mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful

We had a great time down at my parents' house this weekend. There were the perfect ingredients for fun: magnificent weather, lots of kids around for Jemma to play with (including her best friend, Janie), and mud.

Maybe I should explain 'mud'...

The kids were playing together outside in a dirt pile - the boys digging tunnels and the girls carefully wheeling away spade-fulls of dirt to the driveway. And I was keeping an eye on them while my sister went shopping.

Everything was going smoothly. Everyone was getting along with everyone else, and I was relaxing in the sun trying to soak up some vitamin D. Then one of the boys brought over a bucket of water and turned the dirt pile into a mud pit. And that's when I had a choice...

I knew that it would be a pain in the you-know-what to clean up if I let them play in the mud, and that my sister (the mother of two of the kids) would be really mad. I also knew that the kids would absolutely LOVE it.

I said to Ben (my sister's little boy) "You know if I let you guys play in the mud your mom's going to kill me."

"Yes," he admitted. "She will. But we won't get in trouble." He was right. It would be my fault for letting them do it. And my getting in trouble didn't seem like much of a deterrent. But I need to mention one thing...

My sister hates dirt. She doesn't just hate it - she won't tolerate it. Her house - and her kids - are always immaculately scrubbed and spotless. I pity the speck of dust that dares to settle on her floor. However, this didn't stop me from saying, "yes." In fact, I think it encouraged me. First, because when would they ever be able to do this again? (Certainly never at home.) And second, because if my sister can expose my daughter to massive amounts of refined sugar every time we have a visit (which she does, without fail) I certainly have the right to expose her kids to a little dirt now and again... or, better yet, mud.

Now, before you think I'm the worst sister ever, you should know that I had the kids showered and dressed before she got home. I even rinsed out their dirty clothing...



We did lots of other great stuff this weekend, too - like horseback riding, building hay forts, and carving pumpkins - but I suspect what they'll remember most is the mud.