I can move mountains!

I can! And I did! I have a family with 6 people. As you saw in the previous post, they are dirt bags! Major dirt bags. Dirty, filthy, and stinky dirt bags. Unfortunately for me, this means laundry. Lots and lots and lots of laundry.

Before the era of front loader washing machines, I would do about 20 to 25 loads a week. Now this is also the time of spitting up babies, and diaper explosions times multiple children, and a toddler who went through an out fit or 2 or 3 a day. This was a messy season of life for me. I don't know how I lived through it without my dear friends, my front loader washing machine and dryer.

My dear husband bought them for me when our 3 year old top loading washing machine went on strike for the second time in 6 months. It was scary. It was making such loud sounds that I thought it was going to come after me for making it work so hard those 3 years. I would look at her with compassion as if saying, "I know dear! It will only be a few more years and then things won't be so crazy around here. It'll get better, I promise." We would have counseling sessions, she and I. We were both feeling a little overwhelmed. It was nice to have the companionship since we were both learning to live with a husband and 4 children to take of and clean up after. But then she quit on me! She gave up on our adventure together! Maybe if dear husband and I were 2 retired folk without children, she would have lasted longer. Oh, well I am not bitter.
I upgraded!

With 4 dirt bag children, I walked into my appliance store and without guilt pointed to my dream machine and said, "I need you! Will you come live with me?". (Ok, so I begged a little!) My husband being the good man that he is, recognized my desperation and bought them for me! He didn't grumble at the price or size. He even looked around the store and found a more expensive one that could have worked, but I was in love. I knew I had found my match made in heaven!

Now comes the true miracle. Last week I ran out of fabric softener. We are totally addicted to the stuff. Now, I know that I grew up without it. I know that clothing is perfectly clean without it, BUT we are like TOTALLY addicted to it. (sorry for the "like totally" I am blonde you know!) If we don't smell Downy, it's not clean. I could probably get away with not using laundry detergent if the load smelled like downy! I won' t try it though. Remember, dirt bags. Sorry back to the story. I went 5 days without doing laundry. 5 days!!!! Some of you are probably saying things like, "So?" "What's the big deal?". I'll tell you the big deal. 5 days of not doing laundry, is something in biblical terms like... creation of mountains. I wanted to cry at the mountains (notice the "s", not just one mountain, but mountains) of dirty material I had to wash. We had no towels, we were scarce in the under clothing department, and nothing was matching because it's mate was dirty.

Some of you might ask why I didn't just go to the store and buy the stuff. Well good question! I am a hermit. No, really I can be. The sound of loading all 4 kids up and going to Walmart just for 2 things is not thrilling to me. It takes a miracle, or us being out of something like toilet paper, for me to go to Walmart, unless on grocery day.

So yesterday it was finally grocery day! Yeah! We reloaded on our laundry products, and I had coupons too! I started doing laundry yesterday evening and I am going to finish in about an hour! I love my front loader machines. What should have been 12 loads of dirty, stinky laundry became 6. See, I moved mountains!

Just for your info: I now do 8 to 10 loads of laundry a week instead of the breathtaking 20 to 25. Thank you again dear hubby for my machines, and thank you God for giving him the money to pay for them! Amen!

My favorite laundry quote for all who have a family to clean up after: A load a day, keeps chaos away! It's from my favorite cleaning site: http://www.flylady.net/ She is amazing. She also says to sit in front of your dryer to fold your laundry. You are more likely to put it away then! She's a genius I tell you!