Laundry Party

If you're like me laundry is a bit of a nuissance...yet for some 'crazy' reason everyone seems to like to be dressed (well, most of the time, anyhow...Finn is kind of the King of Undies!). So the laundry piles up, up, up! I have no problem getting it washed. or dried. But put away?! That's where my system breaks down. So sometimes it gets a little out of control and its time for a Laundry Party...without my other half I enlist the kids' help. I do this for a few reasons:

1. It keeps them busy and I know what they're doing for an hour or so.


2. I get a little help and am able to stay focused on the task.


3. The kids learn that clothing doesn't magically show up in their drawers...there is WORK involved in that process!

So, here's how to put together a Laundry Party:

1. Turn on some good tunes...music makes everything more fun!

2. Make sure you've got a wide open (clean) space.

3. Dance a bit with your sister; they fall down on top of one another!

4. I sort the clothes as they come out of the drier into the bedroom they are headed for. Since the kids share rooms/closets they have to be sorted into owner before they get folded and put away. Here are the kids sorting by owner.

5. Fold the clothes together. My trick for this is to put Leve (3 year old) in charge of finding matches to all the printed socks. Then I have Finn and Kiki fold all the shirts, then all the pants, etc. until its done. Make sure you wear a pair of pants on your head. That just adds to the party flair! ;)

6. I also pick out a 'magic piece of clothing'...this is a piece that I keep an eye on throughout the folding process. Whoever folds that item gets a treat when we're all done. There is a treat for the boys' load and the girls' load....the treat on this day was a sweet-tart...a small treat, but still something worth working towards!

7. In case you get the idea that my world is perfect I'll share with you that my kids do get frustrated. The baby wants OUT of the high chair and freaks out when I walk out of the living room. Thankfully a big sister does her best to make him feel better.

8. When you're done praise each other like crazy and THANK the kids for their work...are the items folded perfectly? Nope. Did everything get put neatly into its place? Nope. Did the job get done? Yup....and we did it together as a family.

What sort of not-so-fun activities do you do with your family? How do you make it fun?!