Warsh day

I read somewhere that the term 'blue Monday' originated with women in the days when all laundry was done by hand, either in a boiling kettle or in a tub with a washboard. Monday was traditionally laundry day, and it was backbreaking work.

Yesterday, although it was Wednesday, we tried it ourselves. It was part homeschool history experience (thanks, Julee), part Montessori toddler activity, part practical solution to the half-washed load of crud left in the washer when it gave out. I do own a washtub and washboard, bought as dog pool and noisemaker, respectively, but they also guarantee the prospect of clean laundry in case of apocalypse, which is kind of stupid now that I think about it.

The boys loved doing the work. Rocketboy scrubbed, Hurricanehead sprayed water into the tub, I wrung things out after the rinse 'cycle' and hung them to dry. We talked about the history of laundry, how people used to wash much less often because of the work involved. In the Europe of yore, some people piled up dirty bed linens and washed them once a year.

Wash 'day' took a little less than an hour, and my shoulders were only marginally sore. Rocketboy agreed that while it had been fun, we wouldn't want to have to wash everything like this. Fortunately for us, at our playdate yesterday afternoon we were introduced to a fellow homeschooler who lives nearby and offered to let us use her washer. Yet another reason I love the homeschooling community.