Manicures

The boys' fingernails had become a source of shame and embarrassment for me and Dan.  They are usually long and dirty and the cuticles ragged.  We do trim their nails, but they just get so dirty and they grow so fast.  A few nights ago while Dan was reading them a chapter in The Great Brain, I had an idea.  I brought a bowl full of warm soapy water, a nail brush, hand towels, cuticle butter, and my favorite lotion out to the living room and announced that I would be doing manicures while Dan read.  One at a time, I had the boys soak both hands in the warm water and then I went to work gently scrubbing and cleaning and moisturizing.  It was really fun!  The boys enjoyed it as well, until I started pushing back their cuticles and nipping the dead skin.  I nicked Adam once and Eli twice and they bled like crazy.  That sort of ruined the mood.  After that I promised no more cuticle nipping.  These nightly manicures are already making a huge difference in the way their hands look.  Now I feel happy when I look at their hands, knowing that I am helping to take care of them.  Adam loves the Burt's Bees lemon cuticle cream.  And I can't help but think of the Savior washing the feet of his disciples as I rub the lotion into their hands at the end.

P.S. If you are a Veggie Tales fan and know the song "Barbara Manatee", you might be amused to know that the boys are now calling me "Barbara Manicure."