"Let us not be trying to substitute an artificial life for the true one. He is truly happy who can see and appreciate the beauty with which God has ordained the commonplace things of life." - Joseph F. SmithI don't mind laundry. In fact, sometimes I even like it. I used to hate it. Maybe I've just gotten used to it, but it is one of the few systems that we have down pretty well.
Maybe I shouldn't call it a system because it's really quite sporadic, but I guess it has just become part of daily life.
Here's what we do:
When I leave my room in the morning, I check to see if there is enough lights or darks to throw in a load of laundry (with 7 people in our family - there almost always is - sometimes 2). Then I take it downstairs and start the load.
Sometime during the day, I'll remember to switch the load. I'm trying to remember to have one of the kids switch it, but I usually just do it myself since it's so fast.
Sometime later during the day (how's that for a schedule?) I'll take the laundry out of the dryer, dump it on the couch, call the kids to come help, and then we fold and stack the laundry into, basically, the following piles: Baby, Bazinks, Little Miss, Bud, Spice, Mom and Dad's hang-up clothes, Mom and Dad's folded clothes, Mom and Dad's socks and underwear. Everyone (except the baby) helps with this. Bazinks is supposed to help us find sock matches, but usually he just helps me "remember" which pile I'm supposed to put something in - I'll hold up Rock's shirt and say (in Spanish - might as well get those Spanish lessons in somewhere), "This goes in baby's pile!" And he laughs and tells me which pile it really goes in.
When we're done folding and stacking the piles (it takes like 5 minutes with everyone helping), each person takes his/her pile to his/her room and puts it away. I take baby's, mine and Rock's. I still need to help Bazinks when he gets to his room (I show him how to make sub-piles - PJs, underwear, pants, etc) and he puts them in the appropriate drawer. I hang up his "hang-up" clothes. Everyone else does their own. Little Miss has been putting her own clothes away since she was 4 1/2 (she does a much better job now than she did back then, but she's had some good practice!)
There are days (the really busy ones) in which I forget to fold clothes until the kids are in bed. On those days, I either wait to do it in the morning or I put in a nice book on CD and listen as I fold. I rather enjoy it.
No one complains about laundry anymore. It's just become part of life - something that we do when the need arises. It's a good time to talk to each other as well.
It's probably one of my favorite chores.
Maybe, someday, I'll actually get around to even ironing the clothes...
(This post is part of my thoughts on how to teach the kids to work).
I hate laundry! Probably because nobody helps me with it and it becomes overwhelming. I'll have to try this folding method with my kids. I'll let you know how it works :D
ReplyDeleteI don't mind laundry either. We do something fairly similar. I do the folding but I put everything into piles and have my 5 yr olds count the number of piles and divide by 2 (we get in math where you get in spanish!) and put them away. I am usually folding while they are picking up their room. I think the difference in attitude on all jobs is whether or not you feel alone.
ReplyDeleteI love when I get in a good laundry rhythm - I just recently started having all the kids put away all their own clothes, and it's so much better that way! I love how you have all your kids help you sort it - I always put off the sorting forever, and that's when it piles up, but just in the last few weeks I've been having Rachel and Lizza help me sort it, and I discovered they love doing it. It's amazing how not a big deal laundry is if I put it away when it's just one load. Your post is inspiring me to make sure we sort it every day and not let myself get behind.
ReplyDelete(Also, I love how you have the kids do Spanish during it! Awesome!)