OLYMPIC TRIALS

While (nearly) all my co-workers are off eating Moo Goo Gai Pain between live shots, halfway around the world, here I am at home facing my own Olympic trials --

the kids' closets!

Spring cleaning has morphed into "end of summer" cleaning for me. At 1am, I'm sitting in the middle of the floor of my five-year-old son's room trying to figure out which clothes he'll still be able to wear in December.

It's a Herculean effort. You see, my friends and I have a massive "hand-me-down" habit - which is wonderful, because kids grow so quickly, many clothes we buy are barely worn. The other day, one mom in the group sent me home with two huge - I mean HUGE - bags of clothes. With my son out of town with his grandparents this summer, I'm trying to "guesstimate" his sizes, so I can have the closet cleaned out, organized and ready when they return just before school starts.

So my conversation with myself, sitting here on the floor at 1am, goes like this:

"This SAYS size 4, but it's huge - and he doesn't have pants that color. We'll try them - in the drawer they go."

"This size 5 shirt should fit, but it looks short. Back in the bag."

So here I am, surrounded by chinos, last year's uniform pants, summer T-shirts, winter boots, etc. etc. It's really a blessing to have so much to choose from. But I'm also trying to figure out which friend's child is the right size for OUR hand-me-downs.

Of course, that's the boy's closet. The simplest one.

For my daughter, there are fewer clothes, but more decisions. It's not just about can she wear it, but WILL she wear it. At 7, she's hit that age when she doesn't want to look like a baby, but I'm not ready for her to turn into "Second Grade Spice" overnight. So cleaning her closet, my conversation with myself is more like this:

"Cute dress. But those puffy sleeves look too kindergarten. To the giveaway pile."

"I love that sweater, and I just bought it at the end of last season. She'll wear it, if I have to drag her to school in it. Back in the closet."

It's really kind of fun, in a way. If you think about it, you're watching your kids grow before your very eyes. Clothes that fit just a few months ago are either too small, or no longer appropriate for their age. Last year it was Thomas the Train - now Batman. Not long ago, she was Dora. Now princesses. I am NOT ready for Hanna Montana!

My babies are growing up - and between tears, I think I'm handling it quite well.

Give me the gold!