Will you unload the dishwasher, please?

Last night as I was cooking dinner, I asked both Hannah and Nikki to unload the dishwasher. Guess who did it? Nate and me. So, we didn't use dishes for dinner. The food was too hot when I got it out of the oven to go on our table, so we washed up some leftover vinyl tiles from when our floor was redone and put them at our places. They thought we were crazy. Kellee does Neanderthal dinners (you eat off of plastic on the floor with no utensils) with her family a lot, but we haven't done it with our kids. My mom did it a few times when we were growing up, a couple of times it was a youth activity, and it is always a lot of fun. They don't look too excited in this picture, but I think they were just still in shock.

I don't think they got the message I was going for until they realized I really wasn't going to get out cups for drinks. Dishes are important! I love my Aunt Nell's quote about chores around the house -- "If you consume, you contribute." If you plan on using them, you should think about helping keep them clean. I told them they could get a drink out of the faucet, or they could drink out the water jug. Hannah thought that it was disgusting to be sharing out of the water jug! She finally did it, but she wouldn't let me take a picture of her. Nikki thought it was hilarious.

Ryan had a bewildered look on his face through the whole dinner.

It turned out to be a really fun dinner, I think they got the message, and I didn't even have to get upset or deliver a lecture (at least not a lengthy one). Plus, there wasn't much to clean up after dinner!