What Happens If You Do Dishes Every Day For Two Weeks?

Oh, wait…You wanted an answer?

Uh…well…I don’t actually know.

To my recollection, in 14 years of marriage I have never done my dishes every night for two weeks straight. I can’t believe I admitted that to the whole wide interwebs!!  Aaaahhhh!

“Reasons” I Don’t Do My Dishes Every Day:

I forget.

Half the time it doesn’t even cross my mind (see above…and below).

Even when it does, I don’t care that much.

I want to enjoy family time after dinner and not be stuck in the kitchen.

I can always do them tomorrow. 

No one in my house cares if I do them. Really. No one. 

If there are still enough dishes for breakfast they can wait. Nothing bad will happen. 

I’m probably on some project or research topic and I’m having fun with it. Or I am reading a *fantastic* book, and that’s fun. Dishes aren’t fun. I want to go back to having fun. 

I’m tired. 

Dishes are gross. 

I have big ideas about being a better homemaker, but I lack habits around those ideas, and I make (the above) excuses for myself.

Why I Want to Do My Dishes Every Day:

All the above excuses are so flipping stupid since my whole day goes better when I flipping do the flipping dishes!!!

Right?!?   

I actually want to cook when the dishes are done. 

I can sit down at my table and eat a meal without the underlying angst of dishes festering behind me in my sink.

I eat more wholesome meals when my dishes are done.  Who wants to move piles of dirty dishes to slice up a nice salad, prep a multi-step recipe, or roll out biscuit dough? Not me. It just makes a bigger mess.

Ever have to pour out that pan you filled with water to “soak” two days ago? Was it a delightful experience? Henceforth, I’d prefer to not generate a cause to participate in this foul deed of darkness.

Walking in to the kitchen in the morning with my dishes done and my sink empty feels better.

Sitting down with a cup of tea (ok, wine) in the evening with my dishes done feels better.

Um, how bout when a stop-byer knocks on the door huh?!! Stop-byers are panic-inducing for the Remedial Homemaker! Text me people, ok?! Having the dishes done helps. There’s bound to be other stuff strewn about. At least the clean sink is proof I do *actual things* around here.  

Doing my dishes each evening sets a better example for my children of beauty, order, harmony, and discipline. It’s not fun to say or think, but it’s true. 

Lastly, scrubbing those last few large dishes by hand, in warm soapy water, makes me think of my grandmother Charlotte, who is now home in heaven, and my own beautiful mother, and I want my daughters to think of me when they wash their dishes someday too. 

I want them to remember a mama who cooked, and let you taste the sauce, and then put the chaos all back to order. 

I want them to remember a mama who was calm about her tasks, not frazzled, who invited you to knead the bread or slice the carrots.

I want them to remember a mama who served, and while serving, enjoyed her family. This you guys. This.

When the kitchen is a mess, I’m not that mom as much as I’d like to be. 

Life is just a little bit better when the dishes are done. It’s as simple as that.

The Challenge:

In an attempt to ditch the excuses and finally find out what happens when I do my dishes every day, I am committing to load the dishwasher, run it every night, and unload or delegate unloading it every morning. Also, I will hand wash anything that won’t fit. I might even dry things and put them away if I’m feeling frisky. 

I will also tell you about what occurs as a result of my little experiment here on the blog, and over at The Remedial Homemaker Community page on Facebook.

Wanna wash the dishes for two weeks with me? C’mon, you know you do. Let’s try it and see what happens.

May your aprons and bibles both be well-worn, 

The Remedial Homemaker