Life in Chicago Reviews

Airing My Dirty Laundry

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I have a confession to make.

I'm really, really bad at laundry. I know, I know, unless you're a 20 year old college kid, how can you really be bad at laundry?

I don't know the answer to that question. I just know that I'm bad at it. I think the main problem is that I don't do it. And then suddenly I have nothing to wear and the baskets are overflowing and I'm overloading the washer and it's all a bit of a disaster.

And then the problem gets worse because I finally do a few loads and then they sit. In baskets. Around the house. For days. Like this.

And instead of putting it away, I just kind of rifle through the basket every morning looking for what I need and leaving everything else to become even more intimately acquainted with its wrinkles. Sometimes I even ADD to the laundry basket. Like if I take a shirt out of the closet and then decide I want to wear a different shirt, instead of hanging the first shirt back up, I'll just toss it in the basket of clean laundry.

Sigh. I can't believe I'm admitting this on the Internet.

Anyway, about a year ago we hired a wonderful nanny who started doing our laundry for us. We didn't ask her to, but she just started doing it anyway. And she wouldn't just do the laundry, but she would fold it and put it away. So, for a whole year I haven't had to deal with these baskets sitting all over the house. In fact, for a whole year I haven't even done any laundry. It's been marvelous.

Unfortunately, due to Greg's recent unemployment status, we've had to let our nanny go. Besides this being sad in a million horrible ways because we love her dearly, it also means that, yes, I have to start doing laundry again.

So, tell me Internet, I need your help! Tell me how to organize my laundry! Seriously!

Also, check out how other BlogHer bloggers are handling their laundry.

It's That Time of Year

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The heat spell in Chicago has finally broken and lately the start of each day has been cool and crisp. Most mornings I take my cup of coffee and sit out on the deck with Veronica. We point out airplanes and listen to dogs barking down the street and to ducks quacking on the river. And just this morning I got that old familiar shiver, that slight nip in the air that signifies the end of summer and the approach of fall. 

It also signifies something else: change and a time of recommitment. For me this time is at once about something new, yet also about a return to the focus of my life. It's about re-energizing my routines and making fresh commitments to what really matters to me.

I know that so much of this is ingrained in me from the years and years I spent in school. The close of summer meant a departure from endless, frivolous days and a renewed sense of excitement for the months ahead when I would once again focus on tasks and homework and friends and old, familiar schedules.

Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach, A Lot Bigger

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Have you ever attempted a diet craze so ridiculous that you can form an instant bond with anyone else who's ever done it? Kind of like war buddies, but the dieting kind?

The other night at a party I spent a good 20 minutes swapping horror stories with a guy about The Master Cleanse, otherwise known as the cayenne-pepper-lemonade-diet. It's always amusing to meet someone else who has subjected themselves to this fad, and reminiscing about it gave us both a good laugh.  

I first heard about The Cleanse when I was living in Los Angeles (of course this story takes place in LA, right?) and the setting was again, a party. That night I offered a friend a drink and he turned me down, explaining that he was currently doing The Master Cleanse, and held up a thermos of what looked like rust-colored water. He explained that the cleanse consists of a set amount of days (anywhere from 3 to 20, depending on your stamina) wherein you subsist solely on a mixture made of water, lemon juice, B grade maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

I think I actually laughed in his face at this point, and spilled the drink I was holding.

"Why on earth would you want to do that?" I asked incredulously.

Kitchen Makeover!

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Oh, let me count the things that have slid by the wayside in the year since I have become a mother: regular pedicures, stylish hairdos, sleep, mopping the floor, exercising, oh, and keeping the house organized, in particular the kitchen. It's almost impossible to find time to make nutritious dinners for the three of us, let alone devote time later to cleaning up my mess. When I do have that rare free second all I want to do is relax.

Lately though it's gotten to the point where I can no longer deny that something MUST be done. One area that's really taken a hit is our pantry. It was once a really neat, walk-in pantry. It is now a disaster. Take a look for yourself.