Feeling Down and Getting Dirty

Yesterday was rough. Some days are just like that. And I was starting to feel pretty low about my abilities as a parent.  So, while my kids were napping (yes, all three of them) I finished making the blueberry sorbet we had started (before the youknowhat hit the fan and I declared nap time for all) and then I sat on my butt with the computer. I turned to one of my favorite blogs, Here We Are Together, for calmness, clarity and inspiration.  And I found it.  I'm not a neat freak, not even close, but I still feel like I spend a lot of time telling my kids to keep things clean.  They don't often get an opportunity to really let lose and get dirty.  So, I took a page from Miri's book (or technically a post from her blog :) and we set out to build a mud pit.

I let them help dig the hole because hard work is good for them and it was part of the fun.  They took turns carrying water in buckets (and causing some grief threatening to spray each other with the hose, argh) and pretty soon we had a nice mud pit to play in.  The kids looked at me with impish smirks and wide eyes when I told them to jump in - a sign that we need to do this more often.  The hubby's response, "Oh my.  What are you doing?  And why?"  Always good to keep him on his toes.

Worm!

Where was Ada during all of this?  Right there with us of course.  By the time her knight in shining armor arrived to rescue her she had a few mud splatters on her bald head and a big one on her cheek.  And she didn't mind a bit.

I can honestly say that the day ended about as rough as it began, but this middle part, where we all got down and dirty, was pretty fun.  I can understand why people go to spas to take mud baths, it's pretty therapeutic, but we'll save our dough and use the dirt that nature provided in our own backyard.  What soothes you and your kiddos when you're having a tough day?

I linked up with Capri +3: Artsy Play Wednesday.  Stop by and check out the other great ideas.