So, my store manager said I should put an article about this in my next newsletter but I'm not sure I want my readers to leave with itchy heads!
We have recently been visited by the lovely harbingers of scalp itch...head lice. First found them on my 4 year old after he'd been home for a week with illness. Why he had a HUGE hatch out is beyond comprehension, he'd been itching on and off for several weeks and I (being a seasoned mother) had checked several times but all I could find was dandruff. So, this little scenario came as quite a surprise to me (scratch scratch). So, I happened to be taking my 11 year old (who I checked thoroughly) to school early for band and I stopped at the local drug store to pick up the obligatory chemical-full shampoo-suspended insecticide.
By 7:10 I had the kid saturated and was madly ripping all bedclothes off beds and stuffing fluffy animals in trash bags for their sojourn in the garage (if you take any eggs/nits/adults away from their food source, you interrupt the life cycle). 7:20 he was a-hollerin' in the shower while I scrubbed madly and fussed at him to keep the washcloth over his face lest the chemicals burn his eyes. 7:30 saw us in the downstairs bathroom with said 4 year old standing on the stool, wrapped loosely in a towel while receiving a mom haircut. It was then that my husband piped in (he doesn't get up until 7 or so). He says "hey hon, while you were out the Dept. of Homeland Security called, they want to offer you a job". This was his way of complimenting my proactive stance on ridding our house of these little buggers. Really, insects just give me the heebie jeebies. I'm a spider squeeler, and Lord help us all when the ants show up in the spring. Show no mercy I say!
So, sporting a new hair cut, thank goodness I have that old pair of clippers hanging around. The youngest and I spent quality time over Sponge Bob while I played monkey and picked his nits. There is a reason the saying says "don't be such a nit-picker". It is a tedious and heinous job, icky and gross and, well, it's nit-picky. (Scratch-scratch).
Advance to 4:00 that afternoon. Still running all the sheets, blankets, pillows and pillowcases through the wash & dry...there are 4 beds to be dealt with and a HUGE pile of clothes and though the washer has a sanitary setting, it takes 1 hour and 55 m in to get through it! It's time for round two of nit-picking on the small one...I've checked everyone else in the house, no one else seems to have been infested (by some miracle). By 10 that evening everyone is in bed, with clean bedclothes and I feel victorious!
Made sure to re-wash the little one's head a week later as per the label on the icky chemical shampoo.
And, the next day the 11 year old is itching!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaah! Are you freaking kidding me!?!?!? AGAIN!?!?!? So, repeat the scenario of a week ago..including the mom haircut (much to the 11 year olds dislike) thank heavens they are boys and even though it's January/February in one of the coldest places in the country, a buzz cut doesn't look too out of place..right? Re-wash all bed items, make sure the 16 year old does a just-in-case wash and hope that they don't come back. Well, I rationalize that the 11 year old had no adults and no eggs so he must have picked up a couple adults from the little one right???
It is now almost a week later...guess what I found on my 11 year old's head last night...Yup, another little bug...where the hell did he come from???? AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
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