Sink Status

There are a few things that really seem to mess up my day, and one of those things is waking up to a messy kitchen with a sink full of dishes.

Today was very full - kids had summer camp, I helped my sister with a crafting project, and we had a birthday party for my son who turned 7. At 9:30pm I finally had both kids bathed and brushed, and I was more than ready for some quiet alone time. I came downstairs to gather my things (water, phone, ipad) and saw my messy kitchen. *Sigh* I fed Missy (our cat) and considered whether to do the work before bed or leave it til morning. I quickly decided that I did NOT want to wake up and clean the kitchen. So I put away the clean dishes, put some dirty ones in the dishwasher and others I washed by hand and put in the drying rack. I wiped down the counters, made sure there were no crusty food bits stuck in or around the sink (one of my pet peeves), and ran the garbage disposal to avoid festering food odors.

As I was doing the dishes I was thinking about all the times I didn’t have the energy to be consistent with doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen before bed. I wasn’t healthy enough to take care of my two little kids, let alone clean up after all of us. But, man, the mornings were rough!

When I wake up tomorrow morning and come downstairs I know I will feel calm because the kitchen’s clean and the sink is empty. I can just prepare and eat my breakfast in peace before the kids wake up. I will have space to wash and cut fruits and veggies, and I will have clean lunch containers to fill. I didn’t realize how much this one small change could impact our lives. It has become a habit, like buckling my seatbelt when I get into the car - I can’t not do it because it’s part of the routine. I also try to do dishes periodically throughout the day so that they don’t pile up.

So, what’s your sink status? What habits and routines do you have that make your day go smoother? Please share your comments below and we can all get some new ideas!