Hefty, Chinet, and Dixie, Oh my!

I did it. I caved. I bought paper plates about a month ago and have been using them for lunch and snacks. This goes against so much of what I hold dear. I really hate wasting things. I do not like to buy things only to throw them away. I don't like to create unnecessary trash. I really like using my dishes, Fiestaware is just plain pretty, and pizza rolls look way yummier on real dishes! Do you hear the "but" coming on? BUT, I hate running my dishwasher two (sometimes three) times a day and then having to empty it. And we were doing just that, almost everyday, using enough dishes to load and wash two times. So there, I admit it, I am contributing more to the landfills (good thing I am a recycling nazi), and the guilt I feel is enormous. I do however, love only doing dishwasher duty once a day. Oh, the yin yang of a mom's life can be so profound can't it?