The 'Mommy Reality' of my laundry room

Laundry.  It is the bane of my existence.  As a new farm wife, I can remember using the stain remover on every grease, grass, and manure spot and folding each piece of clothing nicely and putting them away in the dresser.  Then my three beautiful children appeared, and well, let's just say, my husband's laundry became a lesser priority!

With the laundry room in the basement and the dressers 2 stories up, it was difficult to leave the children unattended to move clothes like I needed to, so we came up with a solution.  My husband would just undress downstairs and leave his clothes by the washer and I would leave clean clothes there in a dresser so that his stinky farm clothes didn't get mixed in with the good stuff.

At first, this worked great.  I still folded things and put them away, but as time has passed it has become much easier to just leave them unfolded in a hamper for him to grab whatever he needed to wear for the day.  Somehow, the dirty clothes on the floor never seem to stop growing.  I have no idea where they are coming from, but as I do each load of laundry, the pile of the floor seems to grow exponentially.  No one goes in the basement, so that little corner of my life has remained a secret of the chaos in my house for a long time.  Until last week.....

I have started participating in the Mommy Reality Challenge on www.leapfrogsandlipgloss.com, www.jenerallyinformed.com, and www.alavenderlife.com.  Each Friday, they give us mothers a reality check in the form of a challenge to showcase our truth as busy mothers.  Last Friday's challenge was the laundry room, which I instantly knew I could win, but was I ready to put myself out there like that?  Subject to judgement and ridicule?  I decided I was, because anyone who claims that being a wife or mother or both doesn't cause a little chaos is full of it!  Maybe seeing my mess would give another mom a little peace of mind knowing that she isn't alone in her insanity.  The result of my entry: a win of course!  I haven't won a lot of contests in my life, and maybe I should examine why I'm excited that it was my mess that won, but who cares!  Life is short and this is who I am!  Here is the new meme featuring my entry:

http://instagram.com/p/pwKNn8i6BJ/

 

On a side note, my canned goods got me extra credit points!  :-)

I found something my kids love to share!

Do your kids love to share?  My kids are 2, 4, and 5, and they think that sharing is the worst idea ever invented.  With their ages being so close together, it's an impossible dilemma to avoid, because they are interested in most of the same things. 

Today, however, was one of those 'aha' moments when I discovered there was something my children actually love to share with each other....their sickness!  I swear this week my kids are in a competition to see who can have the highest fever.  My 2-year-old started at 102.8 on Thursday, then my 5-year-old got up to 103.2 on Friday, and tonight my 4-year-old son registered at 103.4. 

Fevers are a scary thing for this mom, and others I'm sure.  I know how bad I feel when I have one, so I understand their pain and do everything I can.  Tylenol, warm baths, fluids, cool washcloths, etc.  But when should you call the doctor?  I don't want to be the mom that runs to the ER every time my kids shows the slightest problem, but I also don't want to ignore something that needs medical attention either.  This is easily one of my biggest struggles as a mother and after 5 1/2 years, I'm still not sure I'm getting it right.

 
 

I have found an app for my IPhone that I really like called the ChildrensMD Symptom Checker Mobile App from the Children's Hospital Colorado.  It has a symptom checker and care advice, as well as guidelines for when you need to seek medical attention and how quickly that attention needs to be sought after.  Plus, it's free!



The kids are down for the night, and the plan for tomorrow is a day of rest for everyone to recover from our week of illness.  I hope they continue with their restful sleep so Mommy can get rested and ready to face a new day.  I should get some sleep while I can!

What are your go-to interventions to make your children more comfortable during a fever?  When do you decide it's time for a trip to the doctor.  I would love to hear advice from other moms on this topic!  Now, off to bed for me to pray for a better tomorrow!