Bath Time!

Our whole family loves the water; the pool, the ocean, "the lake," and the bath is no exception. Bath time is never rushed in our home. When we just had one child, she would play (as seen in the picture above) while I would sit on the edge and read my latest novel, not minding the few water marks that were sure to end up on my book. When the second baby girl came along, bath time turned more into double duty time. When K was still too little to bathe with her sister, I would put K in her exersaucer or bouncy seat and would have a moment to really visit with M and catch up on her day, and maybe even include a quick lesson on categorizing using bath toys. The next chapter of bath time came when the baby was old enough to bathe with M, and M couldn't wait a second longer for it. This time was filled with giggles, bubbles, and barbies.

Now we are in the next chapter of our household bath time. My oldest sometimes still wants to take a bath with the little one (who at 2 isn't as little as she used to be), but mostly wants to take a shower in mommy and daddy's shower. So, K's bath time is the double duty time. While K is playing with her toys, making her Barbie's expert divers, and using foam letters to spell her own words, M has tasks all her own. We sometimes do workbook pages ( I don't homeschool, I'm not that good, but I do supplement where I can), or, she'll go on a hunt around the house for new words. It is really a special time for both girls. K isn't old enough to bathe alone, so I am not called away from her attention for the million other things on my list for the day, and for M, K can't put her own drawings on work M has been working hard on.

I have to say though that my favorite part of bath time (as of late) is toward the end. The Barbie's are taking a break from their springboard practice, and M has hunted all of the new words she can. Usually about this time both girls are ready for a couple of songs (which of course always do sound better in the bathroom). Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, and Hickory Dickory Dock (by the way we went up to the clock striking thirty the other night with our own rhyming words) fill our bathroom, and, for just a moment, all seems right with the world, even if there are a few watermarks sprinkled here and there.