The Three Not-So-Blind Mice

I saw how they run.

I am shocked.

I am horrified.

I am wearing shoes around the house now.

This is how it all happened:

I was sitting on the couch today, during Charlie's nap. Just a usual day. I had showered, cleaned the kitchen, put laundry in, switched laundry, checked on the little one (five times), and finally felt I could sit down and catch up on blogs, pinterest, and other mindless time-wasters. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw it. It darted out quietly and quickly. Then it froze, when it saw me, and darted back behind our bookshelf. I quickly did as any farm wife would do-- shrieked and stood on the couch. (Yes, I am ashamed at my reaction)

Finally, after I was through panicking, I put barriers on both sides of the bookshelf. It was trapped. I instantly felt like a warrior. I also instantly felt dirty and itchy everywhere. I had the chills, and was terrified to move off of the couch.

I called my dad.

I called my sister.

I received some sympathy, laughs, and mostly good advice.

The conversations were great, and towards the end of my sister and I's phone call, I SCREAMED! Then Charlie started screaming. I had just witnessed ANOTHER mouse jump out of our Christmas tree stand and run into our bedroom. This one was double the size of the first one, and much much darker. (it probably had fangs and a cape). I, again did what any other farm wife would do, closed the bedroom door, stuffed towels under it, went to get the screaming baby, and vowed to burn my bedroom down.

Sean came home from lunch with a goodie bag. Mouse traps! Ah, my knight-in-shining-armor. He set them with peanut butter, and we strategically placed them. We then nibbled on lunch, cause we had no appetite, and I took him back to work. I tried to run all my errands, so that I could stay away from our mouse-infested home, before Charlie had to take a nap. We headed home. I read, rocked, nursed, and put Charlie down for nap numero dos.

It was silent in our house, cause I had paused the Christmas music.

All of a sudden it wasn't silent anymore. I heard a mouse running across our kitchen floor. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I tiptoed and stood on a chair in the kitchen. I watched as mouse NUMBER 3 crawled up onto our cereal boxes. That was just too much! I made a little noise and it scurried under the stove. AHHHH!

Apparently the mice threw parties while we were away for Thanksgiving. I am not amused.

I have sanitized the floors-- all of them. I have vacuumed the floors-- all of them. We have set the traps-- all of them.

It's 10 pm, and we have seen three mice walking around as if they owned this place, cleaned sanitized the house, put a baby to bed, found three holes that the mice are probably coming in through, thoroughly examined all of our shoes and put dryer sheets* in each one-- because I am terrified of finding a surprise when I slip my shoe on, scheduled someone to come and inspect and set traps in the crawlspace below our house tomorrow, decided that we are probably going to become outside cat owners, dreamed of moving, and caught and killed two of the dirty rodents.

 I documented it. I'm spent. I'm going to bed. I am sleeping with dryer sheets* and shoes on (I am dreading getting up for the mid-night feeding).

*dryer sheets keep the mice away from areas you don't want them to venture through/in/around/under/over/etc.... (they are placed under our dressers, in shoes, under the crib, in closets, and anywhere but where the traps are.)