10 Reasons I Enjoy Doing Laundry

Laundry: a mundane, tedious, never-ending task. There was a time when I had full-time help with my laundry – my own personal laundress. It was wonderful! When our  daughter finished her high school work, she took over laundry duties for our family. What a blessing! That freed me up to get other things done, like schooling her younger siblings, getting meals on the table, etc.

10 reasons Why I Enjoy Laundry Duty

1. Sorting laundry is an activity that keeps the hands busy while leaving the brain free to think. Have a problem to solve? sort laundry. Have an attitude to correct? sort laundry. Have a decorating dilemma? sort laundry. You get the idea.
2. Laundry Day is the perfect time to get set up for the Great Seasonal Switch-Over. Those light and airy sundresses, those tank tops and shorts are now clean and folded and ready for winter storage.
3. Along with the seasonal clothing changes comes the time to weed out clothing that no longer fits. When I find myself washing that t-shirt “so-and-so” refuses to give up even though there’s a gap above the waistband of his bluejeans, I can stealthily slip it into the donate pile, and then don a look of vague recollection when asked “Mom where’d that shirt go?!” — anyone else have trouble convincing their child that some things just MUST go?
   
4. Laundry day also gives me the opportunity to purge a bit. How many pairs of pink short does “you-know-who” need, anyway! Time to donate a pair, or 2 or 3. I’m sure there is some other princess-fashionista ready and willing to give a good home to these lovely garments.
5. Speaking of the fashionista – I learn a lot about my family’s fashion sense when I work my way through the mountains of laundry on Wash Day. This daughter is definitely into pink and purple. That child seems to wear mostly soft knits in bold colors. Another wears jeans everyday, hardly ever puts on a pair of shorts, while his brother wears shorts year round.  Oh! and no more ruffles for that girl. Hmmm,  make note Mama.  No need spending money on clothing they refuse to wear.
6. I mentioned paring down duplicates and tossing outgrown clothing. Another important task to take care of is mending. Can that seam be re-sewn? Can I patch that knee?  Here’s a button needing to be replaced. 
7. You’ll learn much about your children and their interests on laundry days. Have you cleaned out an 8 year old’s pockets lately? Marbles and nerf ammunition and candy wrappers with already-chewed gum wrapped up inside, rocks and sticks and {affiliate link up ahead!} lego mini figures, coins and brown crayon bits, paper shavings and frogs and plastic army men. . .  There are stories to tell with each item. These are things important to them. Stories that need to be shared.
   
8. With the sound of running water and the children occupied elsewhere in the house (working on school assignments I hope) I often get lost as I reminisce days-gone-by. I relive moments as I picks up a sweet dress our youngest wore while splashing through mud puddles, transported back to a day when our other girls wore the same dress. Or maybe I find myself shaking out dirt from rolled up cuffs after the boys have been out exploring, shaking my head and laughing as I recall a day long a go when our now grown up sons collected dirt in the same way.
9. As I sort my family’s laundry, wash it clean, dry it soft, fold it neat, I find it gives me opportunity to pray over each of my loved ones. Monday is Laundry Day here. I find it the perfect way to get a good start to our week.
10. Aaaahhhhhhh. There is satisfaction in a job well done.

I thank God for my family, for daily opportunities to serve them, for dirty laundry. Are you blessed with the privilege of doing your family’s laundry? Do you have a set laundry day/routine?

this post linked up over at Top Ten Tuesday and Raising Homemakers and Proverbs 31 Thursdays.