the sock situation

We've got a lot of little feet around here.

And a lot of little socks.

Last fall when it was clear the sock-free summer was drawing to a close I decided we needed a new sock strategy.  I eventually settled on a big bin of shared socks for all the kids, conveniently placed beside the front door.

Every child sock in our house is (theoretically) either on a foot, in the laundry pile, or in that bin.  Most every pair in the bin is mated too.... though I don't know why I bother (exhibit A, below).

I figured that I'd streamline my process - anyone old enough to put on their own socks should be capable of picking through the pile to find a pair that suited them.  Anyone who needed help with the socks .... well, I'd be there to make sure we picked something in the right size range.

In the past few months John Paul and Luke began exercising a little more autonomy over sock selection, but I'm happy to report that the sock bin is still working marvelously.  Every now and then we get a very interesting combination (fluffy red heart socks on little boy feet), and often the little two un-mate pairs to pick their favorites, but for the most part, the sock bin serves us well.

A few days ago, in a rush to get out the door in time for speech school, I even grabbed a pair of  kid socks from the bin and stuffed my feet into them.  Twelve hours later I sat down on the sofa to read, girls snuggled in on each side, and put my feet up on the coffee table.  And there were those socks - still on my feet :)  It was one of those days... no shower, no down time, just full-on motherhood .... and I was still wearing those little socks!