Monday, March 14, 2011

Battle of the Sheets

I hate changing bed sheets.

While in college I worked with mentally handicapped adults. They were individuals who were able to live on their own or with roommates but sometimes needed additional help with everyday life type of things.

There was one guy, who I will call Ben, that I worked with who was truly my favorite. Unfortunately Ben would sometimes have accidents at night. It was the morning staffs job to strip his bed of the wet sheets and blankets and start them in the wash and then when I came in in the afternoon I would have to help him remake his bed.

Since he did have these occasional accidents he had several of those mattress pads that helps ensure everything does not make it down to the mattress. These mattress pads were not created equal. Oh sure, the both helped keep the mattress dry but one was my nemesis. For you see one of these mattress pads had such a tight fit that it became a circus act trying to get it on.

"Hold down that corner" I would instruct as I would climb across the bed (Ben had a queen sized bed) trying to stretch the pad to the other corner. I would yank and pull and tug and finally get it around the corner. "Okay keep holding" I would instruct while hurrying to other other corner. Half of the time he would let go getting distracted by something in his room and the other half the corner I had just completed would just pop up mocking me on its way. Sometimes this battle would last for ten minutes my frustration growing with each minute, but Ben well his laughter would grow with each minute. Ben had this great big belly laugh that shook his whole body, his eyes would light up and twinkle and every time the corner would pop he would laugh and laugh.

Eventually and somehow I would get all four corners down and quickly finish making his bed. The other mattress pad would go on with ease, it was just the one.

So this morning as I changed Ryder's sheet (as his diaper-which I literally told someone just yesterday worked great-leaked) I realized I had that one sheet. The one that mocks me and pops up off each corner. But Ryder just has a crib so it should be much easier. But no, because then there are the bumper pads to contend with and the the crib bar digging into my stomach as I try and bend over to get the sheet on....

Did I tell you I hate changing bed sheets?

20 comments:

  1. Haha! I feel for you though as I have had a pee out child for the last five years!

    However he has had SEVEN dry nights in a row!!!! The longest stretch ever!

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  2. I too hate to change sheets especially when the bed is in a corner, or the top bunk of a bunk bed. Fights with ceiling fans will earn you a trip to the er and in my case staples in my head. I have found it is easier to take the crib matteress out of the crib to change the sheets.

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  3. I hate changing sheets too. Especially crib sheets. I went out and bought a bunch of jersey knit crib sheets. They are so much easier to deal with!!

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  4. Changing sheets on a bunkbed is ick too!

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  5. As I changed two sets this morning myself, I can firmly say I'm in agreement with your sentiments here!

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  6. Those tricky bed sheets! I can just see you fighting those corners to get the bed made...No wonder the jolly old man laughed!

    Hopefully the crib won't give you so much trouble, at least it's smaller!

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  7. Changing the sheets on a crib is the probably the worst. I used to lift the mattress up on end to do change them. I think you burn a considerable amount of calories changing the crib sheets.

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  8. when Jordan was little she had a bunk bed, we got rid of it BECAUSE it was so hard to change the sheets every week.

    i hate changing sheets too, BUT i looooove sliding into a bed with fresh ones.

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  9. Yep, it's not y favorite thing in the world, by any means.

    I usually pull the mattress out of the crib completely, change the sheets and then plop the mattress back in... but she doesn't have any bumpers.

    I'm with the above, I *love* sleeping in clean sheets though :)

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  10. I hate changing sheets, too. Especially a crib with bumper pads.

    When my kids were babies I would put a couple layers of sheets on with the big waterproof pads in between. Then if they had a leaky diaper I could just peel a sheet and pad off and the next one would be dry.

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  11. My bed and Laylas bed I have no issues with...Rhiannons bed is a queen and up against the wall and I have such a hard time getting that fitted sheet on there! I always wash the sheets on the weekends and make Levi do her bed lol

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  12. Seriously, are you vying for sainthood? Anyway, I hate sheets too, which is really ironic seeing as how a toddler spent the night puking on me last week, calling for some middle of the night sheet changes.

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  13. I wash the sheets and then wait till the hubs gets home, he makes it very tight and it fits snuggly for a few days.
    I hate changing sheets also.

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  14. We used to have a sheet just like that!

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  15. I hate making beds so much that when a kid pees on their sheets, I just put a towel over it. ;)

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  16. Oooh, I can't stand those no-quite-right sheets.

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  17. Ugh, changing crib sheets is the worst! I have to completely remove the mattress because I am too short to bed that far down!

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  18. Speaking of sheets...I should change mine too...I love reading about life with little people. Thanks for the great post!

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  19. What a sweet story. Ben sounds delightful. And I bet through the frustartion his laugh helped mellow it out.

    I hate changing sheets too. Not on the kids beds. That is easy. On mine. Because it is right up against the wall, I can't get one side all the way down, so each morning I have to pull the sides down again, and sometimes during the night, or we will end up sleeping on the mattress!
    I suggest buying a new sheet. One that actually fits. :)

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  20. this is EXACTLY why i told my in laws they had to sleep on top of my bed not in my bed when i had max and they were staying at our place with brennan!!! bahahahaa!!! i just didn't want to wash my sheets when i got home from the hospital and change them again. i just couldn't sleep in a bed that other people had been sleeping in. i have become kind of particular about how the bed is made b/c if it's not tightly enough cornered then the bed comes apart more during the week and doesn't make as easily. when i make the bed it always makes easier the next day, but if sean makes the bed after i wash the sheets they never stay put all week! he is getting better though b/c this week he made it and it's done pretty well. i am ashamed to say that i hated cleaning and washing and making bed sheets so much that when we were first married i only did it once a month. gross!!!

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