Well, this week sent us over the edge. Sometimes I am just dumbfounded by the things that happen to us. Carmie has had these bites all over her, mostly in clusters around the back of her neck, but also all over her body, and once on her eyelid and a trail of them leading up to her temple. I was in the gallery on Sunday and started researching what it could be. My answer: bed bugs. I freaked out, and when I got home I stripped her mattress, but couldn't find any trace. I called pest control, and they told me it was most likely 'bird lice' from nesting birds in the roof. I then made the mistake of googling bird lice (don't do it). Pest control came out on Monday and searched for birds nests, but couldn't find one. Instead they found a dead rat all wrapped up and very slowly decomposing in the insulation in the ceiling right above Carmie's bed. He could only suppose the lice were from the rat. We went in to Carmie's room, and he found one right away on her bedside table. SO GROSS!!! So, he came and fumigated the kids' rooms and our roof the next morning, and I literally spent three days washing everything in the kids rooms. I must have done 25 loads of laundry, as well as two trips to the laundromat. I have been monitoring Carmie for bites since then, and I thought all was good until tonight when I stripped her for bath time and I found a big fresh one just under her waistband. So I don't know... It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. If some lice did survive, I'd have to think they wouldn't last long without a host, right? Ugh, so awful.
And Arley has been totally rotten this week too! So stubborn, angry and contrary! They told me at school on Friday that he was really bad for them too. He does a lot of foot stomping and screaming these days. Yesterday was really bad, he was so horrible when I picked him up from school. He can be such a sweetie, and he is mostly OK as long as he knows it's not a school day and he can stay with me all day. Otherwise, he thinks it means war. We had a bad incident yesterday afternoon. He was screaming and screaming angrily at the top of his lungs, in the car with me and Carmie. I pulled over and told him I couldn't drive while he was screaming. He screamed in defiance. I told him he would have to get out of the car next. He stopped, so I kept driving. He screamed. So I said, "Arley, did you scream?" and in response, he took his deepest breath and at the top of his lungs, he screamed the loudest, longest, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I have ever heard. So I stopped the car and made him go stand next to the pole. The thing is, it was pouring with torrential rain. I have this image of him in his little red sweater, standing in the pouring rain. It didn't last long, and believe me, I feel terribly guilty, but the thing is, he has been an angel ever since! I guess he realised that when Mummy means business, she means business! That doesn't really help with my guilt though.
We made it to Mollymook beach park this weekend, and the kids enjoyed a play and a run around. Then I made the mistake of offering them iceblocks (popsicles) at the cafe. I have NEVER known kids to eat iceblocks so slowly. It was painful. And freezing. But they didn't care.
And then I spent the rest of the weekend washing and fluffing lice out of stuffed toys and clothes. Jeff even steamed the mattresses! Lets hope this week is better, please??!!
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