Friday, March 30, 2012

Laundry...

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Yesterday morning I lost it.  It was probably one of those accumulation of stress things but yesterday as my 8 year old son with tears in his eyes because he couldn't find clean pants...well it was the last straw.  I love to do laundry, really I do.  What I hate is the overwhelming amount I have to do, combined with the fact that even in our small house I still have to hunt down the dirty clothes.  Or that it isn't until they're out of clothes, and we have to leave in 10 minutes that they inform me that they have no clean clothes.
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As for the tearful child above...do not feel sorry for him.  Why?  Because he did have clean pants, he just didn't want to wear them.  Because he knew when he pulled out the last pair of pants that he has to tell me.  Though mostly, because he hardly ever puts his pants away where they should go.
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So I made a decision.  I'm not doing their laundry anymore.  I'm cutting my laundry down to 4 people and household.  Mine, Husband's, Elsa and Thaddeus, but only until the kids turn 5.  Then I'm cutting them loose too!  From here on out Lincoln, Samuel and Vinny will wash their own clothes, fold them and put them away.  If they don't have clean clothes.  Not my fault.  For those who live by us, you are forewarned about boys in dirty clothes, running naked or in just their underoos :)
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I am a woman with a plan just the same.  This weekend I'll be pouring through my fabric stash and making up some laundry bags for them each to keep their clothes separate.  I'm planning on using the pattern from Rae found in 101 One-Yard Wonders.  Then I'm going to give each of the kids a day of the week to wash their laundry...I'll keep you all posted on the progress.  Which to be honest right now isn't going so well.  Lincoln has been folding for almost an hour and isn't even half way done...aiyaya!  Still I'm determined!
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I hope you all have a great weekend and that you too can come to a resolution of the dreaded Mt. Washmore as my friend Shannon calls it.  Has anyone else ever tried this?  Please share your successes or failures with me so we can all learn together.

2 comments:

  1. I waited until my kids were teenagers to make my kids start washing their own clothes. I should have started earlier like you but I'm a little bit type A/OCD/Controlling and I wasn't ready to let go of the laundry being done the way I wanted it to be done. However, I finally let it go and it was one of the best things ever! Now I only wash mine and Erik's and towels.

    What I've learned from this...
    It's not my problem if the whites and darks are being washed together.
    If they want to wear wrinkled/unfolded clothes that's OK.
    I have to be OK with the 15 yr. old boy wearing the same socks 2 (or more) days in a row.
    If I want them to do their own laundry I have to really let it go and not hover (it might be ok for you to hover a bit since they are still little but my teenagers don't need me hovering)

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    1. Thanks Laura! Honestly this isn't the first time I've thought about passing off the responsibility to the kids. I suppose I just needed a really good reason...or large shove. I have learned with 5 kids that being Type A/OCD doesn't usually result in a lot of productivity. That isn't to say that I don't have my moments...I just usually reserve those "skills" for particular things. Mostly my crafts, but I did come to realize that my dishes HAVE to be put away just so, which means either I have to do it or Samuel (he's just as picky as me).

      I'm hoping that in a few weeks I'll wonder why I waited so long.

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