In the Trenches

We are under seige.

There is no sleep allowed.

No showers either.

If you shut your eyes they open them. Turn on the water they flop to the ground in despair.

You can brush your teeth as long as it can be done without hands and pee only if you can balance a toddler on your lap.

Your shirt will be used for a kleenex, your lap, a puke bucket and your clothes only changed once their Tylenol kicks in.

Diapers that could kill a small animal must be changed and breath that makes your toes curl is aimed your way.

You must sit when they tell you to, stand when they pull you up and offer toast and soup on demand.

No one can leave the house, their germs can be seen from a mile away. They goob on the window if you walk to the mailbox alone.

No one will enter either, Hazmat suits are not available at your local store.

We tried to wave our white flag but had to shut the door for fear of an asthma attack.

Tried to spell SOS with Saltines but our captors ate them rabidly.

So we will sit, in the trenches, our runny-nosed dictators circling the camp, ears ringing from Fresh Beat Band marathons, hands raw from hand sanitizer and wait for our release…

boys in army pajamas

When we will tiptoe through preschool pick up, avoid indoor play gyms like the plague,

and hope for a day when small children remember to cover their mouths, wash their hands and not. touch. anything.

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  1. Good luck! That’s the war of wars you’ve got going!
    Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell recently posted..Newsies is Broadway Bound!

  2. We are under seige over here too! I hope that we all make it out of the trenches and back into preschool soon! I am hoping for tomorrow but may have just jinxed myself. Take care.
    Lanie recently posted..Paranoid Parenting

  3. ML@My 3 Little Birds says:

    Oh man. That’s the worst…and yet you’ve described it beautifully. This too shall pass (and then onto the next emergency).

  4. Oh no! Hope everyone is feeling better very very soon!! Winter is the worst for sick kids.
    christine recently posted..Project 365 Week 4
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  5. Those same fowl little germs are at my house too. And my minions are faring just as poorly. I’m living on coffee and the kids are on the 1,000th episode of How its Made. I just want to bleach the house down…
    Lizbeth recently posted..We’re at DEFCON 5

  6. I was commiserating with you until I saw the picture, and then I burst out laughing. Oh, the life of a mother…

  7. aw man…we went through that a couple of weeks ago…
    blech…
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  8. Aww! Hope everyone feels better soon!
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  9. Oh no! I hope your captors arrange for a hostage negotiation soon!
    Life As Wife recently posted..Life’s a Party
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  10. Hope you win that war SOON!! Poor kids…and poor mom and dad too.
    xo

  11. Feel better soon!!! Netflix, my friend. Netflix. :)

  12. Oh no! Hope everyone feels better soon!!
    Kimberly recently posted..Drunk Neighbor Conversation
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  13. Oh my, my toddler has been snotty all week and I’ve been walking around with snot covered clothes. Commiserations!
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  14. Good luck! I hate to say it, but I’m glad it’s you and not me. LOL You’re going to rock it!
    Courtney Kirkland recently posted..In a Perfect World…
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  15. Ha! I love it! Totally been there. I love how you capture the feeling of being trapped.
    Shasta Kearns Moore recently posted..What if it’s not cerebral palsy?
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  16. It makes it SO much worse when your husband works in a school atmosphere too doesn’t it? My husband is mostly immune to it by now… but he still manages to bring all the eweey gooey germs home with him!
    Kate F. recently posted..On Becoming a Mother (A Letter to My Daughter)
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  17. OY. Feel better. xo
    tracy@sellabitmum recently posted..Play-Doh Is Only Fun If Someone Else Makes It
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  18. Hee! Too funny, Jess!

    And oh my, yes- don’t touch ANYTHING should be, like, a law!

    {I hope everyone feels better soon!}
    Galit Breen recently posted..A Family Heart
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  19. I am right there with you right now. Toddler with bronchitis, 6 week old with a cold….although that picture is too cute for words.
    Barbara recently posted..The Music of my Life
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  20. ACK!
    The Sickies!
    A parents worse fear. And once they have it they seem to hang on to it forever.
    Hope everyone is feeling better soon.
    Leighann recently posted..Teenagers… They’re Just Constipated

  21. I feel like Dylan has been sick off and on all winter. Abbey has gotten hit hard a few times. I opened windows this weekend just to try to banish some of the germs :( Feel better!
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  22. Everyone’s under siege! We’ve already had Round 1 of the dreaded stomach bug and narrowly missed Round 2 last week when a kid barfed up his breakfast right in front of Lil’ Bit at daycare. It was all I could do not to snatch her and run back home to my vomit-free bubble. And I refuse to visit any indoor play gyms until this epidemic has passed – or at least until I stop seeing it talked about constantly on FB, Twitter, and in blog posts.

    Sickest.Winter.EVER!
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  23. They are so funny! My 2 boys dressed them selves as Superman and Batman. It was hilarious a bit but very amusing:)
    Anna recently posted..dental veneers cost

  24. Yes, that about describes my week ;)
    Practical Parenting recently posted..Tips for Long Term Marital Bliss
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  25. This is THE BEST sick-kid post I have ever read. SOS in saltines! Love it.

    Honestly though – I hope everyone is feeling better and you don’t catch anything/

    Thanks for sharing.
    Maija @ Maija’s Mommy Moments recently posted..The Daycare Dilemma
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  26. You know the spreading of snot on a parent is a sign of affection, right?
    Spreading it on a sibling is something else altogether.
    I won’t say what would be worse so as to not jinx you. But just one hint: sick husband. So instead I’ll wish you good luck and a speedy recovery.
    Also: Damn those boys are cute.
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  27. The Anecdotal Baby says:

    Ack! There’s been something going around. I nearly banished the hubs to another state for fear he’d pass it along to us, but miraculously he only felt bad for a night (thanks to some emergen-c) and we escaped unscathed. I can’t wait for preschool *sarcasm*… someone should come up with a spray to dowse yourself in to guard against germs. Hang in there, and as someone else said, you’ll totally rock this!
    The Anecdotal Baby recently posted..I’ll Have a Glass
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  28. Such a vivid and funny description of the captive life with sick kiddos.

    This has been a particularly bad month for us as well. What is up with these kids?
    Miss Marina Star recently posted..Soundtrack Of My Life
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  29. You are too funny! Sickies! Yuck!!
    Rachel {at} Mommy Needs a Vacation recently posted..Project 365: Week 4
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  30. It does feel exactly like you have described. Good luck and I hope everyone is feeling better soon.

    Love the camouflage!
    Tonya recently posted..Things Overheard At A Toy Store
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  31. Their facial expressions are priceless.

    Not to mention they mean BUSINESS in those boots.

    Business, I tell you.

    (So cute. Good luck. Watch the hand-sanitizer around your cuticles…)
    julie gardner recently posted..Today call me laid

  32. JDaniel would have eaten my SOS sign too. I love the picture of your guys!
    JDaniel4s Mom recently posted..Super Bowl XLV: Patriots vs. Giants Muffin Tin Meal

  33. I’m not going to say a single word because I don’t want to jinx myself.
    Nope.
    Not.
    A.
    Word.
    Kimberly recently posted..The Book
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  34. Since I have 2 sick kids, I too dream of this day.
    Jen recently posted..The Booger Wall

  35. Ahhhh germs! Good luck and hope you all are germ free soon. You know, so you can build strength until it hits you again!
    dumb mom recently posted..Mom Awesome Monday. January Awesome.

  36. The expressions on those adorable childrens’ faces is just so precious!

    And may you have peace and health and germ-free air blowing through your house.
    Lady Jennie recently posted..When I Was a Princess

  37. There is nothing worse than when the whole family is sick . . . I hope y’all are feeling better soon.

    Thanksgiving, we shared a stomach bug as a family. It was the first time I truly felt that I was “over my head” with this parenting thing.
    John recently posted..Where I set out to demystify HTML
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  38. Oh man. So sorry. Hope you all are feeling better.
    Sarah recently posted..Sticks & Stones {WW #29}
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  39. Oh, I don’t envy you any. Best of luck this week and hope everyone is back on their feet in no time!
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