Chiggers and Baths

I am mind bogglingly tired so this won't be an amazing post.

Let me talk chiggers.

They are very tiny bugs, for those who don't know.

They are evil bugs.  I hope they aren't in Heaven.  But if they are in Heaven, presumably they won't bite. And if they bite, I won't mind.  We are wandering into strange theological waters here, so let me get back to the main point of this blog post.

Chiggers are so small you can't see them, but they live in the grass and get on people. They then creep to some area where the skin is thin, and start doing nasty things to the skin so they can eat.

Yuck.

They only show up in summer when the weather is hot.  So while I like summer, I don't like THAT ASPECT of summer.

Interestingly, it is an old wives' tale that they actually burrow UNDER the skin. They don't.  They attach, but a vigorous scrubbing every 24 hours will remove them before they can do damage.

 I am horribly allergic to chigger bites. They swell up and itch OH SO MUCH.  For like, days.   I hate chigger bites.

Thankfully, I have figured out the shower trick.  I've only gotten 2 bites so far this year, and the second one isn't too bad (I have it now.)

I suppose it is no surprise that my precious kids also tend to have trouble with chigger bites.  They definitely get that from me.  Kevin can get bitten dozens of times and they don't really itch.  Lucky.

All this means that as part of my daily routine, I need to give our 3 little ones baths if there is any chance they came in contact with chiggers. I don't want them getting bitten and itching horribly.

Let me talk baths.

Baths are a blessing. I am very thankful for hot water and soap and nice shampoo and bath toys.  They are all nice.

But...they are tiring. Oh so tiring.  Daniel and Sarah love baths and resist getting out.  Rose likes them Ok except when I put her in with Daniel and Sarah and she gets splashed too much.

I have been giving baths to small people for 15+ years now.

Does any other mother get tired of them?

Thankfully my big girls can help bathe Daniel and Sarah, which helps a lot.

I do love my littles and I love this stage of life.

But I'll enjoy it when everyone can bathe him or herself.

And I'll enjoy colder weather when the chiggers stop biting.