It takes a village...

Forget about raising children. It has taken a village to get the stink out of my twins' bedroom, and I am indebted to those who have helped me along the way!

Morning #1: Wednesday
I opened the door to the twins' bedroom in the middle of the night to get Tess back to bed. ooo-whee was there a stANK in that room! I figured Case had pooped and I was NOT waking him up to change that thing. But it didn't smell like poop. That's because it wasn't. They were both dry when they got up (hallelujah potty training is coming along nicely!) I opened up the window in the hopes it would air the room out. I also went on a half-hearted search for the smell-causing culprit under furniture, in toy buckets, etc. Nothing seemed to be causing it so I thought maybe it was just stinky-kid-in-the-morning smell and the room would air out. When it was time for bed the smell seemed to be gone, so I shut the window, tucked in my littles and went happily on my way.

Morning #2: Thursday
In my blissful night of sleep (hint of sarcasm here) I had forgotten the smell. The next morning I opened the door to the twins' room with reckless abandon, only to be socked in the nose with it. Maaa-aaaaaan that was a bad one. And it had morphed a little. It was almost sweet and yeasty. I was convinced Tess had carried a piece of bread or a tortilla in there and tucked it away for a night time snack. It became my mission that day to FIND THAT STANK! I took everything out of the room. I put the mattresses outside to air them out. I washed all linens and stuffed animals, bleaching whatever I could. I was on hands and knees sniffing the floor for any hint of the malodorous spot. Again, I opened the window and aired the room out. After dinner I put the room back together and headed off to Enrichment night, where I got the best advice EVER. Of course, I had been obsessed with stink-abolishing for two days, so I brought it up to the ladies I was having dinner with. One of them (I'm pretty sure it was Betsy) suggested using a blacklight to look at the carpet (hello, CSI watcher anyone?). Genius! If it was in the carpet, it would surely show up! I returned home with a strengthened resolve to git 'r done.

Morning #3: Friday
First thing I phoned my friend Tara who has a steam cleaner. Then I called my friend Cheryl to see if she had a blacklight. Both came through for me. Last night when it got dark I stuck Cheryl's black light bulb into the kids' lamp and scanned the carpet. I started in one corner and diligently went over every INCH of the blasted room. Nothing. I had almost given up hope when I found a glowing green spot about, about 4 inches in diameter. I lowered myself to the floor and stuck my nose in it. EUREKA! Something (if I were a betting woman I'd say milk) had spilled in the corner by their closet. I now had a target. But I had no carpet cleaner. All my cleaner bottles were empty, probably from last summer when I was trying to get the stink out of my van after I left a gallon of milk in there for a week.

Morning #4: Saturday
My first errand today was to buy carpet cleaner. I was not letting anything get in my way. Now I can say the smell is ALMOST gone, but apparently I'm the only one who still smells it. Perhaps it is burned into my olfactory senses, and I will never smell anything quite the same again.

But to the village of ladies who helped with this traumatic time in my home, I say THANK YOU. There is nothing we can't conquer if we do it together!

Black light. GENIUS!!