This goes along with my post from last week. Actually, I took the pictures on the same night.
See . . . in my mind there’s doing the dishes.
And then there’s doing the big dishes.
For some reason, they’re two separate things.
Even though they’re not.
Because even if I “do the dishes” but I leave the colander and the baking sheet and the pasta pot in the sink . . .
Then I’m the only person who actually realizes that the dishes have been done.
Which means they’re really not done.
So, the other night when I was soooo tired but talked myself into doing the dishes anyway, I had to give myself another talkin-to about going all the way and filling the sink with soapy water and washing the big stuff too.
And of course, it took ever-so-much LESS time than I expected it would, and I felt ever-so-much better when it was done.
I know all about the importance of doing the dishes. All of them. I even wrote a book about it.
But I still have to recognize all my rationales as excuses sometimes.
Oh yes… i have this problem. I think I’ll just do the dishes and let the big stuff ‘SOAK’. yeah, right!
the kitchen looks so much nicer when they’re all done.
You know… doing the dishes is the worst chore ever.
don’t like doing it.
So glad you posted this one, because well, at least now I know I’m not alone!
Pat
You did it again – I’ve said it before – how in the world do you get inside my head?! This post is really about me, right? And you are trying to subtly remind me I need to do the big pots tonight?
I read your book. I did my big pots last night. Thanks for the reminder!
You are so right! For me the list also includes the “good knives” that aren’t supposed to go in the dishwasher. I’m so glad I found your blog, and I’m loving the daily excuse posts. Boy can I relate!
I so get what you are the saying. There are the dishwasher dishes and handwash dishes and they are 2 entirely different things (at least in my head). I hate handwash dishes and try not to buy anything that doesn’t go in the dishwasher. But of course not everything fits in there!!! UGH!!! I have actually been better about handwash dishes. I try to wash them as soon as they are used and they are MUCH easier to wash!!! But my problem is… I HATE drying dishes!!! So I either put them in my oven to hide till they are dry OR on top of the stove!!! Then I leave them their till I need to use the oven or stove! It is a vicious cycle! Ugggghhhhh! But somehow it is comforting in knowing I am not alone!! lol
Know thyself. I thought I knew myself until you posted this and I realiszed I do the same thing without thinking about it. I read your book and now I’ll go do the dishes. I HATE dishes. Growing up it was the worst chore. Your posts are just the encouragement I need to go do the dishes.
Momuv3princesses I do this exact thing. Glad to know that I’m not alone.
you needed to post a “Spoiler Alert” at the top of this post…. since I have never gotten past day three…. I mean I have never had all the dishes done THREE days in a row…. and yes, If it had a dishwasher, I would leave the “non-dish’washer” stuff for another day, LOL
I have family members that do this. Their offer to do the dishes really means, “I’ll rinse the plates and silverware and stick them in the dishwasher for you”. Still helpful, though! The glasses/pots/pans /counters-they’re all mine.
I have so totally done this! LOL
I posted this accidentally on the previous days post, where it made no sense, so I posting it here. Oops.
Excuse #752 It’s ALL NONY”S FAULT
If it weren’t for Nony I wouldn’t have been hand washing cereal bowls this morning.
If she hadn’t been so funny I never would have read her blog instead of working on my kids arts supplies.
If she hadn’t been so real, and so like me I wouldn’t have gotten hooked on the blog and read it straight through from the first post.
If I hadn’t found the blog so helpful, I wouldn’t have bought the ebook.
If I hadn’t found the ebook so great, I never would have gotten into the habit of doing the dishes every day.
If the ebook hadn’t been so clear about falling off the horse, and getting back on, I would have given up after the first couple of failures.
If the habit hadn’t worked so well, and made me feel so successful, and the Master Bedroom saga so timely. I don’t know if I could have gotten my house really truly clean from top to bottom for the this weekends’ house guests.
Since we had the house guests, we went out to two meals the weekend, which meant I didn’t have a full load to run the dishwasher last night.
If I had never gotten into the habit of doing the dishwasher every night, my kids (who are at the age where you favorite color is the most important thing in the world) WOULD NEVER have expected to get to use their favorite color bowls EVERY MORNING.
So if I didn’t have a really clean house, and a clean but unfull dishwasher this morning, I would never have found myself hand washing their favorite bowls.
SO YOU SEE IT’S REALLY ALL YOUR FAULT, NONY!
P.S. Just so you know I’m not completely reformed my reaction to today’s post was “They are separate things. . . Okay, they’re not, but I’m hanging onto this one for a little longer.”
At least you have a dishwasher! I told myself when we moved, I was only moving to a place with a dishwasher. Well we’re in our new place now. Still no dishwasher. Oh well.
Without a dishwasher, these two things aren’t all that separate. You just keep handwashing until the counter is cleared.
BTW, do you have a dishwasher now, five years later? I used to have 3 dishwashers, but they grew up and moved out. 😉
What’s bad is that now my girls do it too!!! AAgh! I’m rubbing off on them. I have to specify “clean the kitchen” NOT “Do the dinner dishes” because the latter just means load the dishwasher, & even they know it! Don’t you wish they got all our great qualities and were able to miraculously ignore all our bad ones? Just like we do! LOL