As has been established, I’m useless when it comes to basic domestic activities. We all have our talents – mine are recalling large amounts of information, figuring out technical subjects, math, directions, and sticking my foot my my mouth (figuratively, not literally on that last one, although that would be a talent). Cooking, cleaning, organizing? Not my best subjects.

So the first time I ever washed dishes, you can guess it was a disaster. I had watched in commercials as Dawn dish soap was squirted on dishes and the oily grime just ran away in fear, or at least that’s how it looked to my eight year old self. I figured I could help my mom out by doing the same. I grabbed our bottle of Dawn and went to work in the kitchen sink.

I squirted a little on the glass casserole dish, the plates, the cups…and nothing happened. So I squirted a little more. Or maybe a lot more. Then I remembered that I’d need a lot of water, too. I’d watched my mom add Dawn to the water, so I continued squirting Dawn into the sink as I plugged the drain and turned on the hot water.

As you probably know, a little Dawn goes a long way. And a lot goes, well, an even LONGER way. I wasn’t paying attention to the sink filling as I reached under the counter to get the dish drainer and set it on the counter, so I missed that all of that dish soap was quickly creating a mountain of suds that would quickly erupt into an avalanche.

When I saw the suds had claimed the sink and were now creeping onto the countertop and over the side, I quickly turned off the water. I had a mix of horror and delight at the sight in front of me. I didn’t plan on creating a suds monster and would have to somehow clean it all up, but also WOW look at all the fun suds!

It was still disappointing to me that the food didn’t magically disappear from the dishes, but it did come off fairly quickly with a little work. Too bad I didn’t understand rinsing, as I set the dishes in the drying rack, still with some suds on them. Or that suds on the floor still needed to be cleaned up – I assumed that since it was soap, it was doing the floor a favor and no further assistance was needed.

My mom (who amazingly kept her composure) appreciated the gesture when she saw it, but then asked me to not help with the dishes again as she re-washed all of the dishes and cleaned the dish soap from the counter and floor.

So I’m better at it now and can wash a sink of dishes successfully. Aaron generally handles the dishes now, but when I do it I try to make it as pleasant as possible. I still like Dawn dish soap, although we’ve moved beyond the old blue formula to their new Dawn Ultra Hand Renewal – Olay Beauty Pomegranate Splash Scent. It smells great, and the formula actually moisturizes my hands.

 

My eight year old self might not have minded the dry, tight feeling from having my hands in hot water for a long period, but at 36 I’m doing my best to keep my hands from getting ahead of me in the age game. This Dawn helps my hands feel soft and smooth while still getting our dishes clean. I’m all about multitasking.

And here’s the whole point of this story: I’m partnering with Procter & Gamble to help promote their new P&G eStore. Nearly every product made by P&G can be found in their store, including the Dawn Ultra Hand Renewal – Olay Beauty Pomegranate Splash Scent. I’ve looked around and found their prices to be as good as or even better than the store sale prices in our area.

Some products have instant coupons that can be applied immediately – no need to hunt around for coupon codes. They currently have some back-to-school and Olympics themed product bundles right now, helping you save even more for products you already use.

You’ll get free shipping for any purchase of $25 or more, too. I don’t need to tell you how fantastic that is – why haul all of your favorite home and personal items from the store (large size Tide containers can be heavy!) when you can have them delivered right to your doorstep for free?

Plus, if you shop through my specific link, you can also get 10% off your entire order this month. I must point out that I receive a commission from anything you buy in the P&G store from my link, too, which is mighty helpful with all of the back-to-school expenses coming up. So really, you’re getting a deal for yourself and helping me afford shoes for two children who grow too quickly. Or Dawn dish soap, if they take after me in their dish-washing abilities.

Feel free to pass my link along to friends and family so they can get in on the deals as well – I only get the commission if you shop through my link.

And if you do take advantage of the 10% off and shop through my link, please leave a comment and let me know what you bought! (Unless you’re buying personal items you’d prefer not to share. Or maybe you do want to tell me about your tampons – I’m OK with it either way!)

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to go buy my Puffs and Bounty multi-packs for our school supply lists.