One of THOSE days

Mondays. Mondays for me are usually my day off. We relax a bit, not push so much to get stuff done. Monday is my weekend really. Today was going pretty well. I'm trying something a little differently with my boys schoolwork and it was going great. Boy Genius was finished quite fast today. The new schedule is working good with him. Boy Genius and Skinny were both finished with schooling and so had some free time which they wanted to spent outside.

As a parent, you try to equip your children for the dangers in the world around them. You warn them about the black widow spiders lurking in the dark places. Rattlesnakes in the crevices. What to do if a stranger grabs them. Many many things to tell. And obviously sometimes you don't get to everything.

I didn't think to tell of such to my boys. When I make my soap, I try to do it when they are not around or asleep in their beds. Still, I let them know about lye can burn their skin. I use natural cleaning products in my home. If they were to swallow my cleaning supplies, they would get a stomach ache and a nasty taste in their mouths, but safe. I forgot about the world outside my home.

You see, the boys found a can of oven cleaner somewhere in the field. Whether it fell out of the trash truck (our road is quite rough) or blew in with that fierce hurricane velocity wind the other day, who knows. The can was faded, so had been out in the sun awhile, but was not rusty. My sons have great imaginations, so I'm not sure what was being played at the time of the incident. They used a long four pronged garden tool used to break up the soil for my garden. The can punctured and burst. The can hit Boy Genius in the stomach and the contents sprayed his face.

I was getting ready to nurse Rockbiter. I was about to go and check on the boys outside. Skinny had come inside to watch a dvd. Roosiers was playing with Rockbiter. Then Boy Genius came in and sank behind the couch. His face was a swollen. It looked like he got beat up. I was a little concerned. Our neighbors have boys that my boys play with occasionally. Somehow or another they end up threatening to beat up my littler boys. Boy Genius denied he was beat up. What happened? He said a thing hit him in the stomach. What sort of thing? The thing out there.

If you have boys, you know this type of conversation. It can be the very devil getting any useful information out of him. So I said, "Show me". I don't know if he was embarrassed or afraid to get into trouble, but he ended up showing me. He said it hit him in the stomach, but I thought perhaps it might have hit him in the face at first. Once I found the "thing" was a can of oven cleaner, bbq version, I rushed him into the shower. I could see a hole in the can and the tiller nearby. I can imagine what happened.

Boy Genius' face was beginning to discolor. I put him and his little brother Skinny into the shower. I told him to wash off. I called his papa and told him to come home NOW. I poured a vinegar solution over my poor boy's head. I called poison control and then I told my husband to take Boy Genius to the hospital. Then I waited. I do not like waiting.

After calling friends and family to activate prayer trees, I sat and prayed. His eyes didn't look red, but I couldn't be sure. I did break down for a little bit. My neighbor came over as I was going to take a walk. I needed fresh air. We walked down the drive and talked. She comforted me, and took my mind off Boy Genius. Roosiers and Skinny ran around us like the little hyper boys they are. Rockbiter was in our sling throwing smiles and flirting. The sun was bright and I had no idea how bad off my son was.

Mae and I parted and I went in to bake and do something. Didn't get around to that, just took care of the boys and updated FB. Finally my firstborn came home. I was so happy. He is such a little trouper. He hadn't been whimpering in pain when he left and Papa said he didn't complain while at the hospital. He must have inherited his Papa's high tolerance for pain. Boy Genius said, "Mom, I didn't even flinch when they poked me with the needle. I'm not afraid of needles anymore."

A piece of his left ear was brownish black and his bottom lip looked torn up, but he was game to get on with life. He was hungry so I fed him chocolate pudding and tiny pieces of chicken nugget. He said, "Mom, I think I'll won't touch another can" So I think he learned his lesson. Apparently, he got his little brother Skinny to spray him with the garden hose and stayed outside a bit to dry. What a smart little fella!

In the end, God is very good. God spared my boy from any further harm that might have happened. Boy Genius learned his lesson about cans under pressure and their contents. But now I am wondering what is next. Cause the one constant is that boys (and girls) are little walking Murphy's Law magnets.

Thank you, Lord, for all you have done to take care of our family.