They say confession is good for the soul ... so I'd better confess my laundry sins. I blame my mother, though. Isn't that the fashion, to blame your parents for all your problems? *rolling eyes*
But I do blame my Mom. Mom would wash the laundry, then bring us baskets to fold as we watched television. We'd all sit around, folding into stacks on the coffee table together. Once she started working, she'd wash laundry once (sometimes twice) a week, and we'd just fold clothes all day long ... while watching movies.
I was pondering my struggle. I've always washed clothes regularly, but often let the baskets sit until I could sit and fold clothes watching a movie. This often meant waiting until littles were all sleeping, so my piles would not be climbed on. I slowly overcame this problem, of letting baskets of clean clothes pile up for days, and started folding every night.
I was doing so well with this for a couple years. But I've fallen back into the old habit of letting baskets sit. As I pondered this bad habit this week, I was feeling guilty and as if I were just being lazy again. I tried to pinpoint when the change occurred. I finally decided that part of it had to do with moving here. I could not fold clothes after the kids were in bed, because we try not to stay up late now that Steve has to get up at 5:30 in the morning.
I haven't yet established the habit of folding clothes before the kids get up. I usually use that time for my devotions and computer time. Then Baby G was born, and my afternoons are busy with a baby, and homeschooling. So the clean unfolded laundry just piles up.
All those things play into it ... but I know I let plenty of opportunities pass by because I'm just waiting for that movie on the couch moment to arise. And that's when I realized it's my Mom's fault. Because I started folding laundry in front of the TV when I was young, I still enjoy doing it that way. Sometimes, when the laundry just HAS to be folded, and the living room is too messy or busy, I'll take it to my bed instead. But my preference is still the living room couch ... with a movie.
I need to make the mornings my laundry time, or start having the children help me in the afternoons. I need to overcome my bad habit of letting those baskets sit. For one thing, it's ugly and messy. For another thing, it's a pain to have to look in the baskets for that one item you want to wear. And of course, then you have to worry about someone spilling something on the clean clothes, or throwing up on them when a stomach virus hits.
So there you have it. My laundry confession. I still blame my Mom ... but since I'm not a victim, I need to overcome this bad habit ... again!
Trusting in Him,
April
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