Ask any mother with more than one child: what is one of the most noticeable differences you’ve encountered when going from 1 kid to 2 or more? She will tell you that laundry exponentially increases at a rate that is not congruent with the addition of one little person!
My family knows that I am a clean freak. My mother jokes that I like my floors clean enough to eat out of them (Mr. Clean commercial anyone?) But when it comes to organizing and putting things away… not so much. It wasn’t so bad pre-kids but now I constantly feel like I can’t keep up with laundry, kids clothes, and the “stuff” that comes through our house daily.
When I moved to this house over 4 years ago, I talked my husband into buying a front loading washer and dryer because we were having kids and we would need the bigger load capacity (I sound silly, I know.) In truth, we had two perfectly working machines that I practically gave away! They are too big for our laundry room… yet they hold massive loads!
No one told me that one front loader washer holds a TON of little kid stuff!! Below is one load (yup, I mix it all up, wash everything in cold and use an organic detergent that I love and get super cheap on Amazon)
Most of the time I fold it the same night it comes out of the dryer… putting it away, however, is another story. Laundry usually happens late at night, while I am working, reading, or blogging. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget the stuff in the washer or in the dryer… and the next morning the sight isn’t too pretty. On a really busy week, the laundry can wait on top of the sofa for a couple of days. Sadly, I try to use up the freshly folded stuff so there is less to put away when I get to it (pathetic I know… but very efficient!) This sight for a couple days in a row drives my husband crazy.
If I did laundry daily, I’d only have one load to put away. In theory, it would be easy; but in practice, I wait three days and then the laundry becomes massive. For three years we’ve had 2 adults, 1 teenager, and two kids. I miss my cousin Sue who didn’t mind to fold as long as she was watching tv. I know some of you reading this have more people at your house; all I can say is that I feel for you and I can’t imagine!
Although I haven’t posted my resolutions for the year, I can tell you that improving my “putting away” skills is towards the top of the list and over ⅔rds of the items have something to do with organizing. My husband jokes that I am a the “cleanest disorganized person he knows.” I admit it’s true, but I am just trying to hold life, family, the house, bills, carpool lines, a part time job, another business, this blog together and it’s exhausting! Good thing that humor and my personal superglue always help!
Rashelle
great point. I love it. 🙂
Rashelle
Thanks so much for showing us that you are “real” like the rest of us. And it’s so refreshing that you include your husband’s reaction to the laundry on the couch. That is so my husband too! and that’s a really humorous description “cleanest disorganized person he knows”, I’ve been looking for a description like that for myself for years. I can feel the stress, tension but humor at the same time (and thank goodness there is some humor there otherwise we would not make it). 🙂 priceless. thank you.
Laura Fuentes
being a clean disorganized person is the only way I can function best… because in my brain there is a place for everything.. my house just doesn’t happen to have a place to put everything away the way I would like it.. 🙂
Corina
Laundry is my nemesis! And i’m losing the battle, daily. I have a 5 yr old, a 4 yr old, a 1 yr old, my husband and myself and we have another baby due in August. By the time i’m done washing and drying clothes and sorthing through them the baby needs a diaper change or someone is thirsty or someone made a mess or someone wants to color.. I never seem to find time to actually put it away. And when i domanage to get caught up on the laundry it’s inevitable that i run out of laundry soap or someone has an accident at night and i instantly have 2 loads more of laundry. It’s never ending, it makes me crazy!
Shell
Oh, the laundry! It’s insane how much laundry my kids create! I start wishing for disposable clothes.
Laura
“disposable clothes” = HILARIOUS!!!
amy @ mommetime
Oh, how I relate! It is my most dreaded task ~ next to grocery shopping. I don’t necessarily mind the task itself but the putting away…it is neverrrrrrrr ending! I enjoyed visiting your blog and look forward to reading more. Amy
Jessica fetty
And iPhone and iPad have a home routines App it’s great!
amy @ mommetime
oh man if it only came with someone to do the work! (That is my inner lazy coming out) 😉
Jessica fetty
I feel ya on the laundry thing! My thing is the putting away too, but I put it in the room it goes in that would be why my dresser looks like a mountain with lots of empty drawers. At least they are clean right. Flylady.com says a load a day keeps the chaos away! Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome! She has a lot of great tips!