Editor's note: Laundry may not be the 2-3 day chore of days gone by,
but it still takes a huge amount of effort and any useful tips for
making the process a little easier are sure to be welcome!
By Carrie Lauth
Mom, are you spending way too much time sorting, washing,
and folding laundry?
Here are some quick easy tips to help get you out of the
laundry room!
1. Sort Less
With the exception of whites that need to be bleached, brand new dark or
red items that bleed or delicates, you may not need to sort laundry as
much as you think.
Most high quality clothing doesn't bleed. And there is no crime in
washing towels with other laundry unless it will get linty (like
microfiber cleaning cloths).
You might want to sort laundry by what room it will end up in.
I throw my boy's laundry all in together and despite what home economics
gurus might tell you, I haven't noticed any bad effects! This method
simplifies things because each load goes to the same place. Instead of
walking around the house delivering laundry to each room, you save
energy and time.
2. Instead of folding...
Hang kid's shirts in their closet and simply lay small items
flat in their drawers.
I use those cheap shoebox size plastic organizers in the boy's
closet and throw unsorted clean socks in one, undies in another,
pjs in another. Each child has his own containers so there's no
confusion.
It's much simpler than spending time folding underwear and matching
socks. They can find their own sock mates!
3. Use Your Tools
Put one laundry basket in each room where dirty laundry is discarded
(usually one per bathroom or bedroom). Buy some of those zippered mesh
bags at the dollar store and throw one in each.
4. Teach your kids and husband
Ask your husband and kids to put laundry in the hamper instead of
dropping it on the floor, and to bring their hamper to the laundry area
when you're ready to wash. Don't scold or nag, use natural consequences.
When someone needs that favorite pair of Buzz Lightyear pjs or boxers,
they will quickly learn that if it doesn't make it to the hamper, it
doesn't get washed!
Train them too to put their dirty socks in the mesh bag. Even if
they're too young to do so, put all dirty socks in the bag and
throw the entire thing in the washer. They come out clean and
the washer doesn't eat the baby's socks.
Enlist your kid's help when it comes to folding laundry. A 2 year old
can put dirty laundry in the hamper and throw clean clothes in the dryer
when you hand it to them, a 3 year old can fold washcloths, and an older
child can deliver clean folded laundry to their room and even hang
items.
5. Forget Perfection
When I was a kid we had "play clothes" and "school clothes". The
nicer things were what you wore to school and out of the
house, and you changed into your play clothes (usually items
that had a defect or weren't as nice as going-out clothes) as
soon as you got home.
Using this method means that the nicer items don't wear out as
quickly, and they may not need to be washed after every wearing. An item
that is worn once (unless it's socks or undies) doesn't necessarily need
to be washed.
And you may decide that it's not worth spending time removing
stains on play clothes, thus saving you more time and money.
Also, try using Oxi-Clean or another non-toxic whitener instead of
bleach on your whites. Since it can also be used on colors, it won't be
the end of the world if a stray colored item gets in your bleach load.
I hope these tips help rescue you from laundry room shackles!
Dressing Girls For School
I have spoken to so many parents who tell me it is a monumental task to get
their younger daughters ready for school in the morning. Unless your daughter
has only one set of clothes to wear, she probably wants to change her outfit
three times before choosing the one she will "agree" to wear to school each day.
Here's how we solved the problem in our family...
3 Easy Ways To Make An Awesome Playroom
Are you irritated every time you walk past your kids playroom? Paper here, toys
there, the floor is strewn with stuff that you can't even guess what it is! Most
of us feel a whole lot better when things are organized. Is it natural to be
neat and tidy or is it a skill that must be learned? We'll let you worry about
that question but we'll give you a few simple ideas on how to make that playroom
fun again.
What should you expect at 6 weeks, 6 months or 1 year? We provide useful
milestones and developmental stages so that you can keep an eye on your
baby's development in the first year. Baby Stages
Ideas For Sharing Stories
With Children
This two-part article discusses the ways in which stories and
storytelling play an important role in children's lives. Techniques are
offered for using stories to help develop children's verbal skills and
imaginations. This is part one.
Who Owns The Problem; Parent or Child?
It is tempting for parents to assume ownership and responsibility for everything that goes on in the life of their child. However, when the parent jumps in too soon to solve the problem or give the answer, the child never learns to trust his own judgment and become a critical thinker.
Parenting - Making A Schedule This article on the benefits of scheduling your day as a parent
really struck home with me. It took me a while to work this out for
myself when I had young children at home, and I wish I had done so - and
benefited from the much calmer household that was the result - sooner!
