A couple weeks ago, I had two back to back tweets about laundry. I then had a friend thank me for my confession :) And I realized that I needed to discuss it further to free myself of the burden and get it off my chest once and for all.
Tweet #1: Laundry is defeating- I work to get it all done and folded, then on my way to put it away, I notice the laundry baskets have new debris
Tweet #2: The other day I took Max out in public w/ gunk on his shirt bc I'd just finished his laundry & wasn't ready for anything in his basket yet
My first problem is that we have 4 laundry baskets around our house:
We have Max's that has to be washed with special detergent because his skin is sensitive:
We also have Gabe's basket:
Then we have the one from mine and Chad's room:
And we have Chad's paint clothes.
And I'm picky and OCD so I can't just do one load- I have to do it all, all the time, and get it all folded and put away or else it doesn't count. And it's so cyclical that I just can't stand it. Chad started the habit before we were married of wearing 2 pairs of socks to work each day, and then a fresh pair when he gets home-- plus he wears work clothes then showers and puts on new clothes for the evening- and sometimes we go to the gym, which adds a third set of clothes. Gabe is just as bad-- he wears many outfits a day and never re-wears pj's. Are you supposed to re-wear pj's? And Max is a baby- so he not only dirties an outfit and pj's each day- he also goes through at least 3 bibs, a couple wash clothes, a burp cloth and blankets. And I am just as bad- I have work clothes, play clothes, gym clothes and pj's too.
Chad is willing to help with laundry- and when it mounds up (like the above picture which accumulated in just one laundry- free weekend) he'll fold clothes, etc... but he doesn't do socks or anything that isn't 100% cotton. He also doesn't fold Max's clothes because they are too small, or my clothes because they are too confusing. And I can't even begrudge him, because back to the OCD/ control freak thing- there is a right way, and if he doesn't do it that way, I re-do it.
So I have to commit to doing at least loads of laundry a week and I put away everyone's clothes the majority of the time. Again- I bring this on myself because I can't wait for Chad to get around to it- although he will- so I just do it all for everyone so that it can be completely done.
Full hampers really irritate me, and I won't fold clothes that aren't fresh out of the dryer even though folding the warm clothes does make me sweat. Lots of times Max wants to help too, so I have to carry him down, load him and the clothes in the basket and lug them all back up the stairs. Then he dumps out the basket and plays in the clothes while I fold- but heaven forbid I take and fold whatever piece he has deemed his "favorite" in that load.
And as soon as it's all done, it starts again because someone took a shower or woke up and got dressed or came home and changed.
So I guess I'm done complaining- but I must confess that I don't foresee things changing anytime soon- I think I'll be running a laundry mat for the next 18+ years. So you might see my kids with gunk on their clothes again soon... but don't think that it's because their mother doesn't care, or she doesn't notice... she notices... but she's just too OCD to allow a garment in an empty basket if she hasn't had ample time to relish in the results of her hard work.
But I guess when it comes down to it, it's all really a blessing. We have plenty of clothes, we have a really good washer and dryer, I have a big man, a little man, and a baby man all counting on me for clean clothes, and the messing them up is really the fun part anyway.
Note to self: As your blessings increase, the amount of laundry increases. So laundry is really just God's love pouring out all over you (and your house)! Enjoy it. Love it. Be thankful for it.
(By the way, you should follow me on Twitter @lbowman24)
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