The Age of Innocence

What a wonderful world. Click here for slide show and feel the joy!

Hmmmmmmm.......

Wonder when the laundry fairy is coming to visit and giving my laundry room a fresh new look??

Remembering

September 11, 2001 Memorial

Most of us thought about where we were 10 years ago today and probably shed a tear or two. I asked myself what good things have happened in the last 10 years and I came up with the following....

Brock and Meme 

Grady and Mac

And look how far they've come in 10 years.

Laundry room of the day....

This is for you Moms....

Haven't you always wanted to get your childrens' black and white portraits done so you could display them in your perfectly polished laundry room? Wouldn't it be nice to gaze into their perfectly posed faces as you worked on getting out the grape juice and ballpark stains?

I have been waiting all summer.....

LAUNDRY!!! 2 boys, 2 weeks, 2 trunks, 2 pugs to sniff it.....My laundry room is rejoicing because the boys are home from camp today! Wanda the Washer is really causing a stink this afternoon but she's gettin it done....one load at a time.

The wheels of progress are turning....

DAY 1--demolition

What I've been up to...

Hard to believe these are all "grays." Narrowed down from 126 other shades of gray. 

Laundry Room of the day....

She looks ready for summer huh?

I am guessing in the part of the room you can't see she hides wet bathing suits with sand in the pockets and wadded up beach towels. I am impressed the laundry fairy who frequents this room also looks to have a green thumb---Laundress/Gardener?? That would look good on a business card.

Does the laundry fairy....

...in this house really sort the laundry according to each member of the family?

THEN does aforementioned family member take their own personal basket to their room?

THEN does family member put up laundry? 

THEN does the laundry fairy meet family member back in the laundry room to replace empty basket in the proper slot? 

When I find this laundry fairy, I will bottle her and poke holes in the top of the jar. She belongs in the Laundry Olympics. 

Laundry room of the day....

Chandelier and wallpaper---yes! Judging from this laundry room all the laundry must be sent out.

When life gives you lemons....

....squeeze them on your laundry.

I will remind you again---I love/hate to talk about laundry. The boys now know how to do laundry literally by osmosis. I haven't taught them how. Brock and Mac told me yesterday that if I put a 1/2 cup of lemon juice in with the laundry it would whiten our whites. Who knew? Apparently the folks over at Zombie Farm---some *≈(*&^%^ video game that gives you "fun fruit facts" everytime you nail a zombie with a piece of fruit or sumpin like that. Headin to Publix for lemon juice. Summer is coming and I LOVE white whites.

Laundry room of the day....

Do you think the Laundress of this household reads biographies of former 1st Ladies while she sips a martini in her striped chair while waiting on her delicates to dry? I like to imagine her that way.

The key to happiness....

...is ORGANIZATION!!! I knew it wasn't weird that I've been having an affair with my label maker.

The Stepford Wives....

....must do laundry here, because no real wife or mom looks like she's ever really worked up a sweat in this one. Though, I could really sort some lights and darks in here--on 2nd thought it's so spa like--the darks would get their feelings hurt because the lights would talk about them behind their backs. A girl can dream...

Laundry room of the day....

Dreaming of the peaceful mom who soaks stains in the room above. 

My boys came home from a weekend camping and my laundry room looks like this....

Honesty is funny.

Me: I will see yall in awhile. I am going to the gym. Dad is upstairs. Love you. Be good.

Mac to Shelby: Dad doesn't do much while mom is gone.

Keep it real.

You can tell a lot about laundry...

...by the person who performs it.

These are the baseball pants that have only been through 15 or so practices but I am hopeless. These ball field stains never had a chance. I probably put them through the dryer cycle a time or two before treating the stain but so be it. At least it looks like Brock is really putting in a lot of effort. Tips?

Real Simple thoughts on laundry

It's interesting that not only my friends and I incessantly talk about laundry but Real Simple has a stand on it as well. Some interesting tips in the linked article.

What kills me is one of the author's brilliant suggestions: have a stain stick in every child and spouse's hamper so when the clothes are put in hamper--the owner of said clothes can go ahead and treat the stain preventing stain from soaking in for two days.

I don't know what planet her spouse and kids are from? Maybe she's married and has another WIFE!!

Anyway there are some good tips, but even more interesting comments from Real Simple readers at the end of the article. One reader actually brags she's a laundry bad-ass. She has 5 kids and says "is laundry really that hard for you people." You people? She must employ the services of a Laundress. Maybe I can be her 2nd Laundress when her 1st one reads about her making "light" of laundry and quits.

For now I will just lust for this laundry room. can you imagine sitting on top of one of these babies while on the spin cycle?

Much ado about laundry

There's a lot of talk about laundry around here ALL the time. I mean ALL the time! Did I say all the time?

I seriously am thinking of a new career---Head Laundress. I think there's a market for it.

For crying out loud---I gather it. I frown at it. I accumulate it. I tackle it. I re-arrange it. I sort it. I fold it. I re-locate it. I put it away. I repeat.

I now estimate that after successfully managing my own laundry and the laundry of my family and friends, I have washed and folded approximately 12012 loads! 22 years of laundry at 52 weeks a year at an average of 1.5 loads a day equals 12,012 loads. Surely, when applying for said Head Laundress position I would have the equivalent of an MD, JD, MBA, Phd in experience. How could I get passed over?

2010 was inspiring.

What inspired me in 2010...

Grady, Brock, and Mac--They inspired me to be a better wife and mother everyday.


Teddy and Bea--THE PUGS! You haven't seen love until you've seen the boys in my house hug a pug.


Our vet, Lance Hirsch--We spent quite a bit of time at the vet this year due to Munson's ailing health and acquiring new pups. The day we lost Munson was such an emotional one for the boys and I. Grady was out of town and it couldn't wait. Lance gently held the boys' hands, explained the life of a dog and how Munson's life would peacefully slip away. He showed great compassion as he taught the boys about the circle of life that Saturday morning. Thumbs up for the compassionate and sincere caregivers of humans and our pets.


My Girlfriends--They made me laugh my bottom off everyday and laughter does a body good!


Yoga--I got a taste of this physical and spiritual practice which I hope to devote more time to in 2011. It truly stretched not only my physical self but my mind as well. 


The Gym--This was the year I finally added a weight circuit to my workouts. This made me feel strong, and somedays I even felt like a bad-ass.


Blogs--There were lots of beautiful pictures, words of wisdom, and everyday stories of Moms and their families out there. I was lucky enough to peek into the lives of these bloggers. I found lots of comfort and support in sharing professional and mundane experiences with other mothers and now new found friends in the blogosphere. 


Rosalie Davis and Betsy Robinson, my instructor at The Schenck School and Mac's former tutor--if either or both of these amazing women are willing, I think I found a mentor for the new year. Betsy worked miracles with Mac, helping him find his confidence, and I've since watched her do it with several other children--what a gift! Rosalie helped me find a passion I never knew I had--1. wanting to sit in a classroom and learn something foreign (how to teach Dyslexics to read), and 2. the desire to explore new opportunities in the new year. 


Books--I didn't read as many as I wanted to, but nontheless, I was drawn to a number of memoirs. Reading the stories of folks who faced huge life challenges and how they coped gave me lots of inspiration. I already visited my favorite bookstore today and added 3 new memoirs to my library. 


Music--I sure hope one of the kids wants to play something musical one day because I find lots of inspiration in music--whether it's country, blues, folk or pop, I love (and am lucky) to work from home and play what I like to hear. There might be guitar lessons in the new year for me. We'll see if I can get to that. Be thinking of a good country music pseudonym for me. 


The Santa Shop--I found the inspiration to hopefully help even more of the underprivileged in our community next year, by sharing with them this year at St. Martins School and Church.


I know I am leaving things out. 


Mostly, I think I found inspiration in the little things every day--a freshly lit candle, a full CLEAN basket of laundry that was folded, a freshly vacuumed van, a fire in the fireplace, and dinners where we were all at the table together. 


Here's hoping 2010 will melt into 2011 tonight with Grady and I giving thanks for the good health of our family and friends. The following quote from Mark Twain is going to stay next to my desk this year to keep those resolutions in check. 

To whoever is reading this, I wish you peace in 2011.