Photo A Day, Day 14: Dirty

The word “dirty” has many different meanings, but when you have small children, the most literal one is the one that jumps to mind first: “soiled with dirt; foul; unclean.”

Since it is spring – or, as we often refer to it here in New England, “mud season” – there is no lack of dirt in my house or on my children. There are always several pairs of muddy sneakers parked next to my front door, and yet there are also still muddy footprints leading into the kitchen. Now that the weather is warm enough for outside play, every pair of pants that goes into the wash has mud and grass on the hem or the knees. Every hand that has been outside needs scrubbing when it comes back inside.

But the largest reservoir of dirt in my house, nearly any time of year, has to be…you guessed it. The laundry basket.

I caught up on all the laundry on Friday, right before we left for the weekend; I haven’t even finished unpacking my own bag from our trip yet; and still, there is a giant pile of dirty clothes waiting for me.

Seeing a big pile of dirty laundry does make me thankful for a few things, though. It makes me thankful that I and my family have enough clothes that I can let this many get dirty and yet we all still have plenty of clothes to wear. It makes me thankful that I have a washing machine and dryer to help me get everything clean, rather than having to scrub it by hand and hang it up on a clothesline. It makes me thankful that I have access to safe and effective cleaning products. But most of all, it makes me thankful that my kids are able to go outside all the time and have themselves some good, cl- er, dirty fun!!