Day 2

My husband recommended I make a goal of blogging 21 days in a row so I can make it a habit. So here's to day two! (Here's where I raise my Creamsicle, as I type one-handed, in a toast to good blogging habits.)

Last night I made a list of things I could blog about in cases when I get writer's blogck. (Get it? Writer's blogck? Yes, I think I'm getting a little tipsy off this creamsicle.)

First I will give you a rundown of my day today and if I feel like it, I will backtrack and document some of the past month from off my list.

Thursday is kid laundry day, which means four loads of laundry. I have worked hard the past two years in getting my house organized with schedules and such. So this is my laundry schedule if you're interested:

Monday - Mommy and Daddy clothes (1-2 loads)

• Darks
• Lights

Tuesday - Towels (1-2 loads)

• Dish and colored bath towels
• Pool towels if it's Spring/Summer

Wednesday - Whites (2 loads)

• Delicates
• White Towels and George's crib sheet (but I often forget to do his sheet.)

Thursday - Kids (4 loads)

• Emily and Rachel
• Sarah and Wendy
• Jason and George
• Bradley

Friday - Sheets 

• Sheets from one bedroom, which is on a rotating monthly schedule. (I realize that washing sheets once per month might not be as frequent as Martha Stewart would recommend, but I really do not like stripping and making beds, so once a month per bedroom it is.)

Saturday - Miscellaneous, but none if all goes well.

Sunday - NONE! (Unless I cleaned up a large milk spill on Saturday and the towel makes me gag when I walk by it.)

So on a good Thursday, I have all four loads finished by lunchtime. Unfortunately we have very few good Thursdays. If I'm on the ball, I have the laundry started on Wednesday night to get a head start, but I somehow always fall behind.

So at the beginning of the year I was trying to figure out a method of how to make laundry even easier for myself so I wouldn't resent it. My kids are capable of washing and folding their own clothes, but it's a matter of them finding the time with their school and other responsibilities. They take sooooo long to fold. What takes them about 45 minutes to fold, takes me about 8 minutes. So I've agreed to fold their clothes for them, until they turn at least 12 years old, while they do their schoolwork on Thursday mornings . 

I leave their neatly folded pile in their room and it's their responsibility to put their clothes in their drawers or closets. I have one stipulation though. They MUST have ALL items of clothing turned right-side-out. Nothing peeves me more than to have to turn clothing right-side-out before folding it. I have one child who had a very bad habit of leaving one pant leg inside-out when he/she put them in the hamper. So, I decided to put an end to it and promote laundry accountability in the home. In January I gave each kid 100 dimes that I keep in little cups in my laundry room. The rule is:

If Mommy comes across an inside-out item of clothing while she is folding, she will leave it on the offender's pillow. Offender must turn item right-side-out, fold it, and put it away. If it is not put away by the time offender falls asleep on Thursday, Mommy gets paid a dime from their cup for each item not folded and put away.

The rule is for ages 5 and up. Rachel will get a cup next year.

At the end of the year the kids get to keep their dimes, or we can all go spend them on something like bowling or ice skating or something fun.

So why do I tell you all of this? No reason, really, except today was the first week that my girls had NO inside-out clothing AND put away all their clothing before they fell asleep! Woo hoo!! I feel like the past four months of training have paid off! Jason had one inside-out item, but I'm lenient on 5 year olds. I haven't folded Bradley's yet, but he's rarely an offender. In fact, many weeks he will even willingly fold his own clothes.

So far this year I've made $1.50.

And I have to say I think this is pretty good for a five year old who put away his own clothes. Another thing I worked hard on training him to do.

Moving on to the latter part of the day. I made a shopping list for a bunch of desserts I want to make next week and will incorporate into homeschooling. I also made a list of some materials and supplies for some fun kid crafts I want to do. We are going to have a week long theme of "Fun and Fattening". I'm looking forward to it and I wanted to be sure to be prepared.

First we went to Walmart. We spent about two hours walking around and looking at stuff. I'm in the waddling phase so we took our time. By the time we were through with shopping, we were starved. I had planned to eat at home, but we ate some McDonald's because it was quick and convenient and I still wanted to go to the Dollar Store. We were still starving after we ate. But a cheeseburger and a few fries for each of us was enough to tie us over.

McDonald's cheeseburgers are lame. They only put one pickle slice on them!

This made me laugh. 

My kids in the Walmart parking lot at Walmart #2.

 I had to go to another Walmart after the Dollar Store to get my perishable dessert ingredients - cream cheese, whipping cream, Cool Whip.

Nothing beats a new set of a dozen cheap combs!

We went to the dollar store. My kids rarely go there and were amazed that everything cost only a $1. Emily and Sarah couldn't pass up a deal, so they bought 4 hair salon items with their own money - a package of combs, a package of hair bands, a manicure set, and mirror. They had a ball playing with it when they got home, and they gave me a very nice foot massage and pedicure after dinner. I told them they could massage my feet as often as they wanted to.

So that was my day. I organized my desk and a portion of my kitchen counter this evening. Most of the mess I just transferred to my kitchen table so I will be forced to deal with it in the morning. I didn't even have to use my list of blogging ideas tonight! Instead I bored you with a post about laundry. 

In case you like reading about laundry, I also posted about it in March 2009. My methods, schedule, and detergent have changed since then, but you get to meet my lavender laundry room. 

I have since switched from powdered Tide to liquid dye and perfume-free Sun. ($2/bottle on sale) I think the white bottles with yellow caps look much nicer than the orange boxes. A bottle lasts us about 3 weeks, so I pretty much have a year supply of detergent.