What size is this?

I have a terrible time trying to find clothes for Elizabeth.  She is so skinny, and unfortunately as Americans get fatter and fatter, the child sizes do as well, so a child's size 10 is actually larger than it was when I was a child  (a 10 now is what a 10X used to be).   I have made or altered a majority of her clothes to fit her.  I actually tend to retire her clothing because I am tired of seeing her in the same outfit, rather than her actually outgrowing an outfit.   To illustrate this point, she put on a shirt that was Keeners.

It is obviously short at the waist, but it looks just like a summer crop top. She can do the same with a lot of Keener's sweaters.  So I must ask, what size is this shirt really?

Bane of existance

Socks are the bane of my existence.  Honey agrees completely.  With 4 kids and Honey and I, that is 6 different sizes and then all the colors and types.  I can't say how much I truly hate socks and how glad I am every summer to put my children in sandals. I did finally realize that it is worth it to buy only one brand of socks.  They mark their name in different colors based on the size.  Thank goodness! That was my great discovery.  Truly this  is what the socks companies should be advertising!  So for now, I am busy sorting and looking forward to sandals.

When last I left you, Keener was naked dancing on the table.  This is not the whole story.  I am having constant clothing battles with my almost 3 year old.  She hates dresses unless she is wearing pants under them and has gone so far as to undress in the middle of Mass. Luckily it was not as far as letting God and everyone else see her birthday suit.   She wears about 10 outfits a day.  She is constantly changing because one outfit is "dirdy".  She is one STRONG WILLED child.  If it wasn't so funny it would be a lot more exhausting.  So how am I handling this?  I am letting her express herself with her clothing most of the time.  At Mass, Mommy wins, always.  But, most of the time I let her win because a strong will is not a bad thing in life.  Neither is the ability to express yourself and feel comfortable about how you look.  I allow her to have a bin of "dirdy" clothes and that is the pile that she changes into and out of all day long.  I also have put a lock on her closet.  There are only so many times that you can force a child to clean up the big mess before you have to be smart and save yourself.  It's not like it's fun to monitor a child when they are cleaning.  I feel like I'd rather not make clothing a big issue now, I know it will be a big issue with teenagers, so I'm saving my energy for the real battle.