Time for a shower?

I vaguely remember the days where I could sit in a nice hot bubble bath and relax. Those days are long gone. To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever taken a bath in this house, and we've lived here for five years. I use the bathtub all the time, to bathe the kids, but not for myself. Showering is faster, and with four kids, faster is a must. I hate to admit it, but there are days I don't even get to shower. I know it sounds gross, but it's the truth. I have a feeling there are other moms out there who can relate. I try to get in the shower first thing in the morning when my husband is still home, or before bed at night, when the kids are asleep. But some nights, I'm just too tired to put in the effort to try to clean myself. I go to bed feeling gross, but prefer the sleep over the time it takes to shower.

Yesterday was one of those days where showering just didn't happen for me. I'm not proud of it, especially since it was a thousand degrees outside. So, first thing this morning, I decide to get in the shower, before my husband leaves for work and my daughter has to get to the bus stop. I immediately feel better about myself. I'm getting clean, I have a few minutes to myself, I feel refreshed. As I'm showering, I'm thinking about the day ahead and what I can get done before the baby wakes up and how I'm excited it's pizza night for dinner. I'm in my own little world, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Who am I kidding? Peace and quiet? That didn't last as long as it took me to type the sentence. First my son comes in the bathroom asking if he can wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt today. Now, the winter clothes are packed away, not in his drawers, so the answer was pretty obvious. But sarcasm doesn't really work on a 4 year old, so I said yes. I said that he can wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt every day now because it's summer. He leaves. The minute I said summer, I knew it meant trouble. Not even a minute later, my daughter comes in the bathroom. "Is it really summer? Pirate said that you said it's summer. I still have school, so it can't be summer." Quickly I explain that I just meant it is hot outside and feels like summer. She leaves. She comes right back in. "Don't forget you have to put my earrings back in before school.". How can I forget when I'm being reminded every five minutes? She leaves again. Back in comes Pirate. "Do I put my jammies in the hamper?", he asks. I tell him yes. As he's walking out the door, he says, "I'll be in my room if you need me." and proceeds to slam the bathroom door again. I go to get out of the shower and realize I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair. At least I realized it before I got dressed. Later in the morning I asked my son a question and he told me that he was busy and couldn't help me. I'll have to remember that the next time I want to shower in peace.