When I first became a stay at home mom I thought, What is there to this job? I got this. Oh how I was wrong. There is an art to being a
I used to be so consumed with laundry when my twins were two that I could hardly make myself do it. It was like a terrible job that was always hanging over my head. I used to let it pile up until there were no clean undies and I had no choice.
Tips about laundry....
Tip 1. Some of you ladies out there have a laundry day and you do all the laundry on that day. Kudos to you. No can do. If I leave all the laundry until 1 certain day it becomes so overwhelming I become paralyzed and don't do anything. No clean clothes in the house ain't good for nobody. I do a little laundry every couple days if not everyday. To me it is a lot less daunting. A lot less folding, a lot less to put away. Drop a load in while you get breakfast ready, or while you are helping the kiddos with their homework.
Tip 2. Do not start the dryer over again. I used to do this. I would think, Geez, I'm just not ready to deal with this task at the moment. Let me just make sure this is good and dry and hit that button 1 or 2 or 3 more times. IT IS DRY. Go ahead and take it out. You are just prolonging the inevitable. The object is not for the clothes to be crunchy. You know what I am talking about.
Tip 3. Go ahead and fold it. Don't wait. Don't leave a basket full of unfolded clothes. It never gets easier. Let's face it you are not going to think later, Wow! I'm so glad I get to fold this laundry now. Plus, it will be so wrinkled you might just have to throw it back into the next load because it isn't wearable in its current state. Not that I have ever done that. That's my only option because I don't iron. Folding the laundry quickly ensures I do not have to iron...that is way worse. My mother in law was visiting once and asked where my iron was. I actually couldn't find it. I located it on the very top shelf of my laundry room cabinets (they go to the ceiling). I had to stand on the washing machine to get it down. I blew off the dust and it worked like a charm. Did I mention I don't iron?
There's that accomplished feeling I get looking at a freshly folded basket of laundry. But putting it away...that's another story.
Tip 4. You are going to hate me. Put the basket away immediately. Yes, your children will end up wanting to play in your basket. They will dump out all your lovely piles and you will kick yourself. Who needs extra work? I was just having a conversation in my head about this very thing.
Procrastinator Me. The babies are sleeping I don't want to go in there and wake them up.
Responsible Me: You know that they won't wake up. That is an excuse, Shannon.
Procrastinator Me: You're too tired it will be fine to do it in the morning.
Responsible Me: Just do it right now. You will not want to wake up to that in the morning. You have a lot to do tomorrow and that will already be done if you do it now.
Responsible me won. I'm secretly glad. 6 years ago procrastinator me would have won that battle for sure.
Tip 5. Start making your eight year olds put away their own laundry and threaten their lives if they cram it in the drawer. And learn to put the smack down on toddlers who change their outfit 10 billion times a day.
There you have it. Laundry rules to live by.
I'm perfecting this art of stay at home motherhood one day at a time. It was either that or move in with my mother who gets some weird pleasure out of doing our laundry. Or maybe she just loves us...a lot.
Now go put your laundry away. There will be more in the basket before you get it in the appropriate drawers. Or, by the time you convince your children to do it or your toddler throws her tenth outfit for the day in the basket because she got a drop of water on her shirt. Seriously.
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