The Long Night

When I was little, I distinctly remember being sick and waking my mom up in the middle of the night to clean up my pukey mess....again. I was only 6 or 7, but I remember actually thinking, "Man, I do not want to ever have to deal with this when I am a mom."

Unfortunately, there is not a parenting checklist that enables us to decide what we will deal with and what we will not.

Rotten milk in a long-lost sippy cup? No thanks.
Diarrhea? I'd really rather not.
Puke? Please, no!

About a week and a half ago, I lived this horrible nightmare from my childhood days. I will spare you the intimate details of my long, long night. Suffice it to say that I endured 12 hours of multiple pukers, one of them in my bed who would weakly say, "Mommy," every time she had to throw up, just in time for me to shoot up out of bed and direct the trashcan under her flushed little face. I slept one hour, cleaned countless messes, used almost all of our 400 grocery bags, did a ridiculous amount of middle-of-the-night laundry, and eventually ended up in the ER with a 4-year-old who, I was certain was becoming dehydrated.

Man, it was a long night.

Some of the tell-tale signs that sickness is abounding in your home:

Laundry piled on furniture

Rags and cleaning supplies at the ready 

Trashcans at bedsides, and...

My personal favorite: endless loads of disgusting blankets, bedding, and pajamas.

What a lesson in appreciating healthy children. (And husbands). Thank heavens it's over.