Capitulation

We are now the proud owners of a dishwasher.

I know I always said it was one of those extra appliances I felt was a waste of space and money. And really, if you've seen our kitchen, you would see the added burden I felt it would be, as we have only 2 spaces under the counter, neither of which would fit a built-in dishwasher. So I knew we would have to buy a portable one, which is $500 more than a built-in, and then I'd have to find a place to put it in the kitchen.

Well, two weeks ago I finally turned to James and asked if he wanted to buy a dishwasher that afternoon. I think he nearly fainted from surprise. But my "recovery" from illness hasn't been complete, and as each week passes I realize that this time I don't think I will ever have very much energy until the baby comes. And standing at the sink doing dishes 4 or 5 times a day is one of those things I still can't do. Which left the chore for James. Which he hates. With a passion. I really don't think there is any other chore in the entire house he hates more than washing dishes. And so faced with another 5 months of him having to fill in for me, I offered the dishwasher.

It was expensive. And it's bulky. But we could afford it, and we found the space for it. In fact, the space issue was my biggest one, and it turns out that we like the layout even better now with the dishwasher in the kitchen.

I was also pleased with my efforts in getting some sort of a deal on it. James and I are not bargainers. We always pay the sticker price, mostly to avoid the confrontation. But at our first stop, when the saleperson showed us the dishwasher and told us the price, I first inquired about the features, and then asked straight out "about the price - can you do any better for us?" She went and discussed with her boss, and then they offered us a much better deal! We didn't end up buying it there, but each stop we made, I made sure they knew we were shopping around and wanted the best deal they could give us. I really felt great about the confidence I exuded in a situation where I would normally quietly slip away.

And so we have our dishwasher. The first day I was a little annoyed. I found myself washing dishes each meal because what I needed was already dirty, and I don't keep tons of plates and bowls and cutlery and bakeware. But each day we've adapted a little more. The boys have eaten cereal from tupperware, and this morning I ate pancakes with a reusable plastic fork. This machine has eased a little tension from the after dinner clean up, leaving James more time to play with the boys and me a little time to relax by myself for half an hour or so. I think, in the end, that is what convinced me to buy it. It wasn't about getting out of doing dishes, but creating a little more peace in our home. And to me, that was what made it worth it.