Thursday, February 28, 2008

Not for the Weak of Stomach

Yes, I know I haven't written in a couple days, but I have a good excuse. I'm dying of the flu. Ugh, fever, back hurts so much, headache, yuckness. Yesterday I slept until 10:00am, got up and then went right back to bed at 12:00. I slept until 5:00, had a piece of toast and some tea and then went back to bed at 8:00. Thank God Joe was able to stay home from work or the kids probably would've burned the house down because I couldn't move. That's actually the good part.

Yesterday morning, Clay threw up on the couch. This is the same couch that the kids broke this summer. I knew there was a reason I hadn't replaced it. Thankfully I was sleeping and Joe got to deal with that.

Then, after lunch yesterday, the school called to say that Austin was in the nurse's office with a migraine. He gets these now and then and nothing but Advil and sleep in a dark room will make them go away. Joe picked him up from school and before he was able to drive the 3 blocks home, Austin puked all over himself and Joe's truck. Delightful. It's not uncommon for Austin to throw up when he has a bad headache so we thought that's all that was. Notsomuch. He continued to get sick from both ends all night. That's still not the bad part, however.

Last night, Clay and Brooklyn fell asleep in bed with me. I was awakened around midnight to the sound of water running. Or so I thought. My foggy sleep-induced brain thought, "I hear water. I think it's water. Wait. I'm in bed. It can't be water. Oh no! Brooklyn's throwing up! I reached over in the dark to see if I could feel where Brooklyn was sleeping. My hand hit a pool of vomit. I came to my senses real quickly then! I realized that it wasn't Brooklyn, but Clay, who was throwing up. ON Brooklyn! Nothing says brotherly love like a giant puddle of barf all over you! If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I don't do barf, so naturally I freaked out, ran out of the room and called to my husband who had fallen asleep in Clay's bed.
Joe entered our bedroom to see Brooklyn lying on the bed covered in Clay's mess and just crying. The poor thing! Clay wasn't doing so hot either.

I would have left and gone to a hotel room right then and there if it wasn't for the fact that I had a fever and felt like crap. Instead I gave the kids a bath and can proudly say that I didn't throw up myself while doing it even though I gagged a dozen times and had to leave the bathroom twice. Joe had the nasty task of taking apart our bed and rinsing stuff out and washing it. In fact, he spent today getting his car detailed (I keep envisioning the B.B.O. Seinfeld episode and I fear his car will never smell the same). He also had to remove the pillow top on our bed and take it to a laundromat to try and get it clean. After 2 hours, it's still not dry. Maybe sometime next week it'll be dry.

This is all after Lexi and Clay had the flu last week - fevers, aches, colds.

Ugh, as I was writing this, I just got a call from the school. Looks like Jackson is the next victim. Sending Joe to pick him up... and perhaps some orange juice, and maybe some crackers, and a big vat of Lysol....

On the bright side (because there's always a bright side, right?) thank God this didn't hit me until after my speaking engagement at Fremd High School and after I finished my revisions and handed my manuscript to my editor!

130 comments:

Blessed By Four said...

Well the thick of the flu season is here. My philosophy is let us all(4 kids and parents) get sick at once and get it over with rather than stagger it; then it seems like we just keep passing it around and it never goes away.
I hope everyone feels better soon!

Anonymous said...

Had that a few weeks ago at our house. It was a bad one this year. The doctor said that even the flu shot was useless this year. Unfortunately it doesn't leave as quickly as it shows up. It is quite the unwelcomed house guest. Hang in there!

Irishmama said...

Ugh.....Dawn.......I'm so sorry to hear what you've been through....and are still going through. Get well vibes to the whole Meehan clan.

The smell takes a while to get out of the car.....Especially if it goes down into the stick shifty thingy like I did one night in my husbands car on the way home from a party, it was a baaaad case of ginandtonic virus.

(if you're wondering: I was the passenger)

dubdynomite said...

One word: Tamiflu. It saved me from a similar fate when half of my house was down with the flu. I still had some minor symptoms (nothing more than a normal cold) but was able to go through my daily routine just fine.

Even if you already have the flu, it will shorten the period of the worst symptoms, and help you recover more quickly.

Unfortunately it is expensive as medicines go.

Shari said...

Oh man! You guys got hit with the yuckies! My kids all gets sick once one gets it. Since having chemo my best friends are bleach, Lysol of any kind, hand sanitizer, and antibacterial soap. I hope everyone feels well soon and those pukies stop! I dont' do barf either!

Sharon said...

YUCK! I remember those days when the entire house was "down for the count"! Sending hugs and a big spray of virtual Lysol your way!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is one intense story! I'm so sorry--good for you for looking on the bright side (and congratulations on finishing your manuscript!!).

Anonymous said...

I can remember many a time that my brothers and I were sick all at the same time (a case of chicken pox comes to mind) and I now have a better appreciation for what my mom went through!

Hope you and your 6pack are on your way to recovery!

Anonymous said...

First to comment!! Just kidding--I'm sure you're just too sick to approve the comments. What a nightmare, especially for you! Didn't you know that the more kids you have, the more puke you have to deal with? I hope you all get better soon. And buy a new couch. I need one, too. Let us know if you find a really kid (mess) friendly one!

Life with Spirit said...

Bless your heart! Hope all your family is well soon. Just think, Joe is next. Isn't it worse for him to be sick than any of the kids--or maybe all the kids put together? Nice work with the vomit btw.

Suburban Correspondent said...

Yeah, once my oldest (at 3 years old) threw up on his toddler sister in my bed - good times! My husband was away, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what to clean up first. But you know what? That little girl was slumbering soundly, covered in her brother's puke. Isn't that sweet? Don't know why I didn't take a picture (probably because there weren't blogs back then, right?)...

Hang in there - and buy a new couch when you're better. I highly recommend Ektorp by IKEA - our kids haven't broken it yet, it has lots of cushions to play with, and (this is key) it comes with washable slipcovers.

Anonymous said...

You have my sympathy and I dont do vomit either! When my son was young and asleep in the next room, I could be instantly awake the second I hear "cooouggghhh" - you know the sound!

There's nothing like puke covered bedding is there.....Oh yes, I know - puke covered car seats.

Julia said...

Sigh. Dawn I am so sorry! Hubby and I have the flu here too. We thought it was just bronchiolitis that our newly adopted 8 mo baby boy (Ethiopia) has. But nooooo. I feel awful both physically and also for my new munchkin who is just laying here on the couch with me. Thank God he's a good baby!

The puking in your house--OMG. I love that you ran out of the room screaming for your husband--LOL--totally something I would do!

Feel better soon,
Julia

Tonya Staab said...

I'm so sorry everyone is sick. Sending get well fairy dust your way and hope you all recover quickly. We too have all been sick, the twins since Sunday including a lovely visit to the ER last night and I've woken up with it today. Fun, fun, fun! I think somebody is sending these illnesses through the web, because I feel like I haven't left the house.

Sandra said...

I am so sorry to hear about the flu hitting your home. I'm a mother of four kids under six and the stomach flu is the one thing that scares me every winter. I hope you and your family feel better soon. We haven't been struck yet, I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Homeschoolin' hot-rodders said...

Ug! I am so sorry to hear this! our family of 5 was recently hit by the other flu...body aches, fever etc. both of us adults had it at the same time and it was miserable. I hadn't been that sick since I was a school kid. I am just glad that my 3 littles didn't get it (yet) and that were so good to take care of us!


Angela

Amy Beth @ Ministry So Fabulous! said...

Oh man! I am praying that ya'll start feeling better soon.

And, if you wanna know the truth, I'm thankful that I don't have kids who could get sick and throw up on me.

Thank you for the birth control. :)

Debi said...

Oh Dawn, what a time you're having at your house. Nothin' says I love you Mom than when they throw up in your bed right?

I pray you're family will get better soon!!

Anonymous said...

I was wondering where you were!

Oh my! Sounds awful! I'm so sorry you are sick but I think I feel sorrier for your poor husband having to clean up all the puke! That is the worst!!!!

I was told once by a doctor that if you feel like you're going to throw up you're supposed to take deep breaths and think happy thoughts. I have to warn you, it doesn't always work.

But the bright side is that sometimes it does! :)

Feel better.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry you have gone through this! I have my 3 girls do almost the same to me.

Is orange juice a good idea though with everyone's stomach already doing flip flops, I think the oj might make it worse with it being acidic? I have switched to giving my girls the clearest gatorade I can find.

Good luck with the sickfest going on there right now!

Tammy B said...

Dawn, I am so sorry you are dealing with this! So glad that Joe is able and WILLING to be there for you!

NO FUN.

YUCK.

Better days will come... just have to get though the one you're in now!

((((hug)))))

amber said...

ah man!

okay, this sounds like classic norovirus (aka stomach flu) to me.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus-qa.htm

very common, obviously, but spreads like wildfire in the home. don't even know if this is possible, can you try to confine the kids with it to one bathroom and keep the un-sick ones in a separate one? okay, maybe not :P

everyone needs to wash their hands like crazy people and a thorough bleaching of everything at some point would be good, too.

i'm so sorry you're having to deal with this. hang in there and i hope the whole family feels better soon :)

Britney said...

I hope you all feel better soon!

rae said...

My prayers are with you all to feel much better and FAST!

Anonymous said...

Oh honey! I hope you all get well soon! Having sick kids is terrible, but it's even worse when mom is sick, too. Joe's a heck of a man.

TheHMC said...

Yuck! Sorry to hear how bad off everyone is right now. I know that when the first one gets sick around here, I stress out continuously, knowing full well that it's like germs attacking the members of our household is like trying to eat one (Lays)Potato Chip. It never stops at just one.
And for the record, I don't do puke either. I FEEL you there and just offer my sincere condolences to you(and those poor kids!) for having to deal with all of that. I commend you though! You're still able to laugh it off and be humorous. That's always better than being super sick , And..being depressed about everyone being super sick.

Oh! My oldest gets migranes like that as well(I assume he gets it from me because I've had them for years myself) so hugs to Austin... those things are horrible to deal with.

I hope you all are feeling much better soon. I hereby appologize for bugging you about another post. Whoops :D. I apparently couldn't imagine that you'd have, like, stuff going on. LOL
Really though, take care, and I hope all are feeling well soon.

What is UP with kids always puking in the bed or on the couch??!
Feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

oh gawd! I hate vomit!!

Diane said...

Oh that's just awful. My husband and I and our four girls all had the flu earlier this month and it was miserable.
I hope you all are on the mend quickly.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear everyone is so sick. Hope you all feel better soon! And I can't believe you have manage not to throw up yourself! :)

MaBunny said...

K let me just start off by saying YUCK!!! then saying I'm sorry ya'll are going through that. The stomach flu is never a good thing, no matter who gets it. The bad part is when little kids get it they usually don't know they are going to throw up, they just do it. I don't do barf either, cause then I barf. My husband gets to clean it all up because it doesn't faze him in the least.
Hope everyone gets better soon!!

Mabunny

Traci said...

I'm so sorry you are sick and having a household of 8 for it to go through isn't helping either.

May the whole clan feel better and fast!!!

Brenda said...

Oh I'm so sorry! HOpe everyone is feeling better and puke-free really soon!

Mom2-4 said...

I'm so sorry your all so sick. It is going around big time. Two of my kids had it a few weeks back. It came on quick and they were sick a lot for about 6 hours and then it disappeared. I sure hope your all feeling better really soon.

Sending hugs,
Taunie

StampingJoan said...

Yuck Yuck and more Yuck!

I feel for you!!!

Rebecca Grinder said...

So sorry! I hope you all feel better soon!

StampingJoan said...

In my haste to be the first to post............I forgot a little story similar to this! I was watching my nephew this past summer. He wasn't feeling well but decided he wanted a go-gurt (sp
)but you know....those yogurts in the squeeze tube! All I had was blue! You know where this is going.......I ending up holding him on my lap, and my little toy Maltese wanted to be there too. Well needless to say...we both got Smurfed! My son came running when I screamed and saw the dog and was more concerned about her! And then she started licking it!!! Now did I make you barf??? hee hee

Anonymous said...

Hope the torture is soon over and you all are feeling better soon!

Holly C.

Elisabet said...

Ewww. I hope the bug doesn't keep spreading...wait, what am I saying?! Of course it will keep spreading! I've also spent many long nights cleaning up beds after my kids have gotten sick in them. The worst was when they were sleeping in a bunk bed that had drawers under the bottom bunk. Let's just say I had to use an old toothbrush to get everything clean! Hope you all feel better real soon :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, you poor thing!!!!! I feel for you.

Anonymous said...

We had the flu at our house for 2 weeks. Last Friday our 4 yr old came running into our bedroom, thankfully to his FATHER'S side of the bed, before dawn and screamed "I'm gonna p..." He then puked ALL OVER his father's bare chest. Kid you not! I thought DH was going to climb out of his skin right then and there!

So you have my deepest empathy, as a mom who has been there done that very recently, and hopes for a speedy recovery!

AlaneM said...

That sounds like my house a month ago - only with half the number of children.
There's just nothing like taking care of sickies when you are sick yourself - blech!
I'll pray you all get better soon!!

Anonymous said...

and it's kind of nice they are all getting sick together instead of one at a time.
Hope everyone feels better and hope I don't catch it from your blog:):):)

Erica said...

Oh my! Sounds awful! I would have definately puked! Hope everyone starts feeling better soon!

Ali A said...

OMG! Sorry but I laughed.

Sweetflutterbys3 said...

Oh boy can I sympathize! We all had the same flu last week in our family and it was just a barrel of laughs. I'm still recovering and it's almost been two weeks. I sure hope you all feel better soon. Just keep thinking, this too shall pass....and it will.

Anonymous said...

Yikes. There really is nothing worse than vomiting children. . . except vomiting moms trying to take care of vomiting children.

Tip from the trenches: skip the orange juice - too acidic on upset tummies. Go for 7-up, gatorade, or ginger ale. Then move up to soda crackers and eventually toast.

You brought back fond memories of our vacation last summer when Child #3 threw up on Child #2 in the middle of the night in the hotel. Nothing like scrubbing out hotel bedding in the bathroom with four kids gathered 'round crying.

Nicole H said...

OMG!!! I hope you feel better soon!!!

Louisa said...

KEEP SMILING!!!

Love to read your blog and see how you face life trials & tribulations! This comes to you with great empathy as our house has been the same of late with colds / flu and then a nasty vomiting bug, those are the days I'm grateful that I was only blessed with the 2 little ones to clear up after!

Lou

Dawn said...

Come on people! Do you really think I'd give my pukey kids orange juice? The juice is for me. I don't have the barfies (knock on wood!). I think I just have the flu.

Anonymous said...

I have a great product that my sister gave me. It gets out the color, smell, and bacteria from vomit, bloody noses- all things children. It even gets out crayon and dryer-set stains. I love it! It's called Protek. You can get it online at www.protekchemical.com .

Maybe it can take some of the sting out of the sickness. Feel better!!!!

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

Nothing sucks like the barfy flu!

Becky said...

Oh, man, I feel your pain. My toddler did the same thing on my bed last night. Ugh.

If there is a bright side to the a sick family, I'm glad it was that you got through your deadlines before you got sick! Take care of yourself, woman. Get some good sleep.

Anonymous said...

I laughed... with guilt, though.
Hope you and the kids get well soon!

Anonymous said...

I just threw up while reading your blog! Hope you all feel better soon...

Mom Of 3 said...

So sorry you are all sick We all had this last week, so i know how you feel. Get better soon!

Wineplz said...

oh man! poor kids, poor you, poor Joe who's stuck cleaning up! :(

I sure hope all of you get better REALLY quick!

As Cape Cod Turns said...

Sorry Dawn, What a huge drag! Feel better.... all of you!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Dawn -- hugs and visions of chicken noodle soup being sent your way!

I will say that I'm *thrilled* to hear about so many moms who don't do puke and who need the dads to clean it up instead. My husband gives me a hard time about it when I can't stay in the same room.

Then again, last Saturday I was up at 5:30 because of the kiddos then 6:30 WITH them. Fed them yogurt for breakfast and my daughter ate 8 oz of it (2 1/2 yo) after not having eaten much dinner at all. About a half hour later, she came over saying she didn't feel so well, so I had her lay on the couch with me (this is the girl who doesn't stop moving). About a half hour later, she started puking on the blanket and me -- which meant I was trapped under puke. As I was calling for my husband -- who was taking his sweet time coming downstairs -- she starting erupting. That was lovely. I was just proud of myself that I didn't puke before she was removed from me. Of course my husband then took my son out for breakfast and left the blanket she'd puked in sitting outside the (empty) washing machine so that it dripped puke onto our carpeting. ARGH! But I managed to clean that up since no one was home, as gaggy as I was!

I hope you all feel better soon, Dawn!

Michelle

Rick said...

Good grief! It sounds like your house is one huge cesspool of infectious vomit!

I hope that I don't catch something by just logging onto this blog of yours! For the sake of the health of entire world... get better soon. Please.

http://organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/

P.S. Seriously, I will lift a prayer for you all - and especially Joe!

Anonymous said...

So many of us have vomit stories when we have kids - I remember the time on Christmas day my son got everything out and kept having dry heaves. I took him to an emergency clinic and they gave me something called Emitrol. It worked.

It was a lovely night the first time one of my children told me in the morning, "I threw up last night, and took care of it myself". That day WILL come.

Here's a parent dilemma about vomit... My husband had a brutal work schedule one summer, and I drove our three preschoolers from Texas to see my family in Ohio. On the way back, somewhere in north Arkansas, one of my children got sick. So here was my question - do I stop driving, find a hotel room, and risk having three kids and myself get stuck there while we all got sick? I decided to keep going. Poor kid! He usually had enough time to tell me to pull over before he puked. I did buy a container as soon as I could that he could throw up into, and we'd stop and empty it out.

We made it home. It wasn't fun.

Franny Organny said...

hope you all feel better soon! caught the flu over here in Michigan as well...nice.

I'm glad you don't to puke...I thought you can handle so much and are so tough...good to know that there is something to bring you to your knees (I always felt bad for leaving kids with their puke because I can not handle it myself)

from o-j user to o-j user!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on getting the manuscript done, and more importantly not puking on the puking kids! (I don't think I would have made it through that one!)

Lisa said...

Hope everyone gets better soon :)

~Lori said...

Oh man... I had to delurk just to say I am SO sorry about the parade of misery. Here's hoping it passes quickly.....

Michelle Kemper Brownlow said...

OH MY!!!!
:(
Sending happy (clean, vomit-free) thoughts your way.

Hope you are soon on the mend dear friend!!

Tammy said...

Poor Dawn! And all those poor barfing babies! I don't "do" barf either.

When I taught school, one of the first things I told my students was that they were not allowed to barf in my classroom. They had my permission to get up and RUN down the hall to the bathroom. In 8 years, the only time anyone barfed in the room, I was away on a trip.

We've been sick here - high fevers, but no barfing - Praise God.

And I'd rather have barf on the bed than on the berber carpet. Poor Brooklyn - that's the part that would have done me in.

Anonymous said...

Ughhh, yuck! I hope you all feel better soon! Stomach bugs are the worst!!
Take care,
Julie in PA

Anonymous said...

I like OJ for the flu, too.
Hope you're all feeling better soon.

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear so many of you are sick. If you get one that can't stop barfing... Emetrol is great. We're supposed to get it out but after a point there's only so much barfing a person can take. Then we take Emetrol. Does this sound like a commercial? Sorry. :)

Anonymous said...

Thank God none of us have gotten it, I hope we dont, I feel for everyone that has!!

Michelle said...

Not that it's funny you are sick, but I did have to laugh at the "I don't do vomit" part. I am a pediatrician, and let me tell you, I don't do vomit either!! Give me diarrhea, blood or pus anyday, but vomit will make me gag and wretch everytime!! Blech!

Anonymous said...

I've had migranes since I was in elementary school so I can sympathsize with Clay. I can also offer what works for me and maybe it will work for him. Excedrine Migrane I have found works better than advil and Migrane Ice Well Patches. I can only find these at Rite Aid or Walgreens. They are basically like an ice pack that doesn't need refridgeration and that sticks to your forehead so you can lie down on your side or however you want and don't have to worry about a wet pillow or the cold running out. The patches last for hours! Plus you can get up and walk around the house if need be and still feel the cold goodness. I love them. Hope you all feel better.

Porter Family said...

From one sympathetic puker to another, I am so sorry!! I got the gaggies just thinking about everyone barfing. You are handling it well. I would totally drug myself up and let my husband handle it, too. Way to go Joe!

Shellie said...

I am so very, very sorry!!! I really hope you don't have the 6 week flu all the adults seem to be getting around here. Just when you think really have a fatal illness and you're going to die, you start getting better.

Jenn's finding life funny! said...

Oh Man that is the pitts! I remember last year at the end of January we were staying in a 2 bedroom apartment for 2 weeks until our house was finished being built & we had sold our other home. On the way to the apartment and after basically moving by ourselves. (Hubby & I) We were so exausted. We drove the van packed full of kids and stuff that would not fit in our U-Haul. As I am about in tears from exaustion, I hear "water running" My daughter started puking and the next day all seven of us had it. Everyone had a puke bucket and we all alept on the floor.

I am so sorry you guys are going through this and I hope you get over it before Joe gets it.

Jen said...

I hope you all feel better VERY soon. Having sick kids is no fun. Especially puking sick kids.

Kim VanDerHoek said...

I'm so sorry to hear that all of you are getting/have been sick! I have to admit, your husband Joe is my hero! All of us were just sick too. I'm wishing you all a speedy recovery!

mnhyrkas said...

I'm guessing the reason why your DH was sleeping in the other bedroom was that he either predicted that someone was gonna get sick, or that there just wasnt room enough in the bed for all of you. This happens to us too, some nights it seems as if we are playing musical chairs with our sleeping arrangements. lol

Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life said...

Ha! You do realize you probably sent germs to the entire high school and also sent them off to your editor. Hey, a thousand people needed a couple of days off, right? I hope your editor doesn't read this blog though.

Unknown said...

Just repeat "Immunity, Immunity, Immunity-- this stomach bug confers immunity" Next year you'll be protected against this particular virus, isn't that a happy thought?

I despise stomach viruses. I would trade 24 hours of vomiting for 2 WEEKS of the nastiest, snottiest respiratory illness known to mankind.

roseys madhouse said...

You poor thing. I hope you all feel better real soon. Unfortunately after reading your post I now feel sick (I too am a sympathetic vomiter. I hate it when the kids are sick though and they want to sleep with you, I always cover our bed in old towels before they get in so hopefully they dont puke on the pillows nothing worse than that lol.

debi9kids said...

OH! How terrible!
I don't do puke either. Whenever one of the kids get sick, my poor husband has to do it or I will throw up as well. UGH!
I just had a woman leave me a comment on my blog asking what I do when they all get sick... I should just give her a link to this post. (poor you!)
ps That Seinfeld episode is one of my FAVORITES!

kimikki said...

Do I ever feel for you!!! I had my flu shot so, hopefully, it will pass me by this time around. I don't do vomit, either. I used to have a boss who would make me clean the bathrooms at the bar where I worked, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, because he would lose his breakfast if he tried to clean up what the drunks had left.
Also, one time when my daughter was little, maybe 2 or 3? she had the pukies. All she wanted was grape juice. I gave her grape juice and she would keep it down for a while, then up it would come. We slept on sheets on the living room floor, so I wouldn't have a bed to strip and clean over and over. Thank heaven for linoleum flooring!

Anonymous said...

Bless you, love.

All things "come to pass."

Anonymous said...

Reason #73 why our kids don't sleep in our bed: "I reached over in the dark to see if I could feel where Brooklyn was sleeping. My hand hit a pool of vomit." @@

Oh.My.Word.

I'm going to go contrary to most folks here who are saying that all of you will get this. I hope not! With good "quarantine" measures, we usually manage to limit gastro bugs to one or two of our four kids, so I'm hoping you'll get away with a 25%-50% casualty rate, too!

Hang in there! :)

Momof2boys said...

Dawn, so sorry you are all sick. Reading the comments and I wonder how many times the words Yuck, Puke and Barf were used. Too funny.

We took a Disney trip two years ago and my then two year old woke up vomiting around midnight our last night in FL. Literally threw up every hour until 6 am. By that time he was dry heaving. Hubby took him to the ER and they gave him meds and we actually made the flight home without the barfing. When we got home each of us got it one by one. So yucky!!!! I feel for you.

You make so many people happy each day by reading your fun blog. I missed it the past two days.

Get well, and we are praying for your family, just hope Joe doesn't get it now.
Thanks Dawn!!

Kim said...

Praying for you! As I'm sure many others are. Not sure how it's spelled, but my first pastor used to say "viyahe" a lot, which is Hebrew for "this too shall pass". So my prayer for you is "viyahe!"

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn, Another bright side....The flu makes ya loose a few pounds! Look to the bright side! I hope you all feel better soon! Kristine in Michigan.

Kate said...

ELDERBERRY Extract~!! it's an immune booster that helps short-circuit the flu or help those around it not get it. It comes in a liquid extract or pills at the health food store. It goes by Sambucol too. Hope ya'll get better fast~! ~Kate

Jody said...

I don't do vomit either....I feel ill just reading this.

My hubby is the go-get 'em of our stomach virus woes as well. He usually has more of a stomach for cleaning it up than I do.

Hope you all feel better soon.

Anonymous said...

I so feel your puking pain. I hope you are all better soon. One tip I have for everyone - in the car or out of the house when someone is not feeling well - Ziplock gallon size bags. They can puke in them and you then zip htem up and throw them away. No mess in the car either. Works especially well on the way to the doctor and they aren't feeling great. Saved me many times. The parental puke cleanup rule in our house is that the one who is puked on by the kids does not have to cleanup the puke. Although, that usually only works when the kids are younger. Now that they are older, it's fair game for the parent who gets called to the scene first. Why is it always mom???

Anonymous said...

This story and this story alone has totally validated the vasectomy that I had my husband get. Personally, I think that you are the most amazing woman that I have ever heard about. Here you are with the flu and still bathing and taking care of kids! Your husband sounds absolutely wonderful as well. I hope you all get well soon. You are quite the trooper but......us moms really don't have a choice do we?

Kristine said...

LOL Dawn on so many thinking you would give OJ to someone with a sick stomach. You do know that it is only a matter of time before you get it, right? LOL - they were in your bed!

Hope everyone is feeling better soon!

DH did not appreciate the quotes I read to him. LOL But we did both have a suggestion - a waterproof pad. We have one on every bed, including ours. No, ours isn't the plasticky stuff. But it has saved our mattress multiple times. Well worth the $50.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, Dawn, I hope you feel better. Getting sick with only two kids in the house wants to make me run away, I can't imagine having to deal with 6 of them, some of whom are also sick. They say a nice shot of brandy helps to heal what ails you! (just a suggestion) :-)

Anonymous said...

OMGosh! I hope everyone feels better soon. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only mom that doesn't handle puke. I start wretching at just the sound of it happening.... add the smell, and I'm done for. I too, call my husband to deal with it. Once, I called him home from work. LOL Luckily, work is less than a mile from home. :) I've also been known to just throw a towel over a mess on the carpet and let him deal with it when he wakes up. HE has come to hate seeing towels on the floor.

Sharlyn said...

What a wonderful guy you have in Joe! I'm married to a good guy as well, but he DOES NOT "do puke". I don't either, but out of the two of us, I'm elected to deal with it. Every winter I hold my breath, we've had the norovirus go through our house of 7 people before too. Good wishes going your way, hope you all get well soon!

Anonymous said...

Yikes! That's the kind of thing that will leave you paranoid for weeks. When my son got the flu on Valentine's Day (no lovin' in this household) I was sure we were all going to get it. Luckily, we survived without incident, despite the fact we were both elbow deep in the putrid stench.

I was told by Drs. that the flu shot is only for the respitory flu (high fever, aches, chills and sweats), not the stomach flu (fever and vomiting). And that it is a vaccine from the flu from last year. Our house got hit with both this year and I got through all of it, except for the mother of all colds. Hopefully that is the last of it.

OK. Can't write about sick anymore. Stomach is turning...

Marly said...

I'm so sorry you and your family is so sick. That sucks! I hope you all get better soon.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, I also think OJ is a bad idea. It's the acid. Milk is not good either. My hubby gave our son lemon-aid! I stopped that in a hurry! A Tums as soon as they can keep anything down for 10 or 20 minutes to help calm the stomach, then a light, refreshing Gatorade. Not the sweet brightly colored stuff. Gatorade Rain in Berry, or watermelon is my recommendation. Is good mixed with water for the youngest one. Hang in there!

Thumbelina's Mom said...

Okay, now I have a stomachache. Remember the BRAT diet:
B-ananas
R-ice
A-applesauce
T-oast
It's supposed to help your stomach when you have the flu. Hope you guys feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

You people sound so contagious that I'm afraid I've caught it just by reading the story! Sorry--hope you are better soonest.

Nate's Mom

Anonymous said...

Oh, Dawn, I'm sorry you are sick and that your family is sick at the same time! When my husband brought this most recent virus home, I was lucky enough to remain relatively well while taking care of him and my two toddlers... I prayed that I wouldn't get sick while I'm pregnant this time (cause as bad as sickness is, it's always a million times worse when you can't take anything to feel better!) but here I am, so sick for the past couple days that I have barely been able to get off the couch... And I'm thankful for once that my oldest (3-yrs-old) already thinks she's in charge! Cause she really has been a tremendous help : )

Praying for your recovery, your family's recovery, and the strength for you to get through this : )

Anonymous said...

This, too, has been my week (only with fewer kids). Unfortunately, my husband was sick with both the flu AND the stomach bug. My 9 year old had the stomach flu. She got over that but was complaining this morning that her throat was starting to hurt. They had a party planned at school, so I let her go to school. Every time the phone rings I think it's the school calling. My oldest is coming home from college for his mid-term break this weekend. I warned him to bring Purell and lots of Clorox wipes. I think they should just close down the world for a while and sanitize everything. I've not been this sick in many, many years.

Heather said...

Hope you all get better soon. Nothing says family like everyone getting sick together.

Veggiemomof2 said...

Give your DH a can of Lysol & tell him to get spraying. Send the kids thru the house w/a lysol wipe & tell them to wipe everything they play with regularly!

We had this..I ran thru the house w/the lysol wiping everything!

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry ya'll have the sickies...if its any consolation at all, I gave you an award at my blog :)

I hope you all feel better soon!!!

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear about your family being sick. About the car being detailed, it should help but if you can still smell it. Put a drier sheet the the truck. I did this for my Mom years ago when I had 2 gas cans in her car and needed to get rid of the smell. It worked great!!
Keep us Laughing Dawn!!

Praise and Coffee said...

OH! I hope you all feel better soon!

I'm wiping down my screen just to make sure none of the germs got through.
Hugs,
Sue

Trish said...

Dawn-

OMG! I DID it!

I'm the overworked, auburn-haired, mother of two who only has time to shave a PART of one leg per shower who introduced you at our high school's Writers Week (again, thank you so much for coming).

Your presentation inspired me to create a "Working Mom" blog. As you know, when one has children, accomplishing ANYTHING is an enormous feat. I feel like I might even be able to shave one WHOLE leg today!

My blog is pacifiersandprada.blogspot.com

Lord knows you are crazy busy every single minute of every day. However, if you want to take a look, I'd be honored.

Thank you, Dawn. This blog is just what I need to put some humor and perspective in my hectic life. Your presentation meant a lot to me.

Trish Weidig

Brenda said...

Ack!! My youngest threw up once the other night while running to the bathroom so managed to cover a wide range of materials! That was one kid one time. Believe me, you have my deepest sympathies.ewww

Trish said...

Ooooh...one more thing.

If you DO check out my blog, would you please leave a comment? ANY comment. Seriously, one word will do because I know you are busy on a level that few can comprehend. It's just that I hate to see a big zero in the comment field, and I don't want my baby-blog to be the only kid on the block who doesn't get asked to any play dates....

Remember how you said your mom was your first reader? Well, my mom doesn't even own a computer, and when I mentioned I have a blog she asked if there was an antibiotic I could take to fix it.

Step one: Create blog
Step two: Teach mom to use a
mouse
Step three: Find my blog some
friends
Step four: Assure mom that a blog
is not a life-
threatening illness

Thank you yet again....

--Trish Weidig

Anonymous said...

I can't believe how many people thought you would give pukie kids OJ- believe me- it is something you would only do once-

That would be like giving them Chocolate Milk- which I also did only once-

Seriously- I hope all y'all get well soon- and highly suggest those inexpensive zip on allergin/water proof mattress bags they have a wal-mart etc. they are so worth the money- I have them under the mattress covers to prevent the worst from happening- I also have a child that is making a sport out of puking in the bed-

Best of luck with your recovery-

and thank you for the time and effort you put into this blog- I really enjoy it-

Robin said...

OH..I'm so sorry!!! You've had a rough few days! I had what you have. I felt like I'd been hit by a train. The good thing was I didn't have 6 kids all coming down with the stomach flu as well. I hope everyone's on the road to recovery. You're right...Joe's truck will NEVER smell the same.....neither will the couch! Not enough Febreze in the world to get out that smell. I've been there too. Everytime we sat too long on a certain spot on our old couch we reactivated the all familiar smell of vomit. (notice I said OLD couch).

Anonymous said...

I hear you, woman! We had head-lice (thus no linens or pillows) THEN got the flu (3 out of 4 of us), but it was all a week BEFORE my daughter's bat mitzvah and the onslaught of 100 relatives, at least!! Woo hoo. I'm still doing laundry a month later.

Korkie said...

I know EXACTLY how you feel about puke, vomit, throw-up.

I have thrown out sheets, blankets and bedcovers after someone would get sick on them.

I am really lucky I only have one son and he rarely threw up.
I was running out fo linen.

God bless Joe. My husband would throw up if he saw throw-up.

I think I feel sick.

Anonymous said...

I was just wondering if Austin can tell when he is getting a migraine before it actually happens?? I mean my mother suffers from some serious migraines and has her whole life but came to realize that she can tell the onset of her migraine (the lights start to look funny stuff like that) and as soon as she realizes it automatically takes an advil and then she doesnt get the migraine as the advil has started working before the onset. Not sure if this helps or not but it's worth a shot. Hope u all get to feeling better soon Sasha

Anonymous said...

Yay! Look at all the vomit stories you've inspired us to share! Reading them should really help you on your road to recovery!

Nancy said...

I just spent last Friday disinfecting my house due to us all being sick.

I really feel for you. Hope things get back to 'normal' soon.

Kudos to your husband for stepping up.

Anonymous said...

(cont.)

Can't you just visualize those gallon sized zip-locs full of puke?

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

How many victims are left? I haven't been keeping track but I'm fearing God is planning to save the worst for last--your husband hasn't been sick yet, has he?!?!?

UH OH!!!

I hope everyone is well soon!

Steph

Stephanie said...

A question for your Sunday Sound-out: You mentioned in a previous post that you can't go to bed knowing you have e-mail in your inbox. Were you checking your blog comments while you were sick, or are you past all the excitement of thousands of e-mails a day?

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how you caught it from us in Colorado, but that's exactly what we had early this week. Luckily only two of the six here got it. I hope you feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

Oh Dawn! The things we'll do for our kids! I hope you all feel better SOON. I'll keep you in my prayers. And I hope Brooklyn is still speaking to Clay. LOL

Anonymous said...

Oh Yuck! **sprays screen with Lysol to keep the germs from coming through**

I hope everyone gets better soon!

Take care
Yvette

Anonymous said...

Oh, yuck! We had the flu, but thankfully escaped the barf part. I don't do barf either, but thankfully my husband can usually handle it.

Hope y'all feel better soon!

JonesFam4 said...

So sorry, we had the pneumonia, husband; son, strep and flu; daughter, strep; me nothing. And there was the moment when my daughter came to bed at 3am and puked. And I actually thanked God that it all hit me and not the clean sheets. (I'd just changed them from my pneumonia ridden husband having been in them the night before, he was then sent to another bed). But, that's my official low, when sheets are more important than my body. :)

Erica said...

Oh, how I feel for you. It is my worst nightmare to have everyone in the family sick at once, yet that is always how it happens. This year it even topped that!

A few weeks ago I was still very very pregnant with twins, so we had two friends living with us to help with our other 3 kids (5, 3, and 20 mo.). My youngest began throwing up one night, and two days later it swept through the house like wildfire! It began with one of the helpers, and by the evening it one by one took everyone else out--all in the same night!!!! Oh yeah, and in the middle of it, I happened to go into labor! And yes, my husband and I both got it as well. The only good thing for me was that they gave me nausea meds in the hospital, but my poor husband was telling me to push, praying that he could keep everything in himself!!! At least the washing maching didn't break...

And we got two healthy baby boys out of the deal. Now a few weeks later we have fevers and colds...does it ever end????
(and yes, we do wash hands like crazy, and bleach the daylights out of our house!)

Kathy said...

You poor thing! I don't handle barf well either, you did much better than I would have!

www.kathy-iamwhoiam.blogspot.com

CathyFromKaty said...

If it involves puke, it's not the flu, it's a stomach virus. Flu is upper respiritory only. That's why people think the flu shot doesn't work. It doesn't prevent stomach virus, which is what people mistakenly call the flu.

MyLife's Satire said...

I was just surfing the blog award site and stumbled on yours...this post is sad, funny, and gross all at the same time. Our family was all sick last week. It stinks to be an adult that is sick, but to have a sick kids on top of that is the worst. Hope everyone is feeling better.

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