I am amidittedly scared to face the answers to How Would Grandma Bathe?  Awhile ago, the mother of one of my son’s friends nicely commented that I always look put together.  I laughed and said, “It’s not vanity, it’s sanity.”  And that is mostly true.  I am a mother to three young children and it has been important to me to maintain a personal sense of style.  Perhaps that sounds shallow.  However, taking care of myself in this manner has been vital to my sanity.  If I feel nice, I tend to act nice.  The converse is true - if I feel crappy, I tend to act crappy.  How Would Grandma Bathe? is not just about jumping in the shower.  It is also about how I present myself for the day.  I am curious to know, How Would Grandma Bathe?

It all starts with the water heater for the warm water it provides.  My kids like to bathe in our claw foot tub.  I prefer to shower.  Shampoo and soap products are required to feel (and smell) nice and clean.  Unfortunately, my hair does not look this way naturally.  It takes some work and a good haircut.  Thankfully my sister is a hairstylist because my attempts at cutting hair have produced some scary results.  My husband and I both use styling products in our hair.  Just look at my bathroom cupboard!  It is full of disposable plastic products and tubes filled with chemicals I can’t pronounce.  I often use a blow dryer, a round brush, a regular brush and sometimes a flat iron.  I wear makeup everyday.  My makeup bag is full of more little, plastic containers.

There are additional items needed for personal hygiene.  We use our sinks and hand soap a lot and all have a strong preference for toilet paper.  Cotton balls and Q-tips come in handy too.  I also have to deal with all of the feminine hygiene products which have changed a lot since my Grandma’s days.  My husband and I both need razors for shaving and the products that go along with that habit.  A spritz of cologne or perfume is nice once in awhile.  Oh and it is summer - I like to paint my toes.  I think you get the point.  I am sure you could look in your own bathroom for some more ideas.  So tell me How Would Grandma Bathe?

Thank you to everyone who took a moment to answer yesterday’s post: How Would Grandma Eat?  You said Grandma ate food from her own garden or food that had been raised locally.  I planted my first garden this year and I try to frequent the local farmer’s market.  Grandma ate food that was in season and probably put a lot of food away in preparation for the winter months.  I liked Drew’s comment that “anticipation makes everything taste better.”  Grandma ate homemade food.  Jackie pointed out that cooking from scratch cuts down on packaging. I plan to pay close attention to how my food is packaged, prepared and stored this year.  I have found myself wondering, “How did Grandma manage without all of the plastic products I use for my food?”  Some other questions I would like to have answered are “How often did Grandma go out to eat?”  “Did Grandma eat any imported foods?”  “Did Grandma buy food from a local cannery?”

Stay tuned tomorrow for: What Would Grandma Use To Get Around?  If you are wondering what this is all about check out the post What Would Grandma Do?