The Pile

“Mom, I’m out of underwear!” “Mommy, this is my last clean shirt!” “Mom, I don’t have any pants.”

“Honey, are there clean socks for me somewhere? Clean underwear?”

This is an everyday occurrence in our house. The boys even know to tell me when they are running low on underwear so I can make sure to wash some for them. Laundry has fallen by the wayside, way, way, way by the wayside. The clothes get washed, but getting folded and put away is a whole other story.

There was a time when this would have driven me crazy. I would have stayed up at night until it was all put away. I would have never even let it get this far in the first place. I would have made the time for the laundry. I would have been embarrassed for all of you to see this, and the huge pile of dirty clothes in our closet that need to be washed.

I could offer up excuses about a sick kid and a tired mom. Or lack of proper planning. Or ill-placed priorities. Or too much time in the kitchen. Or so many other things. This isn’t about excuses. This is about real life and it is what it is, and nothing more.

It’s true that Carter does go to preschool twice a week and he does go to bed at 7 pm. It’s true that my husband gets home around 5:30 and sometimes he even works from home.   It’s true that there is time in the day to get this done. It’s also true that those moments when Carter is asleep, he is also safe. Sleeping is safe. He cannot use his ninja skills while he’s sleeping. At least not yet.

So for now, this is my life. And I’m ok with it. If it bothers someone that my kids might have wrinkled clothes, well they are more than welcome to come put the clothes away and straighten up the laundry room and dust the ceiling fans and the banister and the window blinds while they're at it.

For all of you sitting there with your own mountain of laundry staring at you, just dump the next basket of clothes on the pile, dig through and find something that matches, fluff the wrinkles out in the dryer and keep going with your day. The pile will be there tomorrow, but that little voice asking you to read one more story just can’t wait. So go read that book. And after the kids go to bed, just turn the light off on that pile, find your husband and snuggle up bed. The laundry really CAN wait!