The Seasonal Switchover – The real reason October is scary.

Every mom of many must go through the same thing I do when the weather changes from hot to cold then back to hot again. It’s been the same thing for years. It’s called…freaking out. This just takes over your house! I’m WAY behind this fall. I usually have it done by the end of October.
I know there are some noble folk out there who don’t keep anything; they just give away outgrown clothes and trust God for the next season’s replacements. We DO trust God for outfitting our crew but we also feel led to be frugal and recycle. SO, that means packing and unpacking clothes for 13 people. I pray for faith to move this mountain of clothes! Sometimes I wish we just unloaded the clothes every fall and spring but, on the other hand, I’d still have the character flaw of sentimentality to contend with. Isabelle is wearing outfits her 19 y.o. sister wore! Why did I keep those? I’m not talking about 2 or 3; I’m talking about a box-full! They’re just so adorable and the memories attached, well, I’m still learning this world is not my home. Moth and rust HAVE destroyed so I’m getting it, don’t worry.

So, anyhoo, HOW TO SURVIVE THE SEASONAL SWITCHOVER:

1. No cardboard boxes. Use Rubbermaid containers or the like. Cheap plastic cracks, especially if you have to store your stuff in an attic or outside storage shed like us and if it has other containers stacked on top of it. If you must store clothes, you can’t afford to NOT invest in appropriate containers. Examples of cardboard box storage fatalities: a.) Storage roof leaked – major mold – 5 boxes pitched b.) Cats found a way into storage, used several boxes for litterboxes, gave birth in one c.) Bees built hive in large wardrobe box – that was fun… SO, please trust me on this, NO CARDBOARD. Plastic bags rip and spill all over – don’t even think about those.
2. Pack freshly washed and dry clothes. Try to have several major laundry days prior to the switchover so you have most everything ready to pack.
3. We keep 3-4 "season neutral" outfits out at all times. These are clothes that would be comfortable to wear during that transitional weather. Something one can stay cool in if it’s warm but throw on a jacket if it gets cold. These are worn during those laundry prep days (in theory) so you don’t have to wait for the stuff to be packed to get through the wash.
4. Clear your schedule and forget about school for 2 or 3 days. Plan on breaks and rewards for getting the job done. Weather permitting, we’re going Letterboxing!
5. Bring in your containers. All of them. Just bite the bullet and line your hallways, dining room, wherever you have bare walls. We’re also bringing in the coats, the boots, mittens and scarves; there’s a ton of stuff to go through. While you’re sorting clothes, kids can be trying on coats, etc.
6. Line up the clothing containers in birth order. I start with the youngest and let the older ones take care of their own.
7. We also set up 1 or 2 folding tables in the living room to sort on. We empty all shelves and drawers and pile everything in birth order
8. Because I’m OCD about outfits being matched, kids' clothes 10 and under are put away matched and packed matched. No pants drawer and shirt drawer. We have outfits, pajamas, socks & underwear. That’s how I pack so when it’s time to unpack again, it’s ready to go on the shelf.
9. We try to keep just what will fit on the shelf or in the drawer. It’s hard when so many kind people give us some great items but I’m learning to "GROC" with more frequency. GROC is our own invention. We have a Get Rid Of Can. SO, GROC is a noun and a verb. "GROC it!" is heard a lot during the Switchover.
10. Back to switching- unpack child’s clothes, put away.
11. Sort through their to-pack pile getting rid of (GROC-ing) excess and outgrown items; pack clothes.
12. Repeat for each child.
13. Don’t forget yourself – I did this one year-extra time was needed to repeat this process for the mama.
14. DON’T CLOSE THE LIDS! I leave the containers lined up with the lids behind them for 2 or 3 days until I feel that everything needing packed has made it through the wash. You KNOW if you pack the containers too soon, clothes are going to turn up that needed packed!
15. While you're going through this process, kids can be given missions. Make a checklist or just have them report in when they don’t know what to do next. Missions can be: try on coats and hang up what fits & get rid of excess, find mittens and scarves and put in pocket (we use a door-hanging pocket shoe organizer for mittens and scarves in the winter/swimsuits in the summer), clean out from under beds to look for lost clothes and shoes – same for closets, pack sandals, try on shoes, etc.
16. Ready to close the lids? Throw in 2 or 3 dryer sheets before you do. This will keep critters out. At least mice. When my FIL purchased a camper, he was told to stash dryer sheets all over the camper when closing it up for winter to keep the mice out. It also keeps the clothes smelling fresh and clean so they can go right back on their shelves or in the drawers next season.
17. A word on promoting. Promoting is what we call it when something gets outgrown and is given to the next sibling. When it’s time to promote, the tag or other visible spot on the waistband or collar is given a slash or dot. The boys get slashes and girls get dots. When my 12 y.o. boy outgrows a shirt, a slash is added to the slash he already had and and it goes to the next boy. This way, we can keep track of what belongs to whom. Promotions tend to happen during the unpacking and I sometimes assign the "dotting" to someone or let the child dot their own clothes.

There you have it. If anyone else would like to add their recommendations for this, DO SHARE!
HTH
GOD BLESS!.