Really- Now WHY Didn't I Just See This Coming?

Upon entering the room, the smell of urine was pungent.

All the usual spots were checked- floor, around the toilet, under the lid of the toilet, baseboards behind the toilet.... no evidence was found of an errant stream.

Surfaces were bleached.

The room now smelled like bleach-y pee.

"What the heck is going on?"

"I'm way too neurotic to live with a bathroom that smells like a bus station."

"Is THIS what the apocalypse is going to be like? My own personal hell? First birds fall from the sky, then fish die, now my bathroom is going to smell like the Exxon station loo for all eternity?"

"Ouch!"

"Stupid little potty! I don't know why I keep that thing in here anyway. I know it was for emergency use since we only have one bathroom. She's not quite good enough yet to hold it should the toilet be occupied. But, she hasn't had to use it. Look at it, it's just collecting dust! Yuck!"

"Okay, I'm going to mop the floor one more time and wipe the toilet, around the toilet and the wall behind the toilet down with the bleach spray."

"Oh, that bathroom rug should go in the washer, too. "

"While I'm over here, I'm just going to scrub the tub real quick."

" You know, before I scrub the tub down, I'm going to put that little potty in here and rinse the dust off of it, take it apart and store it in the closet. That will free up some floor space. Stupid house with one bathroom! I hate New Jersey!"

"What the...?"

"Oh ewwwwwww! Yuck! So THAT is where the smell has been coming from! This has clearly been here awhile. "

"Apparently, at some point, she peed, removed the little bowl, dumped it into the cavity where the bowl once sat, replaced the bowl over the top and like a dope, I've been just wiping down the surface of the potty. How was I supposed to know there was pee INSIDE? But then, I really should have anticipated that. Especially after this. And this."

"Why do I have such a problem with my three-year-old and urine in places it should not be?"

Parenting Failure number 824,792. This year. And it's only January 9.