So Sophie cooked dinner tonight. It was excellent - chicken kebabs with a thai dipping sauce, salad, bread, and lemon cheesecake for dessert. (Though we haven't actually tasted the cheesecake yet; saving it for later this evening). But dear God, the kitchen. She used every mixing bowl I possess to do the cheesecake. There are onion peelings and bits of chopped ginger and trodden-on cloves of garlic and half-squeezed lemons and puddles of water all over the floor. And she seems to have somehow managed to get a film of peanut butter on practically every surface in the entire kitchen. It is truly disgusting. The cherry on top? Our dishwasher has chosen now to refuse to wash.

I have done exactly the wrong thing, and sent them all out while I tackle the mess. I know that all that this teaches Sophie is that if she makes a mess mommy will fix it. But her "helping" was just prolonging the agony, and frankly, I couldn't bear it.

I'm about half-way through right now ... better stop procrastinating and go finish before they get back. It will really be a lose-lose situation if the place is still trashed when the others walk through the door.