laundry: part 2

Believe it or not, this amount of laundry is managed two times per week. With 5 people in the family it is not an easy task and is another one of those areas in my life in which I have to be extremely disciplined or it will take over. Literally. I have gone through so many emotional states in regards to laundry.

Two years ago; when I was about 60 pounds heavier, after having my son, Caden; if I didn't stay on top of doing laundry it would get washed and then the clean clothes would go on my bed and pile up into a mountain. I would get so overwhelmed, discouraged, and depressed by it. It felt insurmountable. It was insurmountable. I was dealing with (and still am) fibromyalgia, a slipped disc in my spine, spinal stenosis (degenerative disc disease-which is incurable), obesity, sleep deprivation, and top that off with four children to care for. During bouts of fibromyalgia you will suffer for days of unbearable joint/muscle pain that leaves you feeling completely debilitated. I would try to push through the pain to keep the house neat and clean and manageable. The messes would make me want to cry because I wanted to take care of it, but felt like I couldn't. On days when I am not suffering it is not a problem, so you go through the emotions of feeling on top of the world, to then feeling disabled. It is not pleasant. People on the outside don't understand, because they look at you and think you look just fine, but inside you are suffering in so many ways.

Organization was necessary. I let go of attachments to cute little things the kids wore and pared down to 5 shirts, 5 pants, and about 7 pairs of socks & underwear (for the boys). I asked myself (and them) what their favorite things to wear were, and then got rid of the rest. My daughter, still has so many items of clothing....but that's because she is a tweenager and we know how that story goes! This paring down diminished the mounds of laundry that I was having to lug up and down stairs, fold and put away. Sometimes new things come into the house, and then I have to go through the minimizing process again, but its much easier now, because I'll just get rid of the most logical items: stained shirts, threadbare pants, etc. It is also important to deal with the hampers the second they become full, and after the clothing is washed and dried, fold it and put it away, right away...or it will again feel overwhelming.