all day i was going to blog.
and all day i just never could get to it.
so here i am at 10:00 writing the bloggy blog.
first off… the laundry room has been cleaned (by me) and must be documented.
i am dying to paint every inch of this room white.
and by “i am” i mean i am dying for craig to paint it white.
every single inch..jpg)
have i mentioned before that everyone in our family does their own laundry?
we started this 5 years ago.
everyone does their own clothes. they wash. and dry. and fold their own clothes!
they even wash their sheets and towels.
and i wash mine.
(i also wash the slip covers, the kitchen towels, the rugs, the dogs and everything in-between that moms do)
it is THE BEST system and i think everyone should be doing it this way.
(im not trying to be bossy or anything… i just love it that much)
doing your kids laundry for them… as a teen? as a 10 year old? it is not necessary i tell you!
we started this system when annie was in kindergarten.
for reals.
laundry is NOT a hard job.
they very quickly learn how to do it.
and they should!
it is their own clothes. 🙂
the hardest part for annie when she was in kindergarten was that the basket was too heavy to carry.
so i carried it for her!
but now she can do it all on her own.
and so can my teenage sons.
and my husband does his own too!
i help them out occasionally by throwing their load in but i truly love that 99% of it they do themselves.
if they need their uniforms before a game? it is not MY problem. I’m not the one playing basketball? i shouldn’t be in charge of washing their uniform on time.
i give reminders. but that is a LIFE SKILL that kids need! they need to remember things and get stuff done. it’s not mean. it’s GOOD for them!
i don’t have to get mad telling them to help me with mountains of laundry.
it eliminated an argument that we were constantly having.
once we gave them the responsibility of doing their own job… ahhhhh.
freedom.
for all of us.
no yelling (not that anyone ever yells in our house of course… HA HA HA)
and no blame.
“kids – if you want clean clothes… wash them”
the end.
but the point of the photo was that every piece of laundry is done and that room is spotless.
and i like that.
UPDATE: people had questions about HOW the system works.
In an ideal world everyone would each have a day and everyone would do their laundry on the right day.
seven people in a family – seven days in a week? obviously that is a good idea.
but these are kids.
mostly teens!
so all that flew out the window immediately.
how we worked it out was… IF there is laundry done & sitting in the washer and someone else wants to use the washer next… they must ask the person whose laundry it is to come and move it to the dryer OR for permission to move it for them.
BECAUSE in the beginning of all this… i would put my laundry in and my kids would move it all to the dryer and shrink ALL my clothes.
there is no fury like a mom who only has one good pair of jeans that were just ruined forever because a kid decide to do their laundry at midnight thinking no one would find out!
they have to get permission to move them or wait the few minutes for that person to come get it.
If there are clothes in the dryer and they want the dryer and the clothes have been sitting for awhile (a day?)… we let them dump it in basket.
but if the person NEEDING the dryer is basically “jumping the line” by making everyone move their laundry at light speed for them…. because they didn’t remember to do their laundry until 1 hour before they need the jersey… then they are REQUIRED to fold that person’s laundry in the dryer for them.
because AGAIN! when a mom works all day and then finds her clothes wadded up and still damp in a basket in the laundry room… LOOK OUT.
it’s not pretty.
after several trys of working it out… three of our kids are awesome at this.
not everyone.
but majority.
and even the one who drive the rest crazy by cheating… is still learning the skills.
they keep a laundry basket in their closet for dirty clothes & when that basket is full they are supposed to wash it.
one basket at a time is not too much work for your kids.
they take turns.
they learn the best time to do laundry. 🙂
i have heard many times “OH!!! THE WASHER IS EMPTY!” and someone racing down the stairs to get their clothes quick before it gets filled.
that is them learning to strike while the iron is hot!
don’t miss an opportunity!
clean underwear awaits!
it’s not mean.
you are not a bad mom if your kids do their own laundry.
i know this to be a fact.
i made it even EASIER and switched to the laundry pods because then they can’t even make a mess with soap!
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my little green pick up that i found last week at the antique shop looks so cute loaded up.
it’s on its way to the fabric store obviously..jpg)
a few days ago it was sitting on the table as i was cutting scraps for bunting & it made the perfect scrap holder!
this truck can do no wrong..jpg)
annie and talby make such good cookies.
it’s the same recipe (recipe HERE) i have made since the day i got married but they have made them even better!
i don’t know what it is?
but they make them and make them and make them.
and i have THE HARDEST time resisting them.
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*cake plate is from world market several years ago.
*wire basket holding paper plates and napkins is from hobby lobby in december.
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i got these beautiful stars from Kurt Knudsen.
i’m going to hang them in my window but it’s so hard to get a photo of them that way.
so i am showing you what they look like before i hang them up!
Kurt Knudsen is having a sale right now using the code: HEARTSTAR for 20% off!!
have you seen his shop?
oh my word.
so many amaaaaaazingly cool options!
polka dot stars? yes please!
every color of the rainbow? i want them all.
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so…. the other day i was having an extra big feeling-all-the-feelings kind of day.
lots of different stuff with lots of different people was happening all on the same day.
and it was cold and gray.
so i went online shopping… because – feelings.
i ordered all of these:
Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands
Make it Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take the Leap. Live On Purpose.
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Thirty One Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Speak: How Your Story Can Change the World
i guess one of my feelings was “Uninspired” on that day.
i think in the past 10 years i have read…. maybe two fiction books?
i just can’t.
i get my fiction on tv.
reading is my time to work on my heart and mind i guess.
i WISH i could focus long enough to read more!
i am so glad no one can see into my mind when i am trying to read a page (not a chapter just a PAGE!) of a book.
it would be ridiculous to most of you i am sure.
no less than 10 different thoughts… ideas… chores to do… things i notice… sounds i hear… per page.
it’s not ideal.
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i started this one today.
and one page in i was feeling thankful and SO GLAD i had this book in my hands.
i am a dreamer.
i am a doer.
God made me that way.
sometimes it seems that is not the easiest kind of heart to have.
i don’t know what is the easiest but it sure feels like other people have it better sometimes (even though i know everyone struggles and the grass is always greener and yada yada yada)
and i have been feeling worn lately.
worn out by doubt. worn out by feelings. worn out with tasks.
and wondering about so many things…. can i DO it? should i do that? what is the answer?
feeling tired.
but one page in i knew it was going to speak to me.
Thirty One Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer is going to be a good one.
i can feel it.
i sent this text to a friend immediately (because i have to stop 10 different times per page remember?)
SO GOOD right?
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AND i started this book too!
Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers
because i love learning about silent killers.
not.
but really… with all the “feelings” i’ve had…. and the low energy… and wanting to get strong and healthy…
remember my word?
ACTION.
so learning about stuff i eat or shouldn’t eat is action to me.
and to show how totally crazy i am right now…
i am also reading both of these at the same time as those other two?!
who am i?
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i really like Dirty Faith so far…. it makes me think about the hard stuff with church and missions.
Dirty Faith: Bringing the Love of Christ to the Least of These
Talby wishes i would finish it because she doesn’t want to look at that guy’s hairy hand anymore…
and if you wondered about Glennon’s book…Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life
you could watch her TED talk first and then decide.
she’s very interesting to me… she is shocking at times.
i haven’t really heard anyone like her before.
she’s…. refreshing? i think that is the word?
she’s brave and vulnerable and scared right out there for everyone to see.
telling her truthiest truths so that others can see that it’s OK to show up as you are.
it’s hard to hear… because it hurts to hear about hurts!
but we need to HEAR and feel and notice all of it.
🙂
what are YOU reading?
what do i need to put in my cart for the next shopping spree?
Top 10 Blogs | a glass of milk - […] Whatever – I also want to be Meg when I grow up. She blogs about things like staying in her PJs all day and watching TV, and the realities of teaching 5 kids to do their own laundry. […]
Lori Noe - Opps I have never commented before so bare with me. We have 6 kiddos age 14-5 and you a part of the reason for that. You may not believe this, but your loonnnggg ago post of your kids jumping on the huge pile of laundry was one of the reasons we pulled the trigger on expanding our family. We adopted our littles (a sibling group of 4 ages 1-6) all in one fell swoop and our two bigs are also a gift of adoption. My heart tugged when I saw yours jumping on the heap of laundry…fast forward 4 years (our gotcha day is March 25, 2011) and it’s not so endearing anymore:):):):):):):) So long question short I’m gonna impose this laundry deal on the 4 bigs and soon to come the 2 littles too. How do you deal with separating clothes? You really don’t want a nice white shirt in with heavy dark jeans??? You are an inspiration in the most common sense and I mean that with the most admiration.
Lori Noe - I love your blog, I’ve been reading it for many years and you are funny, real and a true advocate for the disadvantaged.
Cindy B - When I began working full time my husband decided that everyone would become responsible for doing their own laundry. It really was a smart thing to do and worked well with our three sons. Occasionally someone would be surprised to find that their laundry had been kindly folded by “the magic washer”. Other times someone might return to their forgotten load of wash to find that the “laundry troll” had tied it in knots!
Iris Brown - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! When I read your post 2 days ago I had my 3 kids do their own laundry that same day! Still working on my 6 daughter but she’s on the path! What a revelation!!!!! This monkey is OFF my back!
Jody - Meg – I love this post about laundry. It is so right on.
But I do grimace when I see/read all that you buy & that you post it on your blog – the stars, the books — & in the next post are asking us to donate money to a charity. I cannot imagine buying 6 books for myself online. I cannot. Yes, you obviously have the finances – & kudos to you – but I just wish you were a little more aware that not all of us moms can afford to purchase & purchase whenever we are having a bad day, stressed out, etc.
Your blog is joyous & fun & enlightening most days – I wonder though sometimes if you could be a bit more sensitive to the idea we do not all share the same ability/desire to splurge on material things so freely.
Grace @ sense and simplicity - I totally agree about the laundry. In our house, the laundry fairy stopped doing the clothes when each child reached high school. It worked really well and they all left home knowing how to do their laundry. We also didn’t have set days to do their laundry, just when the machine was available – but it worked.
Audrey - Loved your post!! Was thinking 5 might be to young to start laundry. But if Annie can do it my daughter will be just fine. I started my 7 year old a few months back. Time to tackle my 5 year old and hubby. Then I can have some freedom and hopefully a cleaner laundry room. I can’t wait to break up with the loads of laundry. Thanks!
Tanya - I REALLY want to read Speak, so thanks for that reminder. I loved Bittersweet. Good choice.
I just finished ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ – Maya Angelou, and I am now reading ‘If you want to walk on water you’ve got to get out of the boat’ – can’t remember the author right now.
I just received Every Bitter Thing is Sweet, and Tables in the Wilderness in the mail today. Really looking forward to reading both.
Kirsten - 1) LOVE those rugs. they are MARVELOUS!
2) Just the other day my son had a clothing emergency. You make teaching him to do it on his own veeeeeeery tempting. Hmmmm.
3) Books: I am currently re-reading Jen Hatmaker’s Interrupted (so good!), and I just finished A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet and Every Bitter Thing is Sweet (that one was fabulous). I have a list of non-fiction books miles long, but I am opposite – at the end of the day, they make me think too hard and I would rather escape into fiction, haha.
4) p.s. i love how you teach me to find beauty in things i normally wouldn’t find beauty in – like beat-up green trucks with chippy paint. i would have totally overlooked it on my own, but you make it look so fabulous and awesome. 🙂
Beth Ann - I am laughing how Stanley is sitting so pretty in the first picture, like you were taking a picture of him, not the laundry room! Silly dogs!
My kids are 8,7 & 4 and they all sort their own laundry and put it away. We have been doing this since the oldest was 4 and it has worked well. I fold/hang it. We have an Ikea ANTONIUS stand and containers in the laundry room – we sort by lights, darks, towels and undergarments (eww they get washed on HOT). I recently taught the kids how to turn the dryer on so they can dryer all of their snow gear – snowpants, gloves etc.
Have a great Wednesday!
Michelle - Thanks for sharing Meg – I love your laundry rules! I may have to implement that at our house 🙂 I would love to hear what your family storage routine is for shoes…. in our house, the shoe craziness is right up there with the laundry!
Jen - Love all of the things! Saving the ‘kids do their own laundry’ thing for future reference.
Massively loving all the photos of crafty bits and your house. Your photos always make me so happy because all your things are so bright and fun! 😀
Thanks for the book recommendations too. My list of books to read on Goodreads is already over 500 books long, (true story) but who cares, why not add some more! It just means I have to read more – yay!
Happy Wednesday!
Jen
Andrea - Meg….you are brilliant. my pre-teen and teen know how to do laundry, but I don’t let them practice…. What in the world am I thinking. all that is going to change. I do want them prepared to take care of themselves…..thanks…..
Meredith - Hey Meg, I love everything about this post. Thank you for the encouragement regarding laundry. It’s a BIG issue. I’ve got a large family also and you’ve just given me that extra push I needed to set the bar a little higher. It might be messy for a while, but everything is hard and messy before it’s easy, right? As for the books….I have a few of these which I am LOVING. Our bible study are doing The Best Yes and it’s amazeballs. It’s real and raw. So is Speak. Great picks! Have you read Freefall to Fly? I think you’d love it. Great cover too:) xo
Kristin S - I started doing my own laundry when I was 8 years old. We lived in a condo complex where there were two laundry rooms. I had to walk outside, down stairs, up a hill, and down stairs to a basement laundry room. I can still smell it. It wasn’t scary but it was a basement. I was so happy when we moved and had laundry IN our condo at age 12. And I kept doing my own laundry. I’m sure my mom started this because she was a full-time working single mom and it was survival. BUT I’m really glad she did because I got to college and so many friends had no clue how to do laundry. Bizarre.
I used to babysit for a family (the youngest just graduated from HS and oldest just got married) who changed in to PJ’s IN the laundry room. The mom had three bins in there and the kids sorted their laundry as toddlers. I thought that was really smart.
cynthia - Yes, just yes. When both of my kids were in elementary school, I found clean, folded shirts in their dirty clothes baskets and called a family meeting. I printed out laundry instructions and said “when in doubt, pick cold” and marked that chore off my list. It was one of my best parenting decisions. The real treat is, on the rare occasion I would fold what I found in the dryer or wash a load of their’s just because – they were soooo appreciative! My son is better at laundry now than I am.
Jennifer - Desperate- Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. So fabulous for moms in any season of motherhood. By Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson
Lindsay - I was wondering if your kids separate their whites and darks and still run full loads every week?
Alisa - My question for all of you about laundry & kids is how they have full loads if you separate colors from whites? I have a big machine, but my kids would not have a white load per kid each per week – maybe colored, but not white. There are only a few t-shirts…mostly colored. I would hate for them to start an almost empty machine alone..wasteful financially and environmentally. They do laundry, but it is usually mixed family member’s stuff…like a load of jeans…a load of whites, sometimes even a load with only blues and greens…etc. We wash our blacks together with black detergent. Plus we don’t wash everything after one day of wearing, only the stuff on our skin or dirty things. A sweater or sweatshirt gets worn more than once. How do your kids have full loads of lights and darks?
MollyL - My mom always said that she never had time to read and couldn’t sit down to read at all. She finally started to read when she retired and then she couldn’t stop. My mom always felt that she shouldn’t read because her sister was a voracious reader and read all the time and my mom always heard my grandmother tell her to get her head out of the books. I was always a reader, but now that I have kids I just can’t seem to sit there and read. I tend to read when the kids are in bed but I just don’t read as many books and have stacks of them that I have yet to read. I just can’t seem to get into reading anymore. I feel sad about that too. I hope it will change at some point.
I like your laundry system. One kid could do it and one couldn’t (special needs). But I think I will teach the 13 yr old who could how to do this system. She does help me with the laundry now (folding and putting away, transferring loads, etc.).
Steph Richardson - I’m reading “The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offence” right now by John Bevere. I’m getting so much out of it. I’d highly recommend!
Stacy Mc - A lot of these are on my wishlist. I just placed a order and got Bossy Pants, Bloom, The Rosie Project, Cold Tangerines, Let’s all be Brave Together, A Million Little Ways, and Interrupted.
Amy Woods - I’m posting again because I just bought three of the Kurt Knudsen stars! SQUEEEE! I’m so excited! 🙂
Wendy B.,NJ - I’m sorry that this is an odd question, but I was wondering if you could share where you got the long tall laundry baskets that are shown in your picture. I can’t seem to locate any that either aren’t huge or art small and they seem to be a medium size.
Tracy - I have Carry On Warrior but have not read it yet cuz I’m the opposite of you. I LOVE fiction! Please tell us how you liked Carry On Warrior so that I will finally read it. Please?
I’m reading The Girl on the Train….very suspenseful and thrilling and entertaining!!
Melissa - Wow I loved that video, I’ve recently been very worried about my super sensitive son & how I can ‘fix’ him so he doesn’t become like me because I used to be that super sensitive superhero, its been only a few months where I am just super sensitive crazy mom. I love the quote from your book which is just what I needed these laayst couple weeks, I’ve been so overwhelmed with tasks I shut down & maybe it is ok to rest and for nothingness why does everyday need to be accomplished, we are not superheros.
Being someone who I feel is made to serve I do it all in the house and I tell people “well that’s my job” …….well no, I stayed home to raise my children, enjoy them. In raising full functioning adults I need to stop doing things for them, today is laundry and I will not be doing theirs I am going to try out your laundry method its time, my oldest will be 10, middle child 8 & smallest is 6 . I’m tired of seeing them on Minecraft while I run around like a chicken without a head they think stuff magically gets done.
I’m so glad you wrote and posted that video, thinking about showing it to my son so he knows its ok to be sensitive he just has to show up 🙂 there aren’t any superheroes here just oily loving caring people.
Jodi - I love random posts like today! My kids have been doing their own laundry for years…when I went back to teaching full-time. My youngest daughter was 3rd grade and the boys were 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. Best thing I ever did! They are in college and high school now! There’s no schedule to it…just use it when it’s open or wait in line for your turn if everyone wants it at the same moment. Meg, your book choices are all amazing! I’m going to order the ” dreamer and doer” book…just one at a time…so I don’t get too overwhelmed. I find I do more ‘dreaming’ than I actually ‘do’ things…which I need to change. Now I’m off to watch Glennon’s TEDtalk!
Jenni - There are 5 of us in our house and we all do our own laundry. We’ve been doing it that way since the twins (the youngest) were in PreK. I tell everyone I know, YOUR KIDS CAN DO THIS! They NEED to do this. We started out the same way, everyone had a reserved day.
Now the only day that is reserved is Sunday for my husband. The kids have adopted the “when I run out of clothes I’ll do laundry” approach. That usually means they have to do 2 loads, or 1 plus a shared load. They work it out.
What has started happening is one of them will come downstairs in the morning wearing a shirt I haven’t seen in a year and say, “Mom, I need to do laundry today.” That’s their way of calling dibs on the washer after school.
NO ONE is allowed to touch or move someone else’s laundry unless it’s someone over 30 yrs old. 🙂
I fit my laundry in during the day as I need it. I also wash all towels, sheets, coats, blankets, kitchen towels, cleaning rags, etc. I usually recruit help to fold and put these things away.
It works for us.
Once my teen son was trying to push my buttons, and he and his teammates decided that their “thing” was to change socks every quarter during their basketball games. I said, “That’s fine with me because you do your own laundry.” That thing didn’t last long.
Tiffany - My 8 and 6 year old do their own laundry. The 8 year old puts it in the washer and the 6 year old in the dryer. They then work together to fold it and put it away. When they complain about not having socks or jeans with no holes I just point to the basic and say, not my problem. What should YOU do about it? My girls, 5 and 3 empty the dryer and switch the laundry from washer to dryer on their own and then drag the basket to the living room. They are learning to fold towels and shirts and I match up socks and they fold them together. Laundry is my least favorite chore, but with 5 kiddos and another on the way mama has to train them to help or I will be buried alive!!!!
kelly - so glad to know i’m not the only one who reads several books at one time and they each take me a sweet FOREVER to finish, but that’s just how my brain works! and really it just depends on what mood i’m in at night as to which book i will decide to read. ha! okay, these are my suggestions:
Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford (SO good and hits home with this easily distracted mama!)
Living Well, Spending Less by Ruth Soukup (step away from the Target dollar aisle! 🙂
The Power of a Woman’s Words by Sharon Jaynes (Who knew WORDS could be so powerful??)
Ones on my future reading list:
Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch
A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson (i also plan to read Home is Where my People Are by Sophie. She’s a hoot!)
Love your blog….i’ve been reading forever. love your honest writing! ONE DAY i WILL make it to craft weekend!!!!
Jenny B. - I just finished re-reading all seven of the Harry Potter books. I love them so much. I don’t read fiction anymore either, but these are the exception. I re-read them every few years. The last time was when I was pregnant with my almost 6-year-old, and now that I’m pregnant again, it felt like the thing to do! 🙂 I’m also getting ready to start a 40-day devotional by Candace Crabtree called Wait Only Upon God. She’s beginning it on February 18th (my almost 6-year-old’s birthday!), and it will finish on Easter. Here’s a link to that: Wait Only Upon God.
Amy Woods - I think it is awesome that each of your family members do their own laundry. There are only three of us, but we all do our own too. My son was about 7 years old when I incorporated it, and now that he’s 17 it runs smoothly. (Ahem, my husband is the worst about leaving his laundry in the washer! 😉 Good thing he is so awesome at so many other things!!)
I think I want every one of the books you are showing! The dreamer doer book looks really interesting. I’m a definite dreamer…but I want to become a DOER! Perhaps a different perspective that the writer intends, but I think I’ll check it out.
Be blessed! Amy
Stephanie - I knew I couldn’t be the only mega dreamer. Like seriously I need this book. I am the exact same way! 🙂
Debbie Brooks - Oh Meg, so much good stuff here! Thank you! I am also a tortured reader… The only one in my house of very focused and speedy readers. I always thought there was something wrong with me. Until I HAD to read about creative minds in a educational psych class… We are wired this way, on purpose. We are so aware of inspirational nano seconds and we cannot pass one of them up!! And it is a scary world when we do not feel this inspiration. I feel your feels sister!!
Claire - This is a list of all of the books I read last year. (Similar tastes and sensibilities to yours!) A few fiction books, but mostly non-fiction.
http://elizabethclairewood.com/reading-recommendations/
Beth - Right now I’m reading The Astronaut Wives Club, and it’s awesome! It’s a true story about what life was like for the first seven astronauts’ s wives. It’s so interesting and reminds me of Mad Men.
sharon morrissette - when, for heaven’s sake, are you doing all this book reading?? even if the kid laundry does get done by the kids?
-sharon
theprincipledtype.blogspot.com
(thank you for Whatever. am longtime reader :))
Rachel Berry - How have I never in my 20 years of marriage never thought of this? My oldest 3 teens can do their own laundry, I just need to stop being such a control freak and let them do it. I love the idea of everyone doing their own clothes! With 8 people in this house I feel like laundry is ALL. I. EVER. Do!! So this week I’m doing it, I’m going to teach my littlest people (baby excluded) to do their own laundry. They already put away their clothes, so why the stink not?!
Also just wanted to add real quick how much I love your blog. You keep it real and I love that. I’ve decided and well, I know that my life is too dull (color wise) Color does make me happy, and I really need to infuse more of it into my life and home. I find it makes my kids happy too, I actually busted out of my comfort zone and made a Rainbow cake for my daughters 13th birthday last month. It was a HUGE hit!
I’ve also made several ruffled aprons as well (all inspired by you).
You’re blogging inspires me to get back to my blogging, I’ve ignored my blog for far too long. So, Thank you Meg!
:)Rachel Berry
P.s. where are those rocking laundry room rugs from? They are fabulous!
Julie - I was very interested to read that your family each does their own laundry. Anyhoo I hope you don’t mind a few questions about this. How often do they do their laundry? I do one wash a day for all my family’s clothes, towels and sheets are done throughout the week. Do you find that things are left for too long and then you have everyone wanting to theirs on the same day? Do you hang things on the clothes line outside to dry, or is everything dried in the clothes dryer.
I think it is a great idea to teach them responsibility and how to prepare them for when they eventually move out of home.
erin - a couple things:
your kids give me hope. we’ve homeschooled for 7 years and are strongly considering putting our children into school next year. and, in your words, i’m feeling alllllllll the feelings about it. i know your family isn’t perfect, but just seeing that they’re normal kids who still love their parents/family? that gives me so much hope. does this make sense? i don’t know.
also, bittersweet was my very favorite s.niequist book. followed up by bread&wine. fyi
lastly, tomorrow..TOMORROW {which technically is only 18mins away now} i will begin teaching my oldest two to do laundry. i will. you’ve officially inspired me.
this post was fab. thank YOU. xo
Janice - I remember my brother griping once about not having clean clothes. We were both teenagers and I did most of the family laundry. I told him he could help me or do his own and I got the “but I don’t know how” excuse. I wrote specific instructions and taped above the washer. 20 years later, he does all his own laundry!
Thanks for book recommendation – the dreamer and doer book sounds like something I need to read!