Ahhhhh, Parent-hood

Disclaimer: Long post, no pictures, gross details....you have been warned!

Throughout our marriage Dave has been gone, A LOT!!! It is just part of the career he has chosen, and as time has gone on I have become used to it. It's not my favorite thing. I love my husband and want him here 24/7. However, that is not the case. He works a job that he loves for 40-60+ hours a week on a flexible Sunday through Saturday schedule. So he is not a 9-5 guy who works Monday through Friday. But he LOVES his job and I love that he is so darn tootin happy!

For the last month or two, he has been gone every week for some reason or another. Out of town for a conference here, presenting a project there, and anything else that may require him to be away from home. He also has 'field season' coming up where he is gone all over the place with a crazy work schedule that leaves me alone with the kids from now until October. He is not gone allllll the time, but 2-5 days each week can get hard on a gal.  I don't like sleeping without him, or being a single parent or the stresses that come with keeping things in order with 4 kids and a part-time job.  I have learned how to manage. You just do it...one day at a time. And don't get me wrong...I like the alone 'me' time. I like being able to watch a movie I want, that Dave wouldn't like (musicals & such). I like to read, I like to update the blog, I like to veg out or get caught up on my projects, something I don't do with Dave home because I would rather spend time with him.

He was gone last week for a few days. Becca got the yucky gunk I had the week before. She was home from school for 4 days. Then Timothy starts to feel a little cruddy, but nothing too bad.
Then comes Wednesday night. (DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN) 
DAVE MISSES ALL THE GOOD STUFF!!!!:)

Poor Becca can't stop coughing and has finally gone to sleep. I go in to check on the kids upstairs. Tim tells me his tummy hurts. But he is so tired he falls to sleep, so being the thankful mom I am, I let it go and figure he would be fine. It is now 11:30...I have cleaned up the house, got some things ready for the next day, and thought 'wow', I am getting to bed early. :)

In bed, 11:45, I have finished my prayers, thanking my Heavenly Father for my children, I exhale and prepare to fall asleep. Then I hear it...a moan. Now Tim gets knee aches, moans in his sleep and sometimes has bad dreams. So I wait a minute....another long moan. I get up out of bed...

Please...weak stomach peeps should stop reading here...really, don't go on!

I go down the hall to the kids room just in time to hear BLEHHHHH. I flicked on the light...poor Tim (he is gonna hate this when he gets older and realizes I shared.) There is vomit everywhere....EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!! Not sure how his little tummy held it all...seriously!

Here is the run down...I start laughing. Really, I am cracking up at the sight in front of me, because really, you have got to be kidding me.

Tim: "I tried my best not to get it on my bed." (Such a sweet kid)

Me: "No hun, you did great. It's gonna be OK." (the sound of another barf comes) "Tim honey, barf in your shirt!!!!" -It was the only thing I could think of. He kind of made it in his shirt...mostly...not.

This barf up (that's what the kids call it these days) he performed was amazing, probably some kind of record...part of me wishes I had taken a picture...for proof. It was fantastic. There are really not enough words to describe it.

Now as I share this with you, remember: Tim sleeps on a bunk bed-top bunk-no bed underneath-toy filled area under his bed-staircase leading up to his bed-dirty clothes basket next to the staircase.

Barf on the end of his bed...on each step on the stairs...puddled between the mattress and the bed frame...dripping down the front and back of the stairs as well as both sides....dripping down the wall...puddled on the floor between the stairs and the bed....on every toy container in the toy stand....on every toy I could see.....on all the clothes in the dirty clothes basket....on the floor in a pattern that can only be explained by projectile vomit that could reach at least 5 feet away.....on a pile of clean clothes I had put in a basket close to the dresser....covering posters that he had saved and rolled up next to his bed....all over TIM!

There was no real safe way to get him off his bed without causing the aforementioned barf to cover more area, including myself. So we just did it! I was laughing at the situation...how could I not.

I got Tim to the bath, got his messy clothes off and started the washer....12:15 a.m.

As safely as I can, I begin to remove the blankets and sheets....

I take all of the clothing that had been 'hit' down to the washer.

I begin the long process of barf removal. Seriously...everywhere!!!! I can't tell you how much I cleaned up, but it filled two garbage cans...TWO! Poor guy.

He is tubbing away, I am cleaning like there is a contest for cleanest room and I want to win!

Tim comes back upstairs after about 30 minutes in the tub.

Tim: "Mom, I just wanted you to know that Gus peed on the floor outside the bathroom. But it's OK, I was able to step over it." He said with a smile....

I just laughed. 12:45 I go clean up dog pee, switch the laundry, bring down the next load and go back upstairs to fix Tim a bed on the couch...complete with barf bucket. 1:00 holding the bucket like a stuffed animal, he apologizes that he barfed up (love him) and drifts off to sleep. I head back to the bedroom...

I finish the stairs, clean the floor up and then fill the tub upstairs with HOT water and bleach. I begin the removal of all toy containers and every toy I can find...they all took a bleach bath that night!

I finally finished cleaning everything around 2 a.m. and then got to bed.

Quite a night and I really did laugh for the majority of it. It just made me so very grateful that I was there to be that mom. The mom who gets to clean up vomit. I know it sounds funny...but I was grateful. I laughed. Such a silly thing...and doggone it, Dave missed it.





In other news........drinking  some hot cocoa in front of a warm fire.
Did I mention Dave was gone? :( Love that guy! oxox