Clean Hands

All of my adult life I've had an obsessive quirk that defines part of who I am. It is not necessarily a bad trait, unless carried to the extreme .... which I, on occasion, have done. Long before Purel showed up on every desk in the school system, I had an unremitting rule of clean hands in my classroom.

One might say that I have a slight obsession. I am still looking for the verse in the bible that says
"cleanliness is next to godliness." I know it is in there somewhere! I just can't seem to put my (clean) finger on it.

All three rows of my SUV have bottles of hand washing liquid. My kids are very accustomed to my obsession, um, I mean requests. Everyday after school, they jump in the car and grab a squirt.
They make me so proud. What a dedicated mom!
Okay, let's be real: their hands are clean, but please don't look in the bottom of their bookbags as I am sure you will find some living organisims that the CDC has not approved.

Back to the clean hands issue. One phrase I have asked a thousand and three times is "have you washed your hands" as they come out of the bathroom. So I thought I would save us all a little time and energy and did this:


How could I turn it down ... it is in chocolate brown and works perfectly in our downstairs bathroom! It is a very direct, subliminal message for all who enter:

Subtle, doncha think?
Now my kids come out of the bathroom and say "smell my hands, Mommy!" I don't even have to say a word.

I am thinking of starting a support group if you are interested:
The MGFA (mothers for a germ free america)
Want to join?

What kind of 'support group' would describe you?