Hello there! Here on quarantine day 32 (I think, but have lost track!) we’re constantly looking for new ideas to keep busy at home, with supplies we have on hand. Today Wendy Dessler is collaborating with Four to Adore with some great ideas for using mismatched socks.

When doing laundry, it is almost customary to lose socks here and there. In fact, some data has shown that the average person will lose more than 15 socks in any given year. If you have kids, there is a chance that this number will be even higher. While there are ways to help them stop losing things, these aren’t always effective.

When you lose socks, you are often left with a pile of mismatches that sit around and never get used. Eventually these will likely just find their way in the garbage. However, before you toss them in the trash, there are some things that you can do with them.

Whether you get your children some new socks from Elite Sports Socks and can get rid of their old ones, or you simply have no more room for those mismatched socks, this article is for you. Without any further ado, let’s look at a few unique ideas for using your kid’s mismatched socks, instead of simply throwing them away.

Cleaning Rags

Instead of tossing out these old socks, consider using them as rags for cleaning up various messes and spills around your home. Socks can be quite absorbent and should be able to clean messes from cola spills to dusty countertops. Best of all, these can easily be washed, dried and reused. 

Using these socks will stop you from ever having to buy rags or paper towels ever again. You won’t even have to cut up or alter the socks at all. Simply make sure they are clean and then feel free to start cleaning with them anytime.

Make a DIY Scent Bag

(via: https://pixabay.com/photos/lavender-purple-tender-romantic-823584/) 

Everyone wants their homes to smell great, but that isn’t always possible. Cat litter, gym bags, strong-smelling foods and many other things can easily spread throughout your home. If you want to eliminate this issue and ensure your home is always smelling great, you can make a DIY scent bag using your child’s mismatched socks.

By adding some rice into the sock, as well as your favorite essential oils, you will have a scent bag ready to be put in any room that you want to smell great. Simply stitch up the sock and you are done, that’s all there is to it. Feel free to create as many as you’d like, and there are dozens of potential scents out there that you can use.

Keep Valuable Items Safe During Transport

(via: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/moving-boxes-mover-moving-truck-3671446/) 

Moving is inevitable for most of us at one time or another. Whether it is just down the street or to a new state, most of us will need to move homes at one point. The worst part of this move is surely the packing and unpacking. You want to make sure that you not only have everything, but that everything is safe and protected.

Using old socks is one of the best ways to protect glass and other types of fragile valuables. If you put these items inside a sock or two, it can soften any impact they may suffer through during the moving process. While these are guaranteed to stop things from breaking, they will contain the mess if they do. 

Build Crafts or Toys

One of the best uses for these old and mismatched socks is to create things like crafts or toys with them. This puts them to good use, and also allows you to spend quality time with your child. You will only need the sock itself, and potentially a few other affordable crafting materials.

The opportunities here are endless. You can cut up the socks and use them as a craft, can stitch together numerous socks to make a toy or do dozens of other things. Be sure to speak with your child and see what they would like to make out of their 

Make a Stress Ball

In our busy lives, it is normal to be stressed from time to time. Between work, cleaning the home and several other things, it can be tough to take a break and let off some steam. As a result, having stress-reduction techniques is incredibly important. One of the best and easiest is to use a stress ball.

While you can buy many different kinds of stress balls out there, why not use an old mismatched sock to make your own? All you need to do is put some play dough or rice in a small plastic bag, put that in the sock and then get squeezing! It will work well and should help to reduce your stress almost instantly.

In conclusion, hopefully the information in this article has inspired you to use your kid’s old and mismatched socks in brand new ways.

Almost exactly eight years ago to the day, I started writing Four to Adore. It became my place to share our story, one of uncertainty with our friends and family. I also hoped to reach others who may be in a similar position. In February 2012 we found out that we were expecting quadruplets. It was a joyous, exciting time, but also one that was riddled with unknowns and fear. We did not know whether the babies and I could all survive the pregnancy, or after. We did not know if we could support four infants financially. We did not know what the future held for our family. Yet, we held close to our faith and prepared in ways we could, letting go of what was outside of our control.

A poster on my office wall read,

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of it’s troubles.  It empties today of it’s strength.”

Corrie Ten Boom

I thought of this often as my mind constantly tried to shift from optimism to a mindset of fear. I continued working full time and things seemed to be going well, until they weren’t. At 21 weeks, I began showing signs of early labor and was put on strict bed rest. I was to stay at home, in bed, all day. The only exceptions were to use the restroom and shower. Otherwise, it was me alone in bed. This went on for TEN grueling weeks.

At first, bed rest sounds like a nice opportunity to catch up on reading, to binge watch Netflix shows, and to nap leisurely. It’s none of those things, ya’ll. Bed rest is lonely and isolating. It’s hard giving up the normal things you manage independently: working, cooking, exercise, shopping, etc. Plus, it’s a lot of time spent alone. I was fortunate to have friends and family who periodically stopped by, often bringing food, but I was solo more often than not. I quickly learned a few tricks to help pass this time.

• Developed a schedule: I woke up about the same time daily I ate meals, completed tasks like reading and writing, and took a nightly bath.
• Let the light shine: I couldn’t get outside, but I made sure to open the windows letting the sun bathe my room signaling when it was daytime.
• Contacted others: I played a lot of Words with Friends, found other moms expecting quads, and of course chatted with my friends and family.
• Took care of my appearance: Few people saw me, but each day I always got dressed into actual clothes in the morning, brushed my hair, and sometimes applied make up. It just feels better to take care of these things!
• Stayed healthy as possible: I couldn’t follow my normal exercise routine, but I continued trying to eat healthy foods, drank water, took vitamins, and followed a modified exercise routine from bed.

I will never forget the ten weeks I spent on bed rest, they were extremely humbling. I do not take my health for granted because of that time.

Following my ten weeks of “house arrest” as I called it, we were thrust into NICU life with four infants born nine weeks too soon. They were all fragile, requiring a staff of nurses and doctors to oversee their care. We quickly became enmeshed in hospital life, scrubbing in and out when visiting our children and managing cares. Upon the babies’ discharge we had not only become institutionalized, but were were again terrified.

We didn’t want the babies returning to the hospital so we took extreme precautions known as “lock down” to keep them healthy at least until they developed stronger immune systems. Visitors were extremely limited and required a protocol. We only allowed visitors who were vaccinated, had not been ill or show signs of illness, hands had to be washed, shoes removed, and if anyone had smoked, they had to change clothes. It was stringent, and it offended some of our friends and family. In fact, we lost some friends due to the measures we required. In addition to these Draconian rules for visitors, we went very few places and almost no where with the babies.

We felt it necessary to protect their health, but also because taking four infants anywhere is practically an Olympic sport. For the first two years of the kids’ lives we went to work, grandparents houses, and the grocery store. Otherwise we were mostly home. It was not easy, but somehow we managed to weather those difficult times, and to fill them with happy memories. When I think of our kids as babies and toddlers, I do remember everything I just described with vivid detail, but I also remember the sound of their belly laughs, them exploring the world with wonder, and watching them thrive. If we could rewind time, I think we’d take the same precautions again.

Here’s the irony….in many ways we are doing it all over again. I feel as though I’m repeating the experience of bed rest followed by premature infants with the current state of our nation. At this time, most of our state is closed from schools to gyms and restaurants due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Our county is under shelter in place, severely limiting anyone from leaving home except for medical care and groceries. No more than ten people should gather, and in public people should maintain a distance of at least six feet.

Everything is uncertain, particularly our health and the economy. It is unsettling and stressful for everyone. Each person has a different experience with the state of things, but I am certain it is easy for no one. Unlike my past experience, we share this experience. My hope is that like with my bed rest, this is a temporary situation that one day we can reflect upon as something that helped us grow. From this, I hope we learn gratitude, humility, and grace and that one day it is part of our history no longer our normal.

In the meantime, please stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary and WASH YOUR HANDS.

hugs,

Amber

P. S. I realize this blog is LONG forgotten. Once the kids started kindergarten and I increased my hours at work, blog time diminished. As we figure out this work and school from home bit, I’m hoping to carve out a little time to blog, and perhaps share how we’re coping with COVID-19 quarantine. After all, writing is my unicorn space. We shall see!

According to Facebook lots of kiddos started school today, but my crew starts in two weeks.  We’re trying to soak up the last bits of summer here, but I’m also gradually preparing the kids to return to our school routine.  Last year when they started kindergarten it was imperative for us to have a solid routine that would help get them to school before the 7:40 am tardy bell.  George leaves for work at 6:30 am so it is my responsibility to make sure everyone is ready and at school on time.   This is a tall order, but we managed with a few tricks.

We start by prepping as much as we can the night before:

• check the weather then choose clothes and lay them out
• pack lunches and store in the fridge
• put folders, books, etc. into backpacks
• set the table for breakfast

Getting to bed on time is another critical part of the morning routine.  We try very hard for the kids to get at least 10 hours of sleep (see American Academy of Pediatrics Sleep Guidelines.  Sleep is important not only for helping everyone wake up chipper in the morning, but also for optimum learning and behavior throughout the day.  When the kids aren’t in bed on time, they go crazy-hyper-nuts and have a hard time falling asleep.  The next day, they are cranky, short fused and difficult, which I do not want teachers to experience.

As part of our sleep routine, we start dimming lights and shutting curtains shortly after dinner.  We also transition to quieter activities such as coloring, puzzles, or reading.  There is no screen time two hours prior to bedtime because screens stimulate them and discourage sleep.  We wrap up with pajamas, brushing teeth, and then reading a bedtime story before lights are out.  Long summer days put a monkey wrench in our early bedtime routine, but we are working on getting in back in order for school.

Even with a good night’s rest, the girls are slow to rise in the morning, especially when it’s still dark outside.  We started using a sunrise alarm clock“>sunrise alarm clock, which simulates the sunrise in the girls’ room.  A soft light shines thirty minutes before the alarm is set to sound and it gradually brightens.  Pachelbel’s Cannon in D begins to play when it’s time to wake.  This helped tremendously!  I started setting their alarm clock a few weeks back to get them used to waking up early and getting ready.

To foster independence with getting ready (and to free up precious time for myself), we use a simple visual checklist.  It identifies things I expect for the kids to do mostly by themselves.  I make sure everyone is awake and then prompt the kids to “check the list”.  As they complete tasks, they move a color coded magnetic push pin into the box showing it’s done.   If I notice someone is dawdling, I remind them, “check the list”.  As an incentive for kids to get ready quickly, if there is spare time, they can use their Kindle to read or play a game until we leave.

I laminated the checklist and hung it on the side of our refrigerator where the kids can easily reach it.

Once everyone is ready, we have the challenge of loading the car and buckling all of the five point harnesses.  At the start of kindergarten, the kids could not fully buckle or unbuckle their seats, which meant extra steps for me.  OYE!  As the year progressed, they began practicing buckling and unbuckling their seats and by the end they could manage them.  Hooray!  If you have a new kindergartener, I highly recommend practicing this handy skill.

Do you have any hacks for getting kids to school on time?

Hugs!

Amber

It’s mid-July and as much as I hate to admit it….back to school is just around the corner.  Swimsuits and  beach toys are being marked down while school supplies and uniforms are filling the shelves at Target and Walmart.  For many families it’ll be the first time sending kids off to kindergarten.  Last summer, that was us.  The kids were turning five in July and  were already registered for kindergarten.  I had done my best to prepare them for school, was familiar with research, and had 12 years of experience practicing school psychology in public schools.  They were going to kindergarten.  Yet, I questioned my once certain decision to send the kids to kindergarten at five instead of waiting another year.  Many people assumed with the summer birthday I’d hold the kids back.  I kept hearing friends, neighbors, and acquaintances on the internet saying they kept their summer birthday kids home until they were six.  I didn’t realize that there was such a debate about whether to send kids to kindergarten at five or six years old, but it is apparently a thing.  I began to wonder, “WHO sends a five year old to school?!?!” and started seriously questioning myself, and then worrying and maybe panicking a little.  It wasn’t good, ya’ll.

I worried that no matter how much we prepared, they’d be too little.  After all, they barely made it on the growth charts and still wore toddler sized clothes.  I worried that there wouldn’t be any other kids who were barely five in their class.  Most of all, I worried that they’d struggle and fail at life because I sent them to school at five instead of six.  Again, I thought, “WHO sends a five year old to school?!?!”  Nonetheless, I stood by my instinct and the kids started kindergarten in August.

They were itty bitty kindergarteners. See that red mark on Rylin’s red check? It was a huge mommy kiss.

A year later, I do not regret my decision.  Yes, the kids were small compared to their peers.  Some kids towered over them by at least five or six inches.  There were kids in their class that turned seven, but guess what?!?!  These six and seven year olds didn’t bully my babies or run circles around them academically.  They were simply older peers in the class.  Not such a big deal as I anticipated.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how many other young five kindergarteners were in the kids classes, and how many other petite kids were at school.  It was reassuring knowing mine weren’t the lone five year olds in kindergarten.

In the end, the kids learned how to function in a classroom, the school rules, respect of school staff,  navigate a large building, be independent, make friends, to read and write, count to 100, and so much more.  They finished kindergarten loving school and their teachers.  Of course they had rough patches, tears and failures, but that’s part of life isn’t it?  Kids have to experience the bitter taste of defeat to persevere and to one day become independent adults and good humans.  So, mamas of summer babies who will start kindergarten at five, I know it’s hard, but it will be okay!  You’ll both learn and grow so much this year.  Trust your gut, and have fun buying school supplies and clothes.   If you’re five year old is staying home another year, that’s okay too!  You do you.  🙂

These four were so sad to say good bye to their beloved kindergarten teachers.  Rylin is really hoping she’s in the first grade class adjacent to her old kindergarten teacher’s room.

I’m most proud of the kids’ behavior at school.  I was concerned about a few of them before they started, but school staff was nothing but complimentary about them.  One day all four kids earned a “blue” meaning their behavior was exceptionally good!

hugs,

Amber

P. S. Stay tuned for a list of our favorite school supplies.