Where do they come from?

Socks.  I despise socks!  Socks comprise a major part of the laundry around here, and I can’t really figure out why.  They’re relatively small, and my husband is really the only one who wears them regularly.  You can usually find me wearing a pair of flip flops…rain or shine, hot or cold, it doesn’t really matter to me.  Our children don’t like socks.  The oldest decided several years ago that they made her feet sweat, and said so within earshot of her younger siblings, who, in their quest to be like their big sister, have followed in her bare (but not sweaty!) footsteps.  If you find any of my children walking around with socks inside their shoes, rest assured, there has recently been a knock-down, drag-out fight over the occasion.  I’ve found, in motherhood, that it’s important to pick your battles.  There are circumstances that I will force the children to wear socks…but most of the time it just isn’t worth it.

So, how is it, then, that socks have come to represent such a large portion of the laundry?  Honestly, I have no idea where they all come from.  If you know, please tell me the secret!  Really…it’s driving me crazy (yes, dear husband, I know…it’s too short a trip to waste the gas).

Where do they go?

This brings me to the next stop on my little tirade.  Sock Land.

Sock Land is the magical place where socks go…but only ever one at a time.  There’s a portal somewhere in the laundry room garage…or possibly it’s in my couch where they sit waiting for me to match them after they’ve been washed.  Maybe they’re just trying to get back at me for taking so long to get around to balling them up folding them with their beloved mates.

Whatever the case, upon the rare occasions that I do get around to fighting with the socks, the giant mound that can fill an entire laundry basket only ever contains about 10 actual pairs of socks.

On a positive note, Monkey has recently been learning to fold socks, and most of the time, he’s a great help!  But, we can all tell when he’s been at it unattended.  There will be green socks paired with orange socks, boy socks paired with girl socks, and tall socks paired with short socks.  Quite the industrious little fellow, that one is!

Where do they come from, Cotton-Eyed Joe?

Now, I’ve heard it suggested that the best solution to this problem is to head on down to Wally World, and buy a package of socks for everyone that contains all the same color socks.  So, maybe Bear gets all pink, Lizard all purple, Monkey all green…you get the picture.  That way, you don’t have to worry so much about finding the proper pairs.  All the kids wear different sized socks, so this would also take the guesswork out of putting them away correctly as well.  It sounds like a fantastic plan!

“Let’s try it!”  I thought exuberantly to myself as I hatched my next plan for a housekeeping win.

Epic fail.  The only naturally-occurring single-colored packs of socks available at good ol’ Wally World is white, and white with grey toes.  Well, I suppose that covers 2 sets of feet.  So, where do all these color-coded socks come from?

Ooh! There’s a rainbow of yarn available in the craft section.

I guess I’ll write again sometime next year.  I’ve got a lot of socks to knit!