The joy of laundry!

What? you say.
Yes, that's right. I said the joy of laundry. But it wasn't always this way.

Being a stay at home mom and homeschooling the kids is a lot of work. Some days I spend doing nothing but teaching, and then try to catch up on chores. Other days I spend totally on chores, and then try to catch up on school work. Is there a happy medium? I'm sure there is somewhere. Someday. I'm having to learn by trial and error.

Here's what I'm learning. A lot of children nowadays are not asked or taught to do more than what they are willing to do. For a child, that could be next to nothing if that's what their natural inclination is to do. My kids love doing some things--like Anthony loves to help cook. Anneliese loves to help wash dishes. Neither would like to unload the dishwasher, clean their room, or do laundry folding. Because it's work. Well, oh my goodness, that is what Mom's life consists of! But if they don't know the importance of the work, they won't appreciate it. If you let the drawers get empty enough they just ask when you are going to fold and put away their clothing. I'm not the maid.

I'm not June Cleaver. (Sorry dear.)

And 6 out of seven days of the week the laundry room looks like the dressers threw up in there. I felt like I was drowning. Literally in tears I exclaimed one day "I can't do it all! I'm not supermom, or June Cleaver, or Wonder Woman. I NEED HELP!" You should have seen the shocked looks on their adorable little faces. Something like mom-has-really-lost-her-mind-now-what-do-we-do was what flashed across their faces.

Out of desperation I piled the couch high with everyone's laundry and went about giving directions.

"You! Make a pile of your clothes here!"
"You, put all your clothes over here!"
"You're not done just because it's in a pile! Don't move."

And then I very calmly started a demonstration on how to fold each item, gave them a basket to pile their folded clothes in, gave them 10 minutes to clean it up, and left the room.

Amazingly, they did as they were told. And I got to sit for a few minutes and enjoy my tea in silence. Yes, there is joy in laundry!