Friday, February 13, 2009

Barf buckets.

Ok I was feeling pretty good about myself, seeing as I have 8 followers and all, and then I decided to write this post. I feel as though the numbers will probably dwindle when I'm done. Unless people like talking about random slightly disturbing bodily functions. Ahh well...I'm too stubborn to write anything else, so Here We Go!

I remember when I was young, getting sick and staying home from school. It always started the same way...waking up in the middle of the night and going into Mom and Dad's room to tell her I didn't feel well. Mom was a light sleeper so generally she woke up the moment I crossed the door jamb. I'm not really sure why I had to tell her, probably because she was my Mom. And Moms need to know these things. She'd take me to the bathroom if the evacuation of my stomach contents was imminent. If not she'd get me all situated on the couch with the barf bucket and let me sleep there for the rest of the night.

I think most of the time Mom stayed home with me when I missed school. I'm not sure though, since I don't remember what her job was during the winter. I'd get a "stomach bug" usually once a year. Nothing killer just a day or two of returning anything I ate to the outside world again. When I was sick I can clearly remember getting to lay on the couch with towels under me and blankets over me and a movie in the VCR (which I had to put in since Mom didn't know how the thing worked=D) and...the barf bucket. I don't think it was officially named that. Mom certainly didn't call it that. I don't think my Mom would ever use the word barf. She just asked if we had to throw up or felt nauseous. She's a good Mom.

The barf bucket was a Tupperware plastic thing of the old school variety. It was probably the first product to ever roll of the Tupperware lines...it was that old. I think in the long forgotten past it was once the top to a cake holder. Sadly the bottom of the cake holder was MIA. So instead of its God given purpose it rested under our sink for the majority of the time, protecting the soap and SOS pads from invaders. But when a child was sick...namely me...it made its appearance for the REALLY important job. It was well loved. And trust me. I'd take throwing up into a container over laying my head on the toilet seat any day. Honestly.

Is my family the only one that threw the toilet seat loving to the curb when a kid was sick? I hope not. I hope other Mom's got their kids all comfortable on the couch and wrapped them up gave them a kiss and said, "Your bucket is right here on the floor. Let me know if you need anything else ok?"

6 comments:

  1. I can totally relate!!! I never had to use the toilet to throw up and today I still use a barfbucket. The one in my childhood was a brown tupperware thing. I remember sitting on the couch, hugging the barfbucket and watching Heidi (my fave cartoon at that time).

    I'll never make my child use the toilet either!!!

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  2. First...if people stop following you bc you wrote about barf, you didn't want them following you anyway ;) Now...awww your momma was so sweet to you :-D I always used the toilet except on the rare occasion that it was a never ending stream :o then the trash can was set by my bed. LOL

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  3. There is nothing more gross than barfing in the toilet. I always had a "barf bowl" by my side if I were ever sick because I refused to barf in the toilet, especially since 6 people lived in my house and therefore 6 people used the toilet!

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  4. you're so true to the facts...and I do have the kids stand at the toilet until a proper bowl, bucket, or garbage can can be prepared. It usually doesn't take long and they're more likely to puke on the floor anyway! splatter pattern could be another great blog topic. Anyway, last night Tylerman puked all over both of us and on his carpet at 2:30 am. yuck!

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  5. Hi, just found your blog today. Bet you're glad that this is the first post I've read! :) We also had a "throw up dish" and it was Tupperware. It was the white stir and pour bowl w/ the red markings on the side. I have since found one at a garage sale so that my kids could have thier own to remember!

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  6. Oh I just found your blog and I have to say I actually LOVE this post - not the topic of course but the memories of childhood. My mom was the exact same way ... we got to sit on the couch with lots of towels protecting the furniture and a cold wash cloth on our foreheads ... and of course the Puke Bucket (as it was called). The bucket in our was was none other than the bathroom trash can ... yeah nice!! And to this day I follow the same 'tradition' my mom did ... my 7 year old gets covered in towels, cold wash cloths and a puke bucket for safety!!

    Great Post and Great Blog - because of this post I am a follower now!!

    Thanks for sharing and Happy Valentine's Day!

    Rebekah

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