Monday 31 March 2008

Sometimes They Just Cant See For Looking.....

Ok......... all me sons are completely different, in personality, looks, height, clothes etc....so sometimes its difficult to keep up with them all, and all their washing and ironing.... take my Tom for instance..... he LOVES clothes and has a wardrobe overflowing with beautiful shirts and trousers, many expensive shoes etc.... me other lads would call him a bit of a nancy but he just dresses well and thats him..... my Sam on the other hand is a skater/drummer and wears his jeans down past his bum that even I with me laid back ways often has to tell him to 'pull up ya bloody trousers, I really dont need to see ya bum cheeks'.... Ben will just take stuff right out of the ironing bin and wear it creased as long as its clean.... and Jacob will wear whatever is hung in his cupboard lol..... it is only Tom that has decent shoes, when I say decent I mean a collection of leather shoes, where as the other 3 only have skating shoes and trainers...what they pay for their skater shoes they could have many leather pairs, but they just wouldnt wear them lol.... no hope if there is a funeral and they need proper shoes lol........... cos no one can borrow Toms cos he is a size 13 :)....

We have what is known in this house as a 'sock box' cos I lost track of whose socks were whose, so I just wash them and try and find a matching sock, roll them in a ball and toss them into the 'sock box'.... and they just take as and when :).... the same goes for the 'boxer box' I just wash and fold them and put them in the 'boxer box' and NO they dont just share boxers they know whose is whose only its ME that dont, so its just easier to have a 'boxer box'.....



This if FatCat sleeping in the 'sock box' lol



Here he is again :)



Anyways....... they just all dump their clothes in the washing basket or on their bedroom floors, and like a miracle THEY re-appear washed, smelling sweet and ironed in their cupboards.... ok, so they are spoilt, but Ive tried not doing it and telling them to do it themselves and then I just get huge piles of ironing on every surface and they just iron as they need, and that just dont work cos Im then forever moving piles of un-ironed clothes....

So this weekend, I actually, with nose mask on, and breathing apparatus hobbled into their pits with washing basket in hand to gather any and all clothes left on floors.....cos I need to get everything up to date, so the washing machine has been going ALL weekend......

Panic must of set in cos Saturday evening my Tom came rushing into the kitchen saying.....

Tom - mum, mum have you seen me new jeans, ya know the Hillfiger ones, I cant find them, and I NEED them, Im going out in half hour, and Sam had better NOT be wearing them....

Me - What colour were they Tom?...(I knew the exact ones he was talking about, they was washed and ironed and on the side about 2 foot from where he was standing)...

Tom - *Blank look* and in a sarcastic voice 'they are jean colour' mum duhhh....

Me - That would be blue then Tom, now would that be light blue, stonewashed blue, dark blue, pale blue, navy blue, royal blue or just plain bloody blue blue?...

Tom - mum, sometimes, just sometimes I dont think we are related...

Me - Tom if they was that important you would of washed and ironed them and they would be ready to wear...

Tom - But they are always just in me cupboard....

This conversation all took place in me kitchen with the washing machine whirling and the tumble drier tumbling and piles of folded washing ready to iron and hangers upon hangers of ironed clothes ready to be put away and piles of clothes ready to be taken upstairs and put into their cupboards all neatly folded up on the kitchen counter....

To be honest it looked like Changs Chinky Laundry Room......

Tom - So mum, have you seen them, please say Sam aint wearing them, I need to wear them out tonight..... mum, mum, ya aint listening to me are ya....

Me - Tom, Im listening....you have loads of other jeans, wear a different pair...

Tom - Have ya seen them, this is life or death...I NEED those ones....

Me - What colour was they?...

Tom - Blue *rolling his eyes*...

Me - Nope, I aint seen them anywhere, actually I aint seen any of your many pairs of jeans, Tom, you so need to put them in the washing if you want them washed ready for ya night out....

Tom - Shit, ya aint seen them?...

Me - Nope.....



Me - Smiling at the look of panic on his face and as he turns round to see HIS pile of clean washed sweet smelling jeans....

Tom - YOU SHOULDNT DO THAT YA KNOW, that just aint funny....... fanks mum...... *beaming smile*

Me - Rolling me eyes lol.......

Boys aye........ sigh.......

Ok Enough boring Twaddle for a wet cold Monday.......

x

33 comments:

Ol' Lady said...

Dam! Looks like I could be the first to comment today...if I type fast enough :)
Laundry & kids...this past week I decided I would only do what shows up by the washer and NOT go lookin for Baby's stuff in her room...I haven't seen any clothes in 5 or 6 days now...I have no idea what she wore this morning to school...
Messing with the minds of our young ones is fun :)

Pam said...

((((mel and anyone's for a chance to get into someone's jeans))))crikey! they are well spoiled. my son has been doing his own laundry since he's been about 11 or 12. what the HELL are they gonna do when they're on their own? LOL soon as the girls reach 12, they're going to be doing their own, too. their cousin has been teaching them how to do it when they're at their dad's house (k.p. is their baby sister's nanny). did i mention that i absolutely HATE doing laundry? can you come and do all of ours, too? LOL xoxo

Jen said...

I so love the stories about you and your sons. I never thought that I could learn so much about parenting from someone that I've never even spoken to. Thanks for sharing and for giving me so many great ideas!

Casdok said...

For me its amusing to read about what normal (?) life is about!!! :)

ChrisB said...

You are such a good mum~ I would hate to have to iron that many pairs of jeans. In fact I hate ironing~ but I hasten to add I do it!

Unknown said...

Amazing how kids just naturally think the laundry fairy shows up one night and their clothes magically appear clean and put away, isn't it? And yea, I can see why you asked him what color blue, considering he has ALL colors of blue in that stack!

katy said...

NO NO NO all those jeans to iron, I will have nightmares now, once worked for a family and I did their ironing. The son needed his jeans with creases in them, the daughter wanted hers with none, the last day I worked for them I ironed one leg with a crease in and one without in each pair of jeans, good job i didnt need a referece LOL

Katrina said...

I love the way you tease your sons...they can never doubt how much you love them! And you're right--there are many shades of denim blue. One must be exact. ;)

Annie Wan said...

please come round and tackle my laundry mountain - chinky i might be but i wouldn't have been any good in a laundry room, lol.

my son has been known to be so desperate for boxers a few times he's borrowed my partner's. and he also wears his jeans past his bum. my son i mean, not my partner i hasten to add.

Unknown said...

Poor, poor, Tom! You really had him going, didn’t you?

Alex sleeps in the same manner as FatCat. But then, I suppose cats do have certain traits in common.

Robin said...

Now Mel, if having them do their own wash leaves piles of clothes needing to be ironed by them, maybe you need a......... THINGS TO BE IRONED bin. 'Course it would have to be bigger than the one Fat Cat is in (maybe the size of your compost bin?...... I'm just sayin'......

JeanC said...

Ahhh, a kitty cat in its natural element, curled up on the clean laundry LOL. All 4 of my furry lot do the same thing.

Hubby wandered out this morning asking for clean sweat pants, I asked him if he even LOOKED in his drawer and he got an "uh oh" look on his face and back in he went to find several clean pairs that had been put there yesterday.

I however put my foot down at ironing. I don't think I've ironed anything in my house in years. If it is wrinkled, into the dryer it goes after a quick spritz from the water bottle and set to spin a few minutes.

Carol Woolum Roberts said...

Yes, with three girls, all about the same size, I too have about four drawers in the hallway that I put the clean socks, underwear and bras. I figure once they are clean, they can sort them out to wear them. It works great!! Your clothes stories about your sons sound amazingly like my daughters. Especially the part about the sibling wearing the others pair of jeans. How many times have I heard that one!!

MarmiteToasty said...

PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT GETTING AROUND YOUR BLOBS OF LATE...IM DESPARATELY TRYING TO SUSS AND SORT SOMETHINGS OUT AND ITS BEING VERY DRAINING IN TIME AND ENERGY.....it dont mean I aint thinking of ya all.....

~(((((ol' lady)))~ Well my kids aint so much 'kids' no more, but still I do it for the sake of everyone lol.... or I would be snowed under with MOUNTAINS of washing *staring at the already FULL overflowing washing basket next to the washing machine* sigh lol.... yep, ya have to mess with there minds, its a parents right lol.....xxxxxx

~(((((ciara anyones for a sniff of a pair of worn boxers)))~ its not that they cant do it they can... remember 2 had moved out but moved back lol.... I love doing the washing, and when in the right mood the ironing pile which was 4' 6" last week is ok with a good film on the telly and TIME....xxxxxxx

~((((jen))))~ cripes, DONT use me as a good example of motherhood lol.... I AINT NORMAL LMFAO....xxxxxx

~((((casdok))))~ :( I know, hugz....xxxxx

~((((Crispy))))~ That was just Toms pile lol.... I do get pissed off though when they present the washing basket with a weeks surply of dirty clothes, times that by 4 and I get a little miffed.... xxxxxx

~((((bina)))))~ my Tom has so many clothes he could open a designer shop lol.... the rest of us AINT like him.... I only buy whats needed for me, no extras.... bugger, Im well a shank lmfao.....xxxxx

~((((Katy)))))~ LMFAO@you..... oh jeans are easy to iron, its the mountain of T-shirts that I hate.... I did cut one leg off of every pair of jeans that me X left here when he moved out.... and I folded them neatly and bagged them up and he came and collected them, jebus, I wish I had been a fly on the wall when he unpacked them lol.....xxxxxx

~(((((katrina)))))~ yep, its a parents right in life to tease them :).... its GREAT PAYBACK lol....xxxxx

OK...... I'll answser the rest of the comments after the School run....be back soon.....

x

MarmiteToasty said...

~((((mei del)))~ sorry I didnt mean to offend with the 'chink' reference, its not a 'slag off' :) its just when we was kids there was a chinese laundry place in town and so when I have washing drying everywhere etc I always says to me lads 'ok take ya clean stuff upstairs Im fed up with it looking like 'Changs Chinky Laundry' and calling our local Chinese Take-away the 'Chinky' is also NOT a slur its a term of endearment, and even the lovely family that own it refer to it as such :).... I would never intentionaly offend....

LOL@your son, at least he wasnt desparate enough to borrow YOUR undies LOL...xxxxx

~((((((((Saintly))))))))~ yep, just sometimes its like sipping sweet tea just to be able to 'get them going' lol..... Cats I think must be the same the world over, only yours meow in a funny accent :)....xxxxxxx

~((((robin))))~ I have what we lovingly call 'an ironing pile' and sometimes when I leave it, it blocks out the sunlight from the windows and then I have a Saturday Blitz and just stand and iron all day...... can ya tell I dont have a life LOL.....xxxxx

~((((jeanc))))~ :) its funny cos sometimes all me cats try and get in the sock box.... well funny

Yeah, I so think it must be a 'bloke thing' Im sure sometimes blokes do it on purpose sometimes just so that we do or find things for them....

I've tried the tumble drier trick and I cant get it right lol I end up strinking stuff and my Toms clothes are well expensive and I NEVER put his bits in there, actually I never put shirts or T-shirts in the tumble drier cos they shrink so thats why sometimes on wash days if its raining outside and I cant use me washing line the house looks like a laundry with shirts and whatnots hanging from the baskets and things on hangers in me kitchen....xxxxx

~((((SilverValleyGirl))))~ fanks for confirming what I do is NORMAL lmfao..... its nice to be NORMAL for once in me life lol.... xxxxxx

buffalodick said...

Once, our cat curled up in the dryer on some warm, clean towels. My wife decided to tumble them before folding... I asked her if she was washing a pair of tennis shoes, cause it didn't sound like towels in there.. Cat came flying out after about 20 turns on the merry go round with only a bloody nose...

MarmiteToasty said...

~(((buffalo))))~ omg, your poor cat, but you know what you have done, you have unleashed the most funniest but right sad memories that have been stored on the shelves of me mind, about me matie Mad Moira and the Cat..... I so need to explain in a post :).... Happy Tuesday to you dear man...xxxxx

Lisa said...

I feel for you, and am going to eat some chocolate so you will feel better!

When my girls were very little, I gave up on doing the laundry service, after I found a sundress in the wash basket during the snowy winter. That was their way of "cleaning" their room... everything in the wash.

I taught them both to do their own laundry, even though the little one needed a stool to reach inside the washer. Stud Muffin does his own too, 'cause he says I don't do it right. So I am down to my own, and things like sheets and towels. Yeah! I win! *Snicker*

JBelle said...

uh, so, could I send some laundry over there for you to do? I mean you're all set up and such....

MarmiteToasty said...

~(((lisa))))~ :) I DID use to have someone that 'did' most of me ironing and all the lads stuff, I just traded it for childcare, I mean when there are already kids here, another one didnt make no different, then the dam kid started school and I had nuffin to trade lol...... Sending your kids an aeroplane ticket to come do me ironing lol....xxxxx

~((((JBelle)))))~ ya know that doing someone ELSES ironing and laundry is way nicer then doing ones own, cos ones own keeps coming back the same old every week - I did use to do Mad Moiras ironing for here when she wasnt coping with life and her kids, whilst mine piled up LOL.... see, believe it or not IM ALL HEART :).......xxxxxxxxxxxxx

MarmiteToasty said...

ps....... make that WHITE CHOCOLATE and Im in with ya girl lol....xxxxx

Jeanie said...

Marmite! I love your stories! I do NOT iron. I don't hem either. (you know - the times when the jeans are just a little longer than the leg - I say, tough it out.) My youngest was always coming up with an excuse to not go to school. He'd call me at work with his "story." One was "the cat has a cold." But I got him on the other: "My clothes aren't dry." I asked him if he bothered to check the dryer because I was fairly certain that the Mommy Fairy moved his clothes from the washer to the dryer LAST NIGHT and so the clothes MUST be dry now. hee hee hee.

Akelamalu said...

I used to do what you do for my two boys until the eldest complained I had ironed a crease down the front of his jeans

"No-one has a crease down the front of their jeans anymore Mum!"

"Fine, do them yourself" said I.

If you have to get everything up to date does that mean you're having the op babe?

Pam said...

omgoodness lmao @ ake putting creases down jeans. that's what my mom would do....uh hellooooo LOL

and damn it, you got me saying chinky sometimes. though i don't say it TOO loud. it's still offensive to people here in the states LOL i'm half filipino/half white girl and i'm never offended if people call me chink, jap, flip, etc., because that's just ridiculous LOL

btw...it's a sniff of some teeny undies. stinky doesn't have to worry about reducing his sperm count ya know! LMFAO

Toriz said...

LOL!

OrdinaryShark said...

I have no idea what planet those boyz come from but jeans are emphatically NOT made to be ironed. Stop it this instant!

Maggie May said...

I think your sock & pants box is a great idea. I also spoil my son & family with the washing & ironing. Maybe because I don't want the washing machine broken!

Cindy said...

After doing this for six kids, I have stopped gathering kids' laundry from their rooms or towels from their bathroom. Libby is the only one of the six left at home and unless a horrible stench comes wafting from her room or her bathroom- those clothes stay on the floor where she's tossed them, until she brings them to the laundry room. Or until we have company coming...
Libby has become a rather creative dresser- out of necessity (not to mention laziness)
When all six were still home my washer ran most of the time. I used to fold and stack their clothes in piles for them to put away but after a while I couldn't keep track of what all belonged to who anymore so I started a sock box too.
Ricky or any one of the cats can often be found snoozing there.

PinkAcorn said...

Wow, did that bring back some smell-a-vision memories! I finally gave up when they were teens and showed them how to use the washer..."M" stands for Mom...not Maid! That way some woman would see that they are self sufficient and would want to take them off my hands.....I'm still waiting.....

Carol said...

I've come visiting from Saintly Nick's place because I want to thank you for your contribution to the prayers and thoughts for my surgery last week. My surgery went very well and I'm getting better all the time.

I am majorly impressed that you not only wash and fold your four boys' clothing, but IRON also!!! I don't iron anyone's clothing including my own.

I'm off to go pokin' around your place a little more so that I can see what other adventures you've written about.

Kati said...

*grin* Gotta love it!!!! I hope they figure out how to at least HELP with the clothes, otherwise you're setting some poor girls up for lives of doing laundry for your guys. *wink* Naw, actually took me a couple of years to train my hubby. And I got him & the kiddo trained at the same time. Now he often does the laundry on Sunday while I'm at work. Now if I could only get him to recognize the dishwasher as something to actually be used. *grin*

Glad Tom didn't have TOO much of a panic attack!

laughingwolf said...

critters rule! ;) lol

MarmiteToasty said...

~((((jeanieS)))))~ I DONT HEM either lol.... fank goodness skater trousers drag on the ground lol..... those clothes fairies are just the best aint they lol.....xxxxx

~((((ake))))~ when me lads were all in Naval Cadets, oh my, the uniforms had to be ironed just sooooo prcise.... maybe thats where me ironing bug comes from.... the thick wool trousers HAD to have a crease down the front lol...... YOUR POOR BOY lol.... and maybe......lol xxxxxxx

~((((ciara anyones for her hands down some whitie tighties)))))~ so you chappie wears those Mmmmmmm tight gripping nut huggers aye? :) Mmmmmm lol....xxxxxxxx

~(((((ToriZ))))))~ oh hush you lol......xxxxx

~(((((((((((((((((((Sharkie)))))))))))~ :) ok, I will stop next Tuesday lol.....I know I know I make a rod for me own back sometimes......*staring at the huge pile of ironing on the kitchen table that awaits my morning.... hugzzz oxo

~(((((maggiemay)))))~ BINGO.... cos sometimes I swear they break things on purpose so that they dont have to do things lol.... xxxxx

~((((((((cindy))))))))~ it is VERY rare that I venture into me lads bedrooms.... and I think that is why when they have a 'sort out' they bring down arm fulls of washing X 4... I just wish they would bring their bits down daily instead of monthly lol..... I should bin all their clothes except for 2 sets..... one on and one in the wash lol......oh I would of loved to of had 6, 7 8 kids :)....xxxxx

~(((((pinkacorn))))))~ I do know its up to the muvvers of sons to prepare them for their wifeys to be lol.....:).....xxxxx

~((((((carol))))))~ you are most welcome, I dont do god, but I did send the most powerful best wishes :).... oh my, if you poke around you might find things you dont like lol so dont poke to deep :)....xxxxx

~(((((kati))))))~ DONT START me on about the dishwasher lmfao.....that is another story in itself lol.....xxxxx

~(((((((((((((Wolfie))))))))))~ yeah and if they dont bring their clothese down to be washed more often, then they might have real critters in them lol........xxxxx