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Blessings Overflowing

Faith~Family~Creativity

April 15, 2015 By Jackie 5 Comments

A Simple Way to Get Control of Your Laundry

Two weeks ago my parents came over to visit. The kids had just come home from school, I had been busy with some web design projects, there were dirty dishes in my sink, the back porch where they entered was a mess of coats and snow pants, and there were piles of laundry in my living room.

I really wasn’t expecting company, and I was embarrassed about the condition of my home. My mom said a few things that made me feel like I was a little girl with a messy room. (Love you, Mom!)

She said, “Are all of those clothes clean?” and “Why don’t you just fold and put away the clothes when you take them out of the dryer.”

I immediately felt defensive and I gave her some excuses as to why I had so much clean laundry that was sitting in a pile (getting wrinkled). I told her how busy I had been and that doing laundry for 7 people is hard, or something like that.

After they left my defensiveness continued and I posted this photo on Instagram. I felt justified that I had plenty of good reasons for why my laundry was out of control.

However, I didn’t feel good about it. I didn’t want to have piles of clean and dirty laundry. I knew what I needed to do, but sometimes doing what you need to do is easier said than done.

Wash. Dry. Fold. Put Away. Yes, I knew that was what I needed to do but I was so overwhelmed with how many loads I had to do that my plan to do 1 load of laundry per day last year wasn’t going to cut it.

Have you ever struggled with getting control of your laundry like I was (and have struggled many times in the past)? I am here to tell you that there is hope.

A Simple Way to Get Control of Your Laundry

Let me start by showing you just how bad my laundry room looked last week. This picture doesn’t show you the additional piles of clean laundry that were in the living room.

Messy Laundry Room

Scary, right? I’m just trying to keep it real here. While I am at it I might as well tell you that I am a procrastinating perfectionist, but that might be a post for another day. 🙂

So, how did I get my laundry room back in order?

Getting Control of Your Out of Control Laundry Piles

The first thing you are going to have to do is wash all of the laundry in your home. Here’s what I did last week. This took me the better parts of 2 days to complete. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

  1. Gather all of the dirty laundry in your entire house.
  2. Sort it all into piles by color, type, etc. (I lined my hallway with dirty laundry piles but you can use any area that won’t be in your way.)
  3. Start a load of laundry and keep going until all of the laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away.
  4. If you have clean, wrinkled laundry lying around, get it unwrinkled, folded and put away.
  5. When you have finished all of the laundry, give your laundry room/area a thorough cleaning.
  6. Vow to never let this happen again, but give yourself grace if it does. Just do this process over again if it happens.

Alternative: Take all of your dirty laundry to a laundromat and get it all done at once. It may cost you a little bit of money but it will be a much faster process than spending 2 days washing and drying clothes.

Once I completed all of the steps above last week, I put together the new laundry sorter (affiliate link) I ordered. I taught the kids how to use it and so far they have been doing a great job.

Laundry Sorter

Years ago I had a laundry sorter that had a plastic frame and tiny wheels. It broke and my husband tried to fix it. Eventually, we got rid of it because we were just too rough with it apparently.

My new laundry sorter (affiliate link) is so much sturdier. Plus, I am not filling it to the brim, smashing the clothes down, and filling it even fuller. 🙂

Every laundry room also needs a place to put mismatched socks. Several years ago I embroidered this tote bag and I still chuckle at how clever I thought I was.

Sock Bag for Mismatched Socks

It really has been helpful because we always seem to have socks that are missing their mates.

Since the title of this post promises a simple way to take control of your laundry, I better tell you what it is. Actually, I already told you, but I will say it in bold this time.

A Simple Way to Take Control of Your Laundry

Wash, dry, fold, and put away one load of laundry at a time. Do not let the clothes sit in the washer or dryer or in a pile on the floor after they are clean.

While I didn’t like it when my mom asked me why I didn’t just fold and put away the laundry after it was dry, her question was the answer to my laundry issues.

Clean Laundry Room

Guess what? It actually works. I have been able to keep on top of my laundry all week. My laundry room looks just like the picture above as we speak with one exception. We had to get a new washing machine on Saturday.

I knew this day was coming but I had hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. I must have worn it out with my marathon washing sessions last week. 🙂

I will say that I was so thankful I had a clean laundry room when it happened because it was so easy to move out the old washer and bring the new washer in. Plus, it was easy to clean up a few gallons of water off the floor, too. Long story…

My new washer is a top loader with no agitator inside and I really like it. I personally don’t intend to get a front loader again.

Do you struggle with laundry issues, too?

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Filed Under: Home Management Tagged With: Laundry

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jackiesblessings

I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that h I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that has happened in 2020. There have been so many negatives for so many people. I can’t say it has all been positive for me either. However, there are some things that have happened in 2020 for which I am so grateful. 
.
The main thing I am grateful for is the extra time I was able to spend with my kids. We had so much fun during quarantine and this summer. I know this wasn’t the case for everyone, but I do not regret the days when we had nothing planned and could just have fun together. Whether it was walking in the woods, playing games, watching a movie together, or even doing chores, I never once heard an “I’m bored.” 🙂 
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In addition to the gift of more time together, I am also grateful for all of the milestones we have celebrated this year. In June, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, and then we had four milestone birthdays. Julia turned 21, James turned 18, Joshua turned 16, and Joseph turned 13. (Janna felt left out, so we told her that her birthday was special because it was her last birthday in single digits.) Also, today marks 25 years that JT and I have been married. 
.
While I won’t be sorry to see 2020 go, and I hope
and pray 2021 is better for so many people who are hurting right now, I don’t ever want to forget the good times we had this year. 
.
P.S. I took all of these pictures over fall break.
The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual church service yesterday, and I couldn’t resist getting a picture with them in front of this beautiful Christmas tree. ❤️
James has been playing school basketball since he James has been playing school basketball since he was in the fourth grade. Tonight he and his fellow Seniors  were recognized at their game, and I just can’t believe James is this old. 
.
Normally, Senior Night is the last game of the season. However,  because everything in the world seems so uncertain right now, we wanted to make sure the boys got a chance to be recognized. We wanted something “normal” for them. I am thankful James and his teammates not only got recognized but also won their game. 
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P.S. We had our masks on at all times other than when we took pictures.
We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is t We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is turning 13 today, and it just doesn’t seem possible. The beautiful baby boy who was placed in my arms on a cold and foggy day in December is still my “little” guy. However, after looking at this picture of the two of us, I don’t think he will be shorter than me for long. Joseph is still my shy guy, but he is also sweet, loving, kind, and just an all around good kid. We also lovingly refer to him as the cat whisperer because the kittens and cats follow him around like puppies. 🙂 It has been so much fun to have Joseph at school with me this year now that he is in junior high, and I am so thankful that I get to be his mama. Happy birthday, Joseph! ❤️
2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of 2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of those challenges was self-inflicted. 🙂 I just finished my fourth master’s level course of 2020 through Ball State, and I passed the high ability licensure exam last Thursday. This means that I will soon have high ability added to my teaching license. 
.
When I signed up to take my first class in January, I had no idea what 2020 was going to entail. Teaching in a pandemic isn’t for the faint of heart. Taking classes and caring for five kids while teaching in a pandemic has allowed me to see what I am really made of. I don’t mean to brag, but I am pretty happy that I received straight A’s. Beyond that, I learned so much, and I am grateful for this opportunity even though I felt stretched to my limits some days. 
.
Yes, 2020 has been challenging, but I have been blessed with more time with my family, knowledge gained, and challenges met and overcome.
I almost forgot to post this here. 🎂 Joshua is I almost forgot to post this here. 
🎂
Joshua is 16 years old today. It doesn’t seem possible that my little pip squeak of a baby boy is now about 6’4”. Joshua is now the tallest of the family, and I’m not sure he is done growing. There hasn’t been a dull moment since Joshua arrived, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. He is a fun-loving, hard-working, kind-hearted, and intelligent young man. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. I am so thankful God thought I was up to the task of being Joshua’s mama. ❤️
My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t c My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t cry as soon as he was born but first looked around to see what was going on in the world, is now a 6’2” handsome man. I truly never thought the years would go by so quickly, but here we are. James is 18 today. 

There are so many words I could use to describe James: hardworking, dedicated, persevering, intelligent, funny, curious, kindhearted, dependable, respectful, and helpful. I could also expound upon his accomplishments, and I could tell you how great he is. However, I don’t love James for what he has accomplished but simply because he is my son.

I have been so blessed to be James’s mom, and I thank God every day for entrusting him into my care. I don’t know what the future will hold for him, but I know he will do great things. 

For anyone reading this who is struggling with a tantrum throwing toddler, a strong-willed child, and/or a child who questions everything, I would like to encourage you. Look for the positive qualities your child possesses such as perseverance, dedication, and curiosity and build upon that. I will never regret the hard days of parenting because my prayers and hard work have paid off. Helping James reach his full potential and keep those qualities without breaking his spirit has been worth the effort.

Happy Birthday, James!
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed sur I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed surreal. It felt chaotic. Nothing was normal. We are all exhausted. However, it was wonderful to be with my students again after five months, and my own kids enjoyed seeing their friends. I don’t know how this school year will play out, but I am ready to go back tomorrow and try to make teaching virtually and in person work to the best of my ability. My students are worth the effort. 
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James is a senior, and this was his last first day of school. Joshua is a sophomore, and Joseph is in 7th grade which means I have all three of my boys in the same building with me. Janna is in fourth grade, and she was very excited to be back at school. Julia will be a senior in college when she starts back next week. 
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I am praying we all have a safe and healthy school year. I plan to try not to think about the unknowns and what-ifs and take it one day at a time.
This morning I told four of my kids we were going This morning I told four of my kids we were going to go on an adventure. (No, I didn’t leave one out of the fun. James played in a golf tournament with his dad. 🙂) Anyway, it was quite an adventure. It started with my vehicle telling me one of the tires needed air, but it must be a bad sensor because it was fine. Then I almost ran out of gas. I drove us on all sorts of country roads we had never been on, and I even thought I was going south when I was actually going north for like 10 miles. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was very obvious I have not been many places since March. 
.
Anyway, Julia, Joshua, Joseph, Janna, and I went to @maxandhoneys where we took some pictures and picked a beautiful bouquet. It was really fun. After that, we went to Greencastle and then to Lieber State Recreation Area. We finished by stopping to do a few things in my classroom, and we made it home before it started raining.
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I am so thankful for a day of doing something fun and “normal” but out of the ordinary. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s the best way to describe it. Yes, we had to wear masks sometimes and practice social distancing, but it was still a good day. 
.
Here are some pictures from our day. The last picture is of James before he went to play golf. How is he old enough to be a senior? 😢 I am so thankful for my family. 💕 Also, kudos to Joshua and Joseph for being good sports about picking flowers. Their future wives will thank me. 😀

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