Today I will be mostly…

…mopping brows, cleaning up sick and supplying the ill population of my household with Calpol, Nurofen, hot/cold drinks and toast as required.

I am off work, feeling fine myself, caring for James and the blonde kid, The lurgy has hit!!

For the last few days James has been feeling under the weather, shivery and cold and then shivery but hot but all manageable with ibuprofen and plenty of loving! Last night at exactly 22:37 it struck Jordan. He appeared back downstairs after having been in bed for a couple of hours smack bang in the middle if House on channel 5.

“Mom,” *sniff* “I’ve been sick”

AND OH MY GOD HADN’T HE JUST.

It was everywhere! On his bed, under his bed, on the floor, all over his wellies, over his sheet and for the extra yucky factor on a teddy he doesn’t know about yet and I hope to get clean before he does and freaks out about it!

I am lucky and I know I am, I don’t have a child who becomes a screaming banshee at the first sight of vomit neither does he collapse in floods of tears because he thinks his world is about to end because if he continues heaving this way he will turn himself inside out! No he just tells it like it is…”I’ve been sick” and then lies wallowing in self pity, looking at you with puppy dog eyes willing you to give him all the love and attention a sick child deserves.

Unfortunately it is hard to sit cuddling him while I know that the contents of his stomach is sitting all over his bedroom, soaking into the carpet screaming to be cleaned up. BUT it is even harder talking myself into going to clean up the mess when I know the sight of it is likely to induce me to add my own touch of colour to the puce pile already all over the floor.

Once I’d prepared myself for the worse and tucked lil’ J up with the already sick big J in the living room I armed myself with rubber gloves, a bowl of warm water and a few plastic bags (see keeping all those old carriers comes in useful) I went to the task in hand. Mentally chanting “it’s only food, it’s only food” over and over in my head!

I am a terrible mother, I simply can’t clean my child’s sick without heaving my own soul up in the process!!

I was only sick once and only a very little bit and in the end. It only took me 20 minutes to clean the floor, strip the bed and such like and was back downstairs cuddling my poor little thing in no time, although I’m not sure who was comforting who as all he kept saying was “sorry”.

He was fine, I cooled him down when he got too hot and warmed him back up when he got too cold and made him sip water to rehydrate himself. Finally got him back upstairs an hour or so later where I’d made him a camp in my bedroom so he didn’t have to sleep in the vomit scented room of his own when…STRIKE 2

All over the bathroom floor…you can see where this story is going!!

I spent some more time cleaning carpets, bathroom mats and praying he’d already been as sick as he was going to be! Finally got him settled and everyone in bed some time after midnight and *touch wood* as to yet he hasn’t been sick again since!

At the moment both the invalids are both still in bed and have yet to venture further the bathroom, I on the other have been running up and down the stairs with drinks and foods. Backwards and forwards to the shop fetching medicines and juices of many varieties and looking around me with despair as how can one night of illness create this much washing!!???

But instead of worrying about I’ve taken this break in my nursing duties to spend 5 minutes with a cup of tea and to share my ordeal with you for the last 15 minutes all has been quite on the front lime with James eating toast and Jordan watch Harry Potter with no coughing shivering complaining of being too hot/cold,uncomfortable no request for well anything…

I’m hoping this lull in activities up stairs is a sign of improvement, a sign of recovery and NOT the calm before the storm!!