The DUMBEST thing I've done ALL YEAR.

Superbowl was last night & we pigged out for hours. Naturally, after the game, we all crashed. Everyone was in a carb-induced food coma. No one felt like cleaning.

This AM I got up with the kids, they went off to school, and I stood there, staring at 2 sinks full of dirty dishes... the remnants of last night's feast.

Several months ago I read about microwaving sponges to kill germs & other nastiness... & I've been tossing my sponges in & nuking them for 2 minutes, just about every day. And I've got to say, I'm really pleased with the results. They don't get gross-feeling, or smelly, so I'm convinced it actually does work.

Leaving dishes overnight always makes the job more difficult, and there are usually a few particularly nasty items you really wish you had rinsed out the night before. When I came across our wooden spoon, that's exactly what I was wishing. It was coated with day-old refried beans & slimy water from a combination of several different beverages & someone's half-hearted attempt of soaking the dishes last night. It was gross. Wood is porous, so I was sure it had all kinds of nasty germs & evil spores on & in it. I thought of throwing the wooden spoon away, but I really like the wooden spoons & I don't like to waste. And THAT'S the moment it hit me! My eyes got wide... my eyebrows rose up ... and I said to myself: "Barb, you're brilliant!"

I walk myself with my slimy wooden spoon over to the microwave, set it for two minutes, (just like the sponges) and walk back to the sink.

Not EVEN a minute later I think to myself ... "what's that smell?" ..... 20 seconds after that, the ENTIRE kitchen & living room are filled with smoke. I turn around & see smoke coming out of every crevace of the microwave. I ran to the microwave & whipped open the door -- no flames, but a PILE of thick, disgusting smoke comes pouring out, into the already choking air. I decide I do not need the extinguisher, I just need air so I run around & open the windows & doors & stand there trying to breathe some fresh air for a minute, thinking to myself ... "man! I'm a dumbass". The air clears enough for me to get the (completely charred) wooden spoon out of the microwave. (At this point, I'm pretty sure it no longer contains ANY germs or evil spores.) I pick it up with our potholder & it immediately falls apart in my hand. Wow.

So, if you ever thought to yourself: "Gee, I wonder how long it would take for a wet, slimy wooden spoon to catch on fire if I put it in the microwave?" The answer is... exactly 1 minute, 15 seconds.

And THAT my friends, is The DUMBEST thing I've done ALL YEAR. (And it's only February.)