Laundry Memories

I am sorting my kids' laundry and can't understand how three little people can create such a stink! Dear Lord in Heaven! I will have to purchase Tom Ridge's post 9/11 emergency kit so that I can wear the toxin gas mask next time I do laundry.

I am applying Shout to Lucas' stained PE shirt. These stains are really hard to rub off! I don't mind it, though. You see, Lucas was born at 26 weeks gestation. He developed hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy and spent the first 3 years of his life in and out of hospitals. In the scheme of things, stained tees are not a big deal. My bebe is able to walk and his current GPA at school is 3.74. He may not be athletic, smelly PE shirt notwhithstanding, but you know, neither am I. When my husband decided it was time to have some bonding time with his first born son, he bought a football. He took Lucas outside and told him he would teach him the magical world of the pigskin. Egon threw the ball at him and bonked his head. Lucas stared at his dad and with a straight face said: "I do not like this game"! Egon forgot to explain that he was supposed to catch the ball. I still tease both of them about this!

Ok, I have separated the whites from the colors. Odd, I thought the kids' underwear was white, but it is in the colors' pile. Things that make you go hmmm...

Javier's smelly socks, phew!!! It stands to reason that my funniest kid is the smelliest one. This little dude can look at you with a straight face and tell you something really funny. You must be intelligent to know he is teasing you, his humor is ironic and wry. He can make you laugh without trying, too. He still pronounces his r's like Elmer Fudd even though he's 8. He'll say "caw" instead of car, "powk" instead of pork, and so forth (or should I say "so fowth"?). One time at a Vietnamese restaurant, I was given chopsticks and a small spoon to eat my vermicelli noodles. I am not very handy with these, so I told Egon I would have to request a big fork. When the waitress came to our table, Javier politely told her that "mommy needs a big fowk." I could almost imagine the waitress thinking to herself: "sorry bud, can't help your mom there"!

Let's see, I must press hot, heavy load, extra smelly-germ-killing cycle. I never imagined I would have to put my computer skills to work for laundry chores. And since when do we need a touchscreen for the washer & dryers? Well, I shouldn't complain, back home laundry was done by hand and hung out to dry in the backyard.

It can't be, Ernesto is wearing size 7 pants already. He's only 5! He was just born yesterday (I have the post labor tummy to prove it). My baby, he's in kindergarten already and he no longer fits in the nook of my arms. He's already brought his complaints from school to me. The 4th graders were teasing his friends, so he had to chase them away with a stick (yeah, I already received the dreaded call from the principal's office). And oh, yes! Ernesto is extremely upset because the lunch lady at the school cafeteria never gets his lunch order right. Just today, he ordered vegetarian lasagna and spinach salad with ranch dressing on the side, but when they filled his tray, all he got were dry chicken nuggets and an apple. I swear I have tried to explain that no, the school cafeteria is not a restaurant. He cannot chose from a menu, he must eat what they give him. Although knowing my stick-yielding 5 year-old, it would not surprise me if the lunch lady starts cooking special food just for him or deal with the consequences!

Laundry used to be a dreaded chore. Now that I have 3 boys, I have come to realize it is a special time. Every sock, shirt, shorts, and sweater has a story behind it. I can stand in the laundry room and go back in time to those mental pictures moments I cherish so much. Who needs a camera when you have 6 loads of laundry to do (and a digital washer/dryer unit, too)? Too soon they will become 2 loads of laundry, my husband's and mine. I will sure miss the additional 4.