Thoughts while watching the washing machine ( part 2)

My new, used previously broken-thats why they got rid of it- washing machine is dying. At this point I am advancing it through the cycle. I also watch it carefully to make sure that it doesn't fill and then fill again-to an overflowing point. This has given me adequate time in the basement to do things I never do. Like, organize the food storage. Dust the cobwebs. Go through moving boxes. Exercise on the Elyptical machine. And some other time to just sit and think. Like yesterday, for example when I was sorting socks. I wondered to my self how some people seem to be naturally good at Laundry. Take my mom for example. I never remember having to wear a stain on my shirt or pants, when I was growing up. As I look at my boys clothes, very few of them are without stains. In fact today I just found a stain on one of Seths school shirts, and I have absolutely no idea how to get it out. This is not to say that I don't have adeqaute weapons for stains ie. Shout, bleach pens, Oxyclean, etc. It is just that they never seem to work for me. I also don't have the presence of mind to check for the stains until I am folding the clothes. Then when I was done pondering all of this I realized I had sorted and folded about 40 pairs of kids socks, and they all came from one load of whites. What have my kids been wearing I wondered, if all their socks have been in the laundry. I also wondered if other mothers ever get as far behind as I seem to. And, if they don't how do they keep up?
This was at about the point that I thought I should go check the clock and see if it was time for Seth to come home. I wadled up the stairs, remember I had been doing elyptical, it might have been more of a crawl :) I checked the clock and oddly enough he was about 10 minutes late. I ran around the house just to make sure I hadn't missed his coming in the door. I hadn't so I got my shoes and coat on, and went outside to see if I could find him. At this point he was coming up the steps with a big grin on his face. I asked him where he had been. He told me he had decided to take a different bus home. He wanted to ride with his friend Mike home. This required him to get on a bus without any one noticing, get off with his friend, walk one block west. Turn north, to walk up a 45 mile per hour highway, with no side walks- and no clear line of where the edge of the road is, due to the snow, use the button on the traffic light post to cross five lanes, heading west, and then another 100 yards home. This is my five year old. I don't even let him cross the streat to get the mail, because his attention span is to short to remember to look both ways to cross the street. So needless to say I panicked a little. I asked him how he got home. He said "No big deal mom" I just pushed the buttons and the cars stopped for me. He was really proud of himself. I told him I was glad that he made it home, but from now on he absolutely had to ride the right bus. He promised. This morning when I was making breakfast Seth said, I guess I was a little scared when I almost got ran over by that car. My stomache dropped! I asked for more details. He explained that he tried to cross the "big fast road" without the stop lights or cross walk, but a car honked at him and he hurried and ran into the snow drift. Then he decided he should walk down to the light and push the button. Needless to say, I thanked Heavenly Father for protecting my son, when I didn't even know he needed it. I could just imagine Heavenly Father sitting up in Heaven looking down at Seth shaking his head, and laughing as he sent down an angel to whisper to Seth about how to get home and the safest way to go. It reminded me that I am not in this alone!