An absolute luxury!

In the season of giving and Thanksgiving (I am still in the mood from over a month ago!), I am taking a moment to share something with you.  Something I am SO THANKFUL for.  Something that goes completely overlooked everyday.

You see, earlier this summer, we took a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park for a week... in a camper... with three kids... and limited alcohol.  While in Yellowstone, we discovered something.  They charge for showers.  $3.50 per person, per shower.  Doing the math, that would be $56 for four days of showers for our little family (thankfully, no charge for a 3 month old!).  That seemed ridiculous.  So our solution: utilized the water hook-ups at our Disneyland RV Camp and the cushion-size shower in the RV that would make it difficult for a midget to get clean... let alone a 6'1" 240lb man. It was interesting to say the least.  Our evening wash-ups went something like this:

Turn on hot water (no cold, because it was so limited that we had just enough to fill the bathtub up above Maia's booty).  Dip in 2 yr old.  While she plays, water heats up again for 7 yr. old.  Wash two year old of leaches, dirt, leaves, pine needles, spit, snot, dead mosquitoes, and any other bug that got stuck in the coating of "stickiness" that encased her skin.  Pray she doesn't pee or poop in the water because it has to be re-used.  One clean, four to go. Get her dressed in jammies, brush hair, lather on lotion (a good protectant against the damaging effects of previously mentioned "stickiness"), lay in bed with the fleeting hope that she might actually begin to relax and be ready to fall asleep before time reaches double digits.

Next up... Olivia.  Turn on hot water, add to the "tea" currently in the bathtub.  Hope the dim lighting doesn't show how grey the water actually is, thus causing her to request new bathwater, thereby delaying our bath/bed time another hour.  Stick her skinny buns in the tub, where the water is barely to her bellybutton.  Turn on heat, because it is getting so late that it is officially cold outside (mind you, its early August and we are hiking through 90 degree weather during the day, but ohhhh! how cold those nights were). Let her play because she is still a little girl who loves bathtime.  Time to wash!  This is always interesting to watch her little Mogley-legs flail up in the air as she attempts to dunk her head in the water.  Hurry and stand up, wash as fast a can be from head to toe (a Nascar pit stop ain't go nothin' on us!). Dunk in water again.  In the meantime, water is heating up again for Mom to shower... hopefully. Rinse, rinse, rinse.  Listen to continuous addition to the number of mosquito bites she has accumulated since her last count just 10 minutes ago.  She's just like her mama - HATES!! mosquitoes.  "But why is this one so BIG?! Do I need medicine? Am I going to get sick? Will this kill me?"  Because you are so sweet and they really like your blood.  Maybe. No. Let's hope not.  Quickly dry, slather lotion again, put medicine on bites, brush hair, stick in bed with sister to watch a movie (Semi-guaranteed relaxation... unless there is movement or noise or light outside the camper.  It could mean there is fun to be had and they are MISSING IT!!)

Mommy's turn.  Okay... psyche yourself up.  You can do this.  Just get wet, wash everything quickly before the cool air freezes your hair and soap bubbles. Rinse and DONE!  Sure.  Let's not forget that I (at 5'7") have to crouch down to get under the shower head, have pounds of hair to wash and have just as much sludge on me as the children because I am busy carting them around. Not to mention that I am a bit of a clean freak.  I don't mind getting dirty, but when its time to get clean, I want to be CLEAN.  There is no half-assing this in my book.  I don't want to smell like B.O. when I first wake up in the morning, or have my scalp itch like I haven't scrubbed it in two days, and lets not even talk about the nether regions.  Nobody likes dirty business.  Nobody. So a thorough scrub down is mandatory, especially with all the sweating, bug smashing, hiking, snot-wiping and breastfeeding going on throughout the day.  Let's just say this was my LEAST favorite part of our family vacation.  I didn't love it SO MUCH that by day 3, it was quite a mental dance to even get up the fortitude to do it!  But as perfectly painted above, I had no choice.

Poor dad.  He was last.  He was braver than I.  He did it without a single noise - giving the false impression he had a nice, hot, no drama for your mama shower where he didn't have to crouch down farther than his wife, was nice and sudsy and even got a moment to relax and let the calming waters cascade down his back.  Bastard.  How did he get a better shower than me?!?

And what of poor brother?  Wet wipes.  That's what he got.  I wasn't about the expose that poor child to this cruelty, nor put his father or myself through the task of attempting to wash that slippery little bug.  And who wants to waste that good, more precious than gold hot water when he would be fine with a simple wipedown.  Thank you, Huggies, for supplying us with quality baby wipes for such an occassion.

And oh... look what time it is now... after 10 pm?!?  Kids are still wide awake?  It must be interesting to see everyone go in and out of the shower (let alone listen to the symphony as they showered!).  When you've been up since 6am (or earlier) and had some of the worst sleep of your life (as Phil did, sleeping with Maia), this is the moment you break.  GO TO SLEEP, MAIA! But the blinds next to the sofa/sleeper are so interesting.  I think I might be able to reach them.  Yep! Look how fun it is to jostle them around and make noise.  Okay, Dad.  I will stop.  But this pillow isn't comfortable.  Neither is your chest.  How about your legs? Nope. Feet? Nope.  I really like my feet in your face... or back... or sack... Now its back to the pillow.  And after midnight.  More tossing and turning.  Then its 5:15am and a truck starts.  "Morning Livie!" "Maia go back to bed.  Its still night-night." No chance.  We get up, do it all over again.  Showers and all.

As you hop in the shower either today or tomorrow, take a moment to appreciate the modern marvel of indoor plumbing, gas (or electric) water heaters that hold more than 2.4 gallons, uninterrupted time to yourself, lots of suds for your body and the serenity of that 10-20 minutes you get everyday.  Send up a lil' thank you.  And NEVER go to an RV park in a camper/trailer that makes you pay a ridiculous amount for use of showers.  It is NOT WORTH IT. Your body and your sanity will be forever grateful.