I can’t even remember how long it’s been since I had a working dishwasher — I am pretty sure it’s been more than four or five years now. One day it just finally kicked the bucket and so I washed all the dishes by hand because I had to, and found that got them cleaner anyway. And then like time tends to pass by so fast, I blinked and it’s been years and years.
I’ve been known to speak quite proudly about the fact that “I have four kids and no dishwasher and I somehow survive.” But let me tell you right now. It’s a lie. I admire and even envy big families that live off less than moms with fewer kids. Oh, to only eat from our own farm and hang clothes on the line. The beautiful simplicity! Consuming less and living more. I want that. I also want my dishwasher back.
I’m working on it as I type — a nice shiny one is pinned to my vision board. Okay that’s another lie. I haven’t found time to put up a vision board just yet (hey, I’m too busy washing dishes by hand) but there is totally a rockin’ vision board hanging in my head. And a dishwasher is so there.
Several months ago our toaster bit the dust, and I was all, “That’s what the oven is for! Who needs a toaster?” We could definitely use the counter space, so I didn’t replace the toaster. Then one night as I prepared BLTs with all the fixins ready to go except the toast… I soon discovered that I forgot we didn’t have a toaster. And toasting 12 slices of bread in the oven — front and back! — takes an awfully long time. Sheesh.
Anyway, I can’t keep up. I have found the modern appliances that many large families love for convenience, like microwaves and toasters — and yes, dishwashers — really are helpful. I don’t know why I felt like I was better for not using them, because I will admit right here that it’s probably led to an increase in my drive-thru dinner habits as well as paper plates and even sometimes plastic utensils. That is not very green or simple of me at all.
My husband thinks I should just assign dish duty to the boys. But my oldest is only ten, and I imagine that I will find myself re-washing everything myself because what if they don’t do a good job? Maybe my reluctance is because I just don’t have the energy to teach them (even though I know I should.)
Recently, after some storms, we were without electricity for the night and I lit candles and hunted down all our flashlights and why do we never have any batteries?! The kids were excited to “live like the pioneers!” I didn’t mind the candles and the no-TV. That’s about it.
Now can I just get my dishwasher and toaster back?
So can you relate? Or offer tips to help me catch up?
{About Stephanie, our Family+Parenting Blogger: She’s mom to four and journals about life at Adventures In Babywearing and on twitter as babysteph}
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Our dishwasher broke about a month ago and we haven’t replaced it yet. I have 5 children and one more on the way. I told my husband that we HAVE TO GET a new dishwasher before the baby is born. Actually, it hasn’t been that much more work to just wash the dishes by hand, than it was to rinse the dishes and load them all in the dishwasher. It’s just different work, not more. Although, sometimes I get the feeling that the dishes get cleaner and more sanitized in the dishwasher than by the old by hand method.
Funny you should mention it, but our toaster also broke a couple of months ago as well. We happen to have a toaster oven so we use that for toasting bread. So far, so good.
I’d find it pretty hard to live without my extra large griddle. Being able to make 6-8 grilled cheese sandwiches or pancakes at once is a huge time saver. Also, I love my large Kitchen Aid Mixer. I frequently find myself doubling or even tripling recipes.
Oh I long to live like a pioneer. Simple, Restful, Peaceful with my smart phone of course and running water. But living off the land and hanging clothes up to dry=love. Well I really prefer my clothes machine dried but I still love the stillness of standing out their hanging them up there.
Happy Day, I always tell myself if I catch up then I have nothing to do but rest…boring. Oh wait! That would be kind of nice.
Jen
I would cry without a dishwasher. We rented an apartment when Emma was a baby. I was so excited about our new apartment until the day we moved in and I went searching in the kitchen for the dishwasher. I couldn’t believe I missed that we didn’t have one!!! I still laugh about that one.
I wash by hand about half of what we use. We have knives and pots and pans that can’t go in the dishwasher. Then there are the things that don’t fit. But, I would still cry without the dishwasher. Time to get you one.
Also…I have a vision board in my head too.
I think I wrote this post myself! I actually bought a house without one because of all the other great things about it. And I didn’t even realize there wasn’t one until I fell in live with it. I also waste so much time washing dishes and have gone the route of paper plates! My guy hates when I have to spend so much time after dinner washing a million dishes. I am considering even getting a portable dishwasher. Sucks though, because it is going to cramp my style big time! So, for now I do without and see what happens. As far as tips, well I think it’s easier to toast bread in the oven! I just put that bad boy on broil for a few minutes. And I mean few, bc it can go from toasty to blackened in no time! Give it a try with one piece and see how long it takes.
We didn’t have a dishwasher the entire time we lived in Italy, and I can’t imagine how you do it with four kids. When my in-laws visited for two weeks and I was cooking for them AND doing all the dishes I was so resentful. Although I suppose that’s very different than doing it for your own kids. But still, OH, the TIME! I actually didn’t usually mind it, it was a nice time to kind of zone out, but it was still more time-consuming than using a dishwasher.
Oh, what a tired new mom rambling comment! Sorry!
Yeah I have most of that. I hang clothes on the line most of the time, but the dryer does come in real handy when it’s below freezing. Oh, sure, you can “freeze dry” clothes but the almost-frostbitten fingers really aren’t worth it if you can avoid them. We’re building our farm now to be self sufficient and those modern necessities like dishwashers give us more time to do things like dig up and move fence posts that the previous owner put in the middle of nowhere. It’s a trade-off lifestyle. We’re without power on a fairly regular basis, and while it’s fun and exciting in the summer, it requires serious planning for when it happens in the winter.
It’s all about balance!
I’ve been without a dishwasher too for years and I find that sometimes it’s easier to just wash and put away, but then again, I don’t have 4 kids. I hope your vision board delivers you a heavy duty dishwasher of your dreams….
Our dishwasher broke nearly a year ago. We’re military, so housing would fix it for free, but I agree that hand washing gets them cleaner… But only when I actually hand wash them. Otherwise they sit on the counter, mocking me. I called today to have it fixed, the only times they could come this week, I won’t be at the house… So. We’ll survive another week without a dishwasher.
We don’t have a microwave. This, I don’t miss. Not a bit. Our 4 year old is curious and would probably microwave a fork, so for the safety of all involved, we got rid of the microwave about 2 years ago. Haven’t looked back.
We do have a toaster, but I usually choose to toast bread in the oven. Not sure why. I guess because we store the toaster in the cabinet, because we lack the counter space. It’s easier to reach for a cookie sheet.
I’m not sure if we live this way because it’s easier or because I’m lazy.
Some days, being a pioneer sounds amazing. Others? Oh, my. Give me internet and dvds and electronic toys and drive through windows…
I’m with your husband. 10 is totally old enough to hand wash dishes. Our 3 oldest (14, 12, 11) have been doing the dinner dishes for awhile. So. Nice.
Currently living without: The ability to park in the garage. Our van is too big, which means winter is so delightful. Snow, frost, etc. to scrape in the mornings. Bleh. Also, our garbage disposal conked out a few months ago, which is annoying. Our washing machine doesn’t work properly, either. I have to babysit every load to prevent floods.
I’ve been without a dishwasher for several years now and do miss it! My husband is kind enough to do dishes most of the time tho, which helps me alot! We use paper plates/cups most of the time to cut down on dirty dishes in the sink!
Okay… My hubs alway says when I suggest a time saving device: Kids or Appliances… Shuts me right up!!! Hang out the laundry daily – no tumble dryer! The microwave doesn’t work – who cares! The stove doesn’t work but the oven does – bake it, bake it, bake it!!! Dishes in the sink daily – my kids are mastering the kitchen cleanup – wonderful, it is time. And as for the garden – ho hum… I no longer say the kids are in the way… I say everyone works for an hour – that’s an eight hour day and pretty much covers the entire house and garden in one swoop. So not many appliances but I have a workforce and I love it totally. I am feeling a little stifled by the car that has been out of action for the last two months… every now and then I think it would be nice to escape just a little further from our home than the radius of a two year olds wandering milage… That’s life I guess, the ups and downs of it all!!!
i can totally relate! we have 4 kids and no dishwasher. i dream of the day we move into a new house that has one! i would probably only use it for the few dishes i just don’t have energy left to wash by hand.
our toaster broke in the spring. after explaining to my husband that mother’s day is not for replacing broken appliances, we never got around to getting a new one.
i’d love to live with less and wish that i didn’t secretly wish for more sometimes.
When we lived in PA we had no dishwasher. We had 4 kids back then including one on bottles. I HATED it. I spent 2 hours every morning washing dishes while the rest of the family lounged around. Then I still had all the other chores to do and by the time I was done I had to start cooking the next meal and the dishes piled up again. It was a waste of my time.
We also only had a single, small sink so I had to fill a large bowl with soapy water and soak only what would fit in it (a couple plates and bowls, some silverware. The counter wasn’t big enough to dry it all. But there was no room for a dishwasher even if we had money for one. Now with 5 kids I’ll never go without a dishwasher.
The one we have in this house is fantastic. I rarely prerinse anything and wash everything on light and I rarely have stuff that doesn’t come clean in just one washing. A microwave is a must for me, too. I use it to cook veggies and warm leftovers. A toaster isn’t a big deal. We finally bought one a couple months ago but I rarely use it. I tend to toast stuff in the oven if it’s been on. I just put the bread on the rack at 350F and leave it for a few minutes. That’s a lot faster to toast enough for 7 people than a 2 slice toaster (didn’t have the money for a bigger one or the space at the time).
What I’d really like now (besides the double oven mentioned in the other post) is a deep freezer. We had one (a huge one) at my dad’s house and I didn’t realize how much we relied on it until we moved away. We can barely fit enough frozen stuff in our little freezer to last a week and then nothing in the door stays cold because the air is blocked by the overfull shelves.
I could never live like a pioneer. I rely too much on my appliances. Last summer we had no washer/dryer and hauling clothes for 7 people (including an infant with reflux) sucked. We had no money for that so a few weeks I had to wash the baby’s clothes in the tub. My hands were so sore I could barely move. And it’s too rainy here to hang stuff to dry except for in July and August.
I live with 3 adults and 2 kids and hand wash most stuff. I got in the habit of clean as I go so kitchen is tidy after cooking and lunch/dinner clean up is another 15 mins each. I do have a dish washer. I just don’t use it often.
call me crazy but it just works for me.
Can’t live without: washer and dryer. Ours is 20+ years old and I don’t know if I should update now or in the next house in a year.
I think hubby has a good idea. I remember being so small I had to kneel on a kitchen chair pulled up to the sink. My mom washed a dish, handed it to me, I rinsed it and set it in the drainer. Between rinsing I had a moment to watch mom wash the next one (she was teaching), after a while she graduated me to the washing side where I did both jobs, since I was so observant, lol. I know boys can do a hap-hazard job with housework, but whenever us kids – including my brother – didn’t do it right we had to re-do. Mom didn’t re-do for us. we soon learned it takes less time away from our play or tv if she didn’t call us back to do it again, and then again if necessary. It really is easier to just do it yourself, but when they get better at it it will take a load off you. Any of our jobs started out with perfecting a small part of it at a time. Before I was old enough to actual do laundry, I had to learn how to separate laundry to save mom a little time. every Saturday in Summer before we could leave the house we had to weed a specified portion of one of the gardens. we usually got that done pretty fast if a friend was waiting for us. baby steps seem unhelpful but they grow. I also remember having the job of telling mom when the toast in the oven was done, until eventually I was given the whole job. I always thought that having more kids meant having less jobs to do yourself, but I can see where all that teaching must be a huge hassle to finally get to that point.
We don’t have a dishwasher, but I would so love to have one! We use paper or plastic on weekends. We have a four slice toaster which works well for 7 people who eat a lot of toast, I guess I see a toaster ad more efficient because we don’t have to use gas to heat an entire oven when we only need 8 slices, it takes less than five minutes of electricity. When I was a child, I had to hand wash a lot of clothes, I was an only child with a single parent and washing for 2 was enough, I can’t imagine hand-washing laundry for all 7 of us! I could live like a pioneer, but I know I would do a lot of delegating!
No dishwasher anymore, either. A broken one is taking up space in my kitchen, though. I almost forget what it was like to have one that was working… ahhh… the golden days.
I’ve found it’s actually less time consuming to hand-wash the kids plates & cups & just let them keep reusing the same ones over & over than to continuously load the dishwasher & empty it. We use less plates & cups & only run the dishwasher about half of what we used to.
I used to drive a big van that was parked outside. Best trick ever? Buy a cheap blue tarp, about 10 ft wide should do it. Put it over the windshield and tuck the edges between the open front doors and frame. Close the front doors to wedge the tarp solidly on the windshield. Lock up amd head to bed. In the early snow-covered morning, just open the doors, pull off the tarp and your windshield is perfectly clean- no scraping!!
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