Jami May Smell

One of the concerns I've had since becoming a stay-at-home mom is the fear that I stink. See, pre-kids, I showered in the mornings and showered or took a long, hot, luxurious bubble bath every evening. Some days (especially when I lived in the place I didn't pay the utilities) I showered mid-day as well. Just because I could. When Eddie first came home and I still worked, the Husband would be taking care of the boy in the mornings, so I still showered every day, even if I didn't get my second one. BUT - and other SAHMs can back me up on this if they're being honest - when you are the primary care giver to one or more little ones, there are days when you just can't get to the shower. Even if I do, I sometimes get out realizing I didn't wash an entire section of my body or that I still have conditioner in my hair because I'm trying to get in and out of there before the next mommy-requiring calamity. Now, if I'm going somewhere, I almost always finagle a shower on those days, but sometimes I just can't, especially if where I'm going is to the grocery store and post office and I have 10 minutes until I have to pick up the big one at preschool, but the little one is screaming to eat RIGHT NOW and I haven't even showered or eaten and I can't find my left tennis shoe. Also, mommying involves a variety of stinky objects one must deal with. Diapers, garbage, juice cups which were left behind the chair long enough to qualify as science fair projects. Plus the effort involved does often lead to sweating, regardless of the extremely misleading stereotype of women sitting around eating chocolates and watching daytime TV. You chase my toddler for 1 hour, carry laundry up and down 2 flights of stairs wearing a baby and then we'll see how you smell. This leads me to worry, frequently, that I might be malodorous. I use tons of deodorant. When I do get to take a "real" shower, I scrub off the first several layers of skin. I try to ensure that I'm always wearing clothes that have been worn no more than 2 non-consecutive days. So there you go. I love being a mom, but sometimes, it really stinks.