Bathtubs

What would we do without a bathtub? Seriously, I don't even want to think about it. Davey is in the tub at least a few times a day for a "rinse" after playing in the toilet or whatever else he might get into. He's also been throwing up the past couple days, and this morning sweet Corrie has been in the tub after throwing up once already. Poor little Corrie! And boy am I thankful for our tub.

A couple weeks ago, (when all three kids were healthy at the same time), they got in the tub together. It was pretty cute. Corrie kept pretty much to herself as she played with toys. Davey loved splashing, and Mac loved watching him!

Yesterday morning we found another great use for the bathtub: Science experiments!

Mac kept asking me on Sunday if he could "fill up a bag with water, put food in it, and gently squeeze it." (He said that last part with a such a serious, grave expression. So funny). Sorry Mac, as interesting as your idea was, I had to say big NO to that.

Yesterday morning Mac woke up still thinking about his "water bag" idea. After getting Davey down for his morning nap, I thought more about Mac's idea. For some reason I thought of a stomach digesting food, and then I remembered the kids watching a show about digestion the other day. Maybe he saw pretend stomachs made out of plastic bags?

Hey, we've got a bathtub, why not make "stomach bags" in it? I am always up for ideas of things to do other TV when Davey takes his nap. So when Mac asked me again, I said,

"Mac, that sounds like an experiment...maybe we can do it in the bathtub while Davey is sleeping?!"

"Yay!"

Once Davey was safely tucked away, Mac and Corrie climbed in the tub with their plastic bags. They played for a while just filling them up with water, closing them, opening them and emptying them. Once that got old, we added the "food" (crackers). The "stomachs" contracted (with little hands and fingers squeezing them...not necessarily gently) and the crackers got soggy and broke up into smaller pieces.

Then we opened up the bags and looked inside. That's when we realized that we made...

Throw-up!

It was the kids' first thought when they looked in the bags...and why wouldn't it be? I guess we couldn't have come up with a more applicable experiment to their everyday lives.

They wanted to keep the "throw-up" in their bags so they could show daddy later. Sure, why wouldn't Daddy want to look at even more throw up than what we already see?

After our experiment was done, we thought of another good use for our tub: eating drippy, sticky popsicles! Talk about the ultimate in easy clean up.

Ellis got home from work several hours later, and Mac ran to greet him, telling him all about the throw up he made. Ellis' reaction was pretty funny...and I guess by that I mean, he pretty much had no reaction. "Throw-up? Oh okay, where?," as if Mac was asking to show him a picture he colored that day or something.

What did Ellis say when he saw the "throw-up?" He suggested we add laundry detergent and an acidic substance like lemon juice to the bags to "simulate the acid and enzymes that break down the cellulose in the crackers."

That's our Daddy!

And that's just another typical day for us!

And did I mention how grateful I am for our tub?