Moving into this little house has been so fun. Our family was already a low-tech family. Living here has taken us a step even further backward, and we love it. We have no cable, we don't own a printer, no home phone (just cell's- which Pete finally let us get last October), no dishwasher. That is right folks, NO DISHWASHER! How can we survive you ask? Don't we go through at least 7 plates and 7 cups at each meal? And because I am in the middle of teaching multiplication to Emily, I know that equals a minimum of 21 plates and 21 cups a day. And that doesn't include pots, pans and utensils!
Believe it or not we feel LIBERATED with no dishwasher. I am the type of mom who CRAMS the dishwasher full, forgets to turn it on and then needs to go out to eat because there are no clean forks. I was crippled if something was in the dishwasher. The thought of taking something out of the dishwasher to wash it myself so I could use it, was somehow overlooked as an option. Now all my dishes are clean...all the time. I have no dirty dishes...ever.
Why, you ask? Well, I have to thank my mom for this. I was raised with the policy that no dirty dishes stay in the sink. Growing up we NEVER were allowed to have dirty dishes sit. And the thought of letting dirty dishes rot in the sink and leaveing the house was absurd. What if you were to die and the police and relatives entered your house and witnesses the dirty dishes? What would they think? I have got to admit that this type of brainwashing stays with a person forever. And because of it, I now have the same policy. No dishes sit dirty EVER!
And now that Emily is almost 8 (in about 24 hours) we have a new dishwasher. I could not be more excited to celebrate a new
Melnick milestone. She loves not having a dishwasher too! Can't you tell?
Our dishwasher died last spring and we have not replaced it. I like life better this way. Just another thing to add to the kids' chore charts--another opportunity for us all to remember we all share the load.
ReplyDeleteI'm campaigning to dump the satellite TV but I'm presently out-voted. We have been able to establish "tech-free" Sundays though--no TV, no computer, no FOOTBALL! Just peace and quiet, lots of time to read and play games.