there's nothing like kids for keeping you hygenically honest.

let me clarify: when it comes to them i am a firm believer in building resistance. when our cats (RIP) were alive, the cats licked the kids faces, and i caught sebastian drinking out of the cats water bowl a few times, and all four kids sampled cat food at one time or another. and generously, the kids would giggling, offer olivia a few licks of their tomato ketchup coated chips which she would accept. i have no problems with scooping food off the floor and popping it back on to the kids plates or straightways into their cavernous gobs, depending on the situation. the three, five and probably no longer than 10 minutes rule is a big one in our house.

but back to hygiene. except during the nicu period, when i began to get excema between my fingers because of the constant washing with carbolic soap and NO lovely moisturiser, have i ever washed my hands as much as i do now. every time i accompany one of the beasts of burden to the bathroom, i have to set a good example, or else they scream at me, "wash your hands mummy, use soap!" if i try to remind them that i didn't use the toilet or wipe the arse of anyone who did, i am shrilly informed,  "there's germs on the handles!" wash wash wash. so i wash when i use the toilet, or whenever i accompany one of them to the toilet. hassle!

today is sunday. we had a good weekend. a highlight for me was that today after lunch (goat's cheese salad on rye toast, balsamic dressing), pizza for the sultans of swing, eggs benny for charles), charles and sebastian took a run together. can you fathom it, a RUN. i mean really.

sebastian's self confidence needs this. we are always telling him he is a good runner, and while he is fair to middling at team sports, when it comes to running he is like charles, very good with the potential to be very very good. charles hates team sports, and never does them with sebastian, and they needed to do a guy thing together. and so they went for a run, and apparently sebastian jogged for about 1.5 kilometres before needing a break. i tried to take a picture of them running together, but sebastian was wayyyy infront and i was using the close up.

jasper and i watched them go, and jude looked up at me and said, "i don't have to run, do i mummy?" and i replied, "not today." he then came inside and i read him a dora the explorer book. and soon, but not too soon, my big boys returned, demanding cold drinks and claiming high fives.

Comments

[Dad]

So the skinny is to wash your hands after the runs and after running??

Love to all.....Dad

[Mel]

You are a funny girl Madame Tess. A funny girl with lovely clean hands.

[JoeInVegas]

I bet you are better at watching videos with them. You could have posted a shot of those little dots in the distance.

[Lucy]

"every time i accompany one of the beasts of burden to the bathroom..."

Sorry to be so honest, but I was disappointed to read this. I think it's not a very nice way to call your children, no matter what situation. I was not going to say anything, but I kept getting bottered by it. Then I thought, if you were someone I knew in real life, a sister specially, I would tell you. I'm by no means perfect, I just think that we are all here to support each other in real or virtual life. I don't know if I make sense, but just hope you don't feel like I'm trying to criticize you, I'm not. God bless you.