I was going through pictures the other day and ran across photo after photo of socks. Socks on boxes, socks on floors and socks under tables. I was confused, but not surprised.
Random pictures of messy things is an occupational hazard of this slob blogging gig I have.
(One of the reasons I “help” my mother-in-law when she’s looking at pictures on my phone . . . )
Anyway, I realized the point of this maybe-it-will-make-a-blog-post series of pictures when I saw this one:
Right. It was January 7th, and my discipleship partner and I were supposed to meet. I was in one of those she-knows-me-she-loves-me-so-why-pretend-anymore moods, and didn’t play the I’m-hungry-let’s-meet-at-a-restaurant trick I’ve played so many times before.
But just before she was due to arrive, I did stop and look. And realized I couldn’t blame ALL of the mess on the fact that our Christmas decorations hadn’t been put up yet.
I decided to do the very least I could do.
Pick up socks.
And oh my word, there were more than anyone should ever have to pick up.
I would blame one certain person who tends to be our #1 Sock Tosser, but there was at least one pair he would never wear because he says they’re too tight.
Obviously, we have a Sock Problem in this family.
Thankfully, since I’ve sworn to be honest, this was a rare time when none of the socks scattered across the floor were mine.
Clearly, I didn’t bother to vacuum (and hadn’t vacuumed in a while).
Unfortunately, even though I’m proud of myself for not buying a new storage for Christmas decor when I already had one, I probably should have wiped it down. It sat outside for a very long time.
Oh. You were hoping for profound advice? Sorry. Maybe next time. This is just one of those examples of how someone can tell the depth of their friendship with me by how much I bother to clean up before they come over.
Y’all must be my BFFs.
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Ha, one of the things I do too. Somebody coming over? Run around to check for dirty laundry laying around… This for me comes right with the visibility rule.pick up: 1. Trash, 2. Clothes.
Solidarity! One of my girls is the worst when it comes to just taking her socks off and leaving them wherever she is — and not in a laundry basket.
We cut way down on the sock problem when I added a basket on the stair landing. Since we don’t have to go upstairs to put them in a laundry approved container, they’re much less likely to get tossed in the basket. I round up the strays on my way to bed (I’m one of the biggest offenders) and I only have one place to check on laundry day.
We have a major sock problem, too! But it’s just 1 child! And it drives me absolutely nuts. He leaves his socks under the kitchen table, beside the back door, out in the backyard, hidden in the bushes in the backyard because he knows he’s going to get in trouble when I come outside and notice the socks that have been left out for days? weeks? or who knows how long… beside the bed… UNDER the mattress?? *IN* the couch?? on the booth seat at the restaurant (seriously YUCK! Who does that!?!?) And my all time favorite in the floor under the bag where all socks go to get washed. Because it’s easier to bend down, move the bag and put them under it than it is to stand up, make sure they are turned right side out and plop them in the opening apparently.
I am seriously consider a sock exchange program. 1-1 swap. Dirty sock for clean sock. Though I know he’d just be wearing his shoes sockless for months because he has no idea where he left the socks.
We don’t even have the stairs excuse. It’s all on the 1st floor. And it’s not an example he picked up from anyone else – all the rest of the family is practically religious about putting up our shoes and socks!
It’s clear these people do not want to wear socks, and don’t most of the time. So put the socks away somewhere and let them go without.
Again, they don’t wear them most of the time, so their starting out without socks is not a concern. Stop fighting the flood and go with the flow.
My husband was the first sock-dropper, now my boys (ages 10 and 7) are getting into the habbit, too. I placed a trash can with a swing lid in MY KITCHEN as that seems to be the favorite dumping ground. Works great, only problem: guests think it’s really a trashcan and I get surprises almost every laundry day. Think labelling it SOCKEL ONLY would help?