Homeschooling mom to be.

Sore hands, but clean clothes

Our washing machine died on me the other day.  I finished off my laundry at my mom's house, patiently anticipating the repair company.  My mother-in-law had only bought it six years ago, brand new, so I knew nothing fatal was wrong with it.  Well, I was wrong!  The guy came, but offered no hope of survival for our poor machine! We are now in search of another one.  In the meantime, it's old-fashioned laundry duties!

My daughters think it's the greatest thing. I dump the clothes in the tub with detergent and warm water, and let them sit for ten minutes or so.  Then (I dress in an old pair of shorts for this part) I take off my socks, step into the tub and stomp the clothes to death.  It is a lot easier than locating and using a scrubbing board, and still accomplishes the same objective.

Then I remove the clothes, wring them out a bit, drain the tub, add more water, and rinse the clothes.  Of course I never fill the tub, and it can actually be done with a lot less water than I thought.  Sometimes they need two rinses (like the clothes my girls play in) but for the most part, it is as quick as the machine, it's just me doing the work!  Thankfully, our dryer is still working, so I wring them out again, throw them in a basket, and take them down to the dryer to finish the job.

Here's the only problem, my hands get soooo sore wringing out the clothes!  My palms are all red, and my knuckles are cracking.  Oh well, I guess vanity has no place in a working home!  Anyway, I thought the girls should help me do a load or two at some point.  Even if we do get a new machine, I'd like them to experience it at least once.  It's not been as bad as I thought, either.  I'm sure it would get tedious, however, if that was the only option.  Anyway, that's my interesting contribution of the week.  Hope you're all having a lovely week....with working washing machines!  Lol, God bless.

Mama J.

I am definitely not jealous!

5:01 PM, Jan. 29, 2009 .. Posted by kcmyworld

Though it sounds as if you've made the best of it. But I agree about pampered hands have no place in a working home. Mine still haven't recuperated from last year's remodel.

Hope all else is well with you
Robin

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7:04 PM, Feb. 1, 2009 .. Posted by PinkFlamingo

Oh wow!! Sounds adventurous... like you said, maybe kind of fun for a few days, but I can see that it would get old fast! How much we take for granted...

Thanks for your comment. Biology is definitely NOT my favorite subject, but seeing God's amazing creation in new ways is neat. :-)

I hope you are feeling much better from your cold. God bless and have a great week!
Ashley

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5:01 PM, Feb. 4, 2009 .. Posted by SandBetweenMyToes

I can somewhat relate. Our not-so-old dishwasher died, and I was without for a couple of weeks. It wasn't so bad the first little while, but after a few days, it got old. We went through a lot of paper plates. We are indeed spoiled.
Letitia

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5:32 AM, Feb. 8, 2009 .. Posted by Lilyofthevalley4

Wow... You are brave to tackle such a job! Have you found a new washer yet?