KrashingKritter's Profile

I don't fall into any of those categories. The closest match is probably a cross between categorizer and consumer, but even that seems inaccurate. My boards tend to revolve around specific ideas or projects; for instance: I have an entire board dedicated to my redecorating my son's bathroom and another that I used to plan his first birthday. Those boards have links for products or projects related to each event. It's my way of staying organized and getting a glimpse of the big picture.

Laundry is approximately 70% of my household cleaning duties. Every time we leave for a trip, or are expecting company, I try to do as much laundry as I can before zero-hour arrives. This includes all the bed linens, towels, or clothes we may need for that particular event. The rest of the time, I let laundry accumulate in our small wicker hamper until it overflows or encompasses the wall art in the corner by our dresser. Admittedly, this system is less than fool-proof.

My 14-month-old son and I are responsible for 85-90% of our laundry. I try to wear the same pair of jeans or yoga pants more than once, but I change my underwear, socks, and t-shirt daily. I also go through 3-4 pairs of pajamas per week. My son, on the other hand, requires 2-3 clothing changes per day. This is simply part of raising a toddler. They wet their pajamas, drool on their sheets, get food on their t-shirts, and any other manner of dirt or grime on their bottoms. That being said, my son has a fairly small wardrobe, and most of the items color coordinate or belong to the same color family. Thus, I usually end up washing most of his clothes once per week.

My husband generates the least amount of laundry, but he is also the least organized. In the early months of our marriage, I desperately tried to get him to put dirty socks, undershirts, and tops in the hamper. Now, however, I constantly find a pile of clean and dirty clothes mingling on the floor on his side of the bed. He also requested that I not wash his t-shirts or polos unless they smell dirty. This is because most of his college t-shirts are finally starting to show their age (he rarely did laundry on his own) and he doesn't me me to shrink/fade them anymore. Personally, this drives me crazy - I come from the "if you wear it, wash it" school of laundry - but whatever makes him happy.

After I wash a load of laundry, I put it in the dryer until I need to move it to accommodate another load of laundry. My system use to consist of two, interchangeable laundry baskets - one with folded laundry and one with laundry that required folding - but one of our cats started peeing in our "required folding" basket. Now I'm down to one large basket and it drives me crazy!

My goal is to get to the bottom of our current laundry mountain and then invest in a larger, three bin hamper for our room; put a small hamper in our son's room; and get another laundry basket!

My son has that same wooden train block set!

This post speaks to me on so many levels. Our house is primarily beige alls (Simplify Beige by Benjamin Moore); beige shag carpet; two pieces of beige microfiber (a sofa downstairs and a sectional upstairs); builders-grade, oak cabinetry; large, unframed mirrors and Hollywood panel lights in all the bathrooms; gold doorknobs; and off-white tile. The combined effect of all these elements is stifling, to say the least, but my husband is very adamant about not turning our house into a "paint explosion." If I could just talk him into painting the walls a prettier neutral, I would be so much happier with our house.

Pack 'n' Plays and baby carriers are life savers! I purchased a Baby Bjorn for my little guy when he was a month old and it was one of the best purchases I've ever made. It allowed me to do simple chores (i.e. cooking, laundry, washing the dishes) around the house while monitoring my baby, and it's great for all sorts of outings, such as camping trips, walks to the store, etc. It is also one of my little guy's favorite places to hang out because he can watch what I'm doing. Some mothers also like to use slings because they can nurse their baby while performing the aforementioned chores.

On that note, may I also recommend a breast pump and nursing cover if you plan on breastfeeding. The breast pump is great for promoting milk production and working out clogged milk ducts (if you ever have the misfortune of having one). A nursing cover will also allow you to feed anytime, anywhere. Granted, a blanket will work, too, but blankets have a tendency to fall down, while nursing covers have a neck strap that keep them securely in place. I also loved my Boppy for breastfeeding, but you can use a regular pillow, too.