The next system in place that assists the Ronne family towards a more peaceful, idyllic experience together has to do with laundry. First, a disclaimer, laundry is not my thing. The Lord did not gift me with the ability or the desire to have perfectly pressed, folded, fluffy, and sweet smelling laundered items. My laundry is kind of embarrassing; it doesn’t really smell like anything because I usually forgot fabric softner and along with that nice crisp feeling due to a lack of softner, there are usually a few wrinkles because I don’t generally get around to folding it immediately, (actually I often fold it a few days after it has come out of the dryer but more on that in a minute.) I just don’t care that much (it’s not on my priority list as I detail in the post, Not That Mom) and as moms we only have so many minutes in a day and laundry is not top on my list of things that I want to accomplish well. If it’s clean, I’m happy.
Admittedly, I do have two washing machines and two dryers which has been a life saver with the amount of clothing, towels, and bedding this family goes through on a daily basis.
My laundry schedule begins something like this: immediately upon waking, I go downstairs where the family avoids me like the plague for about 10 minutes; just enough time they have estimated for me to make a cup of coffee and get at least a few life saving drips down my throat. I then get Luke ready and once he’s dressed and drinking his morning cocktail of yogurt and juice, I head to the laundry room where I throw a load in one of the washing machines which consists of everything I gathered up from the previous evening. After a few more sips of coffee, to the point where my brain starts firing on all pistols, I head upstairs and pull the bedding from one individual’s bed. This is also a system in place where I wash one family member’s bedding a day, although certainly not written on stone tablets but my intentions are pure nonetheless. That person’s bedding goes into the other washing machine. My day continues as I throw those two loads into the dryers and when they are complete, I begin 2 more loads from one of the 4 dirty clothes hampers from around the house. All in all, I usually do 4 loads a day. I have a large laundry basket where the items get promptly thrown right out of the dryer.
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I have mentioned before that I have a complete disdain for sock sorting. This large basket is also where the hundreds of stray socks live until Ryan gets around to them. The clothes are washed, they are dry, and now they will sit in this basket until I get around to loosely folding them – which in all honesty, could be in a day or two. I do not enjoy folding but I recognize that it is a necessary evil of motherhood, and I also feel a little guilty because Ryan already sorts the socks, and I can’t actually expect him to fold all the laundry too…… can I? Doesn’t seem fair.
Here comes the system part of it all, I have 7 plastic bins in my laundry room on shelves. Each bin has a child’s name on it. As I fold the clothes, they go immediately into that individual’s bin.
I also have 9 sock containers on separate shelves, also in the laundry room. As you already know, I do nothing with those but they are a helpful tool for my husband.
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Once an individual’s bin is overflowing, I ask them to put their clothes away and upon doing so they return the empty bin to its place on the shelf. The other small part of my system, amazon automatically ships me laundry detergent on a monthly basis with free shipping so I never run out. Voila, that’s it and the system starts all over again the next day, the endless cycle of dirty clothes forever and ever amen. I would welcome any tips in this area, like I said, not really my specialty but I’m certainly willing to learn from any experts out there!
Just keep livin!!
Love the bin system!!! Whatever works for you is what I think you should do. I have 4 boys not 7 but I do only have one washer and dryer. Love the idea of 2:) I usually do most of my washing during the day and then fold while I watch T.V. I can then justify wasting time watching T.V. haha I love watching T.V. so I find that works good for me. I have a small laundry room so no room for bins so the piles get brought to kids room next morning when getting breakfast.
Jessica – I guess I never realized it until you explained your disdain for socks, but it made me think. I never wear socks…maybe 3x a year. The 1st Christmas after Thax was born & I was pregnant with Lakyn, I took off my flip flops (snow outside & maybe 30 degrees) at my mother-in-laws when I put the boy down for a nap. Upon our departure, no one could find my shoes. It goes without saying I lose everything, keys, my phone, purse, wallet…I tell people “Hey, I don’t lose my kids!! (except in Stage…)” My husband was furious as I had to wear my brother-in-laws shoes to the car & everyone was so confused as to why a rather intelligent person would wear flip flops in a storm. (hey, we got snowed in at Lubbock, TX on our way to Houston 1 year, my MIL 1st question was “Did KJ wear shoes?” No one needed to answer. I hate socks too. & I think my way of dealing with it is not dealing with it. They are pesky laundry additives that get lost, stuck inside pants or shirts, & are useless without with their match. I have a drawer (husband says OCD, he’s pretty accurate on that!) set aside for the mismatches & I groan every time I am forced to open it with yet another solo victor from the clutches of laundry-dom. So I think from this day forward, when someone asks me why I am wearing flip flops in the middle of the OK Panhandle’s coldest day in history AGAIN, instead of saying how much I love my flip flops, I will just say “I freaking hate SOCKS!” & smile. God does command the truth…the truth shall set me free!!! 🙂 Who knew socks were the truth?!?!3 – kj
I’m with you 100%! I wear shoes without socks in the dead of winter here because I can’t stand socks. Personally, I just don’t like to wear them and I’m hoping that distaste for socks can at some point translate over to the whole family:-)
I use a bin system almost just like that…but I replace the bins with full size laundry baskets. Holds more