I finally cracked ..

and bought a new dishwasher. Or to rephrase, I allowed Peter to buy me us a new dishwasher.

Our old one gave up the ghost about two months ago and has just been sitting there taking up space ever since. Peter offered to take me out to pick up a new one as soon as the old one died, but I stupidly serenely declined his generous offer with the assurance that the children would help me keep the dishes under control .. which they did .. for one whole week.

I then managed to get myself into a routine, apparently like many other dishwasher-deprived people do, of doing the dishes twice a day or more often if needed. Then school holidays happened and the routine went to hell in a handbasket, as did the remaining dregs of my sanity.

I never realised how many drinking glasses we have in this house or that it was possible to use all 34 of them in one single solitary morning with only three children and myself using them. I mean, it's not like we had extra children in the house at any stage during that 4 hour timeframe, so I can only conclude that the boys each had a separate glass for every single sip of fluid they consumed!

Anyway, I have my whiz-bang, wonderful new machine with the full complement of bells and whistles, all in very melodic tones I might add, and it is even installed and working thanks to my wonderful, whiz-bang husband! Now we just have to dirty some dishes so Peter and I the children can learn how to use it properly ...