Out of the bath

Between bathing, pottying, hand-washing and toothbrushing, it seems like we spend an inordinate amount of time in our tiny bathroom with the kids.  Both Alice and Simon are almost always quite happy in the bath, although the transitions in and out can be a bit rocky sometimes.  Tonight, it was pretty smooth.  Simon always goes first, and Zac usually gives him a bath, drying him off afterwards on his lap, then taking him to the bedroom to be put into pajamas.

Alice is a bit harder to get out of the bath voluntarily, and we usually have to employ a timer of some sort. But recently I stumbled upon a technique that works pretty well and that she enjoys.  Once she's all washed and had a few minutes to play, I'll say something like, "Alice, I'm going to the kitchen to drink some water. When I get back I want to see a little girl out of the bath."  Somehow this works, and she'll be dripping on the rug or sitting on the stool when I come back.  Recently I changed it to, "When I get back, I want to see a green towel with legs."  She really likes this hiding spot, so she gets a sparkle in her eye when I say this. When I come back a moment later, I pretend that I can't find Alice, but that I really like the green towel's clean legs.