laundry buckets

as i sit amongst the laundry pile, i wondered why am i doing this all by myself? i think everyone can help a little. the kids often do. they put up the kitchen towels and some of their stuff. i hang all their shirts, dresses & pants, but i put their shorts, pjs, underwear and socks in a dresser. they can't hang their shirts up quite right yet - we're still working on being able to reach the top rung and hanging clothes properly. however, they can reach their entire dresser. i thought, "i need a more organized way to do this."

i bought dishpans at wal-mart - i think they were under $2. i let the kids buy stickers to decorate their dishpan. of course my son bought transformer stickers and my daughter bought little pet stickers. the stickers didn't stick to the outside of the dishpan very well or on the inside for that matter. however, they stuck better on the inside of the pan, so that's where they went.


now when i fold laundry i still hang their shirts, pants, & dresses for them (okay really it's a control/organization issue more than their ability to hang clothes correctly - i need their shirts to be organized so when i'm looking for that particular shirt when we are running late it doesn't take me forever!)

when i fold the laundry, i put all their laundry inside their bucket. i call them to put up their clothes and they are to bring back an empty bucket. they are to put up their laundry in the correct drawer and be able to close the drawer when they are finished. it has helped me out a lot. the laundry spends less time on my bedroom floor and it gives the kids some responsibility.