Mama, check that backpack!

I have a 3 year old named Lucy. Lucy is out of the diaper bag stage and into the backpack stage...you know the backpack that carries an extra set of clothes, a jacket, a water bottle and a snack? The said backpack does not get regularly checked because Lucy doesn't often need all that stuff when she is out and about and she is rarely in childcare.

A few months ago she did go to childcare though and that particular morning (Monday?) she had an early start. Such an early start in fact, that I decided to send some scrambled eggs with her in a small pyrex container. I didn't want her to be hungry and crabby from a lack of "real" food. But, about 3 hours later, when I picked her up she was doing great even though she never had that breakfast. I popped it into the backpack and left.

You can see what's coming, can't you?

The week went on.

On Wednesday or Thursday I picked up my son from the bus stop and I noticed that the van really smelled bad. I told Christian, "The van didn't smell until you came in." (Yes, I'm really that nice of a mom.) When we got to our destination we checked the baby's diaper. We checked Lucy to see if she had an accident. Nothing...... but a stinky van.

On Friday night there was a swimming party that we were invited to. Once again, it was, "What IS that smell?"

After the party, I loaded up all the kids in the van and the whole way home I was trying to figure out what that smell was. Christian was helpful by saying, "It smells like that time I made that stink bomb." To which I may have something like, "We don't have any rotten eggs in the van."

When we got home I started sniffing around again and found my way to Lucy's backpack.....OH, MY.

In short, I had to throw away the clothes, the packpack, the lid to the pyrex and anything else that may have been in that bag. What a horrible smell. How could I NOT have realized that I had left the eggs in there? Especially after Anna said on day 3 of this, "Lucy has wet cheese in her backpack."?

You would think that I learned my lesson after that. But, I didn't.

Today I was getting something down from the kids' closet and by chance got a hold of Lucy's backpack (not the one that got thrown away) and it was a bit wet. Hmm, why is this bag wet? It hasn't been used for a while. I smelled it. Why, does it smell like vinegar? I investigated a little bit more and found clean clothes (non-stinky ones) and a bag of slime. What could that bag of slime be? Apple slices from 3 weeks ago.

Have you ever had an experience like this? If so, maybe you should tell me about it. (Just as long as you don't ask me to smell it.)