Here is another time saving idea for all you working parents out there or anybody who isn’t living alone. Are you tired of your kids getting a new glass/cup every time they get a drink? Do your kids (or husband) leave dishes all over the house? Do you ever find long lost dishes under your children’s beds? I may have a solution for you!
I am of the mind that every little bit helps and I’ve dedicated this blog to time saving ideas, recipes and other things to improve family life. Most of those ideas usually revolve around (but are not limited to) the kitchen. I had this idea, though it may be insufficient in originality, to give each person their own dish (bowl, plate, cup, and for adults, coffee/tea mugs). When I was growing up, this is how my father’s kitchen was, although the design wasn’t intentional. We were lucky if we could find a matching pair of anything. After I grew up, and started a family of my own, I prepared my home to be the exact opposite of my fathers. Matching everything. Perfect sets of four and eight. If one item broke, I replaced the entire set if the single item could not be found. Now as I get older, I can start to see the sense in mix-match dishes.
So, I came up with a new rule—to each their own! The idea is that everyone in the family has his/her own dishes—dishes as individual and unique as the person who owns it. Then we went shopping (Ross, Pier One, Marshalls, Gordman’s, and Target) and after an entire afternoon we finally made purchases that made everybody happy. I found the perfect bowl and plate, with a delicate floral design that suited my personality (not to mention decidedly feminine—something very rare in my home, where I am outnumbered and even our pets are male). My husband found a nice brown bowl-plate set that I secretly covet. My boys found some fun, quirky items in Target’s Old Curiosity Shop line. Everybody is happy.
Along with this new rule, nobody is allowed to use any of the other dishes and everybody does their own dishes. I haven’t had the need to run my dishwasher since I implemented this almost a month ago! And the best thing about this idea is it is giving my children some responsibility. I’m teaching my four-year-old how to do dishes and he loves it. My eldest on the other hand says he really doesn’t plan of taking a real interest in doing dishes until college. He washes his dishes the way he brushes his teeth—infrequently and not very well. I politely remind him that if he doesn’t get his dishes very clean, he could in fact be eating some pretty nasty little bugs. What he doesn’t know, I rewash his dishes (or perhaps I’m giving it its first wash) every evening and I secretly wait for him to get an upset stomach (or headache, or cold, or…) so I can blame it on his unsanitary dishes (insert sinister laugh here).
I hope this helps someone as much as it helped me, a working mother of three (if you count my husband).
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