I have been waiting a very, VERY long time to say this! Probably years. In fact, I don't know if I have ever said this since bearing children. Are you ready for it? Here it comes . . . THE LAUNDRY IS DONE!!!! (Excuse me while I do a happy dance!!). Wasn't that exciting, was it? I am sure you were expecting something a little more . . . dramatic - something a little less . . . mundane? Well, maybe for you it is mundane but for me it falls into the category of 'miracle'! The other day I was contemplating this daily household occurance called "laundry" (probably while I was either picking up dirty clothes, folding clean ones, putting escapee clothes back in their rightful spot, or any other such tasks that involve me holding some article of cloth!). I wondered why it seems that dirty laundry germinates around our house as easily as siberian elm on a hot dashboard. Then I got to thinking: 5 children, 7 days in a week, minimum of 2 articles of clothing per day = 70 pieces of clothing each week. Add in underwear (+15), pajamas (+17), bibs (+10), burb clothes (+7), towels, socks, blankets - never mind the clothes J and I wear. If you add in all the clothes RJ changes in to and out of, making sure to get each piece dirty, you are talking AT LEAST 135 articles that need washing per week! YIKES!! So, needless to say, the laundry around here is NEVER DONE! Well, that is, before today! Today was the culmination of days, weeks even, of hard work and dedication to getting the job completed. Want some proof? Check this out:
Laundry hampers?
EMPTY!Laundry sorters?
EMPTY!
Laundry baskets?
EMPTY!
Washer and Dryer?
EMPTY
(though I didn't post a photo of this as I do see both of these empty quite regularily just before I throw more clothes in!)
It is ALL empty! Empty, empty, empty!!
I am so proud of myself! Maybe I will post these photos in my laundry room as inspiration, as proof, that it CAN be done!
One more thought before I head to bed
(and pray I don't dream of matching socks or sorting colors):
why is it I seem to place so much of my value, so much of my worth, on whether or not I can accomplish simple household tasks?
Really, does finishing all the laundry make me a better person? Does it make me a better wife or mother, better sister or friend? I know in my head there is no such connection, my heart has a harder time learning. In fact, if I spend so much time doing the laundry (or washing the dishes, or sweeping the floor or vacuuming or dusting or, or, or) and neglect my family in the process, then household chores can actually be detrimental. That, however, is not my point. My point is this: do I make value statements out of mere observations or questions? Case in point: Jay came home today and innocently asked me what I did today? Do you know what was the first thought to go through my head? "Obviously I did not do enough work, didn't make the house clean enough for him to notice. I am a failure." His intention? Allow me the opportunity to share about what it is I did, just like he asked. Making values out of questions. Or this: we go over to my parents to visit and the kids play with the toys. They leave them out just as kids routinely do. My dad says, "Wow! That's a lot of toys on the floor." meaning exactly that. What do I hear? "Your kids aren't cleaning up the toys immediately after playing, the house is a mess and it is all your fault. You are a failure as a mother. Go home." Yikes! That is quite a jump from toys to failure! But I notice myself doing this on regular occasions. I know full well my worth comes from the Lord, who created heaven and earth, and who intricately formed me and declared me good. So why is it so hard to believe? What do YOU believe? Do you make values out of observations?
I have much less laundry to do than you and still rarely find my hampers empty. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteAs mothers it is rare that we do something in our daily activities that actually stays done. Dishes get dirty again, as do clothes, counters and floors get re-cluttered. So I can totally see why having laundry all caught up would feel like a huge accomplishment. One mother I know took up knitting so she could have something that actually stayed done. :) I'm loving reading your blog.
I am very proud of my wife for aiming for such a high goal and achieving! I also feel it appropriate to mention that I do my part in keeping my laundry to a minimum. Jay's contribution: 1 pair of jeans, 2 t-shirts, no socks in summer, and 1 pair of underwear (that is if I don't shower with them on.) Yes, fewer clothes to wash means less soap and less energy consumed, lessening both the carbon footprint and laundry footprint (patting myself on the back now)
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that I wasn't the only one that could never keep up with laundry! I totally understand the excitment of actually finishing laundry. I did that dance about 10 days ago. The depressing part is that all the laundry is washed and once again waiting for me to fold it - in the familyroom - by now - all OVER the familyroom (12 loads will do that!!!)
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the serious part of this blog. All too often I take what Harv says way to personally and feel that I'm not doing my part as a wife and mother. Yet I am learning that all the "things" that need to get done are still only things. And that I can't do "everything". God still loves me for who I am, No matter what I do or don't get done.