Do You Know Where Your Laundry Is?

If it's in a room like this, you can probably go back to your blissful life now.

But for the rest of us, "Do You Know Where Your Laundry Is?" is the title of a chapter in one of my favorite books - 

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley a.k.a. The FlyLady.  

When I discovered this book, I was the mama of 3 little men and having daily pity parties.  I felt so overwhelmed by housework.  I didn't know where to begin.  Enter Flylady.  And although I certainly didn't become a domestic diva overnight, it helped me take a deep breath and start fresh.

I had to make peace with laundry.  It was not going away. Gone were the days of just me and Aaron when we could let it pile all week until the weekend.  I had to get serious.  Flylady says laundry is a 5-step process.

  Sort, Wash, Dry, Fold, and Put Away.  You leave out just one step, and laundry takes on a life of its own.  

Ohhhh, does it ever.  Ever had to tell a kid, "GO LOOK IN THE DRYER!!" when they can't find clean clothes?  Story of my life.  

Sometimes I think of laundry as a baby -- it cannot be left unattended!  What works best for me is a simple routine (and it helps to follow it!).  I put in a new load (or 2 if I'm behind) of laundry every day after getting home from school during the week and make sure it's folded and put away before I go to bed.  Simple as that.  If it's the weekend, I just try to do sheets or play catch up.  If I neglect this, I pay for it later.  Baskets lay around the house, people can't find clothes to wear.  Insanity.

Sometimes, I'm simply not putting clothes away because the drawers are too full.  That's when I have to get down and dirty and start a "give-away/garage sale" box.  If you have young children, this is a monthly chore it seems because they are growing so fast!  (Incidentally, I was wondering why I seemed to have so much laundry lately and I decided it's because my BIG kids are wearing BIG clothes, and I can't jam as much in!)

I can't believe I've written this much about laundry.

But one more thing.  Setting out my kids' clothes for the next day (during the school year) is about the best tip around.  There's no digging for the clean jeans or fits of rage about matching socks.  Oh, and Mommy figures out her clothes the night before, too.  :)