Learning New Things

Isn't life fun! I'm always learning new things. This week, I learned about washing vomit-stained sheets, clothes, and a mattress. It's been so long since my son barfed that I forgot about how to deal with it. My son hasn't barfed on himself in years, maybe 10. It's been so long, that both of his mattress protectors have holes in them. Yes, I have 2 just in case. The holes are right where the vomit landed.

His cold is better but he still has a dry cough. The combination of a cough and his strong gag reflex is what did it. He was sleeping until he coughed so hard, I think some chunks must have come up. Then, the hurling began. My husband ran in tried to get him to the bathroom. I was blissfully asleep and woke to sounds of  retching and sobbing. Because, let's face it, it's really scary when our bodies betray us. A middle of the night hurling session is a huge betrayal, huge!

Most of it landed on his sheets and blankets with a nice splash down his arm and front. After peeling off the regurgitated mess, we put him in the shower with an apple Izze. I lit a candle, put a bowl of white vinegar near the incident, opened the window, and burned incense. That knocked the puke molecules out of the air.

My husband had the joy of rinsing off the chunks in the laundry sink. Then we washed the mass on super-wash with extra vinegar. That used to work when he was smaller. But, now, with more grown-up-like puke, it didn't work. They came out smelling of clean barf. So, we washed them again. And, same thing happened. In case you don't know, clean vomit smell is the smell of detergent with a slight whiff of the stank.

Being half asleep, I tossed the twice washed on super-wash with vinegar and more vinegar into the dryer on super hot. That used to work, did I mention that? But, it didn't work this time. And, to top it off, the dryer now smells like last night's dinner with a side of bile.

The internet told me that I have to use something with enzymes in it. I've been spraying his mattress with enzymes all day and I think it's working because the stink is very faint.

So, here I go again on super wash with enzymes. Wish me luck.

And, you can add enzymes to your arsenal. You know, in case you ever have to clean barf in the middle of the night.

State of the World

Wow! The state of this world is troubling to me. How do I explain to my son, who is just turning into a teenager, about how messed up the world is right now. On November 9, last year, I was so upset that I could hardly sleep. My son was also worried about the change in the administration. And, to this day, I can only take in the news in small chunks because, honestly, it makes me weep. The 18 year old girl in the UK that committed suicide because of cyber-bullying that began in Missouri when she was 13, that one made me cry my eyes out. The mass grave in Mosul at the hands of the IS, tragic and heart-breaking. Our current administration and ALL of his appointees, unfortunate for the world. I'm probably on a list somewhere because I've already sent some emails to the white house describing how much I dislike their actions. Honestly, it feels like there's a toddler in the white house.

We do keep politics to a minimum on our house. My son knows that we disagree with the current state of the gov. We also tell him (and ourselves) that the current administration won't last forever. We chat about issues here and there. We talk about each side and try for perspective because he will need that as he enters into the world. But, boy I sure hope the dems can get their crap together. They need to start campaigning right now.

Dreams of Lives Lost

Or lives discovered. As I look back on my life, I had some vague notions that I'd travel, maybe save the world, create art, write fiction, teach marine biology. I thought I might make my mark on the world; instead of adventuring, I ended up living in San Francisco. I worked for temp agencies in order to make the rent. I worked for non profit agencies in between the temp agencies. It was like a yo-yo between the business world and the do-good world. While I can appreciate how much benefit that non-profits do for our society, I can also attest to the low wages and long hours and heart ache. However, I kept dreaming, believing that something better would happen, that I could make something better happen.