"Mommy, I had to change."

Not surprisingly, I find much of my life is occupied by laundry these days. There are 6 of us wearing clothes and using sheets and towels, after all. One of us is potty training and one of us is a bedwetter, which leads to substantial additional spikes in the throughput. But now, I have really met my match. Helen has discovered fashion.

She has very definite opinions about what she needs to wear. I know all of the kids went through this at some point, but by my (admittedly failing) memory, she has it the worst. First, she chooses her own clothes in the morning. There is no telling what she will fancy, day-to-day.  This is only annoying in that it means I can't save time for the morning by laying out her clothes the night before - it would be pointless. So, inconvenience aside, I really try to let her wear anything, within reason for the weather. (No, you DO have to wear long pants to school when it is below freezing outside.) But what really gets the laundry going is that she feels the need to change. Frequently.

When she arrives home from school, she disappears immediately after her snack. It gets really quiet for about 10 minutes, and then she emerges, wearing today's "Big Reveal." The details belong to Helen, though I can give you some likely hints. It will involve tights or shorts on the bottom, and a tank top or leotard on top. Not necessarily in the combination you might expect. Dresses or skirts are always a hit. Or, just a swimsuit. Swimsuits are very popular.

"Mommy, I had to change!
Today's selection - white tights and a white tank top.

The runway hit of the day usually lasts about 1-2 hours, after which she will cycle through as many additional items of clothing as she can get her hands on. Of course, I try to snag the cast-offs and return them to the drawers, but ... well, she is two. It doesn't take her long to spill food, or smear snot, or roll in dust bunnies. So, not too many cast-offs are really fit to go back in the drawer. And, she is working quickly against me. She loves to hide the removed clothing in the dirty clothes hampers.

So, what can I do for now except grin and enjoy it? This, too, shall pass.

We are also very excited to be wearing Curious George underwear. Who wouldn't be?