The stuff you do for your favorite band kid...

I volunteered to clean the ice rags for marching band practice last night.  The ice rags help the sweaty kids cool off so they don't pass out at practice - it's a good thing.  It involves picking up the rags, washing them, then returning them to school.  Not rocket science, but time consuming.  My washer got a real workout yesterday with the regular laundry during the day, and rags at night.

The lady that coordinates it all calls herself the Ice Rag Nazi and offered to give a demo the first day of band camp.  I'm not even kidding.  Here's the info from the sign-up page:

- if you signed up to do the ice rags on a Tuesday you need to come on Monday to get the rags (if you come @ lunch the rags are in the parking lot where the band is playing / if you come later in the day they get moved to the band hall).  Take them home and wash them all - there should be 3 igloo coolers of them).  Then return on Tuesday and do the following:

- take the rags to the band hall to the room where the ice machine is located (if you don't know where this room is ask or snoop around)

- get a pitcher of water and fill it up  (you will need to do this multiple times)

- spread about 10 rags on the bottom of the ice chest 

- pour water and ice on these rags

- throw another 10 rags (spread evenly) on top of the first ice rags and repeat the water and ice and rags (which is why I grouped them in tens)

Do this until you fill up all 3 coolers with ice cold rags.

The most important thing, I have been told, is to make sure all of the ice rags get good and wet.

(so...why would you dry them the night before?  Just curious.)

Consequently, if you are signed up for Monday you must come pick up the rags on Friday.

 So....I washed all of the rags with a little bleach ('cause YUCK), then spun them well, then grouped them in tens in the coolers.  It makes no sense to dry them in the dryer to turn around and wet them down tomorrow, but when I called the lady to make sure we were still doing ice rags tomorrow, that was her suggestion...

I also cleaned out the inside of the coolers, because, again, YUCK.  

I'm no genius, but I can read and have enough common sense to be able to figure this one out.  Does it ever seem to you that there are those certain moms who try to make the rest of us look like we don't know what's up and they are the only ones on the ball?  Because in the 24 plus years I've been a mom and been involved in various volunteer opportunities, it's always these "gate keepers" that seem to scare away  moms who just want to help out.  That's a shame.  

'Cause ice rags are a nifty thing on your neck when it's blazing hot at practice...