I woke up this morning to the sound of rain but it stopped after a bit. I really like rain, actually the only negative thing I can think about rain is the laundry. I only have a clothes line for drying clothes, no tumble drier - not that they don't exist here, I don't have one simply because the flat is too small and the electrical wiring not strong enough to handle the load. They weren't thinking about large electrical appliances when they built the flats over 30 years ago. So if it rains everything stays wet. Since I have eight people in the house to do laundry for I just keep washing and hang it out in the rain... eventually it all dries. If I stop doing the laundry it piles up too fast and I'd never catch up. So, rain or shine, there's always laundry to be done.
I remember once my sister-in-law had come for a visit and I had just taken all the clothes off the line and was sitting down to fold them. At the time she had two children, but only her son lived with her. She had sent her daughter to live with her mother because she said having two children was too difficult. She looked at the mountain of laundry and said, 'Wow! I can't believe you do this much laundry every week.' I replied, 'This is the laundry for one day.' Her mouth hung open and she said 'Really??' 'Yep, everyday it's like this.'
Imagine only doing laundry once a week! What would that be like? A while ago I made a schedule and said everyone would be responsible for doing their own laundry. Each person had their own day and I gave each person their own basket for their clothes. Did my plan work? Unfortunately, it did not. The kids decided to skip their specified day and let their laundry pile up. If we were living in a bigger place I would have just ignored that and let them deal with it, but with eight people living in a sardine can-sized flat it is just impossible to let mess and clutter accumulate. I gave in and started washing again.
Laundry will just be a life long ordeal... I suppose I could run off and join a nudist colony somewhere, but I don't think I could be so cruel as to impose my nakedness on anyone. lol
Ahhh! I can hear thunder. It's going to rain some more....
Well, May God Be With You!! yesterday was the first time I came across your blog and I kept coming to read more and more. So I just decided to drop a line to say hi and good luck.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the laundry thing when your children grow older they will start doing it by themselves that is what my mom went thru too, once she decided on not doing any ones’ laundry any more and it worked my brothers do their owns now :o).
GOOD LUCK :o)
Maisun
Laundry laundry laundry how it piles up! There were five of us and I thought that was bad and we have a dryer.
ReplyDeleteI understand the rain acts as a fabric softener. If that is so then there is at least one saving grace to the rain on the clean clothes.
When I was a kid we lived were there was snow and we had no dryer. I can remember my brother’s jeans frozen stiff on the line. Jeans are slow to dry so they just hung there until they dried!
I once told Fatima to do her own laundry. Next morning I found two slippers and a pair of sox in the washing machine - when I tried to tell her about household economics and electricity bill she replied: "It´s all your fault, Mama, you told me to do my own laundry!"
ReplyDeleteI usually wash every weekend, and then the ironing pile just grows and grows.
Thank God for the dryer; I´ve invested in an expensive washing and drying machine; just throwing the stuff inside and 4 hours later it is ready. Except delicate clothing such as jeans or wool, everything is done that way.
What happened to your farm house? Isn´t it ready soon? Then you can make a roof over your lines.
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ReplyDeleteLaundry I wash my own clothes on Fridays except the ordinary stuff like socks or pajamas. So my mum can't complain about me , don't know about the other siblings :)
ReplyDeleteWashing for a big family is the work of a Saint. Good luck Khadijateri..
As for your sis in law, some people who have babies right after each othe i.e she gets pregnant right after delivering the first one it's like twins very hard to cope with I should imagine having two babies that you need to nurse , change diapers etc... so maybe that's why they try to find someone to help ?
I don't have kids so can't judge but have seen my nephews and nieces and how their parents went crazy with the first born ..
(sorry deleted the first comment - too many typos )
Highlander... I've noticed that most of my sister-in-laws will use any excuse to dump their kids on their parents. I had six, one after the other and no one to help me. When the kids were little I took them with me everywhere I went. If kids weren't allowed to go, then I didn't go either.
ReplyDeleteYes, kids are certainly hard work, but dumping them on someone else because they are too spoiled and lazy to care for them themselves is just sad. If my sister in law had a career or some disability or something, then I would understand. But she's just a housewife with nothing to do - not even a hobby. And it's not just her... I have four sister-in-laws that have done this kid dumping routine. One of them dropped her daughter off when she was about 4 months old and has been living with her grandmother ever since - about 23 years now, I think.
What is weird is that no one seems to think it's strange.
Sis K, my family did the same thing; this is not so unsusual.One of my cousins lived with me for years, we are like sisters, and I am the mother of a milk-baby whose Dad is a distant cousin of my husband.
ReplyDeleteI love the ironing and folding part, it goes well with NPR.
ReplyDeleteThe whole dumping of one kids is not natural (no offense to anyone). I have a relative who dumper her eldest daughter at her parents house. She did have some what of an excuse..she was still in school..she got married ridiculously young (16..i think). Her daughter moved back in with her parents when she was 6..but the girl still to this day doesnt really fit in with the family (she is about 32). It was only a few years ago that she started callin her parents mom and dad..she would just be like "hey you". She just is the odd one out..and even her mom is much closer to her younger siblings. I feel bad for this girl b/c she is the biggest sweetheart. Anyways..the point being..it has deterimental effects on the child that the selfish parents dont take under consideration.
ReplyDeleteWell try throwing it all into a trash bag and tossing them! Next time they will clean them won't they. That was my mothers philosophy anyways. Haha mine do a fair share but it sometimes piles up but then their dad yells at them and they get it done. Hope the new home has a laundry room....
ReplyDeleteone thing if i ever go to libya to visit/live, "lazem" i want a washer/dryer...i can do without certain things, but, that i will not...i've been through the summer season and wet season there where nothing would dry and i had to wash my clothes in a microscopic machine that i had to fill with water myself, or wash by hand... no thanks!...somehow, my children learned to do their laundry on their own...i think that was partly because they did not want their clothes mixed in with the family clothes...each one of my children with the exception of the youngest (jamila) all do their laundry...all i ask is that they walk out the door with their clothes ironed...i love to iron (strange as that they may be to others)...something about those creases on shirts and pants...when my children were younger, my friends used to tease me about it...it may have been a lot of work, but my children looked good...my mother insisted on it when i was younger and she starched and ironed my father's shirts (we all have our perks)...
ReplyDeleteanyway, i too have no excuse for those who don't take their responsibilities as a parent seriously..my children went everywhere with me when they were younger, as i tell people, i am proud that i was able to stay at home with my children, as a matter of fact, i insisted on it...at times i worked weekends to supplement our income, but i'm surprised that someone would just drop off her child and not be responsible for him/her...and i never heard of it when i was in libya, of course, i didnt get out as much, but, that is a horrible thing to do to a child...
He he I was one of those people who marvled at the creases in her sons little shorts (theresa/iman)! My husband use to always comment on look she irons her husbands clothes!
ReplyDeleteKhadijah check my blog I have some nice pics on there just for you my dear!