Back in the Saddle

I've been lazy since my return home. Being tired from a trip and caring for a sick child, especially when they're a combo deal, always takes its toll, but I haven't done much toward getting back in the saddle, so to speak, since I got home last Sunday. Today is the big day, the day I get in gear and get some things done around the house. Job number 1? The laundry. And speaking of laundry, here's today's Monday Madness...

1. Do you do your own laundry or do you send it out?
I definitely do my own laundry. I wouldn't know where to send it out to, much less be able to afford it!

2. Do you laundry at your home or a laundromat?
I launder at home. Laundromats scare me.

3. Are there certain articles of clothing that you need to have dry-cleaned on a regular basis?
Billy occasionally has things dry-cleaned, but I never do. I won't buy anything that requires it.

4. How often do you do laundry? Is there a certain day of the week that you consider "laundry day?"
Nearly every day is laundry day. Mondays and Thursdays are whites (towels, underwear, etc.); sometimes I'll do an extra load of something if my baskets are full. Wednesdays and Fridays are for colored clothes and jeans. Saturdays are for whatever I didn't finish on Thursday or Friday. Tuesdays are errand days, and since nothing would get completed, I don't even start. Sundays are for resting.

Occasionally I get completely caught up with the laundry and only have to wash 3 loads during the week. I love those times, but something always happens to bring that to a short end.

I have some friends who do all their laundry one day each week. (And I'm talking about friends with 3 or more children!) I can't imagine that! I think I'd go insane if I tried to keep up with washing our stuff all in one day - and only one day each week. I guess I like to spread the misery around a bit.

5. Do you iron your clothes as you pull them out of the dryer or do you wait until just before you wear the clothing to iron?
What's an iron? I hate ironing more than I hate doing laundry. I try really hard not to buy clothes that need ironing, but if I do, I try to take them out of the dryer as quickly as possible and get them hung up. Sometimes it works. When it doesn't work, it doesn't get worn for a while.

The boys have some really cute shirts I bought at Wal-Mart for $3 each. I didn't check the fabric content before I bought them, and after I washed and dried them the first time, they looked like they'd been in a "wadding machine", as Mama would say. I keep wanting them to wear them to church, but Sunday morning is not the time to try to iron something!

6. Do you hang your clothes outside to dry or do you dry them in a dryer?
I dry mine in a dryer. I didn't think people actually hung clothes out to dry anymore, but did see someone doing it around here the other day. I was surprised, and my first thought was that I'd probably end up with bird droppings on my clean clothes if I did that.

7. Do you own things that need to be hand-washed or do you try to avoid buying things that you can't wash in the washing machine?
If I can't throw it in the washer, I usually don't buy it. I do have some things that recommend hand-washing, but I just throw them into a lingerie bag and wash on delicate/cold and hang them up (inside, away from flying creatures that drop things) to dry. I don't wear them very often, just so I don't have to go through all that.

Now that I've got my mind wrapped around laundry, I need to go sort it all out and get started. Today it's whites and probably a load of sheets or colored clothes. Or maybe all three. My hamper runneth over.