Dogs boarded. Van loaded. We were minutes away from hitting the road. The girls, willingly, raced for the bathrooms when asked to "try and go." Meanwhile, I checked through the list one last time.
Grab the cup.
The cup? Why would we need the cup? I didn't ponder that thought for more than 10 seconds, max. The girls flew into the kitchen in an excited explosion of energy. Uncle Randy was already at the door.
We were gone!
The next 10 days were as glorious as we had envisioned. We met up with our children and their families for the longest amount of time spent under the same roof together as one big happy since Jenay left for college... And, now, their were grandchildren! Add our son-in-law and daughter-in-law... *sigh* It was the best.
But, I digress. 😁
Because, truth be told, there was an incident.
.
Guess what? I'm thankful it reared it's ugly head on day two!
The girls were fascinated with the outside shower stall. It had been a topic to wonder about since they learned there was one at the house. And, it was one of the first places they sought out upon our arrival. It did not disappoint! The little nook tucked away at the back of the house was deemed perfect! Divided into 2 sections, there was a bench for sitting and everything... That is, if one ever had a moment to sit. 😉
Each day, the minute we returned from the beach, they raced down the side of the house. The slam of the wooden door behind them announcing entry to their sanctuary. And, there was never a wait. I trailed along behind knowing I'd be allowed entrance. I was the designated water temperature regulator and towel girl.
About half an hour later, I tossed said towels on the back of a rocking chair on the porch and plopped into the one next to it. Jenay came out a few minutes later and sat beside me. Maybe ten minutes later, my daughter exclaimed, "Oh, no! Mom! Is that... It is..."
I looked and could not help but cringe. She had pulled her shirt away from her body in horror and there between her thumbs was a louse. *sigh*
I had brought the subject up that morning as a "You don't think..." topic when I noticed both our girls scratching their heads at the same time. Jenay had said she'd noticed it, too, but everyone was suited up, the cart packed... The ocean was, literally, steps away. Why risk mutiny trying to hold anyone back from it's hypnotic waves...
Okay, I'm over dramatizing. 😉
We put it on a back burner and hit the shore.
But, things were, certainly, boiling to the surface now, eh? My mind was racing at lightening speed.
Thread One: No! I did it again! That was you, wasn't it, God? I should have brought the cup. 😩
Thread Two: Where in the world did these things come from?! Wait. Just stop. Have to roll with c'est la vie on that one. Somebody had been somewhere and so had the bugs. 😒
Thread Three: Oh, my stars! They have been all over this house! The boys might have picked them up all ready. What if everyone gets them? Not to mention, there is an entirely different family coming in a few days! 😱
Thread Four: If they had not matured yet when they found their way to one of the girls, had to lay eggs, the eggs had to hatch... It was totally possible they had come from school... Um, hello... We're letting this thread go, right? 😳
Thread Five: What was the name of that company with the all natural ingredients that worked last year when RID had not?? I could get it up on Google in a second, but it was all ready too late to get it in the overnight shipment. That meant no hope of getting it before Wednesday. That just wouldn't do. 😩 So...
The next 24 hours were a fury of eradication. Seriously, fury works here.
fury [fyoo r-ee]
unrestrained or violent anger, rage, passion, or the like:
violence; vehemence; fierceness:
This was going to be no more than a temporary time consumer as far as we were concerned. We had plans, thank you very much! These guys weren't in them.
We unleashed on those interlopers.
Head Check - A couple of quick head checks confirmed from where the louse had come. It was on the towels that the girls' used minutes before. Jenay sat in the chair where I'd hung them to dry. When you do your head check, focus on the nape of the neck and above the ears. I have not bothered to find out why, but those are the areas they like the best. They attach their eggs to the hair near the scalp.
Set Up The No Zone - You know, the place where everyone hangs out the most. Usually a room that, in your mind's eye at least, now seems filled to the brim with pillows, stuffed animals, blankets and... bugs. *shudder* In our case, it was the loft room. Second, on the girls list of rooms looked forward too after the amazing outdoor shower, of course, and first on that of our grandsons. We broke the bad news and assured them the interruption was temporary.
Get Some Shampoo - We were on our way to the store in minutes. The shampoo is supposed to kill lice and the nits and eggs. There are two that I would recommend. ClearLice is the name of the product we used last year. It is an all natural product and it worked! They have a variety of products. I purchased only the shampoo and a metal tooth comb. We went with the NIX Ultra (pictured) this go around. It, also, is pesticide free. It did the job, but I took them at their word regarding saturating the hair. I might could have backed off a bit. It took a few washes to get the "oily" out. But with each wash, we saw fewer and then no nits as we would...
Comb, Comb and Comb Some More - Another plus for NIX Ultra, it comes with a metal tooth comb. The plastic things we tried first last year were a joke. Snaggle toothed combs are not the best tool for nit picking. Take small sections of hair and comb from the scalp to the end of the hair. Pin the hair up before going to the next section. A white cup of water for rinsing worked best for me. I could better see our progress floating in it.
Booyah!
The process takes awhile. Popping in a movie or allowing game time on the tablet is a great pass time.
All The Rest
Hair brushes, combs and ponytail holders should be soaked in hot water. I drop them in boiling water and let them soak until it's cooled down.
Break out the vacuum and do the carpets and furniture.
Get the bedding in the wash. Use hot water.
Run bed and throw pillows (And, can't sleep without it stuffed animals, maybe?) on a hot cycle in the dryer for 20 minutes.
Gather any recently worn clothing and get it in the laundry.
Place plush animals in a plastic garbage bag and tie it closed. Leave it for at least 2 weeks.
Whew! 😌
We, truly, got all of the above accomplished in 24 hours. It's a lot of work. But, that's how you take back your turf. Oh, and this trusty friend..
Slides right in my pocket and if anyone scratches their heads in my presence for 2 weeks or so, I am on it! Just one pass in the just scratched area to be on the safe side. I got my technique down so well that the girls weren't even embarrassed. A quick little swipe with a swirl and that was that. It looked like I was playing with their hair... sort of. 😉
The first couple of days, combing as much as possible is a huge key to success. If the eggs are gone, the eggs can't hatch. After that, it was really more of a better safe than sorry move for me. It brought me peace of mind.
Speaking of peace of mind, remember that thought about the cup? This is not our first go with these little buggers.
The cup became a focal point through a nasty go 'round with head lice last summer. We leaned on God big time and he proved he was listening. I plan to tell you about it. Next post.
But, even before I was aware of the situation this time, I believe he sent me a head's up so I knew he had this on his radar and not to freak on it. And, had I been paying attention enough to have at least thought it was he that sent it, and did what I was told, we'd have saved some time dealing.
God's awesome like that. Seriously.
That is the heart of the matter, I'll put the post there. 😏
Always be ready to fight the good fight. It makes a difference.
See you next time,
C