Well, I spent most of my weekend trying to find the perfect combination of medications that would allow me to breathe through my nose and sleep at the same time. Needless to say, it’s been exciting around here.
Fortunately, my background as a pharmaceutical rep has given me just enough knowledge of the pharmaceutical world for me to feel confident about practicing medicine without a license. Of course my knowledge is limited to the conditions that match the drugs I used to sell. Do you have high cholesterol? I’m your girl. Urinary incontinence? I can help. Respiratory problems? Oh please. Give me a challenge.
But if you happen to have a migraine headache or some type of fungus? I can provide absolutely zero help and would really prefer to not hear about your fungus. However, I do know that the cure for diabetes is drinking two glasses of wine every night. Granted, I learned this bit of information from Gulley’s grandaddy’s cousin George who wasn’t any kind of medical professional and whose only experience was his own bout with diabetes. It’s probably also important to keep in mind that he referred to diabetes as “the sugar diabetes” which isn’t really a term that many practicing physicians have used since 1943. I suspect that George just liked his wine. And I’d suggest that you consult your physician before following George’s advice.
Ultimately, I’ve discovered that the best pharmaceutical combo for my current condition is one Sudafed and a Benadryl served with a cough medicine chaser. Two Sudafed help me breathe better but my hypersensitivity to the pseudoephedrine makes me feel like a Rhesus monkey on crack which tends to inhibit my ability to get a good night’s sleep.
But in spite of my ill health, we managed to have a decent weekend full of activities. Mainly because Caroline’s Spring Break began when she got out of school on Friday and she wasn’t really game for my suggestion that we ought to just take a really long afternoon nap on Saturday.
Saturday morning we headed down to El Mercado with Mimi and Bops to just look around. We weren’t really looking for anything in particular, but it’s fun to just go down there every now and then. Caroline was thrilled to discover they had a mechanical bull.
They offered an assortment of cowboy hats for the kids to wear while they ride the bull, but I told them we’d just take the bull ride, not the free case of head lice. Except I think what I actually said was, “NO, NO, NO! DON’T PUT THAT HAT ON HER HEAD!” because I’d taken two Sudafed that morning and was in Rhesus monkey mode.
On Sunday morning, P and Caroline went to church while I opted to stay in bed and count all the things that are fundamentally wrong with Daylight Savings Time and all this incessant falling back and springing forward of the clocks. Especially when you’ve spent half the night trying to breathe without resorting to taking another Sudafed.
After they got home, we all seemed to feel that a nap was the way to go. Or maybe just P and I thought that. Caroline was more inclined to play her Nintendo DS and occasionally poke me and ask if I was ready to get up and do something fun.
Finally, I gave in and we headed to Central Market because we were invited to a pizza party at the home of some friends and we were supposed to bring a few toppings. Let me add that the mom is a food stylist and a chef, so I didn’t really feel like some sad little pepperoni was going to do the trick. So we picked up some vegetables, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese to go along with our sad pepperoni.
We went to the pizza party and had the best time.
Here’s Caroline rolling out her dough. In her new dress that we bought at El Mercado after the bull ride.
And here she is showing me the dough. Which actually kind of messed up the dough and caused her to have to roll it out again.
All the best pizza chefs make smiley faces out of pepperonis.
Putting it into the oven.
One of the dogs really wanted to eat Caroline’s pizza. He just knew it was a matter of time before a pepperoni fell.
His tenacity paid off in spades when Caroline dropped a whole piece of pizza.
This is the pizza I made. It was delicious. Seriously, I can’t really think about it or I’ll be sad that it’s all gone and worry that we didn’t really savor the time we had together.
And this is the other dog. Her name is Mama.
I’m a little bit in love with her even though I cut her head off in this picture. The blame lies squarely on my lack of photography skills, not a lack of love.
Tomorrow (actually today if you’re reading this and it’s Monday) Caroline and I are headed out on a little Spring Break road trip. We’re just like Thelma and Louise. Except not really because that would be wrong. So we’re like a mother and daughter on a road trip who wish they had some sort of movie reference that tied in to wrap up this post in a neat little bow.
Oh well.
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I hate it when I’m up really late (12:49am DST here in OH) and see your post in my Google Reader, because I can’t really resist reading it, but then what will I do on Monday morning without a new post from you?
Maybe I’ll jog a few miles instead.
Hahahahahahahahahaha! Good one.
Okay, clearly I need sleep. My children weren’t too keen on me napping today either. Have a fabulous week, friend!!
You always have something planned for Carolines breaks. Me? I’ve got nothing. I better go work on that. Can’t wait to hear about the road trip.
I am right there with ya! Sudafed 12-hour…every 10 hours, with a little Robitussin DM at bedtime. Oh, and a cold Coca Cola in the morning. That’s just a given, right?
The sugar diabetes…oh, that made me laugh. That is SO my parents and grandparents’ generation.s I love it! (The phrase, not the condition. The condition–personally, I hate it. Because every time my Mama sees me drinking a Coca Cola or eating a piece of chocolate…she reminds me of my grandmother’s sugar diabetes, and how it runs in the family…)
Ahhh…Spring Break. We still have another 3 weeks until ours. Enjoy your fun week! I hope you get to feeling better without your drug cocktail soon!
You would be a prime candidate to join the non-governmental organization my husband started while we were living in Mauritania. It’s called “Doctors without Formal Education.”
Oh, and another thing to like about living in Africa–self-medication. You don’t need a prescription to get yourself antibiotics, and sometimes narcotics. (Is codeine a narcotic? Can’t remember.) We knew a guy who bought himself some valium, just from the pharmacy. Yeah.
“Rhesus monkey on crack”!! LOL! That’s exactly how I feel when I take cold medicine, even the ones that are supposed to make you sleepy. When my son(now 20 and taller than me) was 4 mos old, we were taking him on a plane, and all the “experienced” moms said “Give him a Benadryl”. Thankfully, my brain was functioning and I thought to do a test run with the meds beforehand, lest it was genetic. I gave him the Benadryl, put him in his crib, and waited. Sure enough, I hear lots of giggling, and he’s lying in his crib looking at the ceiling and laughing maniacally at a scene only he could see. At least I brought the right kid home from the hospital. On the plus side, neither one of us is allergic to poison ivy.
If pseudoephedrine causes you hyperactivity, try phenylephrine (Sudafed PE). It’s supposed to have the same decongestant effects without the side effect. Let us know how it works for you. Feel better!
Girlfriend, I am with you with the not breathing thing and I have been sick for 3 weeks! Ugh! I went 9 days without sleeping thru the night and I am way too old to be losing sleep.
I took Benadryl and Nyquil to knock me out. Oh, and Mucinex DM. Saved. my. life. Also, allowed me to sleep like a baby. I hope you are feeling better today as you head out for your Spring break. Have fun!
Is that a real pizza oven in your friend’s home? Too cool. The pizza looks great. I’m sure your daughter had a blast making her own. I know my kids love to make their own pizza.
I wrote a post last week called Doctoring Without A License…No joke! People’s comments were funny and interesting and I learned the cure for everything is the pig. Yup, just whip up a BLT and you should be set.
http://thedomesticfringe.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/doctoring-without-a-license/
-FringeGirl
My first thought for a mother/daughter movie reference was “Freaky Friday.” But as I think about it, there wasn’t a road trip and you’d have to change bodies. Which actually might be fun in your case, because at least you could breathe.
A girl in my Sunday School class is a pharmacist and her over the counter remedy has made me not curse the changing of the seasons. Mucinex plus Sudafed, along with saline nasal spray. Now I realize full and well my Nanny and PawPaw were #1 consumers in the saline nasal spray market, but my golly… it works.
Cousin George sounds like my kind of doctor!
Two thumbs up to El Mercado. That’s always a stop for us when we’re visiting family in SA.
I love it except for when they get mad at you for trying on the fancy sombreros. And taking pictures.
I gave you a little shout out today in my post with a link to your video on “The Pouf.” I’m being dead serious–that video actually really did help me when I made my new curtains out of a painter’s drop cloth. I have a hard time looking at pictures and figuring stuff out, so your video really did the trick. I just had to watch it about 50 times b/c Caroline kept jiggling the camera around.
Take a look if you have a chance—it’s today’s post, “Dressing Up My Window.”
So, anyways, thanks for the medical tips and also for the helpful decorating video. I couldn’t have done it without you.
I did not think that it was your lack of love for the dog or the lack of photography skills as much as the dogs lack of head
It could not be your photography skill no:) Have a fun trip.
Would LOVE her recipe for the dough and the sauce on those pizzas!!!!!!!!!!! Think your friend would share?
Oh man…those medications make me crrrrraaaazy!
I get the jitters and really feel insane any time I have to take it.
Like you said…..breathing is such a great thing!
Love the cute dress!
I want to go to there!
All the women in my family have the SAME reaction to the Sudafed that you have. My husband thinks I’m crazy when I tell him this. I refer to the reaction like a chihuahua on crack, instead of the “Rhesus monkey on crack”. lol
You should really try the Neti Pot for your sinus congestion. It works like a charm. You will have to do it twice a day to start if you are extremely congested. I do it every morning now as a preventative measure and have not had a sinus infection since. It is a modern day miracle!
I would love it if you would join my cause to boycott the US Government’s time change. Things tend to change slightly with the seasons. We just don’t need to manipulate time. It may be out of my system now that I slept ’til 9:00. But I think I can still fight for the cause.
I love Caroline’s dress. So girly.
Two words–Neti Pot–Becky
me on Sudafed=hummingbird. on. redbull.
Very unpleasant way to feel, but oxygen in my lungs is so delicious. I hope you feel much better very soon!
Hilarious. Hope you feel better and have a great trip!
Is the dog in the first photo a red healer? That’s the kind our daughter wants when she graduates from college in May.
Caroline looks adorable in that dress. Hope you feel better. I have just started reading you this last year but could you tell me…does your family sponsor a child from Compassion? I found you through PW and have been reading Pastor Ryans blog….”This is Reverb” about his trip to Kenya. Thanks…
Found you through Pdub, and you ARE hilarious!
Glad I checked you out, enjoyed it immensely, and I’ll be back.
Nasty – I feel the exact same way about kids sharing hats. Just thinking about it makes my head itch. : )
love her new dress!!!!!!!!!
I love the small one’s dress! I wish I could find something like that in grown-up size.
So, I’ve recently developed winter allergies. I’m allergic to Benadryl, Claratin isn’t quite strong enough, and a friend just suggested Zyrtec. Any thoughts?
You’re on a road trip but P is home with all the guns, right? Don’t want anyone gettin’ any ideas.
BTW, your vimeo video of Caroline shooting her rifle is my go to reward when I want my almost 3 year old daughter to behave. She loves Caroline, loves her gun. My husband is thrilled. The jump rope video is a close second. Thank you for providing this important public service. Enjoy your trip!
Careful and yall have fun!
I was at the doc this weekend and he recommended Afrin nasal spray. It’s disgusting and FANTASTIC.
I have a love/hate relationship with the sudafed too. It’s a weird and whacky experience that I kinda like but can’t get anything done. Ok, and then…..I really love that dog, Mamma, momma, mama, whatever it was. LOVE THE DOG!
Have fun you two! Roadtrips are classic no matter what the scenario is.
When we were in SA that time when we hung I had a spicy Thai pizza at Central Market that I still dream about. And it was so spicy I bet it could clear your sinuses better than sudafed.
I found that the best thing for sleeping with a stuffy nose is those Breathe Right strips. I am addicted to them and can no longer sleep without one on my nose, which causes my kids to make fun of me and call me maw-maw. But they truly allow me to sleep with my mouth closed, which makes for better sleep all around, not to mention the improvement in morning breath.
Neti Pot. I know gross. I was scared to death to try it because Amanda’s wrote how Curtis had an issue after he used it. I felt so awful last week, I am now a fan.
Sinus nastiness is gone as of today. Hope you feel better on your week with C!
If you want to breathe forget what those lightweights told you about saline and neti pots. Go straight for the good stuff, I’m talking A.F.R.I.N., baby!
That’s 12-hours worth of breathing bliss – I should know, I am a nose-spray junkie!
I had the head cold thing the week-end before. It was brutal. I’m still blowing my nose and coughing. Can’t seem to shake it. I hope you do better then I did.
Have fun on the road.
I bet your little girl is lovin having a road trip with mom. I have a two and six year old and we did a road trip to New England last fall. It was great!
Stephanie
Rhesus monkey on crack ROFLMAO!!!! That’s just about the best one-liner ever. I’m so working that into the conversation somewhere this week. Have fun on your trip! Homemade pizza is the bomb! I feel random!
Have you tried using a Neti Pot? They really work well to clean out congestion. Just make sure to get the salt that goes with them, don’t use kitchen table salt.
I certainly hope cutting off of a head isn’t a sign of not loving someone (did that even make sense?) because I recall that you cut your baby girl’s Bops’ head out of a picture. It would just be sad if that meant you didn’t love him! : )
Our Spring Break begins on Friday. And then we leave Saturday for a ski trip!!!!! Two women, four children, one Suburban, nineteen hours. Yep, I like my vacation with a touch of insanity.
The kids have been complaining that “divorce sucks because you don’t get to ski anymore.” Which is EXACTLY the precise reason I’m still in mourning, or not. But they can now take that off of their list of “How My Parents Ruined My Life.”
I think I should mention that I fell stepping off of a curb yesterday. And in less than a week, I’m going to attach skis to my feet and head down a mountain. Like I said, INSANITY RULES!!!!
Have fun on your Spring Break!
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