Kids Are Gross

I make it a point not to eat or drink after my kids. It's a thing for me. Yes, I'll get their germs anyway, but not directly in my mouth.

There are some exceptions to that rule, like when we're hiking and down to our last bottle of water. Try packing enough water for 8 people for three hours in the heat on your back and you'll know what I mean.

Why am I picky about this? Because I've seen enough of how kids eat and drink to scar me for life. My parents eat and drink after them, my husband eats and drinks after them, and I kiss my husband, but still it's a no-go for me.

Germs are one reason, but the real reason is backwash. Kids are downright gross. Especially in the age range of 1-5 years old.

They backwash like crazy in the beginning, but at least then you can see crumbs in the backwash. Somehow, they still manage to backwash even when you can't see it.

This morning I took my 2yo to daycare. I'm nursing and have been trying to keep hydrated so I grabbed the bottle of water from the dentists office and took a swig.

Somewhere between the bottle hitting my lip, and the water rushing out into my mouth I smelled a smell. Ugh, I choked. What on earth?

Then I see it, my bottle of water, sitting in the other cupholder. I'd drank after one of my spawn. And who knows what they'd left on that bottle, but whatever it was smelled like sugar and butt.

I gagged as I was driving. I probably should've eaten more than that single pretzel before I left the house. My stomach lurched. I took a swig of my water and that helped a bit, until I started thinking about the smell again.

It was like when you accidentally get deodorant on your nose and smell it all day... Somehow, I could still smell the smell. I gagged again.

Thankfully when I got home the house was chaotic enough that I forgot the smell and the incident... until now anyway. Who knows what I put into my mouth today.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.