Dismantle Laundry Mountain in Under 30 Minutes!

 In my house, we put away laundry once a week.  I have heard lamentations from my friends with kids for years about how hard it is to keep on top of laundry, but I really don't have a hard time with it.  (Dishes though? That's a horse of a different color.)  Here are a few tips that might help you dismantle Laundry Mountain faster than you would expect.  On this day, I had at least 6 loads of laundry to put away. (piles of towels for some reason...)

First: Sort laundry into piles by owner/place it lives.  I do: Mine, John's, Baby, Baby Supplies (this used to be diapers/bibs/burpclothes/blankets, now it's a bit less), Cloth Napkins, and Linen Closet.

It took me 5 minutes to make piles. (and you get to throw things, how fun is that?)

                                   Then each person's pile gets sorted into drawer or hang up piles.

 If you have older kids (i.e. older than mine) you can have them put away their pile on their own.  Less time and work for you! (also if you wanted to, each person could have a bin; I use the "clean laundry" bin for John's things.)

I try not to have an excessive pile of linens.  We have roughly two times the towels that each of us could be using at a time, i.e. I use two towels when I shower, therefore we have four towels for me. There are a couple more for guests, but I've pared down from a year ago for sure.  I also roll up the towels instead of folding them in the closet; so many more fit that way!

That's regular and swim towels underneath, and kitchen towels in the rack

We also have only one or two sets of sheets per bed in the house- two guest sets, one master set, and I think 3 for baby.  This way only one of them is ever in the wash at once; or you wash it and put it right back on the bed- no storage necessary!

Final Countdown: 

Sorting: 5 minutes

Put away my and husband's clothes, and linen closet: 13 minutes

Put away Z's clothes and supplies: about 10 minutes (got distracted so missed exact timing)

Just Be Awesome

When I was in school to become a teacher, almost every class I took wanted us to come up with our teaching philosophy.  As though stringing together a few words might help us to get a job or teach students English.  The hardest thing about making up a philosophy based on something you're not actually doing yet is just that... you don't know what you are doing.  While I have only been a parent for close to two years, I already have a parenting philosophy, and it is this: If I have an opportunity to spend time with my kid, I do it.  If she seeks out doing something with me, I put whatever else I'm doing on hold, and do it with her.  (Short of, you know, going to the bathroom or burning dinner.) Nothing else is more important.

 My kid wants to read a book? The computer is closed and we're reading a book.  I never really played with dolls as a kid or expected to just have a family when I "grew up"; so maybe that makes me more appreciative of my daughter.  Yes, sometimes she watches cartoons while I make dinner, but sometimes she watches me cook instead.  She likes learning about new things and "helping".  I know that not everyone gets to stay home with their kids (or even wants to, for that matter), but when I am home, I choose to be with my kid.  I kiss her all the time (probably too much).  She knows that she is smart and special.  Everything in my house can't be spotless all the time; or ever, maybe.  That's o.k. 

Just a corner of our living room

What it comes down to: 

Things are as easy or complex as you make them.
Choose to be awesome; you chose to be a parent, so you can choose to be a good one.
Take a fresh start every day.
Not everything will get done every day.  That is what tomorrow is for.
Messes are ok.  Soap exists.