Disasters... horrors...

This could also be called the "kitty litter clump story"

So I have a disgusting story. It has to do with toddlers, and cat feces. Yum. Still want to listen? OK, but I warned you. So like I said I'm a mom with three girls under three. It can get quite tricky at times making sure they are all happy and well taken care of. My three-year-old, the most clever of the bunch, will actually wait until I am completely indisposed, like feeding the newborn to come up with her most devious tricks, and loves to drag her younger sister in on all the high jinx. Let me tell you she is lightning fast too. By the time that "hey the kids just got too quiet" moment of silence, followed by an urgent sense of panic, it's probably too late.

So in the two minutes it took for me to start feeding the baby, the oldest and the middle child have slipped out of range, down the hall, and have fallen immediately silent. The first time I check on them they are playing nicely in their room. Phew. False alarm. After a few more minutes I notice it has grown quiet again. By the time I set down the baby and walked down the hall to find them (literally a two minute window we're talking) they have made their way into the bathroom. They have uncovered the top lid of the kitty litter tray and the 19 month old is playing with the poo and litter like it's a sandbox. Litter and chunks are all over the bathroom floor. What's the three-year-old doing you ask? Well she's smearing/spreading litter on the middle child's head... and in the mean time has also pooped her pants. It's takes a good 15 seconds for me to absorb the horrible scene before my eyes before I start shouting NOOOOOO! Where does one start? The poo on the floor? The 19-month-old covered in litter? The 3-year-old with the poopy diaper with the proud triumphant grin?

I start with the most mess, which happens to be my usually sweet middle child. I try to brush off as much loose litter as possible then strip her naked and run the bath. After putting her in the water I immediately try to rinse out some of the litter from her hair. Instead of washing away it begins to clump and cling harder to her head! I realize now (two seconds too late) that litter is formulated to CLUMP when WET. Uh-oh. Now there are huge chunks of litter stuck to her hair and head. GROSS. 

I try a comb to scrape it out... no luck. Finally I find a nail-scrub type brush and start to rub the litter out of her scalp. It finally starts to break apart and the bath water turns an eerie gray color. After what seemed like forever her head started to look like regular ol' wet hair again. I drain the tub, put in fresh water, then give her bath number two. By then the newborn is crying so I hurriedly get the 19-month-old dressed, change the 3-year-old poopy diaper, and rush down the hall to feed the baby. I didn't even have time to clean up the bathroom, just left the poop and litter all over the place and closed the door behind me. Matter of fact I didn't even venture up stairs for the rest of the day.Later that night that turned into a little present for daddy when he got home. Ah the joys of parenting... I think I need a vacation, um and it's only January.