9.05.2007

beat that!

"Ah crap!" is what I said as I went to go do laundry this morning. I looked down
stairs in the basement and saw that there wasn't even a space between the
laundry pile and the laundry shoot. (which is about 5 feet from the ground) I
started at 8 am washing and finished the last load at about 9 pm. I kept
piling up the clean stuff to do it all at once, but I think that was a mistake. It
was a huge mountain of clothes to put away. I don't know how it g
ot away from
me, but it did and I have vowed to NEVER let i
t do that to me again.
I mean SERIOUSLY, we are only six people who aren't par
ticularly messy,
how could we have sooo much stuff. Oh well, lesson learned...
do the
laundry every day!
(Cameron is having a Boo Radley moment in the picture above)
Phase #1 - get it to one central location.
We have learned that we can't put clean laundry on our bed anymore. It ends up going from the bed to the floor every day for about a week when we have decided that we can't take it anymore. Or when the kids start coming into our room looking for clean clothes. Don't act like this doesn't happen to you, I have talked to too many of you who say you do this same thing. Also, I have learned that if I put it in the family room, I can usually get Cameron to help me out. BONUS!!
Phase #2 - sort according to person.
(That huge pile in the back, that's Cameron's)
These are Zack and Coleman's baskets. Sometimes I will stick a treat at the bottom of their basket, especially if they have a lot of laundry. They have to put everything away themselves to get it. They always get excited to do their laundry the next
time just in case there is something in the bottom of their basket. See how
sneaky we are?
Phase #3 - stick it all into baskets to be put away.
Phase #4 - put it all away. (that's tomorrow's task) we're going to bed.

14 comments:

The Quist Family said...

OOHH MY WORD! I think I could ALMOST beat that. I dealt with my laundry Everest this morning!! It looked just like that and I had the same feelings of NEVER AGAIN! I love the little treat idea.

Summertime Designs said...

Stephanie, this is Summer (Decker) Driggs - your cousin (well, Cameron's cousin). I just got your blog link off of Brynn's. I must say that your laundry piles and situation is all too familiar with ours! We are guilty of putting the clothes on our bed and they go from there to the floor then back onto the bed for DAYS IN A ROW!!! And my hubby Cory's pile is the biggest in the family too. And that is such a cute idea of putting candy bars at the bottom of your kids' baskets. My kids would probably just dump their baskets over to see if there was a treat inside. My mom used to have a laundry table and it was always covered with clothes for weeks! My dad used to put money at the bottom of the pile of clothes so that when she finally did it, she would be rewarded!

Carrie Anne said...

Stephanie! I'm laughing so hard! Your blog rocks, because everything you write is SO TRUE! I've been doing laundry all night, too! That treat idea is great! And the keep out signs on the boys' doors-HILARIOUS! Seeing your pictures and reading your entries make me miss Cleveland so much. Congratulations on your house! Make sure you send pictures when it's built! So fun! The kids are darling, too.:)

montanawildflower said...

treats in the bottom on the laundry backets in genious! I'm going to have to remember that one!

Sarah said...

oh that SO looks like my laundry weekly. still haven't found a great solution to keeping up on it. i am going to try the candy bar trick at the bottom of the basket... smart. laundry is one task I just hate doing.

sara said...

See
thedistressedfuton.blogspot.com
for my comment.

Nicole said...

ooh, thats a great idea! my kids only want to do easy stuff like, socks and undies! Long time no see! Cute blog!

Anonymous said...

Stephanie...you are my hero!

S. Schuller said...

Stephanie, I loved this post! Note to self: do laundry everyday. I loved the treats at the bottom of the barrel!

S. Schuller said...

I just read the sign that Coleman wrote, a few posts down, and that is hilarious. I am so glad you write these stories down for others to enjoy!

gs said...

Steph-YOU KNOW MY SYSTEM! 30 yrs. ago when we built our first house, I designed a folding table with shelves overhead for baskets and a bi-fold door to close the whole mess off. Otherwise, maybe it's time for the kids to finally leave home! (how hard can that be)--

The Bentley's said...

Stephanie... Sorry for peeking at your blog. But I love it!! and you are so funny. I hear ya in the laundry department. It just never ends!!! That and Dishes:) It's fun to see that you guys are doing well, and sooo exciting about your house! When do they "say" it will be done. THat is so fun! I finally started a blog, it's at www.bentleyteam.blogspot.com
Lindsey

Sydney said...

Pure genius. Love separating it before folding and then putting it in separate baskets. Also, the candy bar trick is brilliant! I'll be trying that in a few years.

the kurbans said...

Whewwwww...I'm glad to know that we're not the only ones who utilize the laundry mountain method!