diy cutoff shorts + printables

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DIY cut off shorts

As a mom to four kids under the age of six, you can imagine that I do A LOT of laundry (a load or two everyday, it’s never-ending!), even more so now that the weather is warming up and we’re spending more time outside. All this extra time outside seems to equate to more wear and tear on my little ones’ clothing. So now, not only am I doing laundry everyday to keep up with my own personal Mount Kilimanjaro in my laundry basket, but I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do with all these perfectly good clothes… that now have huge holes in the knees.

All Essentials in a laundry basket

Mommas, do you feel my pain? Please tell me I’m not the only one! My son especially is famous for wearing out the holes in the knees of his long pants. I don’t know what he does in them all day but I’ve now got a stack of pants that still fit him fine around the waist and aren’t faded or stained at all despite all his rough-and-tumble play, but have huge holes in one or both knees. 

Well, no worries because I’m about to melt some of your stress away and help your budget a little bit in the process. Being on a budget myself, it’s important that I get as much use out of clothing as possible, especially with all the hand me downs around here! The first step of that is using a laundry detergent that will be gentle enough for my children’s sensitive skin and powerful enough to still get the job done. Check that one off thanks to all® fresh clean Essentials™ –it preserves colors without being too harsh, letting my kids have fun outside and be crazy, but keeping their clothes looking like new! Well… except for the knee holes.

all essentials

Step two to combat the worn clothing problem is giving those well-loved pants some new life for the warmer summer months.

All you need to transform long pants into cut-off shorts are a pair of well-worn pants that are still clean and in good shape and a pair of fabric scissors.  Yep, that’s it! I cut off right at the knee hole and it was the perfect length for some long cut-off shorts for my little man. I folded the ends over to make cuffs, but you don’t have to. After a couple washes the cut ends will begin to fray giving you that classic cut-off look.

DIY cut off shorts

I love mom hacks like this one because it gives me more time to focus on the things that are important–spending this precious time with my littles.  I don’t have to worry as much about  getting the stains out of their clothing, mending holes, or trying to fit a new pair of shorts into our budget. One more mom tip for you, you can order the brand-new, sulfate-free all® fresh clean Essentials™ from Walmart and have it delivered right to your door so you can always be ready to get your kids’ clothing looking like new (I like the fragrance free but there’s also fresh scent).

Mark Twain Quote

It’s important to remember that babies don’t keep, children grow up, and eventually laundry piles do end. Savor these moments. Embrace the mess. Let your kids be kids. And because I know we all need a little reminder sometimes, here are two free printables that I think sum up life with rough-and-tumble sons and daughters (you know, like the ones who might wear a hole in their pants).

 Shakespeare Quote and Mark Twain Quote

How have you encouraged your kids to be kids lately? Have you been spending more time outside? Doing more crafts inside?