Friday, May 2, 2008

Friday Friend or Family Feature...

Today's Feature is...

The Flu!



I have the Flu. I was thinking of making this week's Friday Friend or Family Feature either the maker of NyQuill, who helped me finally sleep, or the genius who decided to add Aloe Vera to Kleenex, GENIUS.

I haven't been this sick in years. I guess it my comeuppance for the following statements I spit at Steven over this long flu season...

Me: Your immune system sucks.
Me: You need to take vitamins.
Me: If you took better care of yourself you wouldn't be sick right now.
Me: I'm sick of you being sick.


I reap what I sow.

Also, Steven's sciatica is back, really back. He couldn't walk for two days, and has been trying to get an appointment with the Dr. who helped him with this a couple of years ago. The treatment involves some sort of painful steroid/epidural type shots in the spine. Lovely.

The two of us are a sight to see.

I was picturing this same scenario with the additional of two small children. Uhm, what do I do then? How can I take care of my babies when even my teeth and fingernails ache? What do you families out there in cyberspace do when the whole household gets sick?

On the positive side, I was able to finish this book...


It is a harrowing account of an American couple's attempt to adopt an abandoned infant in Zimbabwe. You can read/listen to their story here.

It was a pretty suspenseful read, and it reminded me of this couple's heroic Haitian adoption.

So spend some time with those families. This family is down for the count.

8 comments:

  1. Sucky. Had tea? Green tea, white tea, or citrus-infused tea always helps me.

    And although I'm rarely sick, I usually take Excedrin PM to make sure I get a serious night's sleep when I am. Oh yeah, and of course, for a super stuffy nose, eat super hot chile peppers. Nothing like super hot chiles...salsa made with loads of serranos and, if you're the brave kind, habaƱeros.

    I'm scribbling down the name of that book down because I definitely want to read it...

    Feel better soon.

    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  2. We say a lot of the same stuff. I also tell my husband that if he ate a more balanced diet, he wouldn't be sick so often. I got hit with a horrible stomach flu thing a few weeks ago and all I could think of was, how could I possibly take care of kids like this? I'm scared of that. I hope you both feel better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh no! Still sick? I called this morning to see if we would be having a birthday celebration. The last thing you probably want is a burger and fries from Father's Office.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's when you call your mother in law to the rescue! Better yet, crate training! no no no, just kidding.
    Man, I hope you are better soon! Haven't we just talked a bout the flu, and how we never get it?!?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yep, being sick is even harder with kids in the mix! Trust me, I've been there way too often this year!! Do you have family who live nearby? We don't. I can see where a mother-in-law could really come in handy.

    That is so funny that you tell your husband those things, then get sick yourself. That is exactly what I do. Ha!

    I agree, Love in the Driest Season is such a great book.

    Hope you feel better soon! Hang in there. I love the photo with the green grass out the window, though.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sucks when the parents are sick. Those are the days when you count it a success if all the children are dressed and fed. Or at least fed. Muffins, poptarts and candy count as "food" at when the parents are sick. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so sorry you are sick!
    I also loved that book. I read it a few years ago after finishing There is no me without you (the ethiopian adoptive parents bible). Between the two books I definately got my share of tears out.
    I join that group of parents with no relatives around to take care of sick children. If I was sick when my daughter was little, I would set up my blanket, pillow, tissues etc on the couch/floor in the living room. Then I would put baby gates up to corral us in and spend the day like that, sleeping and resting when possible. She ended up learning how to occupy herself very well :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ugh—how awful! I'm just reading your old posts and it sounds like you're better now, but I had to send some belated sympathy. To answer your question about what you do when you're sick and have kids: Basically you do the same thing you'd normally do (lie in bed or on the couch feeling sorry for yourself), but every so often you mutter things like, "Please stop touching that," and, "Sweetie, can you bring that down an octave?" It doesn't work quite as well when they realize you don't have the strength to chase them down.

    ReplyDelete