Tuesday, February 24, 2009

In Which I Confess My Shame

I don't know what kind of laundry system you use but let's just say mine isn't working. In fact, I hesitate to use the term "system" to describe the haphazard methodology that I use.

When we built our house I really did put a lot of thought into making laundry easier. I have lots of counter space...lots of cabinets...a hanging rod over my shiny, white, front-loading, high-efficiency washer and dryer...and pretty, yet functional baskets for each family member that sit on top of the washer and dryer. The plan was that as I take clothes out of the dryer I can fold them and place them in their owner's basket.

But what we have here is a failure...of epic proportions.

I now have mountains of neatly folded clothes that I continue to stack in my lovely baskets, and stack and stack and stack. Until the pile falls over behind the shiny, white front-loading, high-effiency washer and dryer and has to be fished out with a broom handle. And re-washed and re-dried.

As a side note..."high-effiency" does not mean it will fold and put away your clothes for you. I know. I was disappointed too.

I have begun to notice that my family lacks laundry putting-away skills. Sadly, I also lack them. I have also begun to notice that my kids wear the same pieces of clothing over and over. I hasten to add that these clothes are not dirty (at least not most of the time.) They have been washed but they are also in those lovely baskets. Which is the only place my kids know to look for clean clothes. On top of the stack, because, you know, there's really no sense in digging to the bottom of the pile and having them all fall behind the washer.

I have tried having my kids put away their clothes. Sadly, this is even worse. Caitlin stuffs all of her clothes into one cubby and then can't find anything. Because it's way to much trouble to dig through the cubby. Much easier to go get the clean clothes from the top of the stack in the basket. With the added bonus that you don't have to put away what you're wearing.

I have foiled her plan.

I spent about and hour and a half today making these:





and placed them here:



Yes, it took an hour and a half. I have the uncanny ability to waste inordinate amounts of time looking industrious while actually accomplishing very little.

It's a gift.

Oh, and if I work for you I never, ever waste time at work!

8 comments:

Amber said...

That is the cutest waste of time I've seen in a long time!!!! :)

I don't have beautiful baskets, but my stacks live on my couch. And then the kids jump on the couch and everything ends up in the floor and stomped on....and then rewashed, redried, and back to the couch.

And we all wear the exact same things, too.

Nasty, nasty cycle!

Kendra said...

If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well! Might as well make the labels cute and adorable!

Carpool Queen said...

How adorable is that! I have boys. That won't work for me. They'll grab the labeler and make new labels that say:

"Wrinkled"
"Stuff that doesn't fit but I wear anyway"
"I wear these to annoy my mom", and
"Can I wear my pj's to school and get away with it"

Stephanie @ My Answered Prayer said...

I've done pretty good the past couple of weeks....although you did walk through my laundry room Sunday so you may beg to differ :)

I've been doing a load or 2 a day and putting it up the next day.

I have an idea...Just move all the dressers to the laundry room so you can just immediately put them up and then they will have to come get them from there.

mer@lifeat7000feet said...

I need you to know that I am way off track with my laundry system. I did two loads yesterday (of the five I sorted) and one is still in the dryer, the other in the washing machine.

Some days/weeks/months are just like that.

No shame. No shame. No shame. (Repeat that with me!)

So...will you tell me where and approximately how much you spent on that cute shelving system/baskets? I'm looking for something like it for the girl's room, but have a (small) budget to stay within.

Alison said...

I'm so glad to hear someone else with a sense of laziness in not putting clothes away. Sadly, either mine get folded and just stuck in a basket being picked out of until it's half empty or they sit in the dryer until they're all so wrinkled you have to dry them again. I frustrate myself to no end!

Maria Sullivan said...

I too waste a lot of time trying to be organized.... The laundry issues must be a Sullivan thing.

Each banister on the staircase is home to each of the girls stack of hanging clothes. One the coffee table are the stacks of clothes that must go in drawers..... they have all been sitting there since last week before we went to Little Rock and we have been home since Sunday night!!!!!

Unknown said...

yah.. it took me like a day to realize that!