Friday, October 28, 2011

Let's Discuss The House Work, Shall We?

Alright. If you see these pictures and still come back around here, you're a saint. And a great friend, please move to our neighborhood so we can drink coffee and walk to the bus stop in our pj's.

(we don't really have a bus stop but that's neither here nor there. Or anywhere.)

I have kinda...sorta...maybe let myself get out of my normal housework routine in the last few months or so - mainly the laundry, it's my nemesis. And while I don't believe that everything should be perfect all the time (or any of the time), I also hate when things get to this point and I can't even find MY OWN clothes.


I mean really, for all I know Eric could've been lost in a pile that big.

Its a funny picture, but not exactly an extra entry for housewife of the year :).

Life is busy, and the kiddos are very demanding of my time, so a lot of things in my life have taken a back seat to being an insanely full time momma. It's not a bad thing, its really all I want to do - kiss their sweet faces, help them on the swing set, and play Uno with them on a rainy day. Ahhh, its a good job, and all those things sound a lot better than folding clothes or scrubbing the toilets!

But when I can't find things, or there are so many baskets of laundry that I don't know what is clean and whats dirty, I can start to feel really frazzled and overwhelmed - neither of those things look good on me. Believe it.

I hit my breaking point last week when I was trying to do laundry to quickly because I was so behind, and I washed a pull up. People, have you ever seen the inside of a washer after a pull up has been washed? I have, please don't make me go back and re-live it...

It's too soon. Just too soon.

And while I know we have 6 kiddos and the house is not always going to be running smoothly, I've also felt a tad convicted about staying on top of my duties :). I will still embrace the saying, "Please excuse the mess, the children are making memories"...


but I do want to feel a sense of order more often than I currently do :).

What? You're play room never looks like that? Well then just close your sweet little eyes and think happy thoughts....find a happy place.

SO, this week I have reinstated my laundry system and I am on a mission to keep it going. Whats that you say? I am a foolish woman to think I can keep it up? Well, that may be true, but I'm going to try! 

My system is simple: I got all the laundry done, there is not one basket in any room with one piece of clothing - it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to that point.

Mostly tears. And weeping. Lots of weeping.

So now I lay a basket in the hallway, and at the end of the day everyone puts their clothes in it from that day. When all are in bed I take it down stairs and throw it in the washer, and switch it to the dryer before I head to bed. Then the next morning I have a clean load in the dryer to fold and put away and that's it - we're back to an empty basket in the hallway :). Insert angels singing here.

Does this just sound like a lot of jumbled words? I hope not. It has changed my life...again. I had forgotten how nice it was to have it under control.

So I tell you all this so you can pop in sometime soon and say, "hey remember that laundry system you had going? You still doing it? No? Well get back on it, woman!"

You don't have to use those exact words, you can be more gentle.

And that, my friends, is what I've been up to the last few days...you know, when I wasn't eating the pumpkin oatmeal cookies by the handful :).

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shhh...Don't tell anyone, but my bed has a pile of laundry on it - just as big as yours (okay, okay, maybe bigger) and we have TWO kids! [So embarrassed...] So, you will at least beat me out for housewife of the year. :)

Delena said...

That sounds like a great system. I'll add it to my list of systems. Its worth trying, anyway. ;)

Tammy M said...

does leaving your folded laundry in a basket for a week mean your caught up??? k, just wonderin'!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I need to do your system. Right now I have about 5 baskets of clean clothes that need to be put away and another 2 loads to wash...

Anonymous said...

I'm jealous of your playroom. I think I'd be a better mommy if my kids didn't have to make their memories in the main living space of our tiny condo.

Marisa said...

Like that idea! I might have to implement that one around here... at least every other day!

Anonymous said...

OMG Girl I have the same issue right now and I only have two boys! I keep telling myself I need to get this back in order before I lose my mind. That may just happen this weekend! Only thing is I am a working military momma so finding time to not take away from the boys to do all this is hard. I usually take a day or two off in the middle of the week so I can get it completed while they are at school. You have inspired me! I have half clean and half dirty clothes on the floor right now..but I am determined this weekend to get everything cleaned and stay on top of it! You go girl!!!

Romberg Family said...

I have half the kids you do an my house/laundry room look just like that!!! :)I usually just leave the clean clothes in the dryer and restart it every morning so the clothes i pull out of there aren't wrinkled!! :)

Jen said...

Hey there :)
I like the look of your home.
It means you are being a good mom and letting your kids be kids. :) You are such a fun mom and that is what your kids are going to remember.

The Skinny Turtle said...

So how do you sort laundry? Or do you wash all the colors together? That's my issue. We have a big laundry hamper with 3 bags in the hallway; one for darks, one for lights and one for whites. And I don't have enough for just one load after a day. But then, when I do have enough, I have enough for at least 3 loads! ACK!

I hate laundry. Somehow I missed your pumpkin cookie recipe. Going to check it out now. :)

*Katy* said...

hey, I can get the laundry done and folded really quickly-but that whole putting it away thing? I probably have a stack as big as your dirty clothes, but they're all clean and waiting to be put away. I figure there's no point in putting them away if I'm just going to wear them again...it's getting a little out of control and I'm running out of room! I'm pretty sure my hubby is going to say something soon about my laziness...I mean, I get the clothes TO the dresser....they just don't make it IN...does that still count? :)

Sarah said...

I love this system... might just have to try it myself! (considering I have quite the pile of laundry I'm trying to get through today myself!)

Robin Kramer said...

I've washed pull-ups before. On more than one occasion, in fact.

Here is evidence:

http://pinkdryerlint.blogspot.com/2011/03/short-and-sweet-saturated.html

Props to you for scaling the laundry mountain!

Corrina said...

I have never heard of or thought of that before. Pretty brilliant! Silly question though...do you wash the darks & lights together? That would be my only issue!