One thing I'm doing Right

I am not the mother I always imagined that I'd be. I have little patience, I DREAM of silence, I don't like dirt, or messes. BUT, I have managed to get over myself just enough to let my kids get a little dirty. We have grass, but our backyard neighboors don't yet, so my kids play in their "yard" (sorry Kelly). It's their favorite thing next to Ice Cream.

Whats my secret for not letting the dirt overcome my sanity? Proper Equipment. Which means plenty of crappy clothes that I don't care about getting dirt stained, and rain boots. Sturdy ones that can withstand plenty of hosing downs, not those cutesy ones at Target (although I looked at those too, and I'll admit, I wanted them). Anyway, some rain boots, and dirty clothes and they are SET. And when they come back inside i strip them down to their skivveys and trot them right upstairs for a bath. Clothes go in the wash, and boots get dumped in a bucket to get a hosedown if the dirt has become mud with rain or sprinklers. Its Awesome. I don't have whiney children, they get to discover and explore Dirt (one of the 7 wonders when you're a kid), and I get a break.