I Loathe Laundry

The stains, the piles, the never-ending quest to match the socks again….laundry is taking over my house! With 3 boys, Jim, and me it’s unbelievable how many garments we can go through in the course of a day. I realize that if I ever really try to conquer every last piece I will just end up frustrated, but it’s still hard to just tread water. Sometimes it seems like Groundhog day…I feel like I just folded the same shirt and pants the day before, and the day before that.:) The thing is, I honestly don’t mind any of the other household duties; dishes, dusting, scrubbing, shining are all okay with me, heck I even enjoy vacuuming! For some reason it’s the laundry I have a hard time with, I just groan at the sight. I do have something that keeps me in check though and makes me realize I need to just suck it up and go with it. I remember helping my grandma do laundry when she had an old washer (pictured above). It took her forever to scrub on the washboard, then wring out each individual item and hang it to dry. She did that almost always by herself, and while raising 11 children!! I can hear her sweet voice in my ear “Come on little girl, toughen up, all you have to do is press a button and the machine does it FOR you”!:)

I think about that on the days I feel overwhelmed. I complain about dishes, yet we have a dishwasher and all I have to do is fill and empty it. I have no idea what it means to deal with firewood, soot, and heating the house with a tiny fireplace. I have a stroller where I push one button and the entire thing opens (or closes) without me having to even break a nail! Oh, and did I mention disposable diapers?! If my great-great-great grandma was here she would probably laugh at what I lightweight I am!:) So although I might gripe and REALLY dislike laundry, I try to keep it in perspective and realize it’s great to have modern conveniences in the first place. That’s what happens when you watch all those old western movies, you see how tough things really were. One look at the outdoor potty and I realize, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t have made it back then!:)