National Night Out 2015!

How I Manage...Big Laundry in a Small Space.

Laundry is such a pain. Over the summer we moved from a huge laundry room to a very small laundry room, and I think we just about have it worked out. With five kids and two adults, we need to keep it moving at all times. We keep the kids outfits for each day rolled up and stored in an over the door shoe hanger with a row of six slots for each kid. Sunday outfits are in a different row. I load up all of the pockets on Sundays and the kids are set for the week. We also keep swimsuits and hair bows in the organizers.

 

As far as the rest of the laundry room goes, the kids' jeans and slacks are on hangers over the dryer, and they have masking tape labels on each hanger so I know which jeans go to which kids. We try not to have more than two pairs per style of pants, because we don't have the space to store it AND because we keep laundry running constantly. Most clothes are clean and stored at all times. 

 

Daddy likes the boys to wear collars most of the time, so collared shirts are hung above the washer.

 

All other kids clothes are stored in labeled basked opposite the machines. No clothing storage upstairs. They each have a dresser or wardrobe for special things, extra linens, etc, but the rule is that any clothes found outside the laundry room are on bodies or dirty. In the evenings I take one laundry basket and collect up any clothes around the house and they go straight into the washer. Anything in the dryer is immediately sorted into baskets or pockets. Andrew and I keep our clothes in our closet, because I can trust Andrew not to change his clothes 247 times per day.

 

We usually have one catch-up day every couple of weeks because when you have so many people, so system is perfect. That day usually falls very close to "Linens Day," when I change all of the sheets in the house. Kids' linens are changes once every two weeks, master linens every week. (Because the kids like to go from the sandbox to our bed. Every time. I just don't get it.)

 

I also hang some things to dry rather than use the dryer. Sheets and towels, mostly. Anything heavy or potentially tangly. It makes my loads go faster AND it looks dreamy and smells like productivity.

 

 

 Shoes go in $5 Home Depot stackers and can be thrown directly down the stairwell and into a bin. The kids love that. The "don't throw things from the second floor" rule is all but gone these days. Whatever.

 

But really, that's it! Right now our laundry situation is WAY under control, so I feel pretty confident sharing this. Of course, it's not Linens Day...



Yippee! Hallelujah! Thrill!

You're not even going to believe this. There are still people in this world who follow this pitiful blog. I count four. This is grand. I will just type and type and type to my heart's content.

And that will be made possible by MY NEW COMPUTER!! Our trusty laptop died a slow and painful death and while she still kind of works, it's just not worth the effort. So we made the switch to a shiny new desktop which was purchased juuuust yesterday. I really didn't know people still use desktops, but I can be swayed. We'll need it in the coming months and years anyway. And lest you believe that's some sort of cryptic pregnancy announcement, rest assured, I am not with child. I am with desktop and it's glorious.

Next up, I'll be writing about my Exodus of One from the beast that is Facebook. And true to history, I am wandering in the DESERT, friends. Ain't nobody out here but me and my God.

I have a small list of "to blog" topics, but can I be real? I'm just not quite back into the swing of it. How do my views even matter in a world of bloggers? Is there really anything I can say that isn't already being said at this very moment? Will I ever go viral? What's the meaning of all of this?

Clearly, my God is staying silent on this one.

She's so Productive.

It's no secret that I really, really love beauty products. I'm trying to tone it down a little, but I just adore wonderful things. What I really love are incredibly expensive, hard-to-find products. But let's face it. Those days are on hold while I have five busy kids and very little time to plot, plan, dig and spend. 

So, here are my current favorites. They're all easy to find, and they're all fantastic. They're also all reasonably priced and life/kid friendly. 

So in the back row from L to R. NYM hairspray. Walmart, smells wonderful. TresSemme Nourishing Rituals oily stuff. Also at Walmart, also cheap. I don't do much with this other than stick my hair in a pony, rub this between my hands and slick it over the tail to calm down all my frizzies. Perfection. Pantene overnight creme. This stuff is amazing. I get it at Target and use it on the girls. Keeps tangles out for up to three days. Not that that's an admission of a major lack of bathing around here. Rock Your Hair root lift. THIS is one of my faves. I usually get it at Walmart and while it's almost $20 a can, it lasts a good long while AND it makes my hair just jump right up and wave to my friends. Aveeno BB moisturizer. It's fine as moisturizers go, and I'm good with aveeno anything on this gorgeous face. True Blue Spa hand cream. This is a Bath and Body Works product, but it's worth the trip. I also never buy a bigger tube because a tiny dab does the trick and the tube lasts about a year for me. 

Front row T to B. Heh. Crest Brilliance Boost. This stuff is super amazing for just boosting your teeth and making a little whiter for the day when you don't have an hour to do the whole whitening routine. 

Now. Maybelline 24 lip stain. No joke, friends. I put this on in the am and let it dry for five minutes. I cover it with Baby Lips Dr. Rescue and my lips are still rosy pink when I'm putting on my jammies. And guys, I may embellish from time to time, but lipwear is where I draw the line. 

And then you have your blistex ultra rich and Dr. Rescue. I don't have time to get into the drugstore eye makeup winners, but I'll be back. That's probably abrupt, but my man's going to walk through the door any minute!