How do You Organize Your Winter Clothes and Accessories!?
I’m not a snow mom. I’m a park mom, a reading books mom, a make cookies mom, a play a board game mom, but I’m not a fun in the snow mom. In fact if one of my kids suggests playing outside in the snow I try and think of other things they could do instead. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather read books together? Or maybe we could snuggle and watch a show!?
Why am I such a snow grouch? Because if one person wants the play outside, they all do. That’s at least 8 coats, boots, and set of gloves I need to find, I have more control over the youngest two right now. They go out for maybe 5 or 10 minutes then come back inside and leave 8 wet coats laying around, 16 wet boots on the floor, and 16 wet gloves haphazardly sprawled around my living space! Not to mention the wet floor and wet clothes they take off for me to wash! I’m not a fan.
Even though I will try and entice my children to not play outside, it still happens, the mess still occurs, and I don’t have a good system to house all 10 sets of coats, boots, and gloves. Please help! Tell me all your best ways to organize and systems you have to keep the winter clothes from overrunning your home!
Right now I have all the coats hanging in our front closet along with the vacuum, brooms, and mop, which is fine right now because the snow hasn’t stuck to the ground so they are mostly still wearing jackets. But when we need to be wearing coats the entire time, my kids won’t be hanging up their coats every time they use them, I know that’s not going to happen for my 5 yr olds. The boots are with the regular shoes in the mud room, but once someone needs a shoe everything will come crashing to the floor. And I have all the snow pants still in the big tote in the loft, hoping if they are not out, no one will want to use them. It’s wishful thinking, but I can’t even think where we would store them in the house right now. Yes everything has a spot right now but it’s just temporary solutions, I need a better system!
So for this What We do Wednesday, we’re switching to: What You do Wednesday, because we don’t really do winter accessories all that well! Unless you count on the floor! Please help a Mama out!
I only have 7 kids, but we lived in Minnesota and Wyoming (on a farm) for 8 years, so have some winter (horror) experience. 😉 I’m with you — getting littles all dressed up, then getting them all undressed in 10 minutes, freezing cold and needing cocoa, is a pain. It’s like mama graduation when everyone can get themselves ready!
I always invest in good gloves/mittens (I like Costco’s) that clip together when not in use, and totally use those strap things that keep them attached to coats for the littlest ones. When the kids come in from their winter adventures their boots go on a towel and coats, hats, gloves (clipped together), scarves, etc., get hung up on an accordian drying rack. I only washed stuff when it got really gross, and drying clothing became part of the decor for 7-8 months of the year, lol!
I love reading your posts — thank you for sharing! <3
Do you have a photo of your mud room? We installed hooks at the level for my children to be able to reach out and just they can hook a shoulder strap of the snow pants or the waist of them on the hook, and then their coat can go over that. Then maybe a shelf with some baskets for their gloves and hats… All within their reach. So you might have several levels of hooks for toddlers and preschoolers, younger elementary, and older elementary. My six boys are older now, so I don’t have a picture of when we used to do this.