Look at Me Being a Laid Back, Go With the Flow Mom!

Getting dirty in the desert.

While we were in Joshua tree the kids had the best time climbing on all of the boulders and trails the park had to offer. Jane who wasn’t really physically adventurous before this trip would often climb up boulder piles 40 feet off the ground while our backs were turned. She was scooting down so many rocks that she tore holes in the bottoms of two pairs of leggings while we were there. Both she and Wilson loved all the climbing the park had to offer on our morning expeditions.

The park has no shower facilities. In fact Black Rock Campground where we stayed was one of two camp grounds in the park that has  running and potable water!  I chose it for that reason. I’ve learned that we don’t really need power, the generators can provide enough of what we need. We don’t really need a sewer hook up as long as there are bathrooms at the parks. But water, especially with small children is necessary!

Jane making Wilson pancakes out of desert dust.

A couple of afternoons after rest time we didn’t really have any set plans so we let the kids just play. All they wanted to do was play in the dirt. It wasn’t even really dirt. It was dust. They wanted to play in the dust. At first I had a really hard time with just letting them get dirty. I mean we’ve had the stomach bug twice. Staying clean and practicing good hygiene is mandatory in this situation. Despite my hesitations about keeping clean without a shower facility on site we let them just go for it. They loved it! I was very proud of myself for not getting stressed out about the dirt and grime and just going with the flow.

Jane covered from head to toe with dust and sweat. Pure happiness.

Mark was pretty smart in that he filled our two giant 3 gallon water cubes each morning and left them on our picnic table in the heat of the sun. Before we ate dinner each night we would stand the kids naked on our little step stool. We would pour a little water on them, lather them up and then rinse them with the water that had warmed in the desert sun. The kids actually really enjoyed being bathed this way. The water was nice and warm! I was happy to send them to bed clean from the dust of the day.