Martha Steward Would Disapprove

Ever notice how your routines evolve as your family grows? I used to be a pretty decent housekeeper. My house was always clean and company ready. I thought it would always look like that. I liked things clean and I figured that no matter what I would keep it that way even after I had kids. Sigh, I was so naive. Now, housework is a desperate struggle to keep things just decent enough that the Health Department doesn't come shut us down. Dinner dishes? Sometimes they're done right after dinner like they're supposed too, but sometime (gasp!) they sit in the sink until breakfast time and we all wake up to the house smelling faintly of tacos. I could easily sweep my floor 5 times a day (and now that Weston is mobile and putting everything in his mouth I usually do), wash my kitchen table 10 times a day, clean my sliding glass doors every hour.........and my house still wouldn't be clean all the time (who has time for that anyway?). The kiddos literally make messes faster than I can get to them. Usually I'm cleaning one room and they're off messing up another. And laundry? I swear I do enough loads for a small army. Here's how my laundry method has evolved.......

Just the two of us: Do laundry every week. Fold and put away one light load and one dark load. Done.

Add Child #1 : Do laundry every week. Fold and put away each load as it's finished. Done

Add Child #2: Okay, once a week isn't cutting it anymore. Do laundry twice a week. Fold and put away each load......except the last one which seems to always end up sitting in the dryer until I do laundry again. More than once I find myself dashing down the stairs in nothing but a towel to grab a bra.

Add Child #3: Do laundry all the time, but never quite finish.......clean laundry sits in baskets all over the house.......where are all the mates to these bag of socks?.......... Shoot! No clean uniform for school today, well this one is clean enough, just let me dab at that spot with a washcloth..........please, please, please boys, wear your pajamas more than one night before you put them in the hamper......hmmm, how long has it been since I've washed the bedding?

You get the idea.

The last couple of loads never ended up getting folded and put away. I'd put them on the bed in my room, out of sight, but they would sit there until night time and then get crammed inside of a laundry basket to get wrinkled beyond recognition. I've finally hit on something that works. If I put the loads of laundry in my front room I don't leave them there forever, they drive me crazy, anyone who comes to my house could get an eyeful of all our undies........so every load down to the last sock gets folded and put away. Martha Stewart would NOT approve......seven years ago I would have never dreamed of doing it this way.......

Laundry Day:

Sort

Wash

Dry

Put in a big ol' pile smack dab in the middle of my front room on the couch

Let it sit there all day, keep throwing more and more clean clothes on the pile

Hope no one comes over

Sit in the middle of the floor

Fortify myself with a bowl of ice cream

Fold Fold Fold

Call the children into the room one by one to put their own darn clothes away

Done!

So, if you ever show up at my house on laundry day try avert your eyes and disguise any horror you may feel at my disorganized methods. It works for me.