During the holidays, to-do lists and household tasks seem to really pile up, and so does the laundry.
So when lifestyle and motherhood blogger Jessie Roberts found herself facing a mountain of dirty clothing last Christmas — days before leaving for her family's holiday travels — the mom of three got creative.
"My husband left for work and said, 'You need to get through all the washing before we head down the coast tonight,'" Roberts told TODAY Parents. "Being a smart ass, I turned it into a Christmas tree."
Roberts says her husband, Val, who works as a dentist, laughed when he first saw the tree, but then offered to help.
"He said, 'Are you leaving it, or do you want me to help you pack it away?'" said Roberts. "I said, 'Nope,' then I left it like that for nearly two weeks."
Roberts posted a photo of the laundry tree on Instagram last year, but a few weeks ago she shared it again, causing the festive pile of folded clothes to go viral.
"I think it resonated with so many moms and dads because we all have that pile of clothes somewhere in our homes — dirty or clean — it's if we choose to show it or not," said Roberts, who also co-hosts a parenting podcast called Stepford Wives. "When house duties get to be too much, it's better to make light of it than to throw the towel in."
Roberts keeps busy with her kids, River, 7, Scarlett, 5, and Jagger, 3, and says her viral Christmas tree idea may be funny, but she also hopes it makes an important point.
"It's a good reminder that it's OK to not be on top of your household chores," she said. "And some days, we just can't be bothered with adulting."
