Don't Touch That!

What happens when you tell your child,

"Don't touch that!!"

Uh huh.  Same with our kids.

So early in March, we were soaking in some fresh air and pseudo-sunshine today in effort to beat the winter blahs.  If it's gray and slightly bright, indicating the sun is trying to shine on Western Pennsylvania, it counts.  I decided it was time to clean off my kids' old play kitchen that had been in storage.  Spring might come soon and I wanted to have the kitchen ready for play when that blessed day arrived.

That meant turning on the hose (that we left out in the yard all winter - yep - we're those people) and what do you suppose happened?  Well, first hose-shaped ice shot out in 3 to 4 inch pieces, then came a blessed gush of icy cold water.  I rinsed the storage dust off the little kitchen and wiped it down with paper towels.

Meanwhile, my hose-crazed 3-year-old came by to investigate.  If he hears anything interesting - a drill, a hammer, or especially a hose, he comes running.  He wanted to spray it.  "No - you can't spray it.  You'll get wet.  It's very cold out here and when you get wet in cold weather, you feel really, reeeeeally cold."

"Don't touch it!!!" 

He stopped dead in his tracks.  ("Yes!"  I thought - "It worked for once!"  "Score one for mom!")

So he didn't touch the hose.  Instead, he jumped in icy puddles with his older and wiser sister who happened to be hopping around in the freezing cold puddles BAREFOOT!  She had soaked her sock and shoe by stepping in the sandbox (filled with melting ice) and decided it was better to run around with one bare foot than to keep a soggy shoe on her little foot.  Sigh.  Well, I suppose that makes some kind of sense.  I encouraged her to go put her pink boot on to cover her foot while she finished playing. Which she did.

(Score another one for mom - well, sort of...)

The boy child decided at that precise moment to dump all the icy water off the kids' picnic table.  Onto himself.  Oooh - fun!  He hopped around in the puddles some for five more seconds, then started to whine.  I'm coooold!!!

Really?  Well, that's a surprise.  (Insert "I told you so" portion of the conversation.)

His ninja turtle green sweatpants were soaked up one leg, his shoes and socks were wet, and his little mittens were sopping.

So Hopalong, Soggy Pants and I went back inside and peeled off the soggy layers, then we sat and warmed by ourselves woodstove for a while.  I thought it was a better idea than staying outside to see if hypothermia would set in.

Soon, our cheeks were rosy and dispositions were the same.  We could feel all our fingers and toes again.  What a relief!

Then we had hot cocoa and sugar cookies.

Somehow, a good snack always makes things better.