How about that junk bench?

Does your house have a junk bench?

My junk bench is right beside the back door, where I enter the house. It's a big bench right there in the kitchen. There used to be a wall where the bench is now - so like I say, its a big bench.

"The bench" is so handy for dumping things on. I come home from a long day at work with 2 cranky kids that haven't been picked up from daycare until pretty much dinner time, so they are begging for food and what could be easier than throwing the backpacks and handbag on "the bench"?

I think that would be ok if I ever went back and sort the things that I dumped there for "just a few minutes" while I get the kids sorted. The problem is of course that I don't go back and sort it. It makes Mr Busy Bee very, very annoyed. He is a very tidy sort of man - not one for throwing things on a junk bench. He's also very relaxed and patient, but even his patience is tested by "the bench".

I also collect an assortment of confiscated items on "the bench". It is often hidden beneath piles of confiscated toys that have been thrown there from the dinner table because Princess Sparkle or Captain Destroyer would rather play than eat (usually they are Captain Destroyer's toys, because they are loud and make me just a little bit crazy!! As an aside why do little boys like loud toys so much?)

This week, I've been making it a mission to keep things under control on the "the bench". Firstly let me say - it's hard frikking work. I just can't bring myself to stop dumping things there, so every night I have to go back and clean it up. I'm not kidding when I say sometimes I go back to "the bench" not two hours after last tidying it, and I can barely see it again.

Today I made my kids' lunches then walked away leaving the butter knife and the bread on the bench. After breakfast I left three types of cereal there and the sugar for my coffee on that stupid bench.

What is the deal with that??

I've gotten a couple of trays and the like to see if that helps with the chaos, but Mr Busy Bee assures me that no amount of gadgets will solve the problem unless I actually use them.

Does anyone else suffer from a junk bench compulsion? How do you deal it? Better yet - has anyone overcome a junk bench compulsion? Please share your tips.