Laundry Day

Alternate title: Tales From the Laundry Basket

Quarters are very shiny after a run through the washing machine.

Dollar bills are still usable but soggy and crinkly after being washed.

You can still write with an Expo marker after it has been through a wash.

Spaghetti stains are tough.

If you have little boys in your house, there will always be acorns, rocks, sticks, etc. – otherwise known as treasures - in the washer or dryer, guaranteed. Hopefully nothing worse (dreading the day I find lizards and squishy things…..)

Now that my husband has the flower beds in the front of the house torn up so he can bury pipes so we can expand our irrigation system to that area and I can plant bulbs next month, I’m seeing filthier than usual clothes in the hamper because dirt and mud have unique magnetic properties that draw children to it like ants are drawn to sugar. But I’m very proud of my husband’s do-it-yourself ability – it will be nice once the pipes are finished and buried and the dirt and mud are cleaned up.

If we are missing a juice cup, toothbrush or toy that Boo has been carrying around, it will probably turn up at the bottom of the laundry hamper. She’s fascinated by that hamper.

The less baby clothes that have to be ironed, the better. Wash and wear is definitely best. Because…..

Laundry is a job that is never finished. Even if you empty the hamper and get it all washed and folded in one day, when everyone puts on their pajamas tonight, the dirty clothes will start filling the hamper again.

I discovered that what works best for me is to go ahead and take the time to fold the clothes as I take them out of the dryer. Though time consuming, it is much less depressing than an overflowing basket of laundry just waiting to be folded.

A basket full of folded clothes placed provocatively next to the stairs leading to the boys’ room has zero meaning to a nine-year-old or a six-year-old boy. They have to be told to take that basket upstairs and put away the clothes in the dresser (that specifically) every single time. Otherwise that basket will live in the hallway next to the stairs until the next laundry day rolls around.

And now, with a nod and apologies ahead of time to my high school writing teacher whose number one rule for creative writing was, “No schmaltz,” here is my final laundry lesson for today:

How I approach ‘Laundry Days' makes all the difference. It could either be vanity of vanities and drudgery of drudgeries OR it can be a joyful opportunity to count my blessings and serve my family: we have clothes to wear appropriate for each season, we have electricity and a washing machine and dryer which is so much easier than washing it all by hand and hanging it on the line, the clothes smell so fresh and clean when it all is done, there is something satisfying about watching the mountain grow smaller as the clothes are folded and put away once again, and the people who wear these clothes are so very, very special and I’m so grateful they are in my life dirtying their clothes while we share our lives together.