Laundry Day

Somewhere, somehow at some point some of my kids decided that they wanted to do their own laundry.  Before that I would basically spend two full days doing laundry for 7 people.  I would wash, fold, sort and lay their clothes out for them to put up.  Then we had the stage where if clean closes - still FOLDED clothes would end up in the laundry and I started charging them a quarter for each clean and or folded piece of laundry that ended back in the hamper.  I think that may have spurred them to do their own laundry.

Everyone had a day.  That "laundry day" has changed over the years as kids left for college but "my" day always fell after theirs.  For the last year, our youngest daughter has started her laundry on Sunday and finished on Monday or Tuesday.  Sometimes she would tie up the washer for a week.  So on Monday morning I would rush to get what laundry I needed done - done.  If the washer was open, I would get moving (even folding clothes she had left sitting in the dryer).

Now, we have one kid at home and there is laundry for three...

You know it is quite amazing how the laundry load has dropped and the number and length of showers have dropped but the water bill has not??? ***note to self to call water department***

I got up this morning to "rush" to do laundry and aside from towels between the three of us there wasn't even a full load.  Then I realized that the youngest had started and was doing his own laundry.  Now granted he started about 4 to 6 years after the other kids did but I'm really not complaining.  It was his rush to get his laundry done that has lead me to believe that one of two things is happening:  1) something I don't want to know or care to think about and so he is doing his laundry himself and 2) MY PREFERENCE - he got tired of me doing his laundry, lovingly washing, folding and sorting and then NAGGING the hell out of him to put it all away.

So by noon, my chore of laundry will be done.  My advice:  Find a way to lovingly wash, fold and sort your child(ren's) clothes.....lay them out neatly on their bed.  Come up with a system where if clean or folded clothes make their way back to the wash they have to pay for it.  Then nag the heck out of them to put everything away; talk about how much time it took; how you don't mind doing it but.....

Then come up with a chart of days they can do their own laundry....now a few rules on kids doing their own laundry (if you have more than one):

1.  No jumping ahead in line just because the washer is open unless you ask the person whose day it is.  (I had one kid who was a night owl and didn't start the laundry until around 9 - although that may have been done to steal hot water from the girls while they took their 45 minutes showers).
2.  If laundry is left in the dryer, do not remove it and put it in a basket and just leave it there - either fold those clothes or take it to the person who the clothes belong too.
3.  Stress the penalty that will be incurred if food or pens get left in clothing...I had a brand new white blouse get RUINED because someone left a sharpie in their pants and it got all over the washer and then onto my shirt.
4.  Last but not least - if you use the last of the laundry products, you buy the next round (and I always went for the expensive laundry soap and softeners when this happened - got the good stuff out of them once or twice and it put a stop to my going to wash clothes and having no laundry soap).

Off to move my one load of laundry to the dryer (where, it can actually sit for as long as I want)!!!!!