Saturday, August 11, 2007

Yours, from suburbia

I live in a household with people who hate cleaning dishes ...

I despise doing dishes, perhaps more than any of them but somehow I've ended up with the task because they can all outlast me in terms of what I can bear or they have their very own righteous mountain to stand on while telling why they won't do dishes.

Yesterday I almost died of smirk.

Smirk?
It translates to the state of being created when I did something so outrageous that worked.

I had Gert's children dry the dishes my daughter was washing them.
This is novel and outrageous indeed.

My daughter had taken the laundry and ironing as her designated task in a beautiful sleight of hand a few weeks ago and okay, ironing is actually my most despised to-do task. I'll do many things to avoid it and had a glorious system of non-ironing while living alone in Istanbul.

However I had cleaned up the laundry after coming back to a backlog post-Brussels wandering and so in a sleighter sleight of hand, I gifted her dishwashing yesterday.

And the stepkids were lounging around in that limbo-like state of 'no school, let's just watch tv'. A state created in some children when they have parents who do absolutely everything for them.

I pounced and said in a matter-of-fact, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary voice 'Hey guys, will you do the afwasen?'

And they did.

Today Gert is ill with a stomach flu, the stepkids are gone, my daughter is sleeping off what might be a similar stomach flu.

Today it was just me and dishes.
I cleaned house all morning, avoiding the kitchen but nothing works, the dishwashing fairies never come anywhere near my place.

And did I mention how much I despise washing dishes...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

So you see what Belgium is good for: becoming a real housewife. But don't give up! You'll find the right cleaning products to make you feel good. And if not: watch the commercials! Tjey promise you to find a paradise doing dishes or laudry! And till thursday: keep smiling!! Luv, Lut

Di Mackey said...

Dank u wel ;) Paradise doing the dishes ... uh huh.

Looking forward to Thursday xo

Roam2Rome said...

Hey, the dishwashing fairies skipped my place too! What's wrong with them????

I just turn on good music and wash away :) Music somehow helps make any task bearable :)

My little nieces and I have the dishwashing dance, the cooking dance, the everything dance!! hehe... :)

Anonymous said...

i will be there soon!!! YOur own dishwasher!!

Di Mackey said...

Hi farfallina ... I could use your technique once, it's the 'everyday' nature of dishes at my place. Many dishes are used ... it's appalling.
Dramatic sigh.

Oh Marylou, you are the dishwasher I've ever known ... I remember not wanting you to go home for many reasons and perhaps your dishwashing fairy talents was a small one of those reasons ;) It will be good to have you here again. xo

Anonymous said...

Look after Jess for me :( I worry about her

Di Mackey said...

Doctors next week Jon, don't worry too much. I worry too and that's enough worry really. You work on repairing yourself for now.

It's 1.30pm as I write this and both her and Sahara are sleeping.

Good luck in the weeks ahead, we'll be thinking of you. xx

Anonymous said...

I'm blessed with a dishwasher and can't imagine life without it. When I wash the pots and pans that can't go in the dishwasher by hand, I wear rubber gloves and make a bit of a face.

I am TRYING to learn to wash things up right away and not let them sit. When I do that, we're all a lot happier, but often I'm tired when I'm cooking and just want to be done with it and flop and not even think about dishes for a few hours.

Di Mackey said...

A dishwasher ... for some reason this finally seems like a 'must have'. I never felt it so strongly before.

Maybe it's about time we both republished Jung's 'Woman Enough'.