The watering can

So last weekend, my husband tilled me a garden.  His parents always had gardens when he was growing up and his Grandma Davis still has a huge garden so we decided to give it a go.  We talked about what a valuable experience this would be for our children and that we could take advantage of the rental property (which already had a raised bed in the back) and use this as our garden trial run.  Not to mention the money we'd save if we got anything to actually grow.  So he planted the plot and I planted some herbs in pots for my kitchen and we felt very productive.

Since the weather has been BEAUTIFUL, we've been spending more and more time outside, so while I was out last weekend, I saw a little watering can for $1 and thought that Elizabeth could help me water the garden.

Yesterday, the temperature was close to 90 degrees and I thought it would be a good day to break the pool in.  We got this thing for $7 at Walmart for Butch a couple years ago and it's been a great investment!  Elizabeth loves the water and was so excited to get her suit on and actually squatted (because she was wearing her Crocs) for a full hour and splashed the water out.

This led me to think of a great lesson in using the watering can.  Here I go, super mom, ready to teach my daughter how to water the flower bed and about how cool it is to reuse the water in the pool.  Cue back pat.  

So here goes my crew, out into the yard.  We set up Rachel's swing and she is out like a light...warm breeze, cool shade...zzzzz.  Color me jealous.  Elizabeth runs full speed to the pool and stops short with a nose snarl that I can only claim as my own.  Seeds and blossoms off the pear tree have blown into the water, plus it looks like Butch has walked through it at least a couple dozen times since the day before.  My daughter does not like dirt.  Introducing the sandbox has been a slow-go and when she falls down, her hands go up so they don't touch the ground.  Again, this can only be my influence since I can very vividly remember crying all the way home the first time I had to slide in a game.  I mean, who slides in tee-ball, really?!

But back to the watering can...  My child is not going to swim in that "yuck wa-wa" so I break into teacher mode and grab the watering can, showing her how you dip it into the water and pour it onto the dirt in the garden.  Now you pro mom's are probably already laughing because you know what's going to come next, but I was confident in the farming ability of my 20 month old.  Her eyes light up.  She grabs the watering can and dunks it into the pool and pours it onto the grass.  Yay!  I egg her own with clapping and praise.  Next, she grabs the spout and dunks the can and then pours it onto her hand over the grass.  Again, praise...but this time, "let's try hitting the dirt, honey."  It is at this point that I see the glint in her eye.  She dunks the can and pours it down her arm.  Looks at me.  "See?  We water the GARDEN," and I pick up my watering can and demonstrate again.  The can is dunked a fourth time and goes over her head.  Knowing when I'm beat, I watered the garden myself and my child had a wonderful, wet time.