to look for the tag so she puts her clothes on correctly and she gets out of sorts when certain clothing manufacturers don't follow the rules. She's a kid who repeats certain phrases about how she expects life to be, such as "Tag go back." So we have to shake our heads at those "silly clothes companies" that don't know any better and do silly things like put tags on the sides. And we have to watch out - they could lead us astray and we could end up with our pants on backwward.