• Life Simplified: Laundry Day

    For those who don’t know me…….I am NOT a big fan of doing laundry.  Don’t get me wrong , it gets done in our house because I don’t like wearing dirty clothes but doing laundry everyday is almost like torture to me.   Before discovering a system that worked for our household I would delay doing laundry until the last possible moment (ie…someone was out of underwear) then do a huge batch.  The laundry would then sit on the guest bed waiting to be folded and put away.  Many times if you wanted to wear a certain shirt or were looking for clean underwear you had to dig through a massive pile in search for an item.

    Thankfully, we had a season in our life that forced me to get organized in the laundry department as well as other areas.  Several years ago my husband took a contract position in a town an hour and half away from our home.  Since the girls were young and not yet in school the entire family commuted with him on the contract.  The company gave him an allowance for an apartment and we were able to find one less then the amount we were given so we could save a little bit extra.  A couple of the downsides to the apartment being less expensive is that it was tiny and it didn’t have a washer and dryer hookup.  Since we came “home” on the weekends it wasn’t that big of a deal, however, that meant we had to keep track of groceries in two houses plus carting laundry back and forth every week.  During this season in our marriage I learned a lot about organizing and planning especially with living in two places at one time, an apartment during the week and at home on the weekends.  There were several benefits to our family doing laundry only once a week:

    • Less Stress for Mom because once laundry was completed on Saturday it was done for an entire week.
    • More Cost Efficient as far energy, water, and laundry soap.
    • Only 4 Loads of Laundry per week (on a typical week we do 4 full loads of laundry for an entire week:  1 – Sheets & Towels, 2 – Light Clothes, 3 – Dark Clothes, 4 – Whites)
    • Saves Time when I do everything all from start to finish in one day.  The laundry gets washed throughout the day and for about an hour in the evening I take the time to fold, hang up and put away the items.
    • Happy Family – no more digging through piles of clean laundry on the bed looking for underwear or a shirt, etc…. everything is cleaned, put away and ready to be worn.
    • Cleaner Home when the piles of laundry are no longer stacked on our guest room bed or in front of the washing machine our home is neater.
    • Items are Pre-Treated prior to being put in the laundry basket instead of trying to remember which ones to spray when I am putting them into the wash machine.
    • Organized System – having a specific day and task to accomplish enables me to get it done for the week and move onto the other tasks that demand my time and attention

    On the weekend we had to get the laundry done in order to have clothes to wear for the next week so it was a great motivator.   Even though that was several years I still do all our laundry in one day.  I no longer have to get it done on the weekends so currently laundry days are Monday’s at our house.   Everything is washed, folded and put away all in one day.  Since starting this organizational task it has allowed additional freedom in my week plus it has been a blessing to my family.  I no longer dread doing laundry because I know it will be done completely on “laundry day” and I will not have to think about it again until next week.  My family no longer has to dig through piles of clothes looking for something to wear.  It was a win-win situation for everyone.

    Even though that season in our life was difficult balancing the two households looking back on it I realize how many rich blessings and memories were created during that time as well.  It is during the times of stretching and change in our family when we discover new ways to make life more enjoyable for ourselves as well as those around us.  Having the opportunity to look at our organizational system from a different perspective may be all it takes to make it more efficient.

    Do you like doing laundry?  What works for one family may not work for another.  What are ways you use to help make your time doing laundry more efficient?

    Photo by Jon Yu

  • Top Deals: KMart Goodies (Kellogg’s, LeapFrog, and More)!

    I had to stop by KMart late last week to return something and decided to take a moment to stretch my legs since I had been working on a desk project all morning.  When I got to the toy section I noticed they had plastic over most of the back section near the ceiling with a water bucket at one end.  The roof had leaked and they were trying to clear the area.  There was a small box on the shelf of “damaged” toys on clearance.  The other toys may have been too badly damaged by the leak or previously sold.  I was able to pick up a couple a great items for at awesome prices.

    Here is what I got on clearance at KMart:

    • 1 Kellogg’s Disney Pixar Toy Story 3 Cereal – $2.99 markdown to $1.50
    • 1 LeapFrog Click Start Computer Software Nick Jr (Dora the Explorer – “Friends!”) – $20.99 markdown to $1.00
    • 1 LeapFrog Click Start Computer Software Nick Jr (Go Diego Go – “Learning Expeditions”) – $20.99 markdown to $1.00
    • 1 LeapFrog Tag Reading System “Star Wars The Clone Wars” Book – $14.99 markdown to $1.00
    • 1 Hershey’s Kissables Pens (4 Pack) – $1.99 markdown to $0.99
    • 2 Hershey’s Kissables Magnetic Pads – $1.99 markdown to $0.99

    Everything I purchased at KMart was on regular clearance or extra clearance due to the leaky roof.  Plus I received an additional $1.06 off of my total from my KMart Rewards Card. I spent a total of $5.20 including tax and saved $60.72 with a total savings of 92%!!!  I have never seen the LeapFrog books and cartridges marked down to $1 before.  They did have some water spots on the outside of the packages from the leak and shelves, but once I wiped them down they looked brand new expect for one spot on the back of the “Learning Expeditions” package!

    Unfortunately, with the box of cereal I broke my No Grocery Shopping for a month challenge!  Opps!!!  I had been doing so well, however, the cereal doesn’t fit into any of my criteria as (a necessity, free, or for someone outside of my home).  My excuse (although not a good one) Toy Story 3 was the last movie we watched with our girls before heading on vacation and with it being on clearance for $1.50 I gave into the temptation to treat the kids to something special.  Hopefully this is the last little bump in the road!!!

    These are some of the best deals I have found at KMart in a long time especially without using coupons!  If you are in the Greenville area you may want to check out the clearance deals at the KMart near Greenville Hospital.  I enjoy finding great bargains that can used as gifts!

  • Ouchy Toy Box

    As our kids got bigger we began to notice a trend pop up.  Their toys began to break, batteries died, books got torn and so forth.  Almost daily (or at least it seemed) our girls were bringing “broken” toys to have us fix for them whether it was gluing a broken toy, taping a book, sewing, or replacing batteries it took time to get fix them.  The girls would often hover around during the fix up process causing more delays in getting them fixed or shedding in tears when the toy truly was broken beyond repair.

    In our effort to streamline the toy repair in our house we created an “Ouchy Toy Box”.  When a toy, book, or game broke, required repair, or was due for new batteries they would bring it to us like in the past but instead of fixing it on the spot or having it sit on our desk for days we would put the toy in the Ouchy Toy Box.  Once a month or when the box was full we would set aside time to fix the toys in the Ouchy Toy Box.  The best sight to see is an empty Ouchy Toy Box!

    To create an Ouchy Toy Box find a cardboard box, crate, or any container that will hold a dozen or so toys.  We use a small cardboard box with the words Ouchy Toy Box written on the outside.  When a toy is broken the girls ask to put it in the box.  Our box is up high on a shelf in the office so they cannot look into or dig through the box. The saying “Out of Sight Out of Mind” works well in this situation.

    Here are our steps to repairing the toys (once a month or when the box was full):

    1. The night before, after the kids are in bed, we go through the Ouchy Toy Box and clean out all the toys that were broken beyond repair and throw them away.  Many times they have been in the toy box for at least a couple weeks and the girls no longer remember them or ask about them.  This helps us clean out the broken ones without the trauma and tears over the broken toy.
    2. The next day we set aside time in the evening to fix the broken ouchy toys, usually after dinner and baths.  We begin the process while the girls are awake so they can see what we do to fix the toys.  It gives us the opportunity to talk about why the toys are broken and how to take care of the things God gives us.
    3. We lay the toys out on the table or desk with a combination of tools such as glue, batteries, screwdrivers, tape, needles, thread, scissors, and anything else that we may need so we are ready to fix the toys.  (This allows us to get all the repair tools out only once a month instead of getting them out and putting them away every day).
    4. We begin fixing the toys.  As they are fixed the girls have an opportunity to play with them and then put them away in the toy box or book shelf.  Depending how many toys you have to fix and the extent of the repairs we do several while they are watching us.  We often start on the minor repairs first in case not all of them are fixable.  (ie. taping a page in a book, sewing a button back on a stuffed animal, etc…)
    5. We tuck the girls in bed before finishing all of the toys.  Typically, it is much quicker to repair once they are in bed especially if you need a steady hand, are using a drill or other sharp tools.
    6. Once the toys have been repaired we line them up on the table or fireplace for them to enjoy in the morning.  It spreads the excitement and they have fun reunited with their toys.  It helps teach them that it takes time to repair the toys, to trust us to fix their toys, and an appreciation for what they have.
    7. They will often play with the toys for hours after being fixed  Which is another added bonus.  Rarely do we have to fix the same toy multiple times.

    One of the most interesting effects of this system, which we didn’t anticipate happening when we first started doing it, was that they have fewer and fewer toys that need to go into the Ouchy Toy Box.  It could be that they have learned to take better care of their toys (turn them off after using so the batteries don’t wear down, be gentle with their books, pick up the toys so they are not stepped on), maybe they don’t like going without them for several weeks, or it could be something entirely different.  Whatever the reason, it is has worked at extremely well with our kids.

    Doing this monthly or regularly once the box is full streamlines the process especially if you have all the tools ready to complete the task at hand.  It prevents the tear shed of toys that have to be thrown away and it allows an opportunity to teach a lesson about taking care of the toys.  You are not pressured to fix it now since you have a system in place.  Many people that have come into our home office have laughed initially at seeing a box labeled Ouchy Toy Box, however, several of them have since adopted the system for their own families.  It works, try it!