On the Laundry Line

A few things for this first entry... first, I'll acknowledge that I have tried to blog before, and blogging always tends to fall by the wayside. However, as a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) or rather, a SAHM to be (my due date is tomorrow) little bits of order and ritual have become important to me. I haven't quite gotten to the point where, for example, I have a specific Laundry Day, but that's fairly impossible as The Husband keeps ruining his work pants and is down to two pair which need to be washed on alternate days. However I do have my little morning ritual of getting up, fixing myself a bowl of cereal, and sitting down at the computer to read emails, check Facebook, and, yes, read perezhilton.com's blog, my guilty little pleasure. So perhaps blogging will fit in my morning block of 'me-time' and become a regular thing.
Secondly, the name of the blog. The laundry line is a ridiculous little thing that to me, in a way, symbolizes how my life has changed in the last year, as I got married and then, surprise! got pregnant! (The Husband had been told years and years ago he would never have kids, and felt that he had proved that fairly thoroughly to himself. I have a SuperUterus.)
Previously, I never hung any laundry to dry. My theory was, if it wasn't tough enough to handle the dryer, I didn't want to wear it anyways. On occasion I would hang sheets to dry, but that was more for That Smell - you know what I'm talking about, the Fresh Off the Line Sheets smell you relish for the first time every spring. Due to my Theory of Laundry, I (and The Husband) lost a few good clothes along the way. No big deal, though, as neither of us ever really spent much on clothes anyways. I believe in dressing well, but I have always been a discount sort of person.
Now, if you've ever been pregnant, you'll know what happens to your clothes. Aside from the fact that your supply of clothing doesn't fit anymore, the clothes you buy to replace them suddenly cost an arm and a leg. Perhaps the prices are so high because the retailers have the best intentions, teaching you how to budget like mad as your finances suddenly take a nosedive with a new baby. Regardless, your clothes are expensive, and most of them are at least somewhat stretchy. None of them are supposed to go in the dryer.
The two most ridiculously expensive Plain Old Regular Tshirts in Basic Colours hit the dryer. They both came out pretty much fine, except thier necklines were warped beyond belief. From here, my life slowly changed. To cut this long entry shorter, I gradually came to realize how great it was to put clothes on the laundry line. Although I didn't have the instant satisfaction of dry clothes up to an hour after putting them in the dryer, suddenly I found that new clothes were no longer hitting the dryer once and coming out warped, or shorter, or longer, or tighter, or baggier. No, they came out the Exact Same Size that they came in. And decals and logos and whatnot on tshirts no longer crinkle and warp. The longevity of our clothes has been increased tenfold, and the need to buy new ones to replace faded or poorly-fitting ones has vanished. (Now I just need to buy The Husband new work pants every other week to replace the ones he's shredded)
I don't know if that story really makes any sense in relevance to symbolizing how my life has changed to anyone but me. Perhaps other first-time moms will get it while nobody else does. It sort of has to do with a sudden sense of pride for chores well-done that I used to do only because I really, really, really had no other choice (ie down to Laundry Day Underwear, or out of counterspace because of the pile of dirty dishes.) I have always hated doing housework, and while I don't necessarily relish it now, I do it regularly and I take pride in doing it well. My chest puffs up over an empty laundry bin or a sparkly-clean kitchen or bathroom. And I know full well if you had told me I would say this a year ago, I would have laughed in your face. (Not to mention I would have informed you I Do Not Do Dishes, and The Husband and I have an agreement that as long as he does dishes I will singlehandedly do every other chore in the house despite the fact that we both work fulltime, because I Do Not Do Dishes.)

I hope my entries won't always be this long-winded. I also hope I don't always go on about how great my laundry is. Because I do still think that's really lame. My iPod shuffle is still way cooler than my washer and dryer (and laundry line)