Lovin' Laundry

Time for my strange confession.

I love doing the laundry. Love it.

Please, don't send me to an insane asylum just yet. Let me explain...

You see, doing laundry relaxes me. I'm a bit (my hubby would say a lot) OCD, and I love the organization and routine of laundry day.

Yes, I said day. Doing a load of laundry every day just wasn't cutting it. So I save it all for one day a week, and then I have full loads. This works for us, because frankly, our closets are packed with clothes. (Side note: Does Lexie REALLY need 47 dresses?)

I love sorting the clothes. Oh-and do I sort! I read every clothing label, and sort it according to how it needs to be washed. Cold lights, Cold darks, warm lights, warm darks, jeans, towels, bedding, and whites. I do sort every night so it doesn't pile up and for some reason, I can remember the washing instructions on every piece of clothing (but where in the world is my camera manual-why can't I remember THAT?), so it goes quickly.

Ahhhhh...feeding my OCD. It's a good feeling.

Come winter time, all of Lexie's stuff gets washed separately, in a special detergent, because her eczema gets really bad. That tacks on a few more loads, but I can't give up the delicious smell of my detergent and softener.

The smell...I love it. I could spend a half hour in the laundry aisle picking out detergent and softener. I love clothes that are soft and smell great! I am a laundry product junkie.

Stain remover is a necessity in this house! I will never understand how kids can destroy their clothes after wearing them just one time! Stain remover has saved many clothing items!

I like to sneak in a few minutes of magazine reading while I'm waiting for the washer to finish. *Sometimes* I head downstairs before the load is done. ;)

I love folding the perfectly clean items and putting them into neat stacks, one for each family member. (Just for the record, I hang dry about half of our clothing.) The folding motions lull me into a deep state of relaxation. It's like my own form of meditation!

*I realized after I uploaded this picture, that I subconsciously stack the clothes in piles going from oldest to youngest. Maybe I do need help. Or perhaps I need help because I actually took pictures of my laundry?*

When laundry day is over, and the last item of clothing is put away, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction. I accomplished something huge, and there's not a dirty piece of clothing in the house...at least for another 12 hours. Unlike my floors, which need cleaned every 5 seconds...

I realize I'm an oddball when it comes to this. Maybe 1% of the world's population are with me on this. Even my very OCD mother, who "trained" me to be like this, thinks I'm nuts for loving laundry. Perhaps I am...but really, it keeps me calm and sane in this house filled with chaos!

I wish my love for laundry transferred over to other housework. Laundry is the only chore I love to do. I loathe everything else!

If I could, I'd hire someone to clean my house. In a heartbeat!!!

But I'm not giving up laundry duty!

I Heart Faces-Sepia Toned

The theme at I Heart Faces this week is Sepia Toned.

I wasn't planning on entering I Heart Faces this week, because I'm so indecisive, and couldn't decide on a picture to use. Today, I was playing around with my camera, and playing with the sepia format, and when I uploaded them to my computer, I came across this one. For some reason, my eyes kept wandering back to this picture, so I figured I'd toss aside all the ones I was considering, and just use this one!

So here's my photo for the I Heart (Sepia Toned) Faces, kids category.

Alexandria...27 months and full of sass!
Check out all the entries at I Heart Faces!

I Heart Faces-Sepia Toned

This weeks theme at I Heart Faces is Sepia Toned.

I chose this photo for the kids category, because

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, of Pennsylvania...

my kids are dressed in Halloween costumes.

In the spring.

But rest assured...

The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

And in the morning, she'll awake with a mighty roar. Or just a "Mommy! MOMMY! I'm up! Get me out of bed!" That's a big enough roar for me.

Not Me! Monday

Another Monday has come around, and today I am on the edge of my seat, trying to pass time, as I wait for the news that my best friend has delivered her second baby! A Not Me! Monday, hosted by MckMama, seems like the perfect way to pass the time!

I did not finish Angels & Demons in 48 hours. I do not think it is one of THE best books I have ever read!

I did not steal fistfuls of cotton candy out of the bags that my mom bought for the kids. I did not justify it by thinking that it was good for their health that I was eating most of it. Hehehe.

I am not madly in love with doing laundry. A post about that is not coming soon.

I was not beyond thrilled to win Carebear's 100th post giveaway! I never win anything, so it was a pleasant surprise!

I did not let Lexie wear her "rina" (ballerina) nightgown for 48 hours straight this week, just because she loved it so much.

Speaking of clothes, my fashion conscious son did not dress himself in khaki shorts, a button down dress shirt, and a tie, and tell me it was because he wanted to be handsome.

My hubby did not drive crazy speeds to get us to The Ordination of Deacons on time, on Saturday. I did not find myself near tears several times during said mass, just from the absolute beauty of it. My hubby did not fear that he would burst into flames if he shook the bishop's hand. You're not that bad, honey!

Dylan did not hit my face with a baseball today, leaving a bruise. The force behind his hits is NOT incredible. I'm not secretly thinking he could probably hit better than some of the players on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ha!

I was not ECSTATIC when the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. I am not thrilled that we were the Super Bowl Champs and the Stanley Cup winners this year! Go PITTSBURGH!

Oh-and I am not incredibly anxious about Baby Braden's arrival!!! Come on, baby! I want to meet you!

Saint Paul Cathedral

We spent the morning in an absolutely gorgeous church, Saint Paul Cathedral, in Pittsburgh.

Our very good friend, whom we affectionately call "Father" Rob, became a Deacon.

In typical Grant and Stefanie fashion, we were running late. We made it to the city in record time. My hubby SO DID NOT drive ridiculously fast so we could make it in time. We parked our car 4 minutes before it began, and raced to the church to get in on time.

The Ordination of Deacons was absolutely beautiful. I was so honored that Rob thought to include us in his special day.

I am a baptized Catholic, but didn't grow up in the church, but I was moved beyond belief by the mass. Words can't really describe how amazing it was to experience.

Lots of love to Deacon Rob as he continues on this journey.

Little Picasso

At 27 months old, Dylan first drew all over the walls in our hallway. It just so happened to be the day we brought Lexie home from the hospital. What a mess that was!

After that incident, there were only a few "mishaps." He drew a few lines on the sunporch walls, and colored on Lexie's first baby doll.

It seems fitting that at 27 months old, Lexie has become quite the little artist. I've found a few scribbles here and there..mainly on her toys. Then, tonight, as I was setting the alarm clock, I noticed the numbers looked really fuzzy. Upon closer inspection, I realized that she had colored all over the display, as well as the sides of the clock. NICE one! I'm afraid to inspect the rest of the house!

What is the best "masterpiece" your children have created...and not on paper? ;)

Guess it's time to hide the crayons!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday, a fun blog carnival, created by MckMama. I've been out of commission for 3 days, thanks to a nasty cold/flu bug that I caught. I'm still a bit woozy, so I hope this is readable!

When I was resting on the couch this morning, Lexie did not wipe something that was on her finger, onto my lips. When I tasted the saltiness of it, and asked her what it was, she did not reply, "My nose, " and flash me a cute smile. My baby girl SO DID NOT feed me her snot.

I did not attempt my usual 3 miles on the treadmill this week, after taking a month long hiatus. I was not panting after 1 1/2 miles. I did not catch said sickness above, causing my 2 day workout streak to end.

When my parents stopped by to pick up Dylan, to take him somewhere, I did not bribe my angry daughter to come back inside, with the promise of cotton candy. I was not bummed out when my bag of cotton candy was gone.

I did not let my kids dip organic animal crackers into a tub of icing, because I was too weak to make them a proper lunch, and they were truly enjoying it!

I am not cursing McDonald's for handing out the Kidz Bop CD's in their happy meals. I have not listened to the "Superman" song 5000 times. It does not get played on repeat in the car. My kids do not know every word to the song.

I did not "trip" on cold medicine last night. The fan in my room *was* really a helicopter, and the room *was* spinning. I am not adding this current medicine to the list of medicines I can't take, because I'm a lightweight.

Dylan did not hit a line drive into my uterus. Husband did not laugh at me. I did not briefly wish it was Husband's man parts that had been hit. (Love ya, honey!) D has not been banned from using his real bat and baseball around the house, due to the fact that he hits entirely too hard for a kid his age. Our siding shows the proof of that. Thankfully, not the windows. Yet.

When a mom is sick...

When did a fever, body aches, and head congestion ever stop a mom?

When a mom is sick, she still:

1. Pitches balls for her son to hit because he is obsessed with baseball, even though she can barely stand up.

2. Cooks for her family. Even if it's soup and macaroni and cheese, it still counts as cooking.

3. Bathes her kids and puts them to bed.

4. Goes grocery shopping, because the fridge is looking empty.

5. Crawls into a crib to comfort her feverish daughter to sleep. Gets heel caught on crib railing on the way out, and ends up in a standing split. (The moment where her daughter laced her fingers through hers and stared into her eyes is the moment that she'll remember forever.)

6. Plays 560,000 games of Memory. Or at least it seems that way. Even if she keeps picking the same two cards over and over and her 4 year old ends up with a towering stack of cards.

7. Plays Shrek Operation even if she can barely control the little tweezers, because she's so woozy.

8. Changes diapers, changes dirty clothes, wipes up messes........

9. Reads lots of books to her kids, even when the words blur together.

10. When the moment comes when she starts to feel a little bit better, she ends up doing the dishes piled up in the sink and cleaning the kids rooms, only to realize that she wasn't quite up to that challenge yet. And ends up with a migraine.

Or am I the only crazy mom?

On my behalf, I have been spending a lot of time on the couch. I even let the dishes pile up for two days and the groceries sit on the counter overnight. I managed to finish a fun book. But my world doesn't stop when I'm sick. Perhaps that's why I always end up getting sicker than my kids?

Good news

We got the results of Lexie's current pancreatic elastase test today. The good news is that we don't have to pursue Cystic Fibrosis testing anymore! Phew! That's a huge relief!!!

The bad news is, we still have no idea why Lexie has had diarrhea every day for almost 6 months. She has an appointment in early July with her Gastroenterologist , and will probably have a few more tests done. If we don't get answers after that appointment, we are switching to a new practice, because this has gone on long enough!

Poor Lexie can't take it anymore.