Getting Organized

My little guy is growing and growing, and I don't care what those percentiles mean that I hear at the pediatrician. He is eight and a half months old and in nine month clothing now. So, it seems like he is on par for his age.

Today, I decided to organize Jax's ever-growing clothing collection. I started with the bins in the garage and noticed that I already labeled one of them that contained all of his clothes from newborn to three months and his summer and fall outfits that he had grown out of. His old clothes were so small and cute, and I kind of miss those days, but we are having a ton of fun now so I prefer now to then. There were two other bins in the garage that needed organizing, so I took them out and took every piece of clothing out and made size piles. When my friends give me their kids' hand-me-downs, I take them and pack them away, but I don't really go through them until Jax jumps sizes. Well, this time, I went through every piece and made three bins: 12-18 months, 18-24 months and 24 months +. I had to make sure I wanted all the clothes that were in there and that none of them had stains. None of the clothes had been washed by me and that is fine because when the time comes, I will just do a couple loads of wash and Jax will have a whole new armoire of clothes to wear.

I also like to go to thrift shops and secondhand stores to buy Jax's clothes, even if the clothes can't be worn for a year or more. Baby and toddler clothes are always in pretty good shape in those stores because A. babies grow out of clothes fast, B. moms donate what they don't like or C. moms donate clothes because they cannot take them back to the store without the original tags. My kid grows fast too, so I don't understand spending a lot of money on an outfit that he may wear once or twice.

Jax may be all set for the next year or so with clothes, but his ensemble will probably double in size a few times over by the time he is three. My mom always comes home from a store with something for him, Joey Russo is growing out of his clothes and so is Grady Thompson. So, we're good for another year and a half ... unless there's a sale.

30 B4 30 Day 10: Purge My Closet of Old or Useless Items

As you mature, you should really come to terms with who you are on the inside and on the outside. For instance, if you haven't been a size 6 in 6 years, you should get rid of the size 6 items in your closet. So, today's item on the 30 B4 30 list is Purge My Closet of Old or Useless Items.

I used to be in denial about being a "big girl." I am almost 5'8" with more curves than Lombard Street, and believe me, I am not flattering myself. When I was in high school and college, I wanted to be a little petite girl with caved in cheeks and thighs. You know, the type of girl who doesn't get a double chin and has calf muscles because she was born with them. In reality, I was not dainty or girlie and I was the farthest from petite. In college, I was convinced guys were afraid of me because I had wild hair and I wasn't the type of girl you wanted to give a piggy-back ride to. I could actually carry more guys on my back. I should have probably tried out for the football or rugby team, but then I may have received very different attention...hmmm.

At the ripe old age of 29, I have accepted the fact that I am just built different. I now know and have accepted that I would rather wear sneakers than high heels. I would rather throw a spiral than get a manicure and I would rather watch a Giant game than a soap opera. I'm just not graceful or girlie and I am well aware of it. Maybe it is because I was surrounded by guys when I was growing up or because my grandmother and my mother were both tough women. They didn't mess around, so neither do I.

So today I had to come to grips with my closet. I made a deal with myself and said, "Self, you can keep two pairs of skinny jeans and two pairs of skinny pants, but everything else has to go." And I agreed. The pants that I haven't worn since 2004 were added to the pile and so were the flat-chested girl shirts. There are shirts that I bought because I thought I could stuff my stuff into them, but then I wore them in front of friends or family and they laughed and told me I couldn't leave the house. Those are the shirts that those dainty petite girls can wear and I cannot. So they were gone and so were the clothes that I have been keeping because I got them as a gift and felt bad getting rid of them. I'm a Catholic, so my guilt bag is full and those shirts and shoes had to go too. Then there were the two tees that I bought for my grandmother that said "Penn State Grandma" and I decided that those were keepers. I bought them for her when she was alive and she wore them proudly. I can't throw them away because I don't have much left from her. I have two t-shirts, a ring and a small purse, that's it and it makes me sad. Maybe I can wear the shirts when I am a grandma. Who knows?

After four bags of useless items, I have decided that I will donate everything to Savers and then buy myself some new items for my own birthday in 20 days. It's the circle of life my friends. Just accept it and accept that image in the mirror that you see on a daily basis. That's you.