It’s following me….No matter what I do, no matter where I turn, there is always a random basket of clothes that needs to be washed or folded. Just when I think I’ve tackled a batch straight from the dryer, a new pile suddenly appears. It’s then I realize, what I folded was just thrown on top of what was already there.
A combination of my husband and I working out, three small kids, and everyday messes, laundry is the never-ending story. When it comes to household duties, some people are good at keeping the house spotless with kids while others struggle to keep crumbs off the floor. Some people are good at keeping toys neat, clean, and organized while others are hoping the last toy piled on top of a too little box doesn’t randomly fall off in the middle of the night. It’s safe to say, laundry (especially folding) isn’t my ministry. Over the years, I’ve learned that I can sometimes be a pro when it comes to getting things done around the house. It’s just something about the process that makes me lazy, careless, and uninterested.
Knowing I have this issue, I came up with ways to try and get ahead of the problem, and still managed to crash & burn!
- Wash only on certain days – I chose Monday and Wednesday. Mondays were a day to recover from the weekend while Wednesday was a way I could knock out anything that had accumulated mid-week. It sounded cute until I realized Monday and Wednesday would come and go and nothing had been touched.
- Fold clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer – After the clothes are washed, I would throw them immediately into the dryer. Once they were in the dryer, I promised myself I would fold them as soon as they were done. I would be all motivated and ready and then would get distracted by kids, life, sleep. Clothes ended up staying the night in the dryer.
- Wash smaller loads – This method actually worked the longest. Instead of loading the washer with XL loads, I only tossed in small loads that washed and dried quickly. The drawback was that now that there were more loads, it was more work to do.
Just like a scary movie, these baskets and hampers stalk me in my own home. At this point in life, the kids are 100% dependent and only my oldest is able to literally reach and actually put clothes in the washer. I know that at some point, eventually they will get older and be able to handle their own laundry.
Until then, it appears sometimes I’ll be fighting a war I’ll never win. However, I’m realizing the real battle is within ourselves and being conflicted that even though we all strive to be perfect parents, everyday home-cooked meals, spotless houses, and no laundry or pending laundry is a pretty high expectation to meet. As long as your kids have clean clothes to wear despite the piles in or around the house, the battle is already won.
