This is a throwback post from the old blog on Mother’s Day. It is one of my most popular and great for anyone thinking they are having the worst Mother’s Day. I hope it makes you laugh a little too.
Post from 2014:
“Some people complain that their husbands nit-pick them.
Personally, right about now I am happy if ANYONE will nit-pick me, and I think it is pretty cool that my husband will sit and pick at my nits. Yes, you heard me right. Nits. Those gross little things that live in your hair. That was this year’s Mother’s Day gift. Ironic that less than an hour after I posted “How to end up NOT crying on Mother’s Day”, I got a phone call that had me speechless and panicked.
Are you itching yet?
The boys went with their dad to get a haircut, leaving me with the girls (napping) and me writing the Mother’s Day post. I had fully intended on joining my sleeping ladies, but just as my head hit the pillow the news broke.
And so started our Licecapade… Not to be confused with Ice-capade, there isn’t anything fun about Lice-capade. No cute outfits, no pretty skaters, no bright lights, no cheerful music.
So rather than snuggle in the bed, I was stripping the bed.
It didn’t occur to me that I may have it, or that any of the other kids may have it, I just wanted the boys home so that I could give my son his toxic shampoo. I called my mother and she offered to come over earlier than planned to check heads and help treat the kids. Sure enough, the little one and I were both contaminated. UGH. So gross. You are totally itching aren’t you?
What ensued in the next 75 hours (not a typo it went on for DAYS) is just exhausting. All the beds and towels were changed and washed, all the towels, all the stuffed animals and pillows were dealt with. Each morning we changed the sheets of anyone who had been infested. We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and washed and washed and washed.
My fabulous sister-in-law spent close to 5 hours combing through my hair, then both my mother and husband spent even more time teach day as well. Apparently, they are nicer than I am because I couldn’t handle all of that for my son. He just got a buzz but. Good thing he is the one who got it because the girls would have cried if I had buzzed them.
It isn’t the bugs that are hard to get rid of it is the egg. The egg sacks (nits) attach to the hair shaft and just hangs on. Everyone in the family got the toxic shampoo and we are all now using tea tree oil shampoo/conditioner. I have also done the olive oil treatment on my head overnight (Super moisturizing!) and that has helped as well. I think I am finally nit free. Everyone else is too but we have to continue to check and re-treat next weekend just to be on the safe side. So gross. And the treatment dries out your scalp which then gets itchy…
I am really shocked that I got it. They say that they don’t like dirty hair, color treated hair, oil hair or hair that is styled with heat tools (Flat irons, curling irons). So that makes me think that I am actually the one who brought the little buggers into our home. Maybe after a movie? Or shopping and trying on clothes? I actually did that once in the last 6 months. So my thought is that they hopped on my head for a ride home, lay some eggs and then found a nicer home with someone who doesn’t dye or curl his hair. I don’t know. They never found anything alive on my head but there if those eggs had hatched it would have been another story.
So in trying to be thankful at all times… I am thankful that I have a fabulous SIL who can and would offer to spend 5 hours of her ‘free time’ picking at my hair. I am thankful my husband is so easy going and not shaken by stuff like this. I am thankful my mother is a retired school nurse and is really experienced at checking heads. I am thankful our school has a school nurse so that she was able to check everyone that Monday morning after treatments. I am thankful that the treatments worked and we are on the way to getting back to normal. I am thankful for medicated toxic shampoos, and for awesome oils to help heal the dry irritated scalp caused by such shampoos. I am thankful that this happened on Mother’s Day because it came with a great dose of humility. I am thankful that we were able to rid the family of these pesky critters on the first ‘go round’ and we aren’t still plagued by them.
This experience has also made me aware of the FACT that there is a secret club of people out there who have had lice. I am outing you all and your secret club. I was shocked but now that I mention it to people I am shocked we got through 11 years of parenthood without getting it earlier. So if you are out there dealing with this total hassle, just know, you aren’t alone and you don’t have to live in the shadows. Most of the people you know have probably had it in their house either when they were a kid or their kids have had it and they just don’t mention it!”
Happy Mother’s Day Everyone. At least you didn’t get lice”.
Thanks for stopping by!