Why it takes an hour and a half to clean up after breakfast

I try to keep up the standard of not being a short order cook. There is some theory that suggests this will make kids less picky. My children are single handedly disproving this theory, but I give it a shot. Breakfast, however, is the one time I let people choose. So the day generally starts by asking "What would you like for breakfast?" My husband helps in this as he too is an excellent breakfast maker.

Some mornings everyone has cereal- easy enough 4 bowls, 4 spoons, 1 coffee cup, 1 untouched cup of milk/juice, 1 sippy cup and 1 empty water glass.

This morning it was - bacon and fried eggs, toast, dry cereal, and Ritz crackers (for the boy with a cracker problem). So... we have 2 skillets, 2 adult plates, 2 kid plates, 1 plate that held greasy bacon, 1 coffee cup, 1 kid cup of orange juice, 1 untouched cup of juice, 1 sippy cup, 1 empty water glass, 1 spatula, 1 cooking fork, 1 eating fork, 4 spoons, 3 knives, 2 kid bowls and about a thousand paper towels. And, since bacon splatters, every part of the stove.

Each night before we go to bed I try to run the dishwasher. I try to make this a once a day thing rather than multiple uses, so cleaning up after breakfast always means emptying the dishwasher. You know who likes to be in the kitchen for that...everyone. The dog likes to lick any water that remains on top of clean dishes and spills into the door. The kids just like to be in there to request things while I'm doing it. These requests come as soon as I've picked up something that needs to be dried before it can be put away.

"Mmmmoooooooooommmmmmmm," one will whine, "Can I have another piece of toast?"

Sure, so I get out the toaster, again, make a piece of toast and start to pick up the dish.

"MOM!" the other shouts, "I NEED juice! please..."

Put down the dish, get out another glass because at this point all the glasses are in a pile of filth in the sink. Pour juice.

Pick up dish.

"Mom, my toast is ready."

Put down dish. Repeat this cycle until the dishwasher is empty.

But the fun really begins with washing the skillets. When the skillets are being washed and my hands are soaked, I get requests to: let the dog in and out and in and out, please help me put the Green Lantern back in his plane, turn up the t.v., turn down whatever you are listening to to not go insane, I need help to go to the bathroom, etc.

On this goes until the kitchen is clean. When it is, there is no one to be found. Everyone has managed to go on their merry way because I have two available hands and nothing to do with them and no one wants to be around when I start asking for help with chores. So, I'll go swap the laundry in peace. The laundry I started because someone needed something that was in it while I was cleaning the kitchen.