I am getting tired of washing dishes.

I eventually learned to wash as I go. It's a very very difficult lesson to learn, but when you walk into your kitchen and there not only are no dirty dishes soaking in the sink, or cluttering up the counters, or hanging out in the drainer waiting to be shelved, it's a great feeling. And somehow it's no real trouble to wash a single pan and a cup, bowl, and spoon, or a plate and fork and possibly a knife. It helps, I think, that I don't stockpile dirty dishes in a dishwasher.

I don't know who to credit with the lesson, but it's like paper--once you pick it up, you either trash it immediately, read it and trash it, glance at it and put it in the 'deal today-tomorrow' folder, or file it. You only touch it once, well except for doing the dealing-with if it needs it.

So meals go, prep, wash cutting boards, graters, knives, spoons, bowls while food cooks. Clear drainer and put prep tools away. Wash pans and wipe down stove and counters while you call people and wait for them to arrive to the table. Eat, clear drainer and put pans away and wash dishes immediately. Clear out drainer and put dishes away before bed.

Yeah, I want to leave everything and go to bed, but I know dirty dishes and sticky counters multiply, given the slightest opening. So, a few minutes' routine, and it's always done.

It only took me thirty-odd years to get there.

Yeah. Dad taught us to clean as we cook, and it's a good lesson. I spent the holidays with my second family. I love them, but there were several times when there was NO clean surface in the kitchen. There were dirty dishes and pots everywhere (including the stove).

No one but me seemed to be bothered by this. About drove me crazy.

I can't clean as I cook. I just can't. But I did just do all the dinner dishes after making dinner for my mom! So that was a good conversation to come into. I am much more likely to leave them for days. And, in fact, the "dinner" dishes included some from yesterday.

I clean as I cook all the time, but the actual meal dishes, no energy left.

I'm washing everything in my kitchen (including all the shelves and drawers) because of the mice, so clean-as-you-go does not really apply to my situation. There's just a lot that needs to be washed, it does not really seem like I will ever be done. And I'm very tired of it. In fact, I think I'm done for the day, other than emptying and refilling the dishwasher a couple more times, maybe.

It would, of course, be easier if I could stop eating for a while. But I don't see that option going well.

I wash as I go as I don't have room to do anything but.

Chlorine was high in the pool. I'm gonna be blowing my nose and sneezing all night. Upside, I finally got my times back down to pre-holiday rates. On the two mile, even.

When we were just staying with my aunt and uncle, we used paper plates for every meal at home, which seemed smart.

-t, I had to do that when my floors were refinished (the workers were supposed to seal off the cabinets with plastic and tape but didn't). That is no fun.

Having cats who eat wet food got me in the habit of keeping up with daily dishes. Paper I'm not so good with.

Oh, PS: I did the potatoes in a skillet instead of the oven, and they were fab.