There is no lice in this post. I promise. There is an appearance of a lice comb, which is greatly appreciated for it's ability to pick out small things between fuzzy and furry items of clothing, but that's it. This post is about mulch.
It's about mulch that was mistakenly spread in the toddler playground when it should not have been. It's about mulch that would be lovely in a flower bed, appreciated by a cold plant or tree during the winter, but is hated and reviled by all parents with toddlers that go to our school.
This mulch has fine fibers. They are needle sharp and they have a penchant for sticking into anything fleece-like, fuzzy or permeable. The good news is they only do this if you roll in the mulch. The bad news is that all toddlers roll in, tumble in, play with, dig through and bury their heads or other body parts in on a daily basis.
When you pick up your child there is a moment of worry because you're not sure if that's truly your child getting into the car or some other mulch-ridden child from her class. If you think I'm exaggerating at this point, I would like to stress that no, it's really that bad.
The mulch doesn't shake out. It doesn't brush out with a lint brush. It doesn't wash out. And while I'm on the topic of washing, let's talk about what it does in the wash. A large portion goes nowhere, stays right where it was and looks just as uncomfortable to wear and dirty at the same time as when you put it in the wash. The other portion that does wash off, washes into your clothes; your adult clothes; your nice adult clothes.
Now you have playground mulch in your dressy sweater and you have three jackets and five shirts you're not sure you're ever going to be able to wear again. Oh, and socks. Those are the worst yet. All of my adult socks are mulch magnets. It's so frustrating.
I did have one revelation. I would use the lice comb to get out to the small fibers. It works, oh, it works, if you have several hours to spare. Nothing else seems to do the job. At this point, I'm considering starting a mulch replacement fundraising drive at school because I've had it.
The Big Boy Update: "Hey Reese, there are cars down here!" That's what my son said to my daughter the other day. She was upstairs and most likely couldn't hear, but he wanted to engage her and work together. He saw some cars, went and got them and then called for his sister on the floor above to help him out. It's the first time he's tried to involve her in his play time that I've seen.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Elmo shoes. We got her some new, larger shoes. They had a pink and purple pair for the girls, but the equivalent pair for boys was adorable red and the entire shoe design was that of Elmo hugging you with his two Velcro arms that keep the shoe on. We love her new shoes. She loves her new shoes. Now, if only we could get her to keep them on in the car.
Fitness Update: Six miles with Uncle Jonathan yesterday afternoon (making for ten miles total yesterday) and then the longest, most brutal workout at the gym this morning that we've done yet. It was tough, but we did it as a group and it was fun. If you consider pain fun.
Someone Once Said: He had the arrogant humility of a man who has learned so much that he is aware of his own ignorance; he saw no point in “measurements” when he did not know what he was measuring.
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