Laundry Gnomes

Military Dad (MD), recently published a post about something called Laundry Gnomes and I felt the need to share a conversation we had this evening.

First let me begin by explaining Laundry Gnomes, for those who aren't aware of them, or haven't read Military Dad's blog.

Laundry Gnomes are..........................................me (or, in your house, whoever does the last third of the laundry). Confused? So was I.

MD and I are very good about working together on chores around the house. It's much easier to see the things that need to get done and do them, rather then spend days fighting about it and hurting each other's feelings. We went through that phase too, we didn't start out perfect.

The one thing that we both hate and will usually set aside until forgotten: putting away the clothes. We don't mind washing/drying the clothes. We don't even mind folding them, then organizing them into neat little piles for us, Little Dude and Princess. Then we separate the little piles and tell the kids to go put away their clothes. Princess normally puts hers away the day laundry is done. Little Dude still needs a little help, but he gets his clothes in the general area of his closet.

Our pile is where it gets awful. The process of putting them away into drawers or hanging the clothes on hangers is debilitating to us. In the past, we would get our clean clothes out of the laundry basket to wear, because they'd been in there for a few days. Then it got worse! We would actually have to empty out the laundry basket in order to bring up the new clean clothes.

At this point, I usually sigh loudly and in his general direction, then put them away. Sometimes I would have to put them away while he was at work. He would come home to an empty laundry basket and joke about how the Laundry Gnomes struck again and put away all of our clothes. I would growl and he would chuckle.

The Laundry Gnomes went on strike in the new house, not for any specific reason, they just quit working. Personally, I think our closet is the cause. It's just one of those closets that screams: "I like being messy!"


Finally, moving on to the conversation:

Earlier today: 
Me: Hey, can you speak to the Laundry Gnomes and ask them to bring the laundry basket upstairs?
MD: Uh, sure I can always ask.

Later tonight:
I'm walking up the stairs, noticing he is playing PS3. At this moment, I know that the laundry basket is in the deep innermost recesses of his mind, soon to be, or already forgotten.

Me: I spoke with the Laundry Gnomes earlier and they would like it if you would bring the laundry basket upstairs for them.
MD: You spoke to them? I'm sure you don't even know their names!
Me: Yes, I do. Tutti and Frutti (maybe I was craving pancakes, I'm not sure where it came from)
MD: That's insulting! They aren't sprites!
Me: I'll be sure to tell them that you think their names are sprite-like. Tutti is his real name, however the other gnome changed his to Frutti recently. He seems to be going through a sexual identity crisis right now and decided his name should rhyme Tutti's. Tutti isn't very comfortable with this, though.
MD: blank stare....
MD: Wow, well they need to carry the basket up the stairs either way.
Me: Give them a break! They are only gnomes, they're little and we don't want them to get hurt!

Well, MD is still playing PS3 and I'm writing a post. Hopefully the basket makes it up the stairs, the Laundry Gnomes have an important meeting with the Hanger Fairy Union tomorrow, in order to figure out why our hangers keep mysteriously disappearing.