Laundry

I have had a few great days of cleaning/organizing in my home.  And yard.  And garage.  I love the cooler weather that is coming, and the chance to open up the windows and feel the slight breeze.  I know that wind is coming soon, but for now I am loving this time of year.

Monday was a huge day for cleaning.  In fact, it was the first full day I used my FitBit Zip and clocked 9,896 steps.  That was purely from walking around my house.  It was a big day of cleaning!!  Other than taking my kids to school, I was up and moving from 6:30-2:50.  I didn't stop walking after that time, but most of my walking was done between those hours.

I haven't given over the reigns of laundry to my kids yet.  Not all the way, at least.  I still sort the clothes, wash and dry them, and then sort them into each child's pile.  I semi-fold them, but still leave them to put the things that belong in the drawers away ("nicely") and hang up their shirts.  They are laid out flat, facing the same direction, so I feel I make it easy to insert a hanger and easily hang things up.  I make it easy for them, but leave them enough work to begin the process of laundry.

So, with load after load, clean room after clean room, I felt myself getting lighter and lighter.  I like a clean house.  I love to clean.  It just makes me happy.  I was in a kind of euphoric state when Caden and Keilie got home at 2:50.  The only things that needed to get done to make my house perfection was for them to just put their clothes away.  Take the folded pile of jeans/shorts and place them in one drawer.  Take the folded underwear and place them in another drawer.  Hang up the shirts laying in a nice pile on their beds.  That's it.  Three easy steps.  10 minutes.  Tops!

With the Do Dots system that we purchased, I know exactly which chore they are on, and where they are on their levels.  So, when Keilie was upstairs for only a few minutes and came down to turn over her "Bedroom" magnet, I knew she hadn't done what I asked her to do.  I didn't mention it right away, instead letting her think she had gotten away with the deception.  As I was putting the kids to bed, I asked Keilie to come up and help me.  While in the room, I asked her where her shirts were, seeing as there was not one shirt hung in her closet.  Not one!!  She knew she had been caught.  She knew she was in trouble.  She opened up her top drawer to reveal every single article of clean clothes balled up and shoved in that drawer.  The folding was undone.  The shirts were individually balled and shoved.  Everything was a mess.

As I was deep-breathing to control my anger at her carelessness, I had a thought come into my mind.  I am just like Keilie, in some ways.  My Heavenly Father has prepared a way for me to return to live with Him.  He has made it as easy as possible for me.  He asks so little.  And yet, in the busyness of my days, I shove the easy things aside for other things that look more enticing, or seem more important at the time.  I claim that I will put it aside and come back to it.  I will "hide" things for a later date.  But most of the time, I don't come back to it.  I am too tired filling my days with other things.  And yet, I still feel love from my Heavenly Father.  I can try again.

My feelings of frustration dissipated immediately.  I think I surprised her by wrapping her in a big hug, instead.  I made her take the time right then to finish the job, making it so she didn't have extra free-time after the little ones were in bed.  But instead of letting it eat me alive ("Don't you know how hard I worked today?  Don't you even care about what I want or how I feel?") I helped my sweet girl.  Because, really, we are just the same.