10 Things You Should Know About Lice

1. They are sent by Satan for the torment of you, and your children.  I believe this with all my heart, and I don't even believe in Satan.
2. Lice eggs are brown.  Nits are egg casing and are white.  These are two different things, but both hang on for dear life.  Those little combs that come in the packaging?  They're a complete waste of time. 
3. Over the counter treatments are becoming less and less effective over time.  The lice are becoming immune to the ingredients.  Fabulous. So this means that we have to become creative in how we attack them.  Oh, yes, we are at war.  The Cetaphil treatment is time consuming, but cheap, and according to this doctor, is 96% effective.  I have to say  I was actually pretty impressed with the Cetaphil.  
4. There are a lot of myths about lice.  Hair dye won't cure lice because it won't kill the eggs.  Most things won't kill the eggs.  And most of the things that are thought to loosen the nits, haven't been proven to do so.  The best way to get rid of them is vigilance.  
5. Once lice have been discovered in your children, you will itch.  All the time.  That said, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you.  This is war!  Never sleep!  Or, you know, just have someone look you over from time to time.  
6. Turns out that lice are persistent, but not that hardy.  Then again they're apparently millions of years old.  Millions.  That's a lot of time to learn how to live through what we want to do to them. 
7. It's okay to get lice.  It's not okay to keep them and give them names.  Or so says my mother.  But I think it's fine to give them names.  Just none of mine are very nice.  
8. Lice don't jump or fly.  They won't jump from head to head.  But they crawl really fast.  Like, ridiculous fast.  Like, if we could tame them and race them, that would be...well it would be silly because they're the size of a sesame seed when fully grown.  But, you get what I'm saying, right?
9. Not everyone itches.  Apparently that's a reaction to the anticoagulant the louse uses while it feeds.  That's not creepy.  {{shudder}}
10. They will go away.  I promise.  Just never as soon as you want them to.  

 

Bugged

There are 3 things every mother knows:

1. Don't wash your pretty red tablecloth with the kids clothes, unless you'd like your sons to have pink socks.  I hope my boys enjoy their pretty pink socks I made for them.
2. Laundry never ends, it just reproduces itself.  I'll have to go tackle some more when I'm done here.
3. It's only when you're most frazzled and overwhelmed that you'll hear the dreaded words, "Your daughter has live head lice".

It's been one hell of a week.  And the topper was every mom's all-time favorite: Lice.  I was at the doctors office for a weigh in (Liam's, not mine) and found that my little guy has put on a whole pound in the last 2 weeks (Yay!) when the school nurse's office called.  Piper had live bugs in hair, and they were going to check Bridget out.  

Both girls were contaminated.  Two hours and $30 later I was was bathing my girls and washing their hair with the nasty louse killer shampoo.  I would love to have done the organic system, but that would have been $50 for one set.  I just can't afford it.  I did a damn good job, though with the washing and combing.  I've been doing daily checks to find any missed nits, and so far, I've found very little.  

I've decontaminated the house, bedding, clothing, and everything else, and am feeling very good about the job I've done.  But I have to say, while I've had no real symptoms of lice, every time I really think about them, I scratch my head.  Then I shudder a little.  

I will be swimming in Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Conditioner for the foreseeable future.  I suggest everyone else do the same.