The "Tomorrow's Outfit Clothesline": My New Trick for Avoiding Morning Drama

It seems that we have a hard time getting going in the morning around here. I know there are lots of reasons for this (a tired mama who takes some time to feel the effects of her caffeine being one of them). I find that while I want the morning to be one of the nicest parts of the day, that desire seems to be foiled regularly while I am struggling to get people dressed. I've been trying to make the difficult things "fun" in addition to making them ritualized in an effort to smooth over some of these rough spots.

When I spotted a painted clothesline on Ohdeedoh some time ago, I immediately know we needed one. I'd link to it, but I can't seem to find it. The original had knobs or hooks instead of clothespins, and I'm not sure how they explained its purpose, but it was relatively similar to what I've done here.

Since I just made it today, tonight was our first time using it. The chicks chose outfits and we hung them on the line. Tomorrow morning they'll change into those outfits (neatly waiting for them), and they'll put their jammies up where they'll be waiting for bedtime. I hope it works!

I didn't take a ton of in-process photos, but I did take a few. Here's how to do it:

1. Draw a pencil outline of your clothesline.

2. Paint over it, doing a neater and better job than I. I never realized how hard it is to paint at that angle! I suddenly have a huge amount of respect for mural painters. And feel free to laugh at my bird; I realize it has the body of a sparrow and the beak of a puffin. Apparently the chicks did not see the limitations of my painting ability as Ninna asked me to paint a squirrel on the other post so the bird can have a friend.

3. Figure out a spacing for your clothespins so the clothes on the top line won't be hanging over the clothes on the bottom line. Mark the points on the wall. Don't forget that you want the clothespins to be placed logically where they'd be if they were really holding something on the line. If you notice, I didn't do that with the first one, on the bottom far left. It's not really in the right spot, but I'm too lazy to fix it.

4. Drill holes and, if necessary, insert wall anchors (I did).

5. Remove half of the wood from each clothespin, leaving the spring attached to one side. Drill a hole slightly smaller than your screws through the top of each clothespin half (the one with the spring).

6. Screw them all into the wall, tightly enough that they won't move but not so tightly that you crush and split the clothespin (like I did twice).

7. Using a flat head screwdriver, pull open the metal part below the spring on one of the clothespins so it gives you some space to reinsert the other half of the wood.8. Replace the wood and repeat with your other clothespins.

9. Step back and admire your work!

I'm really so excited about this. I can also see it being used in imaginative play--it would be perfect for playing house. Now let's hope that it brings me brighter mornings...