Monday, July 4, 2016

Hello & Welcome to My Life

Opened up the fridge this morning to grab some half and half, and this is what was waiting for me:

That's right. That's a plate with a tiny bit of pizza crust on it. Plastic wrap pushed back, but not removed. Plate not removed. So yes, a nicely chilled all but empty plate greeted me first thing this morning, and it wasn't the least bit embarrassed to be found in such a state of undress. It was enjoying the cool climate.

Please note that the nicely chilled all but empty plate is surrounded by many, fine nutritious snacking options: carrots, honeydew melon soup, a variety of lettuces and slaw. On the shelf beneath it are the remains of a lovely roast chicken. But whomever ate the pizza wasn't interested in healthy snacking. That is not their way.

What is their way, other than grabbing pizza slices but leaving an all but empty plate? Cereal boxes left open and out, little bits of cereal littering the counter around them. Cereal bowls with just a touch of milk in them, left to the side of the sink. Never in the sink, and never, ever rinsed, and never, ever, never, ever rinsed and put in the dishwasher.

Never never never never ever.

I can see there's work to be done here, and this work doesn't involve me rinsing cereal bowls and putting them in the dishwasher.

On a related note, the other day I asked Jack to please empty the dishwasher. His immediate reply was "sure," but after a second he looked at me and asked in a pleasant, curious tone of voice, "Why?"

As in why on earth are you asking me to do this, not why does a machine filled with clean dishes need to be emptied.

For the sake of my children's future spouses, I must start riding herd. And yes, I have the laziest children in the world, and yes they will resist and grump and grouch every time I remind them to do something. But it has to be done.

Because I can't take another morning like this one.

7 comments:

Nancy McCarroll said...

I really thought maybe you have a pizza lovin' dog until I ready through the post.

"Why?" Is classic. You could just use dishes from the dishwasher and after eating from said plates and utensils, just leave them on the side of the sink for the Dish Fairy.

Danielle said...

That photo is classic! I get empties left in the fridge as well, but my sore spot is dirty laundry. Years and years of saying pick it off the floor and put in the basket. Bonus: every time I say it I get an "I know" back. What they seem to know is that they have no intention of picking up their dirty laundry.

I do make them gather up said dirty laundry, sort it all, and put clean laundry away, but clearly I need to step up the efforts.

Danielle said...

That photo is classic! I get empties left in the fridge as well, but my sore spot is dirty laundry. Years and years of saying pick it off the floor and put in the basket. Bonus: every time I say it I get an "I know" back. What they seem to know is that they have no intention of picking up their dirty laundry.

I do make them gather up said dirty laundry, sort it all, and put clean laundry away, but clearly I need to step up the efforts.

Tracy said...

Why. Now there's a question. Usually the domain of toddlers. Your son is lucky not to have me for a parent. Those are the questions that send me into a bit of a soapbox moment.

On the flipside, I have a 20yo who is still happy to stamp her feet and slam her door because she doesn't want to do her dishes job. Yet she happily works in a campsite kitchen and does hundreds of them. Of course, they do pay her. Then again, I shell out an awful lot for her to live here.....

Why indeed.

Everyday Life On A Shoestring said...

This made me smile. It could be a scene from our house...

Gumbo Lily said...

~smile~

Ali said...

It's not just mine then - honestly, I feel like apologising to their future spouses/housemates now, just to get it out of the way. my offspring are pigs. I have failed in my duty to train them adequately for grown up existence. It's going to be carnage when they move out (but my house will be lovely then!)