Kids-N-Boxes

Living with 37 infants and toddlers means we have a lot of empty diaper boxes each week.  This being Haiti though, we don't waste anything!  The nannies find a use for everything.  I have a tote just inside the depot where I put empty formula cans, clorox/mistolin gallons, empty baby wash/soap containers, and other various objects.  All of these things disappear basically before I even put them in there.  There is one type of formula container in particular that they like more than others.  As soon as they see we are using this, they ask us if they can have it and we write their name on it so that we remember when it's finished who we need to give it too.  Our nannies reuse formula containers to put cleaning supplies in, and can find all sorts of uses for clorox gallons.  I could spend a whole day listing all of these uses, but one in particular made Nick and I laugh the other day.

One nanny kept taking about 6 gallons every day that she worked.  I was beginning to wonder what she was doing with all of these, when she told me she uses them to plant flowers!  We laughed and gave her all the ones that we had that day.  I don't know many, or any, Haitians that plant flowers, but apparently she does!  Maybe she gives them away to people?  At least they are going to good use.

Anyways, back to the boxes... Earlier this week we had a giant stack of boxes and normally the nannies run over and take claims on them right away, but this day, I told them that they had to let the kids play with them first and that they could have them when the children were done.  Nick and I then spent the next hour or so pulling kids around the baby house!  They loved it!  There was enough boxes for all the big kids to have one too themselves.  After a while we got a bit worn out, so the kids tried to pull each other around.  It was fun.

Nick decided to take a break and sat in one of the boxes.  It broke and all the nannies laughed.  I convinced the same nanny from above that she should sit in one of the bigger boxes.  She did and then Nick snuck up behind her and started pulling the box around.  She was kind of surprised.  All the nannies had a good laugh about this!  It's fun to just be able to spend some time playing with the kids!

Of course there are pictures up on the picture blog!