Slow going

For some reason I am having a hard time with my "Year towards a Proverbs 31 woman".  I get little burst of energy and then *blamo!* I crash.  but, I am not giving up, so here are some things I've learned over the last 7 days. 

1. Our dishwasher isn't working and since it's not time/budget wise to fix it right now, we are washing our dishes by hand!  (ugh!) but, a strange thing is happening.  The dishes aren't piling up in the sink.   It's like our (my husband and me) excuse has been "Well, we have to run this load of dishes and then we can unload it and then we can put the rest in to be washed" or " I don't have time to unload the dishwasher and then reload it right now, so these dishes can just sit in the sink until I have time."  With no working dishwasher we can't exactly not do the dishes, we have 6 people in this house, what would we eat on/ cook with?  So, we are pretty much washing as we go...(crazy talk, I know!) ;)
2. 2nd thing I've realized, Laundry sucks...seriously, it sucks the time/life out of me.   And yet, it needs to be done. (much like the dishes, although I'm pretty sure what works with a broken dishwasher will not work with the clothes if the washing machine ever dies on me.)  It piles up and it can't be ignored.  Like I've said before, there are 6 of us and since running around naked isn't an option, I need to get on a schedule.  I'd love ideas if anyone actually reads this and feels like chiming in :)
3. I was reading proverbs 31 in the ESV version the other day, and this stood out to me:                 Proverbs 31:14 She is like the ships of the merchant;she brings her food from afar. I actually kind of do this, I have spent a lot of time over the last year figuring out when and where to get the best deals on our everyday food items. Just to put it into perspective, I live literally 30 seconds away from Safeway by car.  I used to go there all the time for groceries, but I was spending a lot of money on the basics.  So, I started driving to the Grocery Outlet, which is about 10-15 minutes away.  I buy 90% of our groceries there and save a TON of money.  I am also going to Costco on a bi-weekly basis to get the rest of the basics, this again is about a 15 minute drive, and saves money in the long run.  I guess what got me so excited about this verse is this: I feel like I am falling short of my goal lately.  The housework around here seems like a battle that I am losing and I'm not sure how to win.  But when the Lord opened my eyes to this verse, I got a jolt of excitement, I do go the extra mile (or 5;) to save our family much needed money.  Maybe I am over-identifying with this verse, but I don't think so.  I feel like the Lord has given me a little boost, like He has said "Well done."