Sun and Suds at the Weed Wash

As anyone who lives in Alabama knows, August is a miserably hot month - hot and humid. The past few days the boys have been staying indoors most of the time because they couldn't stand being outside for long. As a result, they have been going stir crazy and jumping off the walls - or at least the furniture and each other. We have been trying to do fun outings - that take us places in doors - like the McWane Center. However, it takes gas money to go places, and it's a challenge to get the baby out and about all the time.

Today was no different. The heat index for today was 108 degrees F. The boys wanted to go out and play, but they couldn't stand it for long. Inside, they were loud, rambuctious, and wanting to spend way too much time on the computer or watching TV. So, what's a mom to do? I put them in their swim shorts and Crocs, and sent them outside to play in the water hose. Well, that lasted all of 10 minutes before they were saying, "What else can we do with this besides just spray each other?" Hmmmm.....

My eyes landed on all their dump trucks, riding toys, and stuff sitting against the house. I have been wanting to clean them for quite some time, but alas, it hasn't happened yet. (It's all I can do to clean the stuff inside the house, forget about the outside stuff.) So, I said - in my most excited voice. "How about I fill a bucket up with water and sudsy soap, and y'all can have a car wash for all your toys!" They thought I had just suggested the most awesome thing ever, and so the Weed Wash was started. So I got out the bucket, filled it with water and "Thomas the Train" bubble bath soap (so as to get the most bubble for our buck and to keep any eyes from burning should they get some soap in their eyes), gave them both a rag, and let them have at it. We set all the vehicles/toys up in the shade, and after each one was washed and rinsed, they would push them out into the sun to dry. They spent the next 2-3 hours out there, and were worn out when they finally came in. Mission Accomplished!!!!! And, as a bonus, the toys are now (somewhat) clean! Little did they know that what I had really done was put them to work.

Harris gets the tricycle good and clean


David rinses it off.


Harris and David wash one of their cars.

They even washed their lawn mower.

Most (not all) of the vehicles washed at the Weed Wash.

After washing the cars, they thought they should wash themselves.

And yes, in case you're wondering, that really is our back yard. Isn't it awesome?