Tuesday Tip: Surviving Dishes

If I were asked, I'd have to say my least favorite household task are the dishes. And what's sad is...we have a dishwasher! But most of you may have this same problem... either everything doesn't fit or can't go in the dishwasher. Especially all those baby items.

So I figured out this little tip and I thought I'd share it with you. I've come to realize that if before I even start my cooking/baking for the evening, the first thing I need to do is to unload the dishwasher. Why?

There are several reasons:
1) If I wait until after supper, there's more of a chance I'll just throw the dishes in the sink and drag out the inevitable.
2) While I am cooking, I can throw in any dishes that I needed for cooking/baking but not for serving.
3) If the dishwasher is empty, there's more of a chance that Rich will help me put the supper dishes in.

It's almost to the point that I want to add to every recipe: Step #1, unload the dishwasher! :)

Another thing I started doing while I bake is to fill one sink 1/4 of the way full before I start baking/mixing. All those little measuring spoons and cups don't fit that great in the dishwasher and this way, they can soak and I can hand-wash them while my items are baking. This way, when the items are done cooking, I only have pans/cookie sheets left. It is soooo nice!

So these may be "no-brainer" tips but they really have been helping me to keep my kitchen clean the last few months. Hope it may help you, too!