Helpful Hints from Surlymom

Before I left my so-called career to become a full-time stay at home mom, I spent an average of 2 hours every week cleaning the house. I am not the best housekeeper in the world, but this included sweeping and mopping all of the floors, vacuuming rugs and furniture, and scrubbing the bathrooms. There was no way, I thought, that I wouldn't have that much time to clean during the week while I was home with the children. I was sure I would have plenty of time to keep up with it all while they napped. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

I somehow was not prepared for the sisyphean task that would stretch ahead of me. I now been fighting the battle of the kitchen for some time, and let me tell you, it is a losing battle. Every day I make 3 meals, and every day 3 meals are strewn about the floor.

Today I tried to get ahead of the laundry. After removing the first load, I noticed some paper particles trickling to the floor. I assumed that a kleenex escaped my notice in somebody's pocket until upon closer inspection I spotted a strange, gel-like substance along with it. Pulverized diaper. Somehow, I had managed to wash one of Bear's pull-ups along with the clothes.

As embarrassing as it is to admit that I threw a paper diaper in the wash, this is actually not the first time I have done it, though thankfully I have managed to escape washing a poopy diaper. At least I have that going for me. As near as I can figure, what happens is that I sort out the laundry onto the floor in Bear's room, then while I have my back turned, a drunken midget "helps" by sorting items out of the trash can into the piles.

Here is how you clean up a pulverized-diaper-in-the-laundry mess: First, remove all laundry from the washing machine and shake excess diaper bits off into the bathtub. Next, remove what you can from the inside of the washing machine and the floor with damp paper towels. Run a cycle in the machine without clothes, then return the clothes for another wash cycle. Remove clean laundry to reveal a hot wheels car hiding at the bottom of the load.