April 11, 2008 8:07 AM
Winter/summer switch: when?
Jonny and I are home from New York - will write all about it later as I am busy catching up.
The kids have off school today so won't be able to blog much.
I just have a question for you: I'm seriously considering getting out our summer clothes today because it's in the 70s here. But I know as soon as I get them out, it will turn cold again.
Of course, I was spoiled by living 30 years in California where we didn't have to do the complete closet upheaval twice a year. It's still a shock to me to change wardrobes for (now) eight people. But it is kinda cool, because I LOVE change and I'm ready for some different weather/clothes/activities.
So what about you? Have you done the winter/summer switch yet? When do you plan to? Any tips to share?
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Comments
Ugh... I ALWAYS do this too early... then have a mess on my hands trying to keep them separate and organized. Drives me crazy... but I get so SICK of the winter clothes... LOL
I need a little self control, don't I? =)
Posted by: ~*~ Jennifer ~*~ | April 11, 2008 8:21 AM
Well seeing as how I'm living in Florida and it's already 84 down here, we are definitely in our summer attire, but then again we don't really leave them that much throughout the year.
Posted by: Jen K. | April 11, 2008 8:31 AM
Let's just say that in South Dakota, when there starts to be rummage sales, it means it's spring. So, today I was planning on going to one because the weather has been nice, but I woke up this morning and there's blizzard like conditions outside! ~B
Posted by: B | April 11, 2008 8:32 AM
As a fellow Northern-Virginian, I have been bitten by the warm weather bug too. With our house of 7 I don't do complete swaps of clothes. Rather, I do a "thinning" of clothes. So yesterday I went through two of the boys drawers and put about half of their long and short sleeve shirts in a donate pile. I also went through jeans/pj's and moved them to the most appropriate sized child. I have a couple of pairs of shorts out for each child and will bring out the rest once we have more than a week of warm weather. At that point I'll switch out the jeans for the shorts and leave a pair of jeans available just in case they need them. I keep all shirts out year round because of chilly nights and during the winter the boys like to have short-sleeved shirts under sweatshirts. Next up, need to go through the two oldest boys drawers and do the same thing. #2& #3 are virtually the same size so I figure next Fall they will just share a dresser and closet space. My fourteen month old little girl is the lucky one with a new wardrobe every couple of months since she has no sisters and no older girl cousins to get hand-me-downs from. Enjoy the beautiful weather today. I'll be out at St. Francis de Sales tomorrow morning for a Baptism that my husband and I are the Godparents for. Looks like you will be out in my area on the 24th for your talk at St. Andrew's. Small world!
Posted by: Margaret | April 11, 2008 8:40 AM
I live in Germany, which is similar to the Midwest. Just did the switch-over last weekend. I still leave out a few warmer clothes but the majority are packed away. Yippee for Spring!
Posted by: Debra P. | April 11, 2008 8:45 AM
I do this early because we start to get some warm days in March and because the twice-a-year kids consignment sale is early in the spring. It's much easier to go through everything at one time to decide what to keep, what to sell,what to buy and just get all of it in the closet. So the sale is sort of my deadline for having the switch complete. I do leave a sweatshirt or two and some long pants in the closet year round though - you never know when you might have a chilly night or go somewhere that the kids shouldn't wear shorts (although they are fine at our church for the boys).
Posted by: Shannon Miller | April 11, 2008 8:51 AM
Our basement is stacked to the rafters with plastic bins of clothes, waiting to come upstairs for the big switch.
I haven't done it yet. We are in CO and the weather is too volatile this time of year. For example, it is going to snow today but 70 degree weather is forecasted early next week.
I solve this problem by leaving a few short-sleeved shirts and two or three pairs of shorts mixed in with the winter clothes. I do the same thing when I make the big switch in mid to late May. I'll leave some long-sleeved Ts, a sweater, and a few pairs of long pants out of the bins.
It's a huge job, because I have to make sure all the clothes-to-be-packed are clean. It takes a weekend to get it completely done for all eight of us. I can't imagine how long it takes for you, Barbara.
Posted by: gretchen from lifenut | April 11, 2008 9:24 AM
I do this whatever weekend in October/November/December and March/April/May that the kids are all out of the house until Sunday night. There's always at least one outfit of the other season in their suitcase, so I know I'll have a back-up leftover in case the weather changes its mind again.
Every item in the house gets washed and then laid out on the bed of the last known wearer. I compare sizes with what's packed in the bins, and switch.
Getting into and digging through the off-season bins on an individual basis before the Weekend of Exile is punishable by death or banishment.
Posted by: kalynne pudner | April 11, 2008 10:28 AM
Virginia weather is certainly crazy. Mark always likes to say that we have all four seasons here - sometimes all in the same month! Or that we have all four seasons - you just never know in which month you'll find them!
I was stunned when, in my first year in Virginia many moons ago, we had a couple of eighty degree days in JANUARY. (Just a couple of hours south of you, Barbara.) And I had only come here from Delaware!
I mainly just rotate really heavy weight items in and out. Corduroy, wool sweaters, etc. get put away sometime around the first of Spring. Whether we still need them or not. But I keep long-sleeved shirts and dresses in the closets at all times. I also keep shorts in the drawers and short-sleeved dresses in the closets at all times. We just never know when we'll need them.
By the way, Hattie has been much on my heart lately? How are she and Josh doing?
Posted by: Kari | April 11, 2008 10:44 AM
Ha! I laughed when I read Gretchen's post because we are new to CO, having come from Ohio and Ontario, where the whole wardrobe switchover ritual was something to look forward to. One of the first pieces of advice we received after moving here was to never pack away your shorts or your warmest sweater. Our closets have never looked so disorganized!
Posted by: Kelly | April 11, 2008 11:34 AM
We live up here in northern Wisconsin and I love the snow. But not on this side of March. Last Tuesday, I finished the "change over" for Spring clothes and wouldn't you know, last night we got another 3-5 inches, with more on the way!
Oh, well. The winter jackets are still hanging up in the closet.
Jennifer
Posted by: Jennifer D | April 11, 2008 12:00 PM
The weather in our part of California is still fluctuating a bit. What I've done in the past, after making the seasonal switch, is to leave the tub of last season's clothing close at hand (in the garage) just in case an item or two become necessary. Once the weather has been consistent for a couple of weeks, last season's clothing is either stored for the next child, or bagged and delivered to Goodwill.
Posted by: Cheryl (Copper's Wife) | April 11, 2008 1:24 PM
I always do this way too early or way too late. Mid April is now my goal to switch cold for warm. But I have learned to always keep out one or two outfits of the opposite season. I stick them in the back of their drawer or closet just in case.
Posted by: mary | April 11, 2008 1:28 PM
I can see what my problem is. I don't like the gradual switch or the keeping a couple outfits out just in case. Something in me just wants to be done with it once and for all.
You all probably have that too but just keep it under control :)
I heard it's snowing somewhere today - ironic that we're having this discussion. Here it's in the 70s and Sophia is washing her car. But I think the temperature is supposed to drop 20 degrees in the next couple days.
Kari, you are so right about Virginia weather!
Posted by: barbara | April 11, 2008 1:35 PM
We have a little of the back-and-forth hot-cold down in here in Houston, but it never gets so cold we can't just throw a jacket over jeans and t-shirt. In fact, I'd never bother with "winter" clothes at all except for the kids. I myself still wear short sleeves and sleeveless tops all winter. ;)
So, I did the "switchover" about a month ago and never looked back.
Posted by: Michelle Potter | April 11, 2008 1:36 PM
I do it in an unusual way since we're in a really warm area and need summer clothes more of the year, and we all prefer to be cooler than warmer. So we keep a few shorts in the drawers and short sleeved shirts year round. When I switch to summer clothes, I keep a couple long sleeved shirts and long pants for those in between days, and so that when it is suddenly fall again, I won't have to run looking for something. For
Posted by: Angela | April 12, 2008 12:46 AM
I never switch, for a myriad of reasons.
1) I'm not that organized.
2) My kids grow out of clothes so quickly that I'm always switching clothes due to size.
3) My kids tend to wear shorts year-round, so what's the point of ever putting them away?
4) We live in Colorado, where, no joke, it will be 70 during the day and then snow that very night.
Posted by: Keer | April 13, 2008 10:49 PM
