A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine passed along this little bit of time-saving wisdom from a homeschooling convention:

USE YOUR DISHWASHER!

This has revolutionized my life. And came at a good time when we just installed a new hearty dishwasher. Did you know that you can load up the dishes, pots, pans, and children (well, not the children really) in a fraction of the time, water, and energy it takes to stand at the sink and wash them by hand? Did I say that loudly enough: you can load in the pots and pans!! I used to skimp on running the dishwasher, thinking I was saving the environment. No longer! I now run a load every day or two; my pots are cleaner than ever; and I feel great.