Oh no! Not . . .

Here are my Facebook status for the last 3 days . . .

• This is just the cherry on top of my week. Guess what I'm doing today? Treating Head Lice!!!! I just want to curl up in a ball and disappear.
• Let's add a tornado watch to my day. The only bright moment had been sitting outside on the deck with a nit comb. Not now :(
• I'm still finding live lice on Erin's head :( Do I do another treatment? She can't sleep in a plastic bubble tonight. I've just cleaned her room (of course I've probably got them all over me too...) Sigh I'm stuck in a never ending cycle.
• Break a Leg to all our BB Workshop friends! We are so sad not to be there tonight. We just did our own little "Flee" here at the house for you all!!!!
• My back is killing me!! Erin's neck is killing her!! These bugs may be the death of us :(
• That's right . . . I just soaked my daughter's head in olive oil. Yesterday she got soaked in vinegar. I am determined to WIN!!! (to which I got the comment -- just don't shake her up like a salad!!)

And one from earlier in the week . . .


There are too many balls in the air today. Something's going to drop.


That's right.  It dropped all right.  We've got lice.  Both kids were sent home from school with lice on Friday -- Erin's case has clearly been there for a long time and I simply didn't notice.  She's been washing her own hair, wearing headbands, brushing herself in the morning . . .  I just didn't notice.  


So I've spent the weekend bent over her head picking out bugs and nits.  I've tried just about every recipe in the book since the chemical treatment they suggested we buy didn't do a darned thing.  Her head has been doused in vinegar.  Her head has been soaked in olive oil and wrapped in saran wrap -- twice!  


I've also managed to fit in the requisite vacuuming, bagging, laundry.  Ugh.  Her room is clean, but if I let her back in it and she still has a bug.  Ugh again.  


We've made a ton of progress.  I've gotten all of the visible nits out of her hair.  Any bugs I am finding are teeny tiny.  We'll keep repeating every day.  I've gotten the process down from about 1 hour 45 minutes to about 45 minutes.  Her hair isn't that long to start with, I'm just trying to be extra extra careful.  


We did have to miss a performance of Pippi Longstocking -- the workshop the kids have been preparing for.  It's the first time we've had to miss a show we were scheduled to perform in since we started with Black Box almost 10 years ago!  Luckily we're off today for then 2nd performance.  Erin is clean enough to get going and Jeff has been in the clear since Friday afternoon since he had no nits.  


Only other benefit of all this?  I guess the house is quite a bit cleaner.  And there's this.

Snow! Finally Some Winter Weather

 

 Well, yesterday it was 55 degrees.  A few weeks ago I walked the kids home from the bus wearing a t-shirt.  We've mostly abandoned the winter jackets.  And today we got 3" of snow!  I'm really ready for spring, but Erin and Jeff were ready for at least one snow this season.

Daddy and Jeff had their first Pinewood Derby this afternoon (more on that in another post).  Luckily the snow held off long enough for them to complete their event.  As they were driving into the driveway Erin and I were bundling up for a winter walk -- probably the only one of the season.  We invited daddy and Jeffrey, but Jeff hates being cold and pretty quickly turned us down.

Erin and I bounded outside and walked a quick loop around the neighborhood.  Erin started up a game of "Would you rather" and we played the whole time.  I learned she'd rather meet Adam Lambert than Miley Cyrus, that she prefers playing in the snow to swimming in the ocean (she's afraid of sharks), and that she would choose to play volleyball over soccer.

When we left on our walk there was a very light dusting on the grass and almost nothing on the roads.  By the time we completed our circuit there was enough snow on the grass to suggest she could get out her sled.  The snow continued to fall and she continued to play, dodging trees and rocks, ducking under pricker bushes (our hill is more of an obstacle course).  Eventually we convinced brother to join her.

Jeff is really not a big fan of the snow.  He enjoys sledding, but hates being cold or wet and despises being cold AND wet.  There were a few moments of distress over the fact that his gloves and jacket sleeves didn't meet.  Once we got the gloves issue worked out, he continued to slide along with his sister until it got too dark to navigate the obstacles or avoid sliding into the street.