Friday is laundry day

Well, actually, every day is laundry day here at our house. Sure, toddlers and babies create laundry enough for several loads, but anyone who has met me knows I am just as apt to make a mess as the under-three set. Mustard, much as I love the spicy condiment, seems to hate me. Either that, or it really likes my t-shirt collection....

Anyhoo, I often take advantage of warm and sunny days to put the laundry on the line. Much more eco-friendly, and frankly, I love the smell of sunshine and a fresh breeze on the clothes. Since it has been raining pretty much every day this week, today seemed like an ideal day to get the sheets done. So, I popped them in the washer this morning and took the girls outside on the back deck.

Well, I didn't have the first pair of socks on the line yet, when B asked the inevitable question:

''Mommy, can I help you work?''

I smiled. First of all, I love that she understands that keeping house and doing dull but necessary chores is in fact work. Second, I appreciate that she wants to help me in whatever way she can.

Y'see, toddlers are very helpful creatures. Unfortunately, they don't necessarily have the dexterity or attention span to help out for long. They are often distracted by the task at hand, or grow bored or frustrated and wander away. Sadly, kids grow out of the helpful state just as they are able to start doing more complex things around the house, so you really must take advantage of the help when it is offered to you.

However, much as I hate to discourage the girl from household chores (let's face it--I hope to offload 'em all onto her eventually!), the clothesline is really too high up for her. She would have to climb up onto an unsteady lawn chair to clip the little buggers into place. At the very worst, she might topple off the side of the deck and hurt herself. At the very least, she would take FOREVER to clip each and every pin to the sheets. Hmmmm.

Compromise? I handed her a small basket, and with her, went around the house collecting baby dolls. We stripped the shocked dollies of their clothes and bedding and tossed the garments into the laundry bin. I even threw in some of Avie's facecloths and socks for variety's sake.

We then strung up a cord between two patio chair legs. I filled up B's water table with warm soapy water and a scrub brush. Finally, I handed her a bowl full of clothespins and she went to town.

She washed all of the lovely ladies' clothes (''Baby peed on this dress and Other Baby spilled ketchup on her skirt'' she explained as she scrubbed at the stains) and then hung 'em up to dry in the sunshine, just like Mommy was doing.

She played 'laundry' for an hour. I, on the other hand, finished hanging the sheets within five minutes. I then grabbed my Kindle and spent a lovely 55 minutes in the shade with Avie, pretending to read. But, I barely glanced at the words. I couldn't help watching my two-year-old little mommy 'at work,' my heart swelling with pride and joy. She gets it. And, I am so lucky to have gotten her. Love you, B.