Holiday Hell Meme

Emily at Baby Rambles has tagged me in a Holiday Hell Meme and I am pleased to say that I have only once had an event on holiday that would class as being hellish and I talked about that in my blog post "Its a Small World after all, especially if you go by Train..." and other than that one trip home I can't think of a single holiday in which I have had something happen that I could pass off as something hellish!

I know I haven't lived.

So here is a retelling of that journey that was from Hell!

For Top Enders Second Birthday we went to Disney Land Paris. All three of us were so excited and we traveled by car to Ashford (Kent!) in daylight (helps stop people being car sick don't ya know) and stayed in a hotel before driving the short distance to the Euro tunnel the next morning. Top Ender was delighted to be on a train and spent most of the two hour journey awake.

So on the last day we knew to be careful with what we ate because we didn't want to be sick on the train on the way home. All day we were great, we made sure not to eat sweets and not to drink too much and we were ready as the train pulled in to get on and to be on our way home.

And Everything was fine.

Until...

Top Ender was having a bottle of milk. She still liked to have a bottle when she went to bed and we were trying to keep the routine as much the same as possible. Top Ender cuddled up to me and had some milk whilst Daddy and I carried on talking about things that have since been forgotten (by me at least).

There were other children in the carriage, but Top Ender was the youngest. This fact isn't important until later, so remember it.

A few minutes passed between Top Ender drinking her milk and what was the most disgusting shower I have ever had. Top Ender turned to me and threw up all over me. I was covered in what ever food her stomach had partly digested and regurgitated milk.

The sound in the carriage was so quiet it was deafening. We cleaned up Top Ender, and me and the seat, and the table and a bit of the window (as a couple of parents looked on fondly remembering when they too had to deal with chunder covered everything and commented after I apologised that it was okay, they remembered the times they had dealt with similar situations) and as our bags were with us we were able to partly change clothes so we didn't smell of sick and look like a pot of cottage cheese.

Remember I mentioned that Top Ender was the youngest in the carriage? This is where is gets important.

For the rest of the journey we sat in some spare seats in the carriage where the older children couldn't see us. It was as the smell permeated the small space that they all started to complain to their parents about it and about Top Ender having caused them this issue.

"Next time we will go by Plane" said Daddy.

Which we did.


And now I tag

Glowstars
Younger and Younger
Single Parent Dad
Being a Mummy and
Pants with Names

Daddy Giggles - Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids

Baby Boy had insisted that Daddy sit down on the child sized bench at the toy piano and play for him. Baby Boy had then picked up some spoons in order to play the air drums as Daddy launched into singing Rocket Man in his best Elton John impression to date (he also does a pretty good Barry from the Bee Gees impression, a very good Yellow Wiggle and once a very good impression of Otis the Aardvark. His impression of Hagrid isn't that good however!).

Top Ender was sitting on the sofa and suddenly jumped up and rushed to the bathroom squealing as she went;

"I have a little bit of sick in my mouth!"
"I didn't think I was that bad!" sassed Daddy




Top Ender was completely unharmed in the making of this Blog Post and the subtitle is a line from Rocket Man!

Its a Small World after all, especially if you go by Train...

Victoria over at Its a Small World After All is hosting a Car Sick Carnival (Part 2) and it is all about Holiday Travel. That sounds like the sort of thing that you would want to avoid reading around teatime doesn't it?

Well if it is teatime and you are reading this post you might want to stop and come back later because I am going to be talking vomit.

I was always sick in the car as a child. My parents joked that there wasn't a lay by I had left a carrier bag of sick in south of Watford Gap. This confused me as a child because we lived in Garston which is right next to Watford and I had no clue where the gap in Watford was... it was only many years later that I realised Watford Gap was an entirely different place to Watford (around 67 miles North to be exact), just don't tell anyone okay!

For all of those who are either not from the UK or like me and useless at knowing where things are A is Watford and B is Watford Gap. And look Milton Keynes is on there, which is where I live now!

So when Top Ender was born (Top Enders Birthday is just after Christmas) I was hoping that the be-sick-in-a-lay-by gene skipped her. Her first long journey in a car was great (we went from point A to the East Coast, see where it says Cromer? Move down a tiny bit and you have where my Nan lives) and we even managed to get to Bognor Regis (South coast) without incident!

In fact my story doesn't start until a few years later. After we had discovered that Top Ender does have the gene that causes emesis just by looking at a car that has been on a long journey...

Technically it was after Christmas but don't spoil it by letting on right?

For Top Enders Second Birthday we went to Disney Land Paris. All three of us were so excited and we traveled by car to Ashford (Kent!) in daylight (helps stop people being car sick don't ya know) and stayed in a hotel before driving the short distance to the Euro tunnel the next morning. Top Ender was delighted to be on a train and spent most of the two hour journey awake.

She did manage to fall asleep about a 15 minutes before we got to Disney Land Paris and was really grumpy when she woke up until she realised where she was.

Anyway cutting the long rambling story short we had a great holiday with highlights including The Genie getting a bit hands on with me on Main Street (and Robin Hood did the same in a Restaurant), Daddy being abused by Pluto and me knowing that Its a Small World was going to be important one day...

So on the last day we knew to be careful with what we ate because we didn't want to be sick on the train on the way home. All day we were great, we made sure not to eat sweets and not to drink too much and we were ready as the train pulled in to get on and to be on our way home.

And Everything was fine.

Until...

Top Ender was having a bottle of milk. She still liked to have a bottle when she went to bed and we were trying to keep the routine as much the same as possible. Top Ender cuddled up to me and had some milk whilst Daddy and I carried on talking about things that have since been forgotten (by me at least).

There were other children in the carriage, but Top Ender was the youngest. This fact isn't important until later, so remember it.

A few minutes passed between Top Ender drinking her milk and what was the most disgusting shower I have ever had. Top Ender turned to me and threw up all over me. I was covered in what ever food her stomach had partly digested and regurgitated milk.

The sound in the carriage was so quiet it was deafening. We cleaned up Top Ender, and me and the seat, and the table and a bit of the window (as a couple of parents looked on fondly remembering when they too had to deal with chunder covered everything and commented after I apologised that it was okay, they remembered the times they had dealt with similar situations) and as our bags were with us we were able to partly change clothes so we didn't smell of sick and look like a pot of cottage cheese.

Remember I mentioned that Top Ender was the youngest in the carriage? This is where is gets important.

For the rest of the journey we sat in some spare seats in the carriage where the older children couldn't see us. It was as the smell permeated the small space that they all started to complain to their parents about it and about Top Ender having caused them this issue.

"Next time we will go by Plane" said Daddy.

Which we did.

Swine Flu

We have it.

That's right all of us.

At the same time.

Well, actually Top Ender was hit first and then me and then Daddy. Somewhere in the middle of it Baby Boy got a very mild version and generally hasn't been effected as much as the rest of us. For which I am incredibly thankful but, before I count my chickens, he has slept longer today so we might be in for a rough time still.

We were at my Nans when Top Ender got ill, and at first we didn't want to attribute her illness to swine flu, mostly because my Nan fits the at risk categories and I didn't want to be the one bringing it in to her home! We knew that it was a possibility however as two of Top Enders friends from her school year had been diagnosed with it the week before Half Term and a further friends brother was hospitalised from complications (but as far as we know he is okay now).

When we took Top Ender's Temperature and it was 104°F (40°C) we decided that we probably were dealing with Swine flu and so Daddy called the helpline. After answering the questions they gave Daddy a reference number and together they worked out where the nearest chemist to us was. Seeing as my Nan lives in quite a rural area, we were surprised that there was one quite close.

Daddy jumped in our car and set off, it was only when he was in the Chemist that he ran into problems.

"Do you have any ID for yourself?" asked the Pharmacist
"Yes, will a debit card do?" asked Daddy
"Yes, that's fine. And do you have any ID for Top Ender?" queried the Pharmacist
"Erm, other than photos of her on my phone, No. I didn't know I needed any." said Daddy

Turns out that if you call the helpline they neglect to tell you this little detail. Daddy of course realised a second problem, we are actually on holiday and so we couldn't even pop back home for any ID for Top Ender without a 3 hour drive first.

The Pharmacist was luckily understanding to our plight and whilst attempting to call to check what to do in an case such as this decided that our need was greater than protocol and sent Daddy on his way with the medication and advice on how to help make Top Ender better.

When we left my Nan's on the Monday (when Top Ender was over the worst of the fever), I realised that I was feeling tired. I put it down to having had a stressful weekend and with the motion of the car I was soon asleep. About an hour after we got home that I asked if we could turn the heating on as I was freezing. Something made Daddy take my temperature and he saw that it was 102°F (39°C).

It was only then that I realised that I had a sore throat, a pounding headache, a runny nose, a horrid cough, aching muscles, I wasn't hungry (there's a first!), and I actually felt a little sick... two hours later and Daddy got the chills too, although his temperature was 101°F (38°C).

Right now I am feeling semi okay. I am still running a fever but have enough strength to watch the children and play games on the floor (well I sit on the floor holding various items passed to me!) and I have even managed to put a load of washing on!

Top Ender and Baby Boy are on the way to recovery and had omelette's for tea tonight (Yes I did gag whilst making it). Top Ender doesn't seem to understand how she is feeling better, but still can't do anything without suddenly needing a short nap afterwards! Baby Boy is just wandering around all snotty asking;

"Boob pleeeeeeease Mama?"

Daddy is currently sleeping which I am hoping means come tonight he will take care of Baby Boy and Top Ender, but I am not holding out any hope!

So please pass on to all you know that you need to take a form of identification for the person picking up the medication AND the patient who the medication is prescribed for!

Top Ender Giggles - Even I didn't know!

Yesterday afternoon Top Ender was complaining that she didn't feel very well. We happened to be at the Doctors already for another reason and I just assumed she was being a pain! When we got home, she was sitting on the Sofa and wanted a blanket. I was busy playing with Baby Boy and so told her she should go get one from her room.

A few moments later she was shouting from the stairs that there was sick upstairs. I thought she said that the cat had been sick (worryingly as none of the cats were in the house) and so asked her to repeat what she had just said.

"I've been sick and I'm sorry"
"Its okay come down, let me clean you up"
"Its on the landing and in my room"
"That is okay, you get washed and undressed in the bathroom and I will go clean it up and get some PJ's for you to wear okay?"

After we had everything cleaned up (jeeps that kid threw up a lot) I apologised to her for not believing her when she said she felt ill.

"That's okay, don't feel bad. I didn't know I was going to be sick until it was on the floor!"