Last week I got mad! Mad at my dishwasher. I decided I'm sick and tired of pulling a mug off the shelf and finding it speckled with food particles. This is a direct result of:
Not rinsing off the plates before putting them in the dishwasher
A lousy dishwasher
Not checking the dishes before putting them away
I decided to fix this problem with one fell swoop - No more dishwasher. Stuart even taped up the door so no one could put anything in there for me.. a trial run before we remove the beast from the kitchen.
So, after every meal now, I or one of the boys, washes all the dishes by hand, and makes the kitchen sparkle. One person washes, one person puts the clean dishes away, and another does the peripheral tidy-up, things like mopping the floor or putting condiments away.
The HUGE result is my kitchen is almost always spotless, except for when we're cooking! I've never had this result before. When we had a dishwasher, people would pile their dishes on the counter until I yelled to get the counters clear for making a meal, that meant the whole day the dishes were piling up - visually unpleasant (I don't know why they didn't just put them in the dishwasher when they brought it to the counter?!?)
Anyhow, I hope this keeps going. I was blessed with the gift of the dishwasher when I was pregnant with Janney. The wife of one of Stuart's colleagues couldn't believe I was doing dishes by hand at such a state of pregnancy. She had an unused dishwasher in her garage, and insisted I take it. It's the kind you have to move, plug into the tap, and then move away when it's finished.. such a pain.. and at this stage of pregnancy, I can't move it, so it was always a boys' job.
Here I am, 2 pregnancies later - 4 years later - and I'm going back to my old ways. It's good for me and te whole family.
To the washing dishes by hand club. Be sure you give those big boys their turn otherwise you'll be doing a lot. BTDT. But you are right. When the dishes are done and put away...Wow!
With our new "kid" staying at our house, I'm getting more help with dishes. So great!
Apr. 14, 2008 - So glad there are still others out there!
Posted by freida
We've always handwashed. My mother never ever used her dishwasher and finally threw it out when she remodeled her kitchen. I just don't like it. But all my friends keep telling me how much time it saves and how much of a life saver it is, especially for a large family. I was beginning to think that no one still hand washes anymore. My kiddos and I take turns. I used to do it all by myself. That was a huge chore. Now that the boys help, it's much more manageable. It just never made sense to me that you needed to spend the time and water rinsing the dishes and then putting it in the dishwasher, why not just go a step beyond the rinsing and clean it? Not every modern machine is necessary or good. What I don't get is those families whose children have left and the couple still uses the dishwasher. I know someone who turns on the dishwasher after just one meal for the 2 of them! That makes no sense to me to waste the water and energy when hand washing would only take a few minutes. Maybe people have forgotten how to wash?
When my husband isn't traveling he empties the dishwasher while his toast is toasting... and our counters stay pretty neat.
When he leaves, Marissa and I get clean dishes from the dishwasher, used dishes get piled on the counter and my kitchen is a mess until I get annoyed by the clutter and start fussing. My husband's way is much smarter. I don't know why Marissa and I can't keep it up on our own ~
Header Banner photo - My ornamental crab apple tree in fresh bloom, in the middle of my circular driveway.~~~~
I am Sombra, and these are the stories from our house. We're a Messianic family where academics often take a back seat to the work and adventure of life.
Posted by freida 
Posted by 
Apr. 13, 2008 - Welcome back!
With our new "kid" staying at our house, I'm getting more help with dishes. So great!