There was a day not long ago when I was precise about removing the clothes from the dryer as soon as the cycle finished. Prior to folding, I would immediately shake out all shirts and lay them flat so everything would stay wrinkle free. Each item would be neatly folded and carefully placed - usually in color coded sequence - in the closet. Ahhh how those days are long over ... Enter IVAN (motherhood). Laundry these days usually sits for 12-24 hours in the basket after leaving the dryer. It is still neatly folded, however, once it hits the drawers it is usually re-arranged by a busy 13 month old. Bras end up in the sock drawer, socks behind the mirror, my husbands neatly color coded underwear and sock drawer look like the dryer spit them straight into his drawer.

Motherhood changes oh so many things ... it's the things like the impact on a simple load of laundry that surprise me most! I often joke that I didn't read the fine print on this mommy thing! Quite an extraordinary adventure we are on, Mother & Son. Everything appears to be the same, BUT it is not! The degree of difficulty to do the smallest chores, like a load of laundry, have created another set of challenges. At my baby shower, guests were asked to write advice for a new mother (me) on a note card ... I think back to the advice written and the advice I can now share. Close to the top of the list I hope to pass along: white vinegar added to the wash cycle will remove the moldy smell created by towels that have been damp too long, or that load of laundry you washed and forgot about!