My Life with the Sink Monster

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

27 Jul 2008 04:29 AM

Have you ever woken up from a bad dream only to find that there was a little bit of reality to it after all? Or perhaps you have a certain sense of dread before walking down a certain alley or into a certain room. It is almost as though you can hear the audience watching you as though you are in a horror film, "Don't go in there!" and "Nooooo!"

This happens every once in a while in my house, usually on weekends. I get up on a Saturday morning before everyone else is. The house is still and quiet and all I can hear is the slight hum of the refrigerator as I pad into the kitchen in my socks. I anticipate a drink of cold water and make a mental list in my head of the ingredients I'll need to make a big weekend breakfast, or at least the number of bowls and boxes of cereal.

Something makes a noise as it shifts. Halfway into the kitchen I look up, and it is there. Drooling, oozing and flaking. It is the sink monster.

The sink monster is that large pile of dirty dishes that results from someone who is on dish duty not taking care of the dinner dishes the night before. Or the monster results from late night forages into the kitchen by what must only be a houseful of elves with large appetites for bowls of chocolate ice cream and cereal. The monster stares at me. It stinks at me. And it just ruins my day. Slaying a nasty sink monster is no way to start the morning.

What would you do?

Sometimes I think that I am the only one with special powers to see the sink monster. While I cringe in horror, others walk past it with barely a blink. If I try to ignore it, it just gets nastier and grows larger, spreading itself out and getting comfortable on the counters and even sometimes the dining room table! Yesterday, I beat this monster down twice, once in the early morning and again last night after dinner. This morning, although smaller than usual, it still had the fortitude to almost wink at me as I entered the room. I'm wondering where I can buy those strips of paper that tell you a hotel toilet has been hermetically cleaned for your protection. If I place one across the sink, do you think it would intimidate the sink monster?

How do you keep that sink monster at bay?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don't miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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When Toothbrushes Don't Fit in the Holders

Of Mice and Men

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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jonesx6 (1606) 27 Jul 2008 06:17 AM

I used to fight the sink monster all the time. Now I just let it go. lol Glad to hear that I am not the only one with that nasty sink monster. Laura

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 27 Jul 2008 06:55 AM

It scares me!

Tashi (1013) 27 Jul 2008 09:29 AM

Sink monster?? LOL I wish I had one of those instead. I have a clothes dryer monster, which likes to occasionally bite holes in t-shirts and such. Maybe I should set out a dish of chocolate ice cream for it, so maybe we can call a truce.

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 27 Jul 2008 03:03 PM

I think a lint cupcake might just lure it out!

Tashi (1013) 27 Jul 2008 06:05 PM

Got a recipe for that, Mary Ann? :-) Maybe your sink monster would depart your home after a bowl of Dawn and granola? LOL

Do people still tend to have sink monsters, even if they have a dishwasher?

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 27 Jul 2008 06:30 PM

Somethings just can't get washed in the dishwasher. And sometimes people find it easier to put things in the sink.

Now as for that lint cupcake, you might have to wing it. Meanwhile, here are some other things you can do with lint.

http://frugal.families.com/blog/hoff-real-uses-for-dryer-lint