Say it isn't so!

I always swore if we ever got lice I would simply burn the house down rather than deal with it.  I guess the kids took me seriously, because Morgan was pretty concerned about his stuff.  Should he move it out to get ready?
Well, we're dealing with it.  Not happily.  I'm not the cleanest person on a good day.  After making hats for three weeks non-stop, my house is a complete disaster.  Did I mention the girls got out every blanket we own and made a fort last week?  You know they didn't fold them neatly up and put them back on the shelf they belong on.  No.  Heap on the floor.  Last night the girls did a "fashion show".  Every dress from their closet came out and got haphazardly put back.  We don't have a loft anymore.  We have a staging area for laundry that needs to be steam cleaned.  Only, I chose a hardwood floor over a new steam washer and dryer.  Some days I really regret my decisions.
The nightmare began this morning when I was getting the girls ready for church.  I combed Alison's hair and fancied it up.  I combed Sophie's hair and found two lice dangling from the comb.  Bleh!  I stopped right there, did a standard "Modified Stationary Panic" dance, and looked for my lighter.  As soon as Dan got home from collecting fast offerings, I declared my ox was in the mire and ran to Rite Aid to get every lice antidote known to man, and some that aren't as well known.  All the while, I was itching and scratching my head-- knowing full well it is my horrible psoriasis, but certain I had a million buggies climbing all over my scalp, laying their eggs willy-nilly. 
It took 2 hours to get Sophie's copious locks treated, combed, and braided.  It took 1 1/2 hours to do Malynn's.  Sophie had 30 pesky critters.  Malynn, a mere 7.  Tonight I sprayed their heads with vinegar and combed through their hair again.  Some wise person on some lice site said that vinegar loosens the glue that attaches the nits to hair, so they are easier to comb out.  It loosened the tears and vocal cords of Sophie.  She was not pleased. 
Knock on formica and the wooden (?) chair next to me, but I think I got all of the lice and nits.  Both of the girls' rooms are clean and shiny.  Bedding stripped.  Floors vacuumed a million times and steam cleaned.  Beds sprayed with lice-acide.
I think I'll go to bed now.  Ugh!  But wait!  Sophie comes in and lays in our bed every morning.  The whimpering has begun.
p.s.  Modified Stationary Panic is a term coined by Patrick McManus, the premiere outdoor sports humor columnist.  Most people, upon finding themselves lost, panic and run about frantically trying to get themselves found.  Arms are waved.  Yelling is good, too.  Unfortunately, most people who succumb to the full fledged panic become so lost, it is days before they are found.  The Modified Stationary Panic allows for all of the yelling, arm flailing, and swearing you want, you just do it in one spot, thus not getting more lost.  A better solution all round.