| "It's weird," I thought. "We have ten people in two | | | | nice since many need to be taken with a sip of |
| bathrooms at home. At the beach we often have 20 | | | | water. |
| people using one bathroom. Why is it that half the | | | | 3. Move out the other medicinal items like heating |
| number of bathrooms for double the usage goes | | | | pads and thermometers too. |
| more smoothly? It seems like it should be terribly | | | | 4. Set aside your hair care items to keep in a |
| clogged." Pun intended of course. | | | | separate location. Try keeping your hot curlers, curling |
| Over the years I pondered this situation and saw | | | | iron, and blow dryer along with a comb, brush, mirror, |
| over and again that it is true; one bathroom at the | | | | water bottle, and hair pretties (barrettes, clips, |
| beach works even better than two at home. By | | | | scrunchies, etc.) somewhere else. All you need |
| implementing these bathroom-stretching ideas learned | | | | nearby is a mirror and an electrical outlet. |
| from the beach you can s t r e t c h your bathroom | | | | 5. Designate a "Fast Fixer Up Spot" near your |
| without adding on! | | | | departure door. Keep a hairbrush, comb, hair spray, |
| The most important principle is simply that at the | | | | and mirror near the door you tend to dash from. This |
| beach bathroom usage is limited to things you can | | | | is also nice to have when unexpected company |
| only do in a bathroom: personal hygiene, bathing, and | | | | comes calling and the bathroom is in use. |
| using the toilet. At home we use the bathroom for | | | | 6. Make up does not have to be applied in a |
| so much more. We put on our makeup, style our | | | | bathroom. Keep your beauty potions and toiletries |
| hair, take our vitamins, do our nails, and many other | | | | somewhere with good natural light along with some |
| things in the bathrooms that don't have to be done | | | | wet wipes and a mirror. |
| there. We also often commonly store things there | | | | 7. If possible consider putting a wall and a door to |
| like medicines in "medicine cabinets." In fact, many | | | | separate the toilet and tub from the sinks. This |
| people even keep reading material by the toilet and | | | | greatly increases the bathroom's efficiency. |
| call it the "library." | | | | If you are tight on bathrooms you might well be |
| If you want to learn along with me from the beach, | | | | short on bathroom storage space, too. In this case |
| you could sum it up by saying, "Move it out." Here | | | | try storing extra bathroom supplies (toilet paper, |
| are 7 moving out ideas: | | | | tissues, hair, and make up) somewhere else. You can |
| 1. Store some regular Band-Aids in an easy access | | | | get creative and do little things to help keep up with |
| location. I have a small wooden basket with a leather | | | | what is needed without using the bathroom as a |
| handle that holds about a hundred Band-Aids (I have | | | | storage place too. I keep a pretty tin in each |
| some Spiderman and plain ones there) and a tube of | | | | bathroom that holds 3 rolls of toilet paper. One of |
| antibiotic salve hanging on the side of an iron shelf | | | | my 3-year-old sons jobs is to keep them stocked |
| system near my kitchen. This keeps quick fixes out | | | | with at least one roll. |
| of the bathroom and if they do need a sink and a | | | | There you have it; seven practical |
| paper towel they are nearby. | | | | bathroom-stretching ideas learned from the beach for |
| 2. Keep over-the-counter and prescription medicines | | | | people big on families and small on bathrooms. You |
| outside of the bathroom. Things for stomachaches, | | | | don't have to remodel or even spend a penny. You |
| diarrhea, sore throats, eyes, and itches don't need to | | | | can s t r e t c h your bathroom without adding on! |
| be kept in a bathroom. A bin or shelf near water is | | | | |