Dishes

What is one thing that always needs to be done?

Dishes. And laundry, but I'm tackling one thing at a time.

Every appliance in my house is old, including my dishwasher. One day I was fretting over the fact it will finally fail soon- and then it hit me. Dishwashers are really a luxury. A want, not a need.

Slowly, I began to accept the idea of hand washing my dishes instead of using the dishwasher. I have to wash them ahead of time, anyway, and if I don't, the whole load ends up dirtier than before the machine washed them.

Then I started to get excited about it. Before we had a dishwasher growing up, I gained memories of drying dishes next to my mom- I remember kind of liking it :)

 

 

 



Currently, our mission is to wash dishes after each meal. I have reduced their chores to three a day after meals in order to focus on developing this habit. One girl sweeps the kitchen, one cleans off the table (everyone is responsible for taking their own plate to the sink), and one helps me do the dishes. Max vacuums under the table.

The very first thing we do is rinse and scrape as clean as possible, stacking dishes according to wash order.

If something- especially pots and pans- are extra greasy, I sprinkle some baking soda on it to soak up the grease. ( I put it in a small mason jar with a few holes poked in the lid).

We use this homemade soap.

The first sink is for washing. I like to soak them a few minutes before washing if needed. The water is as hot as tolerated, with a few squirts of soap.

Glasses first, silverware second, then dishes and baking pans.

Second sink is for rinse. I pour a little vinegar in the hot water because it helps with reducing water marks and greasy dishes. I love my soap, but it is not sudsy like the store brand and does not always get rid of grease. Vinegar does help. Lemon juice works as well.

Place on racks to dry. If possible, it is most sanitary to air dry. It's also less work :) Otherwise, towel dry. Make sure they are completely dry before putting dishes away in order to prevent bacteria growth.

It is best when we put some music on and work together, and then it is done- no waiting for the dishwasher to finish. I'm loving the elimination of the dishwasher!

Loving Where We Are

Loving Kansas (and some of Missouri) the last few weeks... these are in no particular order.




Kauffman Museum Newton, KS

 



Kansas City Zoo, Africa



Kanza Prairie, Manhattan, KS



Zoo again



Kanza again



Pillsbury Crossings, Manhattan, KS



KSU/KU Women's basketball



Cartoon Network exhibit, Exploration Place, Wichita, KS



Wichita HS North sculpture art (live owl on roof)



Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, KS



More Exploration Place



More Kansas Day activities at Kauffman Museum

Latest Outing

Karate, Origami, Bonzai, Candy, Hello Kitty, Taiko, Samurai, and Sumo.

We absolutely loved the Japan festival.

We had just finished watching K-State clobber KU, but it was the K-State Yosakoi Dance Group that caught Savannah's attention. She leaned over and said, "I KNEW K-State was the best!"

We could tell this was Ginkgo because of our recent leaf study.

Intricate candy making. Too expensive to eat:)

I never knew how many different martial arts there were. This is Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-Ryo.

Karate

Champion Sumo wrestlers showing their moves. Sorry my pictures aren't more clear...or maybe it's a good thing.

The one on the right holds the Guiness Book of World Records for being the largest person to run a full marathon. He weighs 420 pounds! People are amazing.

 

Another great family day!

The Run

Yesterday was Summer's first 5k. I didn't run 3 miles until I was 17, and that was because I didn't want to play volleyball, and I didn't want to go home. So I joined cross country as the worst long distance runner in HHS history. I didn't run to win, obviously, but I had a darn good time!

Thankfully, my husband likes to run. Savannah is a natural, but Summer I wasn't so sure about. She complains when we run together...I preached to Savannah that she needed patience with her since everyone has different gifts... and Summer ran the whole way, finishing with a sprint.

Remind me to never underestimate my children again.

And the kid's run....

 

On your mark,



Get set,

GO!

 

 

I always put the numbers on the back, and it's supposed to be on the front. I never remember that.

It was a great family day, and a first for my eight-year old.

The letter from the Church of the Resurrection, the church that organized the run, said this money was going to orphans, women, children, and young adults in sub-Sahara Africa, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are learning about deserts, so we found the Sahara, and then the sub-Sahara on the map.

And the verse on the back of the shirts, which I covered up with the misplaced numbers says:

"I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith." -2 Timothy 4:7

This was the verse that the girls had learned at church on the Wednesday night before, and one of the verses on our family mission statement. I love God's timing. It made the verse so much easier to hide in their hearts.

Activity, family time, geography, faith, giving, and growth on a Saturday morning. That's how we roll. Or try to, anyway.