MOM-E-Mail: Courtesy of MOPS

Got Laundry? by Carla Dietz

When you've got children, you've got laundry. Lots of laundry. Laundry that never stops! Ours started off cute enough...barely soiled, teeny tiny socks and itty bitty outfits. Fast forward though, and we've moved into serious laundry generated by a family of five including three active boys.

As chief household laundry engineer, I'm doing on-the-job-training for my 3 apprentices, but in the meantime I've learned that only a sense of humor and a lot of great detergent helps a mom survive this chore.

Somewhere between the toddler and preschool years, I learned to never, ever, throw any boys shorts or pants into the washer or dryer without first thoroughly screening the pocket contents. After unloading the dryer one too many times only to find half a sandbox, melted crayons or sticky cupcake wrappers, I'm convinced. I didn't grow up with brothers, so how would I have known that boys like to keep such treasures?

Over the years, several other laundry coping skills have come in handy too. For one, I declared that all money found during the mandatory pocket screening become the property of the laundry bunny. The laundry bunny is our family piggy bank (in the shape of a bunny) that sits on the laundry counter sink. Once it's full, I take the boys out for an ice cream cone - courtesy of the laundry bunny.

Now that I think about it, my work load as chief household laundry engineer might soon be getting easier. The older boys are nearly finished with their laundry apprenticeships. We are just working on some remedial training in one area. They've mastered sorting, loading the washer and transferring to the dryer. They just can't quite master the pocket screening. It's alright though; enjoying ice cream with my boys isn't a chore at all!