This past week has been spent, primarily, switching from the summer clothing to the winter clothing--for the children. I spent HOURS on Saturday cleaning out the twins' drawers and closets, packing up too-small clothes, and throwing away junk (it's amazing how much two twelve years olds can manage to collect and still have their rooms look clean). I dread this job every season--I even went so far this year as to say, "I can't wait until these two stop growing." I didn't mean it though-- I love my babies and want to put off the empty nest as long as possible. Anyway, as I was saying, I dread it every season, but I'm always so glad that I did it. I don't know if I'm the only one or not, but every year, when I'm in the midst of this monstrous project, I promise myself that this time I will not buy so much clothing. This time, things are going to be different. I think the problem is that I tend to buy EVERYTHING I think they might need for the season, forgetting that somehow stuff seems to trickle in through out the season--gifts, hand-me-downs, required t-shirt, etc. Am I the only one guilty of this? Oh--who am I kidding-I don't forget. I love to shop. There, I said it. I find it hard to resist a good sale or a cute outfit. Lock me up. No, really, Lock me up! Anyway, this year we tried on the clothes I saved from last winter--I mistakenly thought a few things might still fit them this year--Ha-what a joke. Afterwards, I made a list of what each child needed--bare minimum-- (to me, anyway) the goal being to have enough clothing to last a week without having to wash. "Bare minimum" is a new approach for me--3 or 4 pairs of jeans, 4 long sleeve shirts, 2-3 church outfits, new shoes, and sweatpants (are they still called that?)/ sleeping pants. (They all had jackets/sweatshirts from last year that fit-yippee--so I didn't have to worry about that--and they each had some play clothes given to them). Even just those few things are a huge investment when you have three children. I worried this wouldn't be enough, but sure enough, hand-me-downs have already been given to us, and the kids have each chosen to spend their own money on a piece of clothing or two--so their drawers are already packed full again. And I already know that when spring comes, I'll be saying the same thing I always say--"I am not going to buy them so much this time. This is ridiculous." Whatever--some things never change. Oh, and lest you think I have forgotten to buy myself anything during this fall season, I found--on clearance-- a great pair of very comfortable dark brown Sperry suede topsiders--with a buckle instead of shoestrings--that I love! And the greatest brown long sweater jacket--a steal at The Limited for $15.