2 and a half

Kid laundry

Doing kid laundry can be a lot more difficult than doing adult laundry. It is tedious, for one thing - the tiny socks, the 3- and 4-piece outfits, all the snaps and buttons, and so on. There's just so much more of it, and since I have two girls that probably makes it worse. And, since they're kids, their clothes get dirty all the time so you're constantly washing them. It's never-ending.

But, the pain of doing kid laundry can be mitigated somewhat. Here's my practical view:

1. Before clothes are deposited into the laundry basket, turn them outside-in. That way, one part of the folding is already done and you don't have to do it over and over when folding the clean laundry.

2. Similarly, if a onesie or underwear or some other under-garment is tucked away inside of an outer-garment, separate the two before tossing them into the dirty clothes pile. Again, it makes folding the clean clothes quicker and easier.

3. For socks - given their tiny size and the fact that many look alike - pair them back up when you take them off those little feet. They'll still get clean but won't get separated or lost, which means you'll keep the number of socks inside your "stranded sock basket" at a minimum. 

4. Instead of doing large loads less often, do small loads frequently. It makes it seem like less of a chore.

5. Finally, if you can swing it, get your babysitter our housesitter to do the kid laundry. Frame it as "part of the job." That worked for us for awhile, but given the added labor it may accelerate burn-out.

In general, a little more attention on the front end of things can help a lot on the back end. Just my 2 and a half cents.

This t-shirt says it all

This is the t-shirt Audrey was wearing when I got home from work today. (Admittedly, I bought the shirt for her.)

The t-shirt

At some point I guess little girls like to start wearing oversized t-shirts. A couple days ago Audrey took a liking to her first one (it's one I bought for my wife last year that inadvertently was too small for an adult to wear). It's a blue shirt with a picture of a brown bear on the front that says:

I guess I bought it because it seemed to make light of all the other things people say are wrong with America. Audrey has worn it proudly for 2 days straight and shows no signs of taking it off. Just this morning, in fact, she pointed out her blue t-shirt and reminded me she was wearing it again today.

Pants, shirts, socks and shoes

Lately Audrey refuses to wear pants that aren't "soft." All the jeans we bought her? Forget it - denim isn't soft. Corduroy? No way. Even some of her cotton pants are getting turned down. She has to wear pants of some sort, of course, so now we're doing laundry twice as often to meet her desires.

Shirts are subject to the same critique but her evaluation is less rigorous. Once the shirt is on she tends to forget about it. No so with the pants.

The selectivity has even affected her socks and shoes selection. The socks I can understand - some of them have a rubberized coating on the bottom to prevent slippage on hardwood floors. She's slipped on ours plenty of times and pays attention when we inadvertently dress her in socks that put her at risk.

The shoes, however, I don't get. They don't have to be soft or comfortable. Sometimes it's almost the opposite. The ones she grew out of 3 months ago? She wants to wear those. The awkward snow boots? Those usually work. But the simple, comfortable day shoes that are suitable for most activities are often out of the question.

Go figure. I guess this could be an early form of the fashionista that is to come.

Evolution in action

For 2-year olds, everything seems a dilemma. Something as simple as a ball rolling under a couch and out of reach can present the most dire problem they have ever faced. While simple to us, to them it seems like the most tragic thing ever.

When they ask if they can have a sucker, it's not a "yes-or-no" question. It's a demand disguised as a question and there is no logical response awaiting yours, only an emotional one. A "yes" will provoke excitement and eagerness, while a "no" will provoke a tantrum akin to Mount Everest erupting.

At bedtime, if the door isn't cracked to the perfect degree to let the perfect amount of light in, 2-year-olds don't express indifference. They express frustration and yelling until it's the way they want it, even if the difference between 40 and 45 degrees wide isn't much.

When it comes to a pacifier, the difference between the blue one and the green one is huge. The blue one means happiness, while the green one means hell. The former induces pacification, while the latter induces a fit of tears. They are exactly the same, but for the color, but a 2-year-old knows one is much better than the other. Even more interesting, tomorrow that may change.

When it comes to eating chicken tenders, toothpicks may mean the difference between a well-fed toddler and a cranky, hungry one. A fork may not be satisfactory - after all, toothpicks are fancy because they are served with hors d'oeuvres.

And winter time certainly doesn't mean a 2-year-old wears a coat. On the contrary, it's important to fight the noble cause if mom or dad wants you to do something, even if it's at the risk of a nasty cold. And winter shoes? Well, the color and style matter a lot. The purple snow boots may be appropriate for a clear, perfect day, while the black leather Mary Jane's will certainly work on days with a foot of snow on the ground.

It's evolution in action. And every day is a joy.

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