Dirty Pleasures

In honor of my 200th post on ILoveMornings, I thought I'd talk about a few of my dirty pleasures.  Stop thinking I'm going to say something inappropriate, stop it.  There IS another definition of dirty, you know.  It is my personal opinion that kids miss out on a lot of dirt because of their well meaning but misguided hand sanitizer-crazed parents. 

So here are a few of my personal favorite ways to get dirty…

1. Gardening.

What can be better than tromping out to the garden in your mud boots and digging up a few rows to grow sweet peas in?  (Commence humming "Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee)  Yes, you will have dirt under your nails and on your jeans.  It's ok.  Just enjoy being close to the earth.  Garden dirt is a clean sort of dirt, anyway.

2. Mud fights.

If this one is successful, you'll have mud on more than your jeans.  It's great after a few days of heavy rain in a low spot with plenty of dirt.  It's good for youth groups, kids, whatever.  Mud-slinging is never so malice free as when you use real mud. 

3. Petting icky, slimy, germy things.

Occasionally, you'll run into things that are deemed slimy and gross.  I think they're fabulously interesting.  Snails?  Toads?  Earthworms?  All favorites.  They remind me of country gardens, summer night symphonies and kissing frogs to test the prince theory.  (No luck so far.)

4. Finger painting.

This isn't exactly dirty, but it's messy enough for mention.  One of my favorite babysitters let us finger paint with butterscotch pudding.  Yum-o.  Whether it's paint, mud, or pudding, it's artsy, it's motor skills, and it's messy fun.

5. Cleaning drains.

I hesitate to include this one.  It's not appropriate for kids, and it requires a pretty strong stomach.  This is a bit of a confession, but let me tell you, I love the feeling of returning a dysfunctional drain to it's proper working order.  Yeah, it can get a little gross, but you'll want to whoop in triumph when you... well, when you get out whatever's down there. 

Don't be afraid of dirt.  Sure, clean your fingernails and wash your hands before you eat, but don't let a little dirt worry you.  Let your kids play in it - the clean kind of dirt, you know, the bug and garden and grassy kind of dirt, not just any chemical laden or sewer-y kind of dirt. 

Much love,

Little Miss Sunshine