Dear Self:
Here are some lessons we’ve learned over the last couple days:
- Car batteries have a life span of 4 to 6 years. If your dad was still here, he would have reminded you to maybe replace yours now as it’s approximately 5.5 years old and he knew remembering car stuff is not your forte.
Fortunately yesterday’s snafu was fixed with a jump start, but it’s a good idea to wake up and smell the motor oil, and get a new battery. - Related: Roadside assistance is a great thing to have, but programming the number into your phone so you don’t have to call your husband is an even better idea.
- Also related: Even though you haven’t called Bob’s office number in at least five years, because it’s easier to text him, it’s still good to have that number in your phone too. This way you can call him on the days his phone dies and he has no charger. Like yesterday, when your battery died.
- Ditto for the school’s phone number, so you can more easily call and tell them you won’t make it to library volunteering.
- Head lice: It’s great to have a kid with a sense of humor, who started a ‘lice club’ with her similarly affected classmates, even if she burst into tears five minutes later. She just might be permanently traumatized because you vacuum sealed her current favorite stuffed toy, Melanie the reindeer, in an attempt to kill any bugs. Putting Melanie in a regular trash bag with the rest of the stuffed animals might have been just as effective.
- Laundry: It does not seem so right now, but it is finite. Washing the bedding, towels, jackets and clothes is the only way to get peace of mind that we got rid of these gross little critters.
- And don’t feel guilty for not doing anything else besides Lice 101 today.
- Be thankful: this is still better than a stomach virus.
Have a great weekend!
Lice was the bane of my existence last year. After several weeks trying to rid ourselves of the little bug(gers) and countless times, freezing, sealing in bags combing, washing, spraying (you name it, I tried it), I would think they were gone, and then suddenly, SHE WOULD BE SCRATCHING HER HEAD AGAIN. I finally resorted to a prescription drug called Sklice. It totally took care of it. It is still on patent and pretty pricey (some insurance companies say no), but you can download a coupon to only pay $25 online. Good Luck
Thank you! I am hoping we’re done but it’s good to know there’s a prescription option if needed!
Google Cetaphil lice treatment. No icky chemicals that only have a 25% kill rate and tear-free nit combing. I had a tiny baby when my 1st grader got it and I didn’t want to mess around with that stuff. The Cetaphil treatment you have to do once a week for three weeks to catch the whole life cycle but it worked so well.
Thanks for the info! I tried a similar approach, but I used one of those hair cholesterol masks. She wore a shower cap and slept with it in. The school recommended olive oil too but I liked that the conditioner was thick because it didn’t drip all over.
My son had lice for the first time this year, conveniently on the day when the city was working on pipes down the street, so we had NO WATER. Also, that morning I had graciously put 2 loads of clean clothes on my children’s beds so that they could put their own clothes away. We got a robicomb (electrocutes the little buggers on dry hair), and just waited for water, which thankfully came on late afternoon, and then I re-washed everything. Their stuffed animals have been regulated to trash bag purgatory in the storage basement, I’m secretly hoping they completely forget about them.
Yikes! I could not imagine not having water- I was lucky at least that my husband was home and he immediately got started with the laundry while I took care of Emma’s hair. We filled TWO bags as she sleeps with a menagerie on her bed and unfortunately she is not going to forget about them- I wish!
You are a great writer! It a treat to read your accounts of the trials of ordinary daily life.
Thank you so much for your kind words!