Page 16// Winning the War
Today marks three weeks of no mice sitings and no evidence of mice. Glory!
Supposedly in mice facts, this is important because their breeding cycle is three weeks, so if there’s no more mice after that period of time you should be good. I hate that I know that fact.
We are winning the war…but I am still not putting my guard down. The traps will stay out for much much longer. I’ve been too scarred to take them away just yet.
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We had mice. And not just one. We had a lot of mice. We also had lice once too. Mice and lice.
Shoot me.
I was thinking about the mice…and the lice. It really isn’t just about the mice to me right now. The mice were kind of just the thing that I felt like broke my back. In the middle of the mice-war, we came home from buying traps…it was about 8pm…I came in first and as soon as I turned the light on…as SOON as I turned the light on, I saw a mouse run across the floor and into the kitchen. It may as well have been sitting at my table flipping me the bird, it was that rude.
I lost it. I literally lost it. I threw down the stuff I was holding and crumpled onto the floor. I cried for three hours straight. I pulled Sophie into bed with me and held her so tight and soaked her hair with my tears.
It wasn’t just a mouse…or multiple mice. It was like an attack on our home that I’m already having issues with to begin with. It was just one more thing and it nearly did me in.
I thought about the time we had lice. It was horrible. We dealt with it for three weeks. Picking through hair, changing the sheets everyday, cutting their hair really short, putting 90% of our belongings outside in garbage bags to be frozen to death in the South Dakota tundra. Then for two weeks we saw nothing…no eggs, no bugs.
But then…
…on day 15, when we were finally going to leave the house…go have lunch out with a friend. I thought I’d do Sophie’s hair really cute and special. And I saw it. Crawling through her hair, I saw it.
And so we started the whole thing over again for three more weeks.
The lice started a string of hard things in our family that lasted until the summer.
My friend recently went through (and is still going through) a really hard time in her life. Last spring she was in the very thick of it, just newly separated from her husband, figuring things out on her own. But her one thing that she looked forward to for spring was her perennial garden. She loved it.
And it just so happened that she had an infestation of a rare kind of mole that actually burrows down and eats the roots off of plants. Her house was in the middle of the block. No one else had them. It took her weeks to kill them and even then her flowers were permanently damaged, a lot of them died.
It makes me wonder…what is that about? I’ve had more than one friend email me with mouse stories and almost always coming at a really stressful time in their lives. Does Satan use stuff like mice? Can he even do that!? There’s something about your home/body/yard being taken over by a parasite like that that makes your life feel completely out of control. Is it some kind of spiritual warfare that we know nothing about? I don’t know. It just seems odd that things like this would happen to so many at particularly difficult times in life.
Thinking about Satan in the form of mice might just be the craziest thing I’ve ever thought, but Lord knows I’ve heard weirder things. And also, we know Satan came in the form of a snake to Eve. Not sure if there’s anything to this theory, but I know it felt like demons to me. Sheer hell.
I’m hoping the war has been won, but I’m not quite ready to fly my family crest flag just yet. I know about the time I did, I’d find more poop somewhere…so the victory dance will wait a little longer.
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Thankful for today:
1. no mice for three weeks
2. Magic School Bus doing science for me this morning
3. Jeanne Oliver’s new ecourse….I love it and can’t wait to really dig in!
4. planning new unit studies
5. freedom to totally change things in our school
6. flexibility in my day
7. the boys getting closer to their goal for Boy Scout popcorn
8. other people that have been where I am…and tell me about it
9. shaping Vera’s schedule…teaching her
10. putting on my big girl pants when Jarrod’s away…I can do hard things
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Oh man. O had lice this summer and it stressed me to the max. I couldn't eat or sleep. I lost five pounds (the silver lining? ha!). You are never alone, we have all walked through hard times, and yes! We can do hard things!!!!
Oh dang! I didn't know you have dealt with lice too! I totally think mice and lice and snakes are from satan. My favorite thing is knowing that Jesus crushes satan! Your daughter is the cutest thing ever! Well, both of them, actually.
I read here all the time but rarely comment … but just read the comments today and have to say that 'unknown' comment above was awesome … how cool that the Lord prompted you to reach out and say hi. Really cool to see the Lord working and bringing us together as Mamas. Bless you for being His hands and feet today. <3
hi. so here's the deal. I have been reading your blog off and on since you moved to Asheville. I live in Asheville…I even saw you once this summer-I recognized Sophie first-you were still pregnant-and I wanted to say something, but I didn't because I didn't want you to feel vulnerable about your blog…or like I was a stalker. (I'm not)
What you have been writing lately…it makes me sad that you feel like you do. I just wanted to reach out to you (which is kinda unlike me) because I feel like God is pushing me to (not normally that person either…) I'm not sure our current lives are a match…I have a six week old who is my first but am in your age range, you have four kids and home schooling. But if you want or need an in-town friend, let me know. This is me assuming you can contact me through this comment…in the mean time, I'm pretty sure Satan can manifest himself in mice.
Uh totally think he can come as a mouse. Weird thought but ya makes sense. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they are gone for good.
I'm guessing mice can be a tool for Satan. I think any time were feel stress and that leads us to seek God, is ultimately a blessing. Maybe God needs your undivided attention on a matter(s) and if things were going smoothly you wouldn't be so dependent on him. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things will be added unto you. Like peace, security, growth, and my favorite wisdom. Praying for you through this. Hard to rejoice in trials, but we are ALWAYS better for it when we do.
ummmmm, YES!
i absolutely believe that mice, infestations, vermin, whatever negative, nasty, life stealing crud is an absolute attack from satan!
look at Job!
God had to allow satan to do it, but he took EVERYTHING that meant anything to Job away from him, yet Job still trusted.
the Bible says that, "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly", because He knew that ultimately God was good!
i think that its so good to know this, because even though crap happens, we can look beyond and still KNOW that God is good, and that satan IS defeated.
these trials are meant to draw us into closer and more intimate faith/trust in God.
but even still, mice and lice stink!
xoxo
Yah for no mice for 3 weeks! I think (know?) God was testing you. He does that sort of thing. He test us with really hard stuff to see if we stay faithful. He gives us crosses because He loves us. I hope things start to look up for you. Have a nice day!
I am so happy to hear you are at the three week mark! I will keep my fingers crossed you got them. That is an interesting tie about mice and Satan. I think Satan will use anything to get us down…make us feel God is not for us, but against us.
I think I have told you we had lice too. And it it very close to the time I found your blog. I was reading your archives (i'm a stalker like that when I love a blog) and I remember reading your post about lice and I felt soooo much better. Thanks for sharing that story.
I'm a few days behind reading your posts…I'm gonna go check out what I missed now.
You CAN do hard things, Mama… well let's just face it, us Mamas are pretty darn awesome! ๐ And I love your thankful list – I am thankful for those very same homeschooling things!
I think Satan could come like that, don't know about actually manifesting as mice (or moles, or whatever) – but as the trial, yes. Kick you while you're already down… yes!
Every January is like that for us. EVERY year. This year it was a torn cornea with eye surgery for my 10 year old, a strep infection that came out in a rash & would NOT go away for my 8 year old, some random rash (or something) that covered my boy in big bruise-like welps (look at the very beginning of my IG stream) & a wicked stomach virus. The year before was random surgery on a toe from stepping on glass on Friday the 13th, MRIs & CP diagnosis, & leaving my wallet in the Wal Mart cart!
I've decided maybe it's a self fulfilling prophecy & I've already started declaring that 2014 will NOT be like that!
And now you know I REALLY like to talk! ๐ xo