Summer Blog Challenge Day 28 - June 28--How do you do your laundry??Give your laundry tricks.

This post was submitted by Erin @ For Him and My Family

Wow, I've really fallen off this Summer Blog Challenge wagon!  It's been a rough couple of weeks! I haven't been feeling well or sleeping well, my husband went up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to play in the woods with his man friends, and my job switched us all to 7:30 - 3:30 hours.  The time change is only an hour, but it always knocks me for a loop.  My body doesn't adjust to the difference in time and I just can't seem to make the rest of my schedule work an hour earlier!  This summer is the hardest since I've also got a little one who still wakes frequently in the night to nurse.  Thank goodness I've put away the pump though, that's one less thing to take up my time and energy!

Now on to the blog prompt!

How do I do my laundry? I throw it in the wash and wash it!

Well, that's not entirely true, I have a system that my dear husband likes to completely ignore.  Since my pregnancy that caused my skin to be super sensitive, I wash my and my baby's clothes together on delicate with a mild detergent.  It used to be Tide Free & Clear, but I've since started using Rockin Green.  I then usually wash my husband's clothes and my workout clothes together on a delicate cycle.  We throw a little of Rockin Green's Funk Rock in the pre-wash  compartment to get the smellies out.  Towels by themselves on a sanitary wash (it keeps the towels fresh and unstinky). Sheets and blankets by themselves. Rags separate and on sanitary. And finally the diapers and bathroom wipes on a special wash we programmed into the washer. Occasionally, this wash gets a quick wash as an extra pre-wash.

Now my husband often likes to throw everything together so that the rags, baby clothes, towels, other delicates are all in one wash. I wouldn't have a huge problem with all things washed on delicate mixed or towels and rags mixed, but when everything is mixed the towels and rags don't get that good sanitary scalding hot water wash. I love trying to be green, but I also want nasties KILLED on the things that I use to dry my clean body and wipe my counters with. I also don't want my clothes picking up the germs and cleaners that were on the rags. But wait, what I am complaining for? My husband actually does laundry!!! And lots of other cleaning around the house. I just wish he'd keep the rags separate from our clothes and towels. That's all. I'm sure he wishes I'd put my clothes away more often! ;-)

What about you?

I'm so over this...

I'm sitting here attached to a machine, plastic parts held up with a hands free device, the pump whirring away sounding like it's saying "le pump, le pump" over and over to my ears, and I just can't stop thinking about how OVER this I am!  I'm so tired of toting the bag, having my husband clean the supplies, being locked away for 30-60 minutes a day, not having lunch with my co-workers, and the whole deal with pumping.  It is one of the most unnatural and isolating things I've ever done and I'm ready to be done with it.  Continuing to nurse my son is very, very important to me, but as I draw closer to his birthday, my time at the pump is becoming more and more of a hated activity.  I think it's time to wean, after all, the pump has no feelings!

In the beginning I didn't love pumping, but I loved knowing that I was continuing to provide that magical food that is breast milk to my son while I was away at work.  I happily strapped myself to it and played games and caught up on Facebook on my phone while the machine thoughtlessly and coldly did it's thing.  The pump and I actually had a very successful relationship in the beginning.  I actually came home with more milk at the end of the week than at the beginning of the week.  Often 2-3 oz more!  But it quickly became a love-hate relationship as I soon discovered this abundance of milk was causing upset for my dude-y pie.  When I cut back on pumping, I started getting plugs! Oh so fun! There was no easy way for me to taper off since I only ever pumped twice while I was at work.  The best I could do was pump until I hit a certain amount between my two sessions and cut them early.  Thankfully after 6 months, my hormones calmed down and the plugs were mostly a thing of the past.

But now, with less than 2 months to my dear baby's first birthday, I'm contemplating when to throw in the towel on pumping.  Once a day is my current practice unless things seem to be dipping too much.  I know I can go a whole work day without pumping.  I often do on Fridays when I'm busy and/or don't feel like it. My freezer stash is almost gone now.  I think there are 4 bags in my mom's freezer and that's it.  I can build it back up in a heartbeat if need be.  The other thing is my dear son just isn't taking milk during the day as much.  He loves his food and lets you know when he wants food and not milk! He left at least 3 oz of the 7 oz I sent yesterday. He prefers his milk from mom when I return home, through the night, and during the weekends at nap time.  As much as I hate the pump, I am conflicted and want to make sure I'm providing properly for him.  Formula during the day just isn't an option with his sensitivity to milk products and I probably won't be introducing cow's milk after his first birthday.  What's a girl to do?!?!

Anyone else have some BTDT experience? If you did pump, when did you stop pumping while at work?