Nevertheless, we appreciated them because they were operational and that meant extra cash flow that could be used to fix the place up and pay the property taxes. Not a bad gig.
Another obvious perk was the access to multiple washers and dryers. This, however, led to a very bad habit. A bad habit that would take years to recover from. You see, when you have a single washing machine, you are forced to run one load at a time and that generally means that you are driven to stay on top of the chore, so that it doesn’t pile up. Otherwise, you will spend an entire day (or more) playing catch up. However, if you have access to a dozen washers… well, you can do mounds of laundry in a single setting and the entire washing and drying process takes just a couple of hours (folding, sorting, and putting away… that’s a different story). By the time laundry day came around, the closet looked as if we had deserted it.
Eventually, we made the decision to leave the Laundromat way of life. I loved that apartment. Large windows, fresh coats of paint, and high-gloss hardwood made it wonderful in my eyes. But, it wasn’t the right place to raise a child and we knew it, so we entered our first joint real estate transaction… and the laundry nightmare began.
Ah, laundry, such a lovely part of adulthood… and, more specifically, motherhood. Three kids over a four year spread means that there are an abundance of small clothes landing in the hamper (Ha!). Ok, so they eventually land in the hamper, once I have recovered them from the floor, under the bed, under the kitchen table, and, occasionally, from the backyard. But, what most moms fail to mention is that clothes are not the worst part of this ordeal. As a woman (who has to contend with the laundry regularly), I will generally use a bath towel a couple of times before tossing it in the pile of to-be-washed. Hand towels can stick around for a week. Bedding at least as long. However, kids do not share this mindset (at least, mine don’t). And, when faced with a floor full of clothes, costumes, doll clothes, towels, blankets, and a host of other items, it is not always easy to determine what needs to be washed and what doesn’t. If, by some chance, I am not the one sorting through such a mess, you can bet your life’s savings that the entire assortment will find its way into the same laundry basket. For this reason, unusual items have been tumbled dry in this house.
That brings me to gum! I hate gum! I didn’t used to. I remember a time, not all that long ago, when a single piece of Bubble Yum could last an entire school day. The good ol’ days (surely that is what that phrase refers to). Now, though, gum is a nemesis. This mom has developed eagle eyes when it comes to kids putting things in their pockets – particularly sticky things that could lead to hours of scrubbing and a Goo Gone high.
I wish I could say that my children are the worst offenders, but it is not so. When it comes to this sticky pastime, my husband takes the cake. He loves it as much as I have learned to hate it. A pack of gum can always be found in his pocket. There’s one in his car. One in my van. One in his computer bag. And, probably three or four scattered around the house in various locations. (Ironically, whenever I ask if I can have a piece, he doesn’t have any on him).
It’s important to mention here that I love my husband. I was taught that marriage is meant to last a lifetime and I have every intention of rocking away my Golden Years with Chris. He’s not perfect. Neither am I. Yet, somehow, we manage to balance each other and have made it work for more than a decade thus far. I like to think that it takes a touch of insanity in the household to make a marriage work. There are those times when we laugh like lunatics (preferably when no one else is looking) because it’s either that or cry. As far as I am concerned, when you have found that person who will laugh with you in the face of the momentous obstacles life throws your way, then you know you have found someone worth keeping.
That being said, there doesn’t exist a perfect marriage. There doesn’t exist a spouse without quirks. My husband has a gum fetish and it has led to more than a few messy loads of laundry in the past. (Fortunately for me, he’s not as apt to sit down and write a book as I am, otherwise I would fear the repercussions of this statement.)
Gum isn’t the only unexpected item to find its way into the dryer. Kids love things. Not just toys and dolls and technology, but things. Rocks, shells, sticks, bugs, beads, buttons, string… if there is something remotely eye-catching on the ground, they are likely to pick it up (and, in the early years, to taste it). The bad news for moms everywhere is that they are also prone to ‘saving’ such items. What better place is there to stash away a piece of treasure than a pocket? And, if you are not vigilant about checking for said souvenirs, then they will take a spin in your machines.
Sticks and small stones aren’t so bad, I’ve found. Markers and stickers can be rather messy. And, on a final note regarding laundry, I ask… have you ever accidentally washed a disposable diaper?