The Mountain

I think every family has their own version of The Mountain. For some, it is orderly and neatly maintained. For others, it is overgrown and threatens to topple with the slightest breeze. But, regardless of the state of your mountain, if you are blessed enough to live here in the States, you have The Mountain somewhere in your home.

Laundry.

Right now, I have a load in the washer, a load in the dryer, and a load patiently sitting at my feet waiting to be folded and returned to it's potential energy storage. Of course, once clothing is put on in this house it morphs into Kinetic Energy with the speed of light, but that's for another post.

Generally, folding is accomplished in the morning by several Little Rutherfords around the dining room table while enjoying an audio book on the iPod. Lately, we have been listening to "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan, which we also happen to be reading aloud (as able this crazy month) in the evenings. But given the recent scattering to the winds of Little Rutherfords combined with our unusual business, laundry is being accomplished with more of the "hey - anyone available?" method.

I must confess, I'm not really a fan of this method. I really, really like my usual method. All the day's clothes are thrown into the washer - no sorting. If there are any fairly new/still might dye bleed clothes included, a Shout Color Catcher is added in for good measure. Then, 1 TBS of Charlie's Soap into the drawer along with 1 TBS of baking soda to soften our ridiculously mineralized water followed by a splash of vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser later, I walk out and let my servant, LG, perform his duties. I adore my servant LG - he is quite capable at his duties, freeing me to any number of other activities I might choose to pursue. And he quite amicably works extra-duty should the stain cycle be required, or an extra rinse be called for, or any of the other laundry-related skills be deemed necessary.

Once LG has completed his task then his fraternal twin, also named LG, takes over with the drying. Again - amazing that I can do so many other things while he does his job! Generally, once this second LG takes over I retire for the night under the guise of reading (for all of 10 minutes, max) before being unable to avoid sleep any longer. Which means that I, along with my Little Rutherfords, awake to completely, wonderfully, cleaned clothing just waiting for us to finalize the process. Truly - this is still a marvel to me, especially after particularly muddy-play days.

Folding is, as I have said, a family affair. The younger Little Rutherfords sit around the table and wait for hand-outs such as square rags, face wipes, or napkins so they are able to join in the folding. Some are in the more advanced stages of training: t-shirts, shorts, and balling up the sock pairs. A few have the knowledge of folding but lack the height to accomplish hanging the clothes on the bar in the laundry room, which requires enlisting the help of one just a wee bit taller. And so our morning usually begins over the flat surface of a table working to accomplish one common goal together. It is a good way to begin days which find most of us within the same rooms accomplishing many goals as time progresses.

The "is any one available" method leaves a lot to be desired. For one, it is completely random. There is no dependability whatsoever. Times and availability are completely determined by chance and open windows of time. For an activity which generates upwards of 40 - 75 items per day, chance isn't a great catch net. Secondly, I am amazed at how quickly Little Rutherfords become busy when they are given the option of being available. Suddenly there is great activity about me as books are being read, puzzles are being assembled, and great towers are being constructed. And yet, incredibly enough, each of these oh so busy individuals expect that laundry will be replenished with regularity, regardless of their input. I don't really see how this attitude contributes to a family growing together.

While I don't care for the laundry results, I do appreciate the occasional bout of "is any one available" simply because it reminds me that there is value in routine. We rarely feel overwhelmed by The Mountain precisely because we climb it daily as a family. When we remove several parts of our family, when we allow our outside activities to crowd out our usual time or, such as this week when we do both, it is a wonderful reminder that our family needs balance. A reminder that my business it to be a keeper at home rather than having home be a pit-stop in the day. A reminder that mixed in with all of the experiences life brings their way, each of our children is being trained to no longer need Scott and I. Which means that they, too, must learn to balance the outside activities with the demands of a home and family. A reminder that their most important experience is learning when to say yes and when to decline.

Who knew laundry could do so much?