Saturday, April 13, 2013

Lamda

From the messy countertop of the Lazy Housewife...

Laundry & Lists. Let's see. I covered Ironing, Cleaning... Ah, yes. The dreaded Laundry! But first the good part.

I <3 Lists! I need organization. I like to know what I have to get done (and I have a terrible memory!) Plus I feel great accomplishment as I cross things off my list. Ahhh. TIP: keep a pad of paper & pen handy in various locations throughout the house (bathroom, laundry room, etc - you know, where you spend a lot of time!) to jot down those things you are running low on or need to do when you are thinking of them, so you don't forget later!
not my kid - from MS clipart

And here I dangle these Laundry TIPS with two fingers, like a stinky, dirty sock:
  • Kids can help - Kids can put dirty clothes in a basket and as they grow, they can put their clothes away too. Really they can.
  • Use a timer - I <3 timers! I think I said this before. If you're like me, you load the washer, turn it on, and go off to do other things where you can't hear it. I hate it when I forget about those clothes sitting in the washer (or dryer). Set a timer.
  • Sanitize - When the clothes go into the washer, I spray emptied laundry baskets with Lysol to take care of any germs that might have attached themselves to my dirty boys' clothes!
  • Hand Wash - Nuh uh. I use a netted bag for delicates/hand washables. Most washers these days have a hand wash setting. I also turn down my super speedy spin cycle. Then hang or lay flat to dry.
  • Folding - Again, the DVR is my friend. Don't know what I would do without it. Oh, yeah. I used to use a VCR (any of you youngin's know what that is? ha ha!) Anyway, I fold when the kids are going to bed and beyond, and catch up on my DVR'd shows. Funny thing, my kids like it when I am upstairs folding at bedtime. I guess they feel comforted knowing I am sitting outside their doors. Aww!
Bonus L stress reliever - the scent of Lavender!


Editing Tips

Lay/Laid/Laying/had Laid - LAY means to place an object, needs an object to be placed, past tense is LAID.
Lie/Lay/Lying/had Lain - LIE means to recline, no object, past tense is LAY.
(I mix these up ALL THE TIME!)

more commonly confused "L" words:
lathe (shave wood) / lave (wash)
let's (contraction of let us) / lets (verb, allows)
lie low (not lay low!)
lightening (growing less dark or less heavy) / lightning (electric flashes in the sky)
loath (adj. unwilling or reluctant) / loathe (v. to abhor or despise)
loose (not secure) / lose (to misplace something)

Find more A to Z posts here.

30 comments:

Rhonda Albom said...

Ok, I am embarrassed to say that I don't clean the laundry basket. I never really gave it a though before now. yuck. One more thing to add to my list.

Rhonda @Laugh-Quotes.com
Visiting from AtoZ #41

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Those editing tips reveal words so easy to mix up. I definitely am glad to know about the lie low not lay low tip. We have a washing machine but we mostly hand wash. Yeah I know you must be thinking...what? I for one haven't used the machine for myself in years. The machine is mainly used for large bulks of clothes and sheets. My mom and brother are stars of that. So yeah, I'm strange. Have a nice day Tara.

Jeff Hargett said...

I'm enjoying your lists of commonly confused words as much as the rest of your posts. Some of these (lightening vs. lightning, for example) have slipped past me even knowing the difference.

VikLit said...

Really enjoying your housewife tip posts!

M.J. Fifield said...

Ugh. Laundry. And now, since my vacation's coming to an end, I'm going to have a ton of it. Maybe it's time for a new wardrobe.

Dana said...

Great tips! I actually don't mind folding too much, mainly because I usually kick everyone out of the living room and claim the TV for myself. Ah, quiet!

DL Hammons said...

My wife is the list person in our household. I'm sure my name exists on several of them right now as we speak! :)

Rena said...

I made the lightening-lightning mistake in a manuscript, and my crit partner teased me about it for weeks. mortifying... At least it didn't make it to agents like that.

Anonymous said...

Another tip for lists and reminders etc is to try using your phone to make notes and set reminders. If you're anything like me, you carry your phone everywhere anyway, so you're never without your notepad. Great for recording writing ideas too.

mshatch said...

Yup, I sometimes have trouble with lay - still! Don't know why.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I love a clean household. It sounds like you do too.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Laundry is not my favorite. Somehow I always get roped into helping with the folding.

Heidi Mannan said...

You and I are a lot alike, I see. I've found the need for great organization lately. I love your suggestions. I've got several lists going at all times!

Carol Kilgore said...

"loath (adj. unwilling or reluctant) / loathe (v. to abhor or despise)"

I get these so mixed up that if I use the first one, I always add the E. Did I say I love editors :)

Gwen Gardner said...

Excellent tips, Tara! I'm a list-maker and I use the timer on the microwave to remind me of things, too!

Christine Rains said...

Laundry is one thing I don't mind doing. I love the smell of it. I use the timer too. I need to remember that Lysol in the basket trick.

Silvia Writes said...

I like the kids-can-help rule. Or husbands, for that matter.:) Lists are great. I make them and keep them near.
Silvia @ Silvia Writes

Mark Means said...

I'm a big 'lister' too and love crossing things off said lists :)

As always, great tips!

Jocelyn Rish said...

I'd never thought of sanitizing the basket. Although it's just me, so if the germs didn't make me sick when I was wearing the clothes, I'm probably safe. :-)

Not only do I know what a VCR is *whispers* I still use one. I know I need to make the move to a DVR, but I just never seem to get around to it. I guess I need to add it to a list!

Carrie-Anne said...

Sometimes I have to look up lay vs. lie before I write or type it. Glad I'm not the only one who still confuses them.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

The dirty clothes go right from the hamper into the washing machine so only clean clothes go in the laundry basket. I never thought of doing it another way! :)

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I ALWAYS have to set a timer to remind me about my clothes in the washer/dryer :)

Andrew Leon said...

I've been trying to learn the list thing for a dozen or so years. I didn't need them before kids.

Julie Flanders said...

I have to look up lay/laid etc every single time I use them!! I can NEVER remember what is correct.

Tina said...

I love laundry. No, I'm not weird. I hate all other household chores except cooking. I LOVE COOKING. Great tips! I also get to watch something when I fold clothes. I hate putting stuff away, so my boys do that on their own. Rather, live out the laundry basket. Not my concern. Maybe we should just move those dressers out and give you some more room in your room since you're not really using them...sigh.
Great tips from Quills. Those are some of my common mistakes as well.

Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

Kinley Dane said...

Great tips! When I was a nanny, it was hard to remember to bump the kids up to the next level, and I'd keep putting their clothes away for them. It was so nice when I could just give them their basket and say put it away!

Gina Gao said...

These are great tips! I enjoyed reading this post very much.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Cynthia said...

Hand washing takes up a lot of time, but I do it occasionally for my fancier attire.

Bevimus said...

I'm with you on the DVR- I never watch anything during the time it's actually ariing anymore!

Tara Tyler said...

loving the loads of comments!
and mr kelly, i do send myself email reminders/notes when im out, great tip!

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