Save Water! Shower Together

We are all about being green and sustainable in our house. We recycle, compost and do a host of other things to minimize our footprint on this planet. Recently we have added water conservation to our list of Earth-friendly activities.

LP, who as an infant detested water, has suddenly decided that she prefers the shower to the bath. The Hoos is thrilled. Why would he care? Because LP is 3.5 and if she wants to shower, someone has to get in there with her, and because he is the lone male in our house, he has somehow decided that this is a "mommy job."

I realize that giving my kids a bath or shower every day is not in the spirit of water conservation, but we do. I run to the pediatrician enough as it is and the hope is that if we wash germs off daily we will all be sick less (tell that to my lingering cold!). Fortunately the shower is quicker than the bath and I think LP's hair is getting cleaner (much easier to get the shampoo in and out with the shower head than by dumping cups of water on her). She has a lot of hair, so we might be saving a few gallons of water with this effort alone.

AK joined us in the shower for a couple of nights, but last night when I pointed upstairs and asked if she was ready for the shower, she ran to our downstairs bathroom insisting "Bath! Bath!" So perhaps the Hoos isn't off the hook yet.

The bonus of all of this is that the girls are getting to bed earlier. Since LP goes to the bathroom and brushes her teeth before showering, it has cut about 15 minutes off the bedtime routine. So, if we aren't conserving water, at least we are saving time and THAT is something a mom can truly appreciate.