But it is mine!! I know it is cleaner, it has my Sudoku puzzle book in it, and it is in the far corner of the house so it takes longer for the kids to find me. The other day, though, in the middle of my shower, I noticed something that disturbed me greatly. I took a picture to disturb you, too.
See those name brand shower gels? That was our (unsuccessful) attempt to trick our preteen boys into thinking it's cool to use soap. Don't laugh too hard, it worked with deodorant. Well it sort of worked with the deodorant, anyway. The shampoo is the kids', too. The point is that is MY shower and those are MY BOYS' toiletries.
To make matters worse, I noticed this pile of clothes when I got out. It includes clothes from at least 4 of my 6 children. FOUR kids have undressed and thrown their clothes in MY BATHROOM in the last day.*
See the brush peeking out from under the cabinet, my DAUGHTER's brush? In fact, looking around the sink, I notice 1/3 of the mess is hers. Why no picture? Because of the other 2/3 of the mess, duh. Although I can guarantee you a mere 1/3 of it was still sizable.
So anyway, my kids have caught onto the one true bathroom and have decided to join me. That sort of defeats the point. It does explain, however, why the toilet seat is sometimes wet: even the three-year-old, whose bathroom experience can be summed up with "What's the point of lifting the seat, anyway?", has been venturing upstairs for bathroom visits.
My sanctuary has been invaded, time to buy a padlock. Maybe I really should just go with my long considered plan for outhouses?
* Honesty guilt is telling me I should mention that the red striped thing on the end is actually my swimsuit. As for the plastic bag? I have no idea, but it wasn't easily photoshopped out, so it stays. Um, not that I'm prone to photoshop out unsightly messes or anything. Not even honesty guilt is enough to admit that...
That's a really good idea about the soap and deodorant... gotta remember that.
ReplyDeleteThey just love you momma and want to be where you are! Consider it a compliment for like a minute, and then tell them where THEIR bathroom is!! :) Good luck!
I'm sorry, I was unable to get past the 4 1/2 bathroom part!!! I'm so jealous of that! (Though that does mean that 4 1/2 bathrooms need to be cleaned)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA! Growing up we would ALWAYS use my parents bathroom. Hehee. But, for real, KICK THEM OUT.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is why I started locking my bathroom when it wasn't being used by me or my husband. :D
ReplyDeleteAt least you know the kids are clean though right?
THE HORROR!!!!
ReplyDelete;)
I am sorry for you. It is a sad day indeed.
ReplyDeleteI've seen first hand what your children can do to a bathroom. I think you need to take drastic measures in this case. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI would sooo be locking the door to the bedroom and have it be official that NO ONE enters the private sanctum of your private sanctuary.
ReplyDeleteLay down the law mama!
I'm laughing a little bit, cuz now I'm an empty nester I can go to whatever bathroom I want.
my son comes into my bathroom every day to use my hair-dryer... which ironically I NEVER use... but he won't take it to his (brand new, just built this year) bathroom downstairs because it's *shudder* Purple!!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm jealous, we only have 1 bathroom. Then again, we only ave 3 people in our house and one of them is just starting to use the bathroom. But still.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a bathroom to myself, you can be sure the the kid(s) wouldn't be allowed in there. I need at least one place to go without little feet following me.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I'm thinking of getting a retina scanner for my bedroom door. :)
ReplyDeleteWhy not embrace the future-crazy-lady-ness and sprinkle the place with potpourri and hang pictures of freaky looking white kittens everywhere? Add a bit of lace and that'll scare your teenagers off right quick!
ReplyDeleteLove it, mostly because it speaks to my own lack-of-bathroom-privacy life. We have 4 bathroom and only 3 potty-trained people, so you would think that my bathroom (that you have to walk through the bedroom to get to) would be a safe haven, but I've finally given up, and just designated a big drawer for the kids' stuff - since I can't seem to keep it out of there.
ReplyDeleteOh nuts. Put a NO KIDS ALLOWED OR YOU'LL HAVE TO CLEAN ALL THE BATHROOMS sign on the door.
ReplyDeleteIt might work... for a little while...
I have a bathroom like that! But I, long ago, let them have at it. I couldn't fight it for long. Total bummer!
ReplyDeleteI got uptight just reading about this! My husband would have a total meltdown if our kids' clothes ended up in our bathroom. Seriously!
ReplyDeleteI thought my shower and bathroom floor was the only one to look like that!
ReplyDelete"Noooooooo!" That was me shaking my fists at the heavens and wondering why on earth they suddenly become so intently interested in the most private of our spaces. I simply will never understand it.
ReplyDeleteMy 10 yo son is taking a shower in my bathroom as I type this...and he has a bathroom that he and his sister share next to his own bedroom. It's nice, it has two sinks, a big bath/shower, his own towels even...and yet, my bathroom is where he wants to be. I blame my husband tho--the Boofus is the youngest boy and Mr W is getting soft in his old age. I'm with you tho, it really gets to me!!
ReplyDeleteWe have two bathrooms at our house, yet everyone piles into one to get ready in the mornings. It makes me insane. If I move to the other one everyone follows. I'm glad to know I'm in good company!
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, in my shower stands my daughter's Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner and the toys she's dragged in there!
ReplyDeleteAnd, oh my, the shower gel! What is it with boys and the shower gel? What do they have against good old fashioned SOAP?
My ensuite never every felt as if it was my own. It's supposed to be my sanctuary but it has been completely taken over by boys...and they LOVE my big tub, so, all this to say. I get ya. But I'm planning an intervention, I'm taking it back soon!
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem because MY bathroom is closer to the TV! I do have to admit, however, that the kids' bathroom didn't have a lock for about ten years because I was tired of kids getting accidentally locked in the bathroom. As they got older and felt they needed privacy, my bathroom seemed to be the obvious solution. By the time I put the lock back on the kids' bathroom, they were in the habit of using mine. But as soon as the economy improves I'll be an empty nester!
ReplyDeleteGrrrr! Same thing happens here. WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THE OTHER PERFECTLY GOOD BATHROOMS???????
ReplyDeleteI did not do this when I was a kid.
This had me laughing out loud.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment on my blog too.
I'm absolutely voting padlock on this one...especially since it's far enough away that your children can't find you for awhile. Those places are precious...don't give it up without a MAJOR FIGHT!
ReplyDelete*~*~*
you are not offically a crazy lady at church until you start wearing doilies on your dresses.
Oh no! You need to claim your sanctuary back -- do whatever it takes :)
ReplyDeleteI tried to trick my boys into using soap. It didn't work. I have resorted to nose plugs and lots of febreze air effects.
ReplyDeleteWe actually only use one bathroom... because I hate cleaning them.
Oh, they have taken over. And, where there are 3.5 other choices..it's even stranger!
ReplyDeleteI love Kimberly's solution! My solution, though less creative and definitely on the disgusting side, takes less--and I mean way less--work, and no pictures of cats.
ReplyDeleteI never get around to cleaning my bathroom. I usually only have one hour in a week to deep clean a bathroom, and the bathroom that wins is the kids' because it is also the one visitors use. My toilet gets so gross that my kids are afraid of it and avoid it completely. In fact, it gets SO gross that my HUSBAND will eventually be disgusted enough to just clean it himself. (The shower is playing runner-up to the toilet, so same solution.)
Reclaim your space!
ReplyDeleteYou've been violated! Time to take drastic measures! HA!
ReplyDeleteTake action sistah!
ReplyDeleteI seriously do the same thing. I have two bathrooms and always overlook the closer, and even bigger bathroom for the one that is instead connected to my bedroom.
Charlotte, you're awesome.
ReplyDeletethe clothes were never an issue for us; I just put a hamper in the bathroom and insisted they use it. they even emptied pockets! But that's another story.
anyway, I remember the days of the whole family (5 girls and parents) using one bathroom. My dad got smart and put in a little "Powder room" for us--just a sink and counters but enough to do hair and makeup and stuff.
Now? We may be apartment hunting again, and this time there'll be two of us only, and I still want two bathrooms. some things are just not romantic!
Somehow this post escaped my google reader as being read (pretty sure Bryan read it)
ReplyDeleteMy kids will only use my shower. Drives me nuts and drives Bryan even nuttier (mostly because he is the only person in the house to hang up his towel to reuse it, only to have it used by one of the kids....or maybe me if I'm desperate because the kids used all the other towels)
We have tried two different shower heads in their bathroom to try to make it cooler....hasn't worked.
SIGH
YEs! My kids do this exact same thing. I cannot figure it out unless it has something to do with a little known law of physics that if there are two bathrooms and one is messy and one is clean, the clean one must be messed up in direct proportion to the messy one.
ReplyDelete