Hi

 

I really don’t believe everything has to be ironed and try to stick to my 30 minute limit a week for what I think needs ironing.  Nevertheless there are times when the pile gets too much and in order to catch up with things, I make the decision that I’m not doing any of it and put it all away.  The creases have more chance of falling out when the item is hanging up anyway. 

 

Due to the last few weeks being so busy with Christmas, studying, work etc, the piles of clothes that needed putting away and the pile of ironing in the spare room had been less of a priority in my eyes.  It hadn’t got completely out of control as there was some sort of organised mess going; the piles at least meant something to me. 

 

Just before putting the girls to bed today, I announced that we were going to put all of their clothes away without ironing them.  I wasn’t sure of their reaction about helping as they are seldom as enthusiastic as me about putting things away.  However, I must have picked a good moment because after promising an extra story and couple of stickers at bedtime, my eldest started throwing all sorts of coathangers out of her wardrobe and the youngest copied.  Getting them to sort different types and colours of coathangers into piles seemed to spark their interest – it sometimes doesn’t take much.  Then we made up different names for the coathangers which made them laugh.

 

Within no time at all, I had them sorting and hanging.  We really had a good little system going and they actually seemed to be enjoying it.  I was so proud of them and made sure I gave them lots of praise.  It did get slightly tense when one of them tried to hang the other’s tops up and my eldest expressed quite loudly that she wanted to do it herself.  A quick diversion to get the youngest to brush her teeth before storytime seemed to help.

 

This did delay bedtime slightly and with only one clear day left before they go back to nursery and school, I really didn’t want them to have a late night.  However we were all happily reading stories by 8pm (not too late).  We actually took turns in reading (or in their case making up) one story each.  It was absolutely lovely.  Precious moments like these will stay with me forever and tomorrow there is no ironing to do apart from school uniform items!  That means more time with the family.

 

Until next time………..

 

Sandra