Next question - dishes

[Heather Micaela]

Got the laundry situation somewhat tackled (emphasis on the somewhat) - but now I need dishes help/

Same deal, no machine so there is no way to literally follow Flylady on this. In addition I have a baby who wants to be held - all. the. time.
playing in a highchair by me = tears
playing at my feet = tears
playing with kids in Living room = tears
nursing her to sleep then trying to slip away = tears

so how do I get time to clean? how to I keep dishes for 5 people manegable? how long is ok to let her cry when dishes absoultely *have* to be done without it being cruel (I hate this, but I hate living in a pigsty too)

[joyful mama]

will she go on a back carry with a wrap or something? I have a wrap you can have that you can use all t he way up to like 25 pounds I think, and that might buy you 30 minutes or so to do your dishes once a day or something :think. I have two wraps that my sister made me (or just cut the material and embroidered lol) and would send you one if you like- no charge of course.

[Heather Micaela]

Actually, I forgot to mention I cant babywear at all :( Ever since I was pregnant any extra weigh (Back or front) causes my left leg to go numb

[joyful mama]

:( boy does that stink. will she watch a video like baby einstein?

[Oliveshoots]

The biggest thing that helps me with dishes is keeping a sink full of soapy water to dunk them in, or rinsing them right after use so the food doesn't dry on. Then, even if they sit for a day or two, #1 they don't stink, #2, they aren't super dirty.

Some other things that work for me.

If I'm busy with the kids, I fill the sink with super-hot soapy water, chuck in all the dirty dishes (silverware on bottom, then plates, then bowls, plastics last. Glasses I fill with hot water and a drop of detergent and leave them on the counter next to the sink.) Let it all sit for about 15 minutes. Then the water is touchable, the food is pretty much off the dishes, and all I really have to do is swoosh them around, wipe the stubborn particles, and rinse. A rinsing idea I learned from SIL is just to put all the soapy, clean dishes in the other side of the sink (or in another dishpan) and then spray them all at the same time. She leaves hers there to drain/dry, but I always transfer to a drain or just a clean towel on the countertop. This doesnt' work so well for glasses I've found. :giggle

Letting the kids wash some stuff. DD has played in the soapy warm water with a few plastic food containers and forks/spoons and wooden/plastic cooking utensils long enough that all they needed was rinsing (unless there was something nasty caked on.)

Would your dd sit on the cabinet beside the sink, maybe in a bouncy seat or one of those cushiony chair thingies for infants? Maybe she could even have some little cups with a small rag to play with (sorry, I can't remember how old she is and I don't have your siggy up to check for your dc's ages :O)

I was never able to babywear much during housework....dd just didn't like it. She liked to be walked in the sling. I remmeber *one time* her sleeping in the sling while I washed.

I always used the playstation thingy in the kitchen, but after 5 min. she was ready for me to get her. So that's when I came up with the soaking for 15 minutes then rinsing deal, so I could do it in spurts.

Your other kids are old enough to drop their meal dishes/utensils into a sink of hot soapy water after each meal. I am trying now to train dc's (2.5 and almost 4) to carry their cups, bowls/plates, and utensils to the sink and drop them in. Soon I will work on getting them to drop into the correct sink, so their dishes can soak.

Would it work to teach your family to drop their dishes in like that? that would really help you avoid alot of scrubbing, and shorten the whole process.

OH I'm just full of questions tonight arent' I? :rolleyes :lol Would you feel comfortable letting your kids actually wash the dishes (leaving out knives and heavy things, of course)? then you could come back and do the knives/sharp things/heavy things. My mom did this with us when we were really young, like I think 6-7 years old. I remember helping my grandmother dry dishes out of the drain thingy when I was at least 4. Just a thought!

:hug

Oh one more thing, I just re-read your post for like the 4th time :shifty Do you have a dual sink? Like, 2 sections? What about putting her in one side, with water and bubbles, for her to have a little fun bath time while you wash dishes in the other side? Then you could hold her while you rinsed one-handed. :shrug

[Heather Micaela]

wow kristen - lots of good ideas and questions :rockon I am reading this at almost 3am because my mind would not turn off. But it isn't on enough to really ponder all that at the moment, so I ma going to revisit this in the morning and answer. Thanks for the great ideas.

Oh btw - she is almost 10 mos. :) The other two are almost 6 and almost 4
:( boy does that stink. will she watch a video like baby einstein?

not without me present - btw Jen :heart your avatar :tu

[crunchymum]

great ideas, kristen. :tu

btw, heather, i did the flylady thing when i didn't have a dishwasher. i had a wash tub under my sink that dishes went into until i could wash. it was nice to not ALWAYS have the visual clutter of dishes all the time.

[MamaJayne]

I can't address the baby question -- but would it help to know that I had one like that, too? -- but as far as the dishes go, I have great success keeping one of those plastic wand thingies with a sponge at the end by the sink. Dish soap goes inside the wand, so anytime I have just a few dishes and I don't want to fill up a sink and do them, that wand thingie makes it really easy to just run some hot water and wash it right up.

[Jenjardin]

I can't address the baby question -- but would it help to know that I had one like that, too? -- but as far as the dishes go, I have great success keeping one of those plastic wand thingies with a sponge at the end by the sink. Dish soap goes inside the wand, so anytime I have just a few dishes and I don't want to fill up a sink and do them, that wand thingie makes it really easy to just run some hot water and wash it right up.


I have one of those thingies too (I have no dw either). Now, my kids are older than yours and already have the job of doing the dishes every day, but I've been trying to encourage them to wash their own breafast, lunch and snack dishes with the wand thing as they use them so the job will be easier in the evening. Just takes a couple of minutes at a time and does make the job less daunting later.

[LadybugSam]

can you "hire" joshua to keep the baby occupied while you do them?

:hugheart

[Heather Micaela]

can you "hire" joshua to keep the baby occupied while you do them?

:hugheart

he's a great help but:
playing with kids in Living room = tears

Now, my kids are older than yours and already have the job of doing the dishes every day, but I've been trying to encourage them to wash their own breafast, lunch and snack dishes with the wand thing as they use them so the job will be easier in the evening. Just takes a couple of minutes at a time and does make the job less daunting later.

How do little kids reach the sink? And Joshua has sensory issues that make him freak out if he is partially wet

[jamilyian]

I used to throw some Cheerios on the floor and let my little one have at 'em while I got things done.

I have a really hard time keeping up w/ dishes too. Like you, we hand wash, so it is a chore that seems never ending. For now what is helping me is to use paper plates and cups for dinner time. That cuts dish duty just enough to where I can keep it manageable.

[ArmsOfLove]

can you wear her on your back?
what about playing with water on the floor and then you finish with a mop? :shrug

[joyful mama]

not without me present - btw Jen heart your avatar thumbs up thanks :). I am sooooo excited for the next book. I'm rereading the last 3 books in anticipation of the event :giggle

Oh, I was thinking about your original topic... since you can't wear her on your back or front, but what about your hip? I was thinking since you hold her all the time anyways, it wouldn't change the added weight to your front or back yet it would still give you free hands somewhat, kwim? You can do that with a wrap or a simple sling. Have you tried giving her bowls/pans and wooden spoons to make music? My kids are entertained at an early age by that and still are lol.

and this is totally not green but what about paper plates for one meal a day or something? :shifty. When I have company staying or I'm entertaining and the dishes pile up I do paper plates than. I did that yesterday and still had two loads to wash, but it was better than three ;).

[Jenjardin]

Now, my kids are older than yours and already have the job of doing the dishes every day, but I've been trying to encourage them to wash their own breafast, lunch and snack dishes with the wand thing as they use them so the job will be easier in the evening. Just takes a couple of minutes at a time and does make the job less daunting later.

How do little kids reach the sink? And Joshua has sensory issues that make him freak out if he is partially wet
[/quote]

Sorry my post wasn't clear. I was actually encouraging them (and MYSELF too) to take care of the little bits during the day so that at night there's not a huge load and so it takes less time. I wasn't saying for your littles to be doing it, although a step-stool and gloves could help IF you wanted him to help out. (Mine are bigger and don't need a stool and don't really care about the water, unless it's really icky.)

[Heather Micaela]

can you wear her on your back?
what about playing with water on the floor and then you finish with a mop? :shrug


Oh, I was thinking about your original topic... since you can't wear her on your back or front, but what about your hip? I was thinking since you hold her all the time anyways, it wouldn't change the added weight to your front or back yet it would still give you free hands somewhat, kwim? You can do that with a wrap or a simple sling. Have you tried giving her bowls/pans and wooden spoons to make music? My kids are entertained at an early age by that and still are lol.

and this is totally not green but what about paper plates for one meal a day or something? . When I have company staying or I'm entertaining and the dishes pile up I do paper plates than. I did that yesterday and still had two loads to wash, but it was better than three .

I can't babywear AT ALL :( back or hip makes my leg go numb. If I could afford a chiropractor I would go - it is not covered by insurance.

I hold her sitting down or just for five minutes at a time. When we go places I take a stroller or use a shopping cart and then just pick her up for a moment if she fusses. It is really hard to be AP and not babywear - I did for the first two :(


AFA the water - I could try it, but she screams and cries whenever I do not hold her. That is why my bottom and tummy are so big and my post count is so high.



But anyways, these are the solutions I think I will be using based on suggestions given
*get a soap wand tinghy
*Only having enough dishes for one meal - getting rid of excess dishes by donating them or packing them away to just use when company comes
*one cup for water all day long (a specific charachter cup so they don't get confused - this goes for grown ups too)*put away dry dishes before breakfast
*for breakfast paper bowls (they eat their cereal dry) they can be filled with other snacks durig the day
*paper cup for choclate milk in the morning
*if lunch is not cooked paper plates
*if lunch is cooked doing dishes right away but in spurts - i think I will fill the soapy water right before lunch. Then after lunch I will rinse them and put them in the water. After comforting the baby that cried as a result I can rinse off any residue and sit them to dry
*when dh comes home put away clean dishes and start dinner
*after dinner follow lunch pattern
*ds is responsible for putting away the silverware (not the knives)


If I have a lot to do and baby is fussy then I will try the bath in the dual sink thing (and sve the knifes to wash at a different time of course)

[ShangriLewis]

I do paper towels instead of paper plates. It doesn't totally help with wet stuff. But, you can just lie it on the table and top with their food. It helps keep the table clean, too. It's my horribly selfish non-environmentally indulgence :shifty

Perhaps you could keep and eye out on freecycle or craigslist for different dishes/cups. When we stayed at a friends we used her Corelle dishes and they took up way less room. Can you fit two dishpans under your sink or in cabinets next to the sink. You could figure out a set up of dishes that fits perfectly in each dishpan. Then you can rinse them and place them in the tub. Wash after she is in bed, nap or dh can hold her. Would that help?

We are moving into a much smaller kitchen, so I'm interested in this conversation. We got rid of our big bulky dishes and I don't think we have a dishwasher. I want dishes/glasses which stack better. I'm going to get some Japanese dishes which are smaller. That way we don't need some giant bowl for a quick bowl of soup, cereal, snack etc. I'd like to get some little bowls/handles mugs which could be cups or bowl, too.

Do you have two sinks? Would she sit in one while you wash in the other?

Escher cried a lot when he was little, then he could speak so he screamed a lot. It's so frustrating. I remember days where I just wanted to sleep and nurse him all day.

[tempus vernum]

Well, can you just let them soak all day and do them up at night when dh is home?????? :scratch

:hug

[AdrienneQW]

*for breakfast paper bowls (they eat their cereal dry) they can be filled with other snacks durig the day
Maybe a ziploc baggie with their name on it? Then they can re-use the same one until it gets totally wrecked. My kids love this - they would probably eat soup or lasagna out of a ziploc baggie if I'd let 'em. :giggle

[ArmsOfLove]

first i'd teach the children how to wash their own dishes and have dh wash his own dishes; then I'd keep soapy water in the sink and wash *every item* as I used it. btdt with a large family--it's hard. I had to do dishes about 10 times a day to keep it short and caught up

[Heather Micaela]

first i'd teach the children how to wash their own dishes and have dh wash his own dishes; then I'd keep soapy water in the sink and wash *every item* as I used it. btdt with a large family--it's hard. I had to do dishes about 10 times a day to keep it short and caught up

at what age do kids wash thier own dishes? I am afraid of a watery mess (not to mention that even w/ a stool thye barely reach the sink)

[klpmommy]

first i'd teach the children how to wash their own dishes and have dh wash his own dishes; then I'd keep soapy water in the sink and wash *every item* as I used it. btdt with a large family--it's hard. I had to do dishes about 10 times a day to keep it short and caught up

at what age do kids wash thier own dishes? I am afraid of a watery mess (not to mention that even w/ a stool thye barely reach the sink)


That would be my problem (although I do have a dishwasher)- P esp loves water play & he can't even wash his hands in the sink w/o a huge mess. So I tend to squirt his hands with a spraybottle of soapy water & go from there. I get too frustrated with the mess otherwise. Not to mention that even leaving soapy water in the sink is a big ol' "P magnet".