During the wee hours of Saturday morning, our Texas town lost power and for about 36 hours we were given some water precautions.  Boil it, probably shouldn’t bathe in it, and for the love of your family DON’T DRINK IT.

Everything turned out to be fine.

Well, everything but my brain, our budget, and a few Sunday School teacher’s olfactory sense.  See, I’m what you may call a bit of a worrier. My family may or may not think I am a few hand sanitizings away from obsessive compulsive. 

… 

Fine! I’m a worst case scenario kind of gal. When I heard the warnings, I saw the glass as half empty, and FULL of MURDEROUS, PLOTTING bacteria.  I bought as much water as our suburban would hold, and I bought so much paper and plastic ware that the cashier thought we were hosting a church barbecue.

I didn’t think it would be possible for our boys to bathe or shower without ingesting gallons of toxic water.  My husband, the firefighter, believes that if I had my way, I would send our kids off to college with sippy cups and pull-ups.  That is ridiculous!  Maybe a Nalgene or some other cup with a lid, to prevent spills around homework or computers. And having a change of clothes is just good sense, you know, just in case.

Anyway, Amelia and I went shopping with my mom and sisters while the boys played at home with daddy.  When I came home, they looked (and smelled) like they had had a great time being boys. Outside. In the dirt. Our son Zeke likes to run around without a shirt or shoes and color all over himself with sidewalk chalk because “it looks cool”. And, our youngest boy, Connor, has the incredible ability to produce slime and he usually has some oozing or crusting somewhere on his person.  This slime, when mixed with dirt, becomes quite similar to cement (patent pending). Yesterday, it was everywhere.  

That sponge bath never had a fighting chance.