The DREADED seasonal clothes switch out.

Do you hate the seasonal clothes switch out as much as I do?  This chore seems to last a full week for me for some unknown reason.  And it drives. me. crazy!!!   So, this year I decided to try things a little differently.  I enlisted the troops.  And let me tell you, they were not a bit happy about having their Saturday taken up by such a lame-o chore!  But it really did make my life so much happier and easier not dragging the winter clothes switch out f o r e v e r. 

So here is what I did.  Prepare to be amazed. 

1.  I had each boy (since that is what we have around our house.  except for me, of course) pull all the clothes out of their closet that are winter-ish.  I had them hold on to a few pairs of favorite jeans, but for the most part anything with "long" in the title - long sleeved shirts, long pants, long underwear (I'm kidding on the last one) were pulled out of the closet.

2.  I then had them remove the hangers.  And put in a tidy pile.  I can't handle a tangle of hangers.

3.  I folded the winter-ish clothes and put them in clear plastic Sterlite containers that are my fav for this sort of thing.  I have been using them for years, and I have a real love affair with them!  I buy them at Target . . . and sometimes they even go on sale!   Yay!  Anyway . . . you should know that I have to fold the clothes.  They have to look a little bit orderly since you can see into the containers.  I am quirky like that.  BUT if that doesn't bother you, this is another thing you should have your kids do.  I probably should teach my boys how to fold . . . but I am so not there yet.   Oh, and don't forget to label the outside of the containers with something brilliant like "Kade, winter."  Or the size would be good too.

BUT, I digress. 

4.  I then had them sort through their spring/summer clothes and pick the ones they still like and think they will wear.  We always seem to have closet overload - you know,the kind of closet squishiness that doesn't allow you to hang even one more t-shirt, and it is one of my New Year's Resolutions to stop that insanity.  SO, I told them they could have 15 shirts and 10 pairs of shorts and/or pants.  We will store the rest and see how we do.  If they aren't missed or needed (it is nice to have a back up plan in case I get seriously behind on the laundry.  Hey!  It happens!) they will be taking a trip to the local DI.  Or maybe I will even try to sell them. Who knows!  I also made them try on the keepers - just in case their sedentary winter lifestyle packed on a few extra pounds (I am probably talking about me here).  Or just in case they grew a little taller. 

And that is it!  I knew you would be blown away.  Getting the kids involved took my week long terrible, horrible, no good, very bad project and made it into a much easier task.  Love it!

Obvious rewards?  My kids learned a new skill (how to untangle hangers), our clothes are organized, and there was more time left over for me.  AND there might have been a little Cold Stone thrown in too.   Cold Stone is my favorite kind of reward.  Cheesecake ice cream with raspberries and almonds.  Pure bliss.  I think I've mentioned this before. 

Yes, that's right. That is SNOW you are seeing.  I took this photo from my window, just today.  Yikes!  It is April 29th!

OH, and I should mention that Mother Nature also rewarded me by bringing back cold and freezing weather.  Nice.  And there is NO WAY my kids are pulling back out their winter clothes.  They are just going to have to toughen up.

But that is ok, because now we are READY!   Ready for spring!

And it is the honest to gosh truth . . . clean feels good!

C'mon, get those kids cleaning!

You are a busy mom (or dad).

You work. You clean. You pay bills. You do laundry (it is like a full time job - seriously!). You volunteer. You carpool. You are a built in kid's taxi service. So, why do you do ALL (or mostly all) of the jobs around the house too? It it time to get those kids involved!

I've tried a million different things to try to get my kids to clean. Chore charts, dry erase boards, checklists, stickers, point systems - and they just didn't work for our family. I finally decided to try what my mom used to do back in the day - when I was little. It worked beautifully when I was a youngster.

Mom's Method to Get the Kids Cleaning:


Write chores on a post-it note.

Change them up each day so they don't get boring or monotonous.

(this are my actual chore post-its notes. i know, impressive, right?)

And that is it! It works like a charm. I tried it this summer, and it honestly worked better than anything else I've tried. My kids actually did their jobs with very little complaining. Our system wasn't confusing or hard to stick to it. It worked! Victory!! And now that school is back in session, we are still sticking to it. Yay!!

Who knew? I should have just listened to my mom in the first place.

It definitely reminds of the KISS acronym - Keep it Simple, Stupid. Sometimes the simple plan is the plan you should go with.

Lesson learned. Thanks, Mom!

And, I feel I should mention, clean feels good!

P.S. If your chore system for kids works for you, by all means, stick with it! You are one of the lucky ones that has it all figured out. And please, feel free to share it with the class. Comment below. ;)