I haven’t been feeling the greatest since, well, since about the day before I got on the train to come back home from Missouri. Those durn HCG levels, I tell ya. I get sick if I don’t eat, and I get sick if I do. The only time I feel good is while I’m eating, if it’s something that looks good to me. And there isn’t much of that. And then, of course, if I overeat I feel even worse. It’s a fine line that’s bound to get crossed.
So during the course of all this sickness, I have managed to somewhat cook for the family (somewhat), and keep up with the laundry and the diaper changes and the diaper washes. But one thing has fallen off my to-do list entirely.
Dishes.
Unfortunately, Josh is also extremely busy recently with creating labs, teaching labs, grading labs, doing homework, doing projects… the usual grad school stuff. So he hasn’t been doing dishes either.
I fed the kids breakfast this morning on paper plates. And realized someone had to do something. And since Josh left at 5am this morning to finish a project that was technically due last night, that someone was me.
So I’m postponing Meet-and-Greet until the dishes are done, to motivate me. And to motivate you to motivate me. And I’m going to post pictorial progress, to help me see that slowly, but surely, they are getting done. And, of course, to break up the monotony that is doing dishes for four hours straight.
My progress thus far:
Bowls and silverware. Every bowl and spoon we own.
The load in the sink:
Every salad and dinner plate we own.
The many loads yet to come:
Every cup and mug we own along with just about everything else we own.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find a small something to eat because I need to make this sick feeling go away again so I can do more DISHES.
*Update*
The bowls and silverware have been dried and put away. Plates have been rinsed.
A sinkful of cups and mugs:
Lots left to do:
Of course, I took a small break to cuddle and play and change a diaper. Back to work!
**Update #2**
After more than a brief break to make lunch for the kids, put Benjamin in time-out for throwing quesadillas, make lunch for myself, not finish lunch for myself because Benjamin decided it was naptime, put Benjamin to sleep, and then finish my lunch, I got back to dishes.
I dried and put away the plates and washed/rinsed two sinkfuls of cups and mugs:
Filled the sink with new, fresh, hot, soapy water and crammed in as many miscellaneous plastic items as would fit:
The end is in sight! Maybe two more sinkfuls?
And, really, the fact that someone out there is actually following this post gives me the motivation to finish. Plus, I had Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup for lunch. Feelin’ good! It was my last can though…
***Update #3***
I was able to get a sink-load done pretty quickly with Benjamin asleep. Only had to stop briefly to ooh and aah over the letters Olivia was making on her magna-doodle (so smart!)
My accomplishment:
The load ready to be washed:
And I think I can cram the rest into one sinkful, which will make me DONE!
And yes, there are Legos on the counter, and yes, I have to wash them. They were bath toys a couple weeks back. And our kids are notorious for their inability to control bodily functions in warm bathwater.
Unfortunately, both kids are awake now, so these last two loads may have SEVERAL interuptions…
And also, the effects of the soup are wearing off. The sick feeling is rising in my esophagus and the bad taste just won’t leave my mouth. I keep eating Twix to keep it at bay. It’s a really temporary solution.
Well, I was right. The last load was horrendously stretched out, due to multiple interruptions and a certain 19 month old who clung to my knees and whined when he couldn’t think of anything else to do.
And I tried to update before my last load, but Picasa stopped responding and the only thing that fixed it was a reboot, which I didn’t attempt until I was done. So here are my last two updates, combined.
****Update #4****
The finished load from my last update, which had to be dried and put away so I could rinse and dry this load:
After that, only a few more things!
*****Update #5*****
If I counted right, I think that’s my sixth sink-load (fifth rack-load) of dishes. Took, what, eight hours? Don’t tell me it’s not a full time job to stay at home… don’t even think it.
Clean! Empty!
Clean! Empty! I’m done!
… I bet those durn family members of mine want some kind of supper now…
(Will update with more pictures. Stay tuned!)
I know it’s not the “green” or “environmental” thing to do, but my last pregnancy, I did buy paper plates and plastic spoons and silverware! I didn’t have a dishwasher and we basically got to the point where we had to wash a dish just to eat. So I spent just a bit extra and bought disposable everything! It helped immensely. 🙂 Now I have a dishwasher so this one wasn’t to bad, yet I still struggle with getting the teflon pans cleaned since those don’t go in the washer. I just try and use my stainless more!
*and if you have some friends around- totally ask them to come help! I would be more than willing to go help a friend like that!
well, I’ve had days like that and I don’t even have a pregnancy to blame it on!
YOU CAN DO IT!! (that’s all I have to say)
Thanks, all! Especially to my “green” friend, Donielle, for the permission to use paper plates! 🙂
I’m sorry you feel so blah. I don’t know how you parent (or work) while feeling that lousy, and I think I was blessed with only a mild case of the queasys. I was so thankful that I was sick over summer so I wasn’t working at school (this is my last semester working–yay!). The four hour naps plus 12 hour night sleeping would make that difficult too. I guess I’ll find out someday what it’s like to mother internally and externally at the same time!
What do you find to be your “safe food”? Crackers didn’t work, but pretzles did. Little snacks like almonds, fruit leather, and Emergen-C were always in my purse. Then I discovered bananas (cue heavenly choir). I ate probably three a day with one mandatory ‘nana before bed (for some reason that was the worst time for me). I know you kind of have to go with your own body, but I’d be interested in learning what foods work for other queasy mommies for next time. Thankfully, somewhere in my fourth month I began to feel much better. I hope you feel better soon too!
The joys of no dish washer. Just keep plugging through. It’ll get done eventually and think of the sense of accomplishment you’ll have.
My safe foods include… Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup and 7-up. And I truly believe I have my mother to thank for that. 🙂
I just wish I craved homemade chicken noodle soup.. but part of that, I’m sure, is the fact that I’d have to actually, you know, make it.
I’m keeping up with it! You crack me up, Beth!
I think the best gift anyone could ever get you is a dishwasher!
Hopefully you at least have a clothes dryer now! Just swapping one manual task for another. Unless you don’t have a dryer too, then I really feel for you!
Rachel, I didn’t know you were all up in the blogging world! Remember when you got a portable dishwasher in Briarwood and we joked about cutting a whole in the wall to pass dishes back and forth? 🙂
And yes, Nancy, I was able to find a dryer on Craigslist! Now if only I could find a portable dishwasher there! They get snatched up within hours if any are ever posted!
YAY almost done!
Go go go go! I can’t stand washing dishes. So, they tend to pile up and wait their turn in the dishwasher, if it comes down to it.
Yup! We have an even better one in our new house, and I LOVE it! And yeah, I’ve finally made a commitment to keep the blog going – hopefully it lasts!
I feel for you. Doing the dishes makes me very sick and I have to have my husband do it to avoid having another mess on our hands. My husband commented that he wished that he was pregnant so that he could get out of doing dishes. I laughed and told him that I wished he could get pregnant too so that I would get a break from it.
Now your facebook status is much more meaningful!
good job Beth! it looks great!
Ugh. I can relate.
I spent most of my day doing dishes, chasing a whiny two-year-old who doesn’t understand why rain means we can’t go to the park, and lying down when I got the chance because I just happen to be 38 weeks.
But tonight? We had dinner on paper plates. Dollar store favorite–20 for $1.
Yay! Good for you. I love your pretty blue and red dishes.
Cambell’s soup, huh. That does sound soothing. I guessed that maybe the pretzles filled a salt need. The soup probably does too.
I hope you can relax now and put your feet up!
I think we have the same toaster. Thrilling, interesting piece of info, no?