So my neighbor called and said "You'd better take that post down before everyone in the states wakes up and reads it. I don't think Doug is gonna like it." (She thought it was highly amusing, for the record.) So I deleted my last post. Unfortunately, that doesn't take the post out of the "Google Reader" of my 143 followers so a few people are wondering why they can't leave a comment.
(Let this be a cautionary tale for any of you who want to blog about your fight with your husband but might regret it later.)
So let's just do it this way, shall we? (Because I HATE the thought of missing out on comments!)
How do you handle laundry at your house?
Do you do it all yourself (if you happen to be the SAHMom or Dad)?
Does your spouse help?
How many days does it take? One, three, or seven each week? (And how many grubby little children do you have?)
You may now comment to your little heart's content. (Is "heart's" apostrophized or not? I always screw up plural/possessive punctuation!)
And now I need to go finish folding the laundry.
hearts...not posessive.
ReplyDeleteMy loving wife does all the laundry. She is amazing!
Too soon Doug. Too soon.
ReplyDeleteWait, is that "too" or "to"???
ReplyDeleteI'm confused...
I try to do the laundry every Monday. I really enjoy doing the laundry...the ironing, not as much. But I find it's a good down day for me. I usually start a book as I wait for the laundry. I wash a load, and then dry. As I put the load in the dryer I add a new load to the wash. When the dryer is done I'll fold it and when everything is folded I'll start new load in the wash and keep the cycle up until all 8-10 loads are done. Reading is my treat for doing laundry all in one day. :D
ReplyDeleteI do it all! Because if someone else does it--- they don't do it right! I put a load in, as soon as it's done it goes in the dryer and the next goes in the wash. I fold it and put it away-- my kids are old enough now that they could put it away but I haven't showed them how to do it right yet. Plus, they are always at school when it's done and I don't want it sitting on my bed all day. I probably do laundry 2 to 3 times a week-- once a week is too much with four kids! Good luck Emily!! Oh, and I don't iron unless it's absolutely necessary- but you didn't ask about that did ya! :)
ReplyDeleteI've never been a "once a week" laundry fan - way too overwhelming - The only time my husband does it is when I'm out of town - I'm probably a little too fussy about the laundry! Good luck and best wishes! (This too shall pass!)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a specific day(s) to do laundry, if the basket is full or if we are going on a trip and I'll need those clothes, I'll wash the laundry. We have 4 baskets--Grown-ups Colors, Grown-ups Whites, Katya/Alex everything, Mark everything. That way I don't have to do everyone's laundry at the same time.
ReplyDeleteKatya and Alex sort and put away their laundry.
I always take my laundry upstairs right away. With kids--I dump it on their recliner and they do it before they go to bed that day. With us, I dump it on our bed. It forces US to put it away. I guess, I have lots of things hung up instead of stored in drawers or shelves. So there is not much folding. Robert helps me with putting our laundry away and if I need him starting laundry/switching washer to dryer/taking it out and taking it upstairs:)
I guess I am not very picky about how I do my laundry.
Oh, and I have three little kids. I do make the older kids put their laundry away even if it is incovenient for me. I really don't care though if it is neatly folded in their drawer, as long as it is sorted;) Katya is much better at it because she's been doing it since she was three.
ReplyDeleteOh, I must say, I think husbands do not know where we are coming from as stay at home moms with busy kids.
ReplyDeleteAs far as "laundry" I do mine on the weekends mostly or nights because that is when it is most cost efficient here in Arizona. And I ALWAYS take a couple of days just to get it all washed and then it even takes a couple of days to get it all folded. Ironing is out of the question! Once in awhile my husband will help, but otherwise there better not be any comment on his end!
Good luck!
Brad used to help with the laundry... then this happened. He hasn't "helped" much since!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://omahabroughs.blogspot.com/2008/11/brough-castle-and-good-intentions.html
Since we just have two still, I only have to do laundry twice a week. I generally do the loading and Mr. Dub helps me with the folding and putting away.
ReplyDeleteNow, because you are family, I can share this quote we shared in our family and marriage relations class yesterday. (Yes, we are so perfect that we have our own class/the Bishop is crazy and couldn't find anyone else willing to do it.)
Elder Packer - “There is no task, however menial, connected with the care of babies, the nurturing of children, or with the maintenance of the home that is not [a husband’s] equal obligation."
So basically I think that since you're in charge of most of the housework, you can do it however works best for you -- and your sweet, loving, well-intended husband should help out whenever you need it, no matter how often that might be.
Love you, Doug!
Um, I think it's heart's because you only have one heart and you are talking about it's content. Yes? Anywho, my hubs used to help fold but now that he's a "professional"...not so much! I'm sure it has no correlation, but I think it's funny. It probably has something to do with when I left the work-force and chose to stay home. I really try to have a one-day laundry party every week, but it spills over into every other day of the week as well. So I pretty much just do laundry all day every day except Sunday. Someone accused me of having 4 kids the other day and I almost slapped them!
ReplyDeleteMy mom usually was the one doing the laundry growing up, but we (my sister and I) would help. My mom would not fold them or put them away, that was the job of the person whose clothes they were.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is heart's not hearts and it's too not to but I was not an english major.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing laundry for 7 myself until the kids were older and a working mom I became grateful for any help I could get. I did do some loads 5 days a week because all in one day was way too overwhelming for me plus time just did not permit. After having NO help I have become very grateful for a husband that does 90% of the laundry because he works from home and I'm gone 11 - 12 hours a day. On the other hand I have come to terms with periodically throwing some clothes away and saying it is worth the price to have some one do the laundry. And maybe one day the message of what goes in the drying and what doesn't and khakai is not white and should not be bleach will happen in the mean time.. I can buy more clothes not time!
Thank you Dale!!
Claudia
My husband actually does the laundry (I know, I am spoiled). He washes it and hangs it and leaves it on our bed for me to fold. My girls, 9,11, and 13 each do their own laundry. We teach them before they turn 8. After that, it is their responsibility. I help when I want their bedding washed or something big done. I used to feel like the laundry would never be finished. We have 11 kids and their were times I would have four loads left when I thought I was done. We have all learned to share the work so that we can share the fun.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get a chance to read your original post before it was deleted. Funny, though, I have a blog post about laundry in my drafts folder. I used to pick laundry fights (not on purpose, just because I'm picky about laundry) with my husband (who did the laundry). Now I do it the way I want, and he is nice enough to not pick fights with me even if I ruin his stuff.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your first post! Luckily I have you in my reader so it's preserved. :)
ReplyDeleteI do the laundry at our house, as a mom duty. It's also one of the few household chores that I don't HATE. (not that I like it, don't get me wrong!!) I expect my husband to do his stuff, like taking out the trash and mowing the lawn.
But there are times that we all have to pitch in on all those things, and usually I just try to ask for help when I need it.
I usually do it once a week and then try to get it put away within a day. BUT there are definitely weeks where we live out of the baskets and then it all just goes straight back to the laundry room and I hate it.
And we just have 1 little grubby boy, so it's easier than your laundry would be.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Kris helps when I ask him. I don't think he loves it, but I sure don't love it when he calls me from work and tells me I need to get all the trash out quick because he forgot. :)
and ironing? Totally separate subject. I don't do ANY. If Kris wants wrinkle free shirts he does it himself.
ReplyDeleteI do all the laundry. It's enough to kill me (6 kids, 2 adults). I usually start on Thursday, and on a good week I finish Friday night, but usually it's Saturday. But, unfortunately more often than not, I finish the next Tuesday, giving me ONE whole day before I start again. I'm constantly saying, "we need to become nudists! How much better would my life be?!?!?!"
ReplyDeleteDarn it! How did I miss the original post?! You need to email me a copy please. Anyhoo, about laundry. Don't even try to do it all in one day - way too overwhelming and too much dirty laundry hanging out of all the hampers. I do whites on Monday, darks on Wednesday, and sheets & towels on Friday. It is fabulous and I never even notice I'm doing the laundry because it isn't very much at a time. Yes, I do all the the laundry and folding and putting away for a family of 5.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHAhaha! Oh Man Emily! If you could only have heard some of our 'discussions' about laundry over here.
ReplyDeleteI do it. Whenever it needs to be done. Sometimes it's 5 loads in one day sometimes it's one or two loads over two or three days. I've got a 2 year old and a baby. Folding is actually relaxing for me (odd I know) but putting it away is a nightmare. So it usually sits in baskets. I brought down the hammer though so now Tyler and I each put away our own laundry, and I make him put his laundry in the hamper. I think he's getting the better deal personally. Although, he really doesn't make that much, it's the dog peeing on my rugs and sheets that really gets me! the linens! She does it when he leaves, which is often, so yeah. that's annoying.
Lyanna is awesome. put those kids to work! Ironing is for suckers. Expcept for Sunday Dress. And Liz, it's totally the thought that counts. That laundry would have been on the floor from his side, and still on my side in dissarray.
And it's your heart, but it's the contentment of the heart we're talking about. So it's possessive, not plural. I would say it's hearts' but that's plural possesive, no? I typo everythign anyway (see? : )
I am sooo glad I am on google reader. What a funny story. Ya know I left town one time when we had just got little Rainy and your brother thought he would do me the favor of doing all the laundry for me while I was gone.
ReplyDeleteOne big load, all colors, and dry clean only, all together... whites with glittery read girlie church dresses, that he melted in the dryer.
Not every woman is married to a man who can't identify the whites. The greys and the off reds, and the smoky purples all look white to him... you sister of a freak brother! Jk!
I actually told him that if he ever helped me with the laundry again that he was a dead man.... so we settled that he cleans the garage, and weeds the yard, when I do the laundry. Of course that really only happens if I make him.... other than that I just do it all, but he never complains when the pile is big... so I have that going for me. :)
I tried the "leave it in a pile on the floor" like you did, do make him appreciate me... everything wrinkled so bad from him and the kids walking on the pile, that I had to wash all the clothes again just so he could go to work without all the wrinkles.
Moms just can't win with that trick! But I commend you for trying!
Good luck!foxf
YAY for Google Reader! :)
ReplyDeleteHere's what I do, and it seems to work about half of the time... (BTW, Ric will put laundry in, change it to the dryer, and take it out, but will not fold or put it away.)
I have a schedule, Monday is kids clothes, sheets, and bathroom rugs, Tuesday and Wednesday are OUR clothes, Thursday or Friday - kids clothes again, Saturday is towels. We're not really strict with it, but if there's any question, at least we can look at the chart! (Yes, I have a chart...which is also occasionally ignored too!)
Well, it is funny you ask because I like to whine about our old and small washers and dryers that break all the time. (Our current dryer was manufactures in 1985.) But Jake fixes them and also keeps extra old back-up appliances on the side of the house which makes me nervous because I don't want to be that family with appliances in the yard. But Jake does lots of the laundry, so I figure I can't complain. So I don't, except sometimes when I do.
ReplyDeleteThe story in the reader cracked me up! I do the laundry...unless it's seperated according to what can be dried and what can't be...and then my husband will at least put it in the washer for me.
ReplyDeleteHe does help me fold, whenever I ask him to.
And your comment back to Bartimaeus...your were right, it's too. :)
Laundry can be the bane of my existence. And, yes, sometimes I do it based on the percentage of clean underwear available left ... but when I do it the following particular way, it seems I can do the whole 5 steps of laundering and feel good about it:
ReplyDelete(1)the clothes are (sorta) presorted. That is I have three side by side laundry bags where folks are s'posed to divvy up whites, darks, and colors. Ok, I also have a bag just for underwear and another just for socks, since these need soaking and such. (2) Wheel over the bags - they are on a wheely/dolly sorta contraption that I love! and I wash them. Loads of whites or socks get a presoak. Then set them to wash. (3) Into the dryer. And I remember to clean out the lint catcher. While one load dries, I start another in the wash. I try to stay real. I only put another load in the washer if I know I'm going to commit to drying and folding it. (4) Once the clothes are dry, I make myself fold @ the dryer. However, to conserve energy and moo-lah, I'm thinking about getting a clothes horse or clothes line. However, we live in a condo and the assoc. may not like that...which sorta makes me want to do it even more :) (5) once the clothes are dry, I put them away. This is quite the feat for me since for some unknown reason, I loathe putting the clothes away. Unless I have an absolutely correctly designated place to put the clothes. So, I have a sort of basket system going for the closets. And that's working. Right after folding, I put in the last load to dry, wipe off the washer. And then wipe off the dryer once that's done. Singing hymns helps me remember that I'm doing the work of the Lord. (I promise I'm not trying to sound like Mary Poppins - it's just that the hymns help me feel the Spirit in an otherwise much-disliked chore. Give me ironing over the washing/folding, repeat cycle any day.)I'll listen to an audiobook or to a good talk if possible, or spend time with the kiddos reading in between loads. Put on the crock pot so I know lunch or dinner is getting cooked while I work on the laundry. That sorta thing. And remind myself that I'm blessed and don't have to carry and wash clothes to and from the river (like on my mish). Best with the laundry... :o)