You know the drill. You wake up, make breakfast, rinse the dishes and run the dishwasher. Everything is all fantabulous. Until ”new” dirty dishes start forming in the sink. A dirty mug is discovered by your dog under the recliner. Your son pulls three drink bottles from the bottom of his backpack and your daughter finds a spoon under her bed. Great. More dishes.

But, I can’t possibly put these recently discovered dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Oh no. It’s an unwritten rule that after the dishwasher (that was so on sale that it sounds like a helicopter landing in your kitchen) has been running for 31 minutes, it’s too late. If you dare put the new dirty dishes in the already-running dishwasher, you might ruin the entire wash. Not to mention fogging up your glasses and accidentally tripping over your dog. Not on morning mommy brain.

Just the other morning, I took one look at the clock and panicked. A quick sniff under my tank top and I realized I REALLY needed a shower. The “new” dishes were left in the sink and starting to really pile up. But the dishwasher was running. So I decided to ignore them and get on with my day.

Like a mosquito buzzing around my ear, that pile of dishes annoyed me all day. Haunted me.

After dropping off the kids and running 10 errands, I saw even more “new” dirty dishes pile up. But I honestly didn’t have time to empty the dishwasher. I had to run out again.

I wrote a reminder on my iPhone (to myself) to get to the dishes done as soon as I got home.

I taxied the kids to school, worked, sent 27 emails, two conference calls, visited my grandmother who just got out of the hospital, bought all of my daughter’s birthday gifts, ran another two errands, came home. Worked some more. Shot baskets with my son.

I got distracted and caught up in something else. Then I had to pick up the kids again. Vacuumed. Served dinner. Signed homework. Answered emails.

When the kitchen was empty and I couldn’t take it anymore, I finally decided to do the dishes.

Had to let the dog out first. Then rinsed the dishes again.

I spent more than seven hours thinking about that piled high sink of dishes.

It took me less than 7 minutes and 30 seconds to empty the dishwasher and put the “new” dirty dishes in the dishwasher.