Laundry

Mountains Erode. Trees Fall. Buildings Crumble. But the Laundry pile just keeps Growing! - Baby Blues

Laundry is my nemesis. It is a never-ending task. It's not like you do laundry and then you are done for a few days...in fact, there will never be a time when I can say I have no laundry to do. I came up with a system for doing it, and lately it has not been piling up like it used to. However, I always have laundry I can do---there is always dirty laundry to wash, and there is always clean laundry to put away. I have accepted that fact of life with three kids. No problem. But yesterday the laundry went from manageable to ridiculous.

I got up and first thing I put a load of clothes in (one of 4 I wanted to do that day). I took the load of towels and bathing suits from the pool out of the dryer--that would be the load that I did the night before, not a normal load in my weekly schedule, but one that had to get done right away. I was doing well. I put away 2 baskets of clean clothes in the proper drawers, and even pulled out a few things that are too small for the kids and put them in the too small box!

Gabe is potty trained, mostly. He went in my room to watch a movie and fell asleep. He was wearing underwear. I put a waterproof pad underneath him just in case. When he woke up, he was soaked, the pad was soaked, and the bed was soaked because he had rolled off the pad. Rotate laundry. Put in the sheets, blankets, mattress pad, his clothes, and the waterproof pad I had put under him, "Just in case." Carry the mattress outside (it was a little damp). Lysol and sun should take care of the damp mattress. Remember his pull-up had leaked the night before--strip his bed, now there is dirty laundry waiting in line.

It's 114 here, and there is a power crisis. Minimize energy consumption between 2:00 and 6:00 pm. Hang as many items out to dry in the sun as possible. Pause Laundry.

Later, the kids are laying on my box springs playing Xbox. Someone brought popcorn in my room (not allowed) and the baby tried to eat some of the unpopped kernels. She threw up. On my bed. Rotate Laundry. In go the dust ruffle, pillowcases, blanket they were on, Jules' clothes and Mckenna's PJs--she was in the danger zone. Clean up that mess, Bathe the baby, spray Lysol and air freshener, be thankful she mostly got the blanket and pillow. Hand wash the pillow. No time to fold or put away anything, dump all the dry stuff into a basket to get wrinkled for later. :o)

Did I mention that Dan was installing a new bathroom vanity and sink yesterday? He finished. Rotate laundry. In go the rags from water leakage and rugs that got very dirty from mudding/sanding/painting/gluing.

I started the day a load ahead. I did laundry all day, never got Gabe's sheets in, and didn't even think about getting to the 3 loads of clothes I was supposed to do. I ended the day 4 loads behind, with 4 baskets of laundry to fold and put away.

Drag mattress in. Make bed. Watch a video with Dan for his homework, brainstorm and write a paper with him on that video, try to talk--not making sense. Fall sound asleep. 5:30 am, baby is screaming. Her diaper leaked in her bed. Start all over.

Thank you Lord for reminding me that it is not about my system or my time. Thank you Lord for these three precious children, whose joy far exceeds the work they create. Thank you God that we live in a place with washers and dryers. I can't even imagine the orphanage in Haiti, where they have 40 orphans and two laundresses who hand wash diapers and clothes around the clock, bleaching first, and hanging them to dry in the humidity. Thank you for a sense of humor so I can laugh in the face of piles of laundry.