In New Hampshire, I was a "bathe-em-once-a-week" kind of mom. Spot clean the kids, bathe them if they're really messy or have an accident, but otherwise, a good thorough bath on Saturday and they're good to go.
NOT HERE!
This is a "bathe-em-at-least-once-a-day" type of situation.
Noah, well, he's a boy. Need I say more? I'm not even sure why I dress him in the morning! Josh's family loves the fact that Josh is getting pay-back for his childhood extraordinary messiness - but even they say that Noah has unfathomable talent in the realm of messy! So add the red clay dirt, the mosquito bites (it seems that two mosquitoes took up residence INSIDE his little tent - oops!), his propensity to sweat profusely, the scratches and bruises that come with exploring new territory, and Noah is a mess 96% of the time.
Ana is also busy exploring in the red clay and sweating up a storm so she gets the night-time bath. No complaint from her! She doesn't even mind taking her baths by flashlight!
And poor Gracie doesn't get her almond milk here, so she's spitting up regular milk and juice and smelling sour all day, not to mention the cloth diapering situation. (yes, you read right - I'm allowing my children to drink juice here! ANYTHING to keep them hydrated while we adapt and adjust! haha! Oh my standards are really slipping!)
We have entered a new life now. A smellier, dirtier life. Since I'm washing clothes by hand, an item of clothing that I might have tossed the wash a month ago, now gets put on one extra time before I buckle down and wash it.
This smellier, dirtier life feels much closer to the earth, less sterile, less separation from the environment. And as long as I put my children to bed clean, and sweep the floor once they go to bed, all is well with mommy's world.
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