We all dread the inevitable stomach bug. Nothing makes a parent cringe more. The middle of the night cries that you know what you are in for. Well last night my husband and I are enjoying watching Game of Thrones- fantastic, you need to watch on HBO, and I head up to bed.

I get to the top of the stairs and all I smell is Loves Baby Soft. My youngest had a perfume field day before bed spraying it all over her sister and herself. That sticky sweet smell that I once adored was making me ill. As I am smelling it, I thought “wow this really smells awful, kind of like vomit.”. So I say good night to my youngest, holding my breath because its so disgusting, then I head into my older daughters room and I am blown away by the smell. I turn on the light and I kid you not, there is vomit EVERYWHERE. All over her rug, covering her white comforter, sheets, down the side of her bed. She is sound asleep in the middle of it.

WAKE UP!!! I yell, are you awake. She opens her eyes and I am trying to get near her, but its almost impossible, because I am going to stand in it. I asked why she didn’t call for me, but I think she was too tired and fell back to sleep. Which is very scary that she did with all the vomit, I am thankful that she didn’t choke.

My husband comes running up the stairs and we go into clean up mode-or should I say I do. I am paralyzed by the site, smell and overall mess that I don’t know where to begin without getting sick myself. So my husband gathers my daughter and sits in the bathroom with her (easy job), as I go gather the necessary supplies- Bags, gloves, paper towel, antibacterial wipes. I think a hazmat suit would have been easier.

So the clean up begins, so gross, do I scrape it all off the bedding? throw it all in one bag? I seriously have yet to figure out this process. I have done it so many times, yet it always feels like the first time.  End result is the comforter in the bath tub, rug and sheets outside my front door until morning.

So the next day is rainy and cold, and I have a sick kid home. I start the morning clean up and all of a sudden my toilet bowl turns dark brown, the washing machine is running disgusting water and its coming out of all faucets. I call the town offices and they tell me that there is hydrant flushing. Really!!!! how was I supposed to know this.

I was informed that it was on the web site and there is a sign in the center of town. REALLY, really, who checks their town web sites for hydrant flushing schedules! I am crazed. I can’t use the laundry in the house and I can’t leave the house with my daughter.. Trapped! and due to the hydrant flushing I had to rewash all the dishes only the find out that my dishwasher was leaking all over my basement.

So in a nut shell, all had to wait until the next day where I could get to the Laundromat. Still figuring out how to clean the rug, I hosed it down outside. So, next time my daughter complains that her belly hurts when she gets off the bus, I won’t ask her if she needs to take a poop, I will cover her bed in plastic and put on my hazmat suit.