Summer "Fun"... Laundry

WE ARE ON A ROLL PEOPLE!!!  A little cranky?  Ummm…yup.  A little grumpy?  Oh that would most definitely be a yes!  Yet here we are at just the second week of summer and we have tackled laundry!  Thank you.

Now I will admit that I am somewhat “particular” about doing laundry so would actually prefer to do it myself. I kid you not. But we are on a mission here. For Riley’s first attempt I wanted to start with the basics so decided to go with nothing but socks and underwear.  Wash.  Dry.  Fold.  DONE!  Sorting will be up next followed by the merits of damp drying specific articles of clothing later this summer.

Only about 2/3 of R's underwear

We started by gathering R’s socks and underwear. ALL 27 pairs of underwear and umpteen pairs of socks. I am NOT kidding. Yes I counted.
9 pairs of black/dark blue; 9 pairs of grey; 9 pairs of white; Fruit of the Loom; Calvin Klein; and Jockey. Why so many???  Well it is that darn autism thing again. I am never sure what he will wear and then must introduce new ones gradually because of course I can never find the exact. same. ones. ever. again! The downside is of course I am never exactly sure which ones he wears and which ones he just throws in the laundry because he does not want them in his drawer?!? The result…27 pairs of underwear, give or take a few, at any given time.

We gather the rest of the family’s personal items and head downstairs. R carried the laundry basket all the while muttering about it being “summer time”. Remember I told him we would start chores in the “summer”. I am quite certain he will never look forward to summer again.

I demonstrate how to start the washer, add detergent and then have him put in the laundry. Just like that we are done. Even R was surprised at how easy that was. Step 1...done. Up we go.

In case you wondered, that is NOT me and Riley in the picture. That would be the winner of this year's Mother of the Year Award. What-EH-VER! 

The buzzer sounds so I call R. Time to switch things from the washer to the dryer. I open the lid and demonstrate this next step. I tell R it is his turn. He looks in the washer, gingerly puts his hand in and says with disgust
“It’s yucky!” For Riley his tactile sensitivities are on high alert. To give you some idea of what that is for R…imagine someone telling you to put your hand into a barrel with some unknown substance and that you must empty the barrel using only your bare hands. You have no idea what it is going to feel like, what is in there, or whether or not it might hurt you.

I talk him through it explaining the clothes are just a bit wet yadda yadda yadda. Oh how I wish I had recorded R’s dialogue during this step. Think grumpy, agitated, and a lot little on the loud side…“It’s yucky.  Watch me.  Come out you stupid underwear.  This is stupid.  Stupid underwear.  Watch me now.  It’s summer time.  I don’t like it.  I’m grumpy.  Get in there you stupid underwear.” Any of the previous statements are repeated over and over until he is finished loading the dryer. Step 2 of 3...finished at last! 

Thankfully the final step of folding was done with minimal grumbling. The only hitch being some of his underwear were "backwards" (aka inside out) which R managed to problem solve on his own. Yay!  Load 1...complete!

Bonus: Riley happily took his laundry upstairs and put it away. 

Double Bonus:  Figured out he does not like his Calvin's any more. Found 8 pairs in his laundry basket untouched the next morning.


How is your summer going so far???