Days like these make me feel like the worst mother in the history of …well …EVER. What kind of a mother gets so totally frustrated when her poor, sick little toddler needs her attention…for every milli-second of the day? 24/7? I mean, really?

I’m pretty much horrible as it is at playing teeny kid games – I mean, even as a kid I had a reputation of the 5 second barbie game. I could play with barbies for tiny spaces of time (only slightly longer than 5 seconds), and then I was bored. Next. With tiny toddler games and toys, there’s less to do – and, I run out of ways to spin the game to keep both of our brains going. There’s no wonder L would rather read or play solo than play with mama. Normally, after a good couple of hours, I’m being pushed to the corner of the room so she can do her thing.

Until she’s sick. And, now we are at that point where I actually need to catch up on sleep – and she can’t sleep because of the cough (which makes me cringe) and the slimy nose (and most likely sore throat, although she hasn’t actually TOLD me that because she’s really a little woman of few words. Like, read. And, eat). So, during this rough time, I really want to be there for her – but she wants me to play with her and leave her alone ALL AT ONCE. She wants me to hold her and put her down and read to her and shut up ALL AT ONCE – and quite frankly, I’m beginning to think I’m not quite qualified. I mean, I knew my job would involve multi-tasking, and I thought I was multi-tasking queen, but this chic has it down. And, she has EXPECTATIONS, and sadly I’m not living up to those very well. Sorry, kiddo.

In my head, I was so SURE that I had the most PERFECT supper meal for her: Bananas and toast. Her favorites. Until she fed them to the dog. This morning, our dog got more yellow fruit, and watermelon, and anything else I tried putting on her tray. Lucky dog. This should really tell you something. The kid must be darn sick if she is giving away the yellow fruit – it’s like the holy grail around here. She’s paired down the eating thing and is eating very minimally – only if I sing and dance though. While she eats. And no, I’m not above that. Oh, and apparently Mimi spoiled the little bugger with juice ALL WEEKEND when L visited, so she refuses to take water…or any other sippy cup except for the pink one. (Ha. Thanks, mom! – At least she’s drinking though, right?)

And now? Now, the monster is pulling out every DVD we own (there are quite a lot) and making mini mountains in the Living Room. And, I’m letting her (Hubs might even clean it up if I play dead). It’s the ONLY thing that has kept her quiet and content for over 30 minutes in the past two days (besides sleep).

One more thing…when’s the last time YOU’VE had a snotty, drooly kiss? No, not from your husband…I meant your kid. GAW.

Welcome back!

I’m having one of those sweet days where you are just so thankful about so much – you know, pooping rainbows and glitter and all that.  I know I recently wrote about how unhappy I was about the lack of young-er-sters (20 somethings) around here, but ya know – I really love this place.  Today, we were riding hubs’ motor scooter (I’m not allowed to call it a moped anymore – “It doesn’t have pedals!!!”), and I was just looking around at all of the beautiful scenery.  Wild flowers, wide open spaces and fields, REAL country fresh air, blue skies with cotton ball clouds, and lots and lots of….PEACE.

It’s one of my favorite things about this area.  That, and you know… people actually travel from across the US to live HERE and vacation HERE.  And, in the past couple of weeks, I’ve been visiting my neighbors more and more, and despite the fact that they could probably kill me with 1930s-1940s trivia, they are GEMS.  So what if I can’t have playdates with them?  They are fun to be around – and plus, they spoil L rotten.  And, us too.  (Although that has nothing to do with why I like them so much.  They are genuinely AWESOME.)

And, I DID see those new neighbors outside, by the way.  Because of the depression and then the whole cold thing, I put off going to their house to spy bring them a “welcome to the neighborhood” gift, but I DID see the husband outside mowing.  He’s 20s-lower 30s age range.  Which is cool.  I’m ASSUMING that his wife will be the same age range.  I know…ASSUMING makes a …well, you know.  I might actually be a little freaked out if I knock on the door with my friendly offerings, and an 80 year old woman (as his wife) opens the door.  No offense to anyone.

I’m feeling quite a bit better.  I can feel my body trying to heal.  I can also feel allergies trying to creep in – and, I’m thankful that my main complaints are ONLY tiredness and runny nose (and sneezing from allergies).

L, on the other hand?  Occasionally she gets a little warm, yucky runny nose, and it sounds like it might be moving into her chest.  Oh, and she seems to be teething more back teeth.  And, her ears are starting to ache.  She is not a happy little camper about all of this.

By the way, I wanted to explain some terms I use often, as well as some other things.  First, I have no problem with pills or medicines.  I think Western medicine has its place, but what I don’t like is just popping pills for EVERYTHING…you know, taking benadryl to sleep often, or…loads of antibiotics for everything or pills for EVERYTHING.  Sometimes, I think there’s just a better way.

And, that kind of leads me into why I TRY to do some things organic…I have an organic garden and we buy some organic products, which brings a lot of ridicule.  I believe that toxins enter our body by things we put on our skin and in our bodies…and when these toxins build up to a certain point, our bodies react…sometimes by getting sick or doing odd things.  And, it seems like these days sick is the new normal.  I know that people have always gotten sick, but it just seems like even sick people are calling themselves “healthy” these days, and to me, that’s kind of scary.  It means our idea of health has become crazily skewed.  That’s all I’m saying.  So, anyways….I know I am going to get toxins in my body from doing normal things…eating, breathing, putting things on my skin, etc…there is no way to avoid it…but I try to be selective, and I try to maintain a good diet to help keep my body healthy on the inside.  And, I can really tell a difference.  We now eat whole grain whole wheat bread with no sugars added and fresh fruits and vegetables and low sodium this and that…and, we try to cut down on processed foods, etc.  And, I can tell.  I feel more sluggish when I start to go back to the old diet of processed foods…and I get sick easier on the old diet.

Okay, so there’s that.  I’ve sort of explained that…and now onto some things I say alot and a quick explanation of what they are.

Probiotics – These are NOT antibiotics and nothing like them.  You can buy them in pill form (or liquid for kiddos), and they help keep your digestive system on track (by replenishing the “good flora” /good bacteria).  Which, of course is great to take if you are on antibiotics as antibiotics kills the good bacteria, too.  I can tell you what these are “supposed to do” and I am testing them out, but I can’t really attest to the degree that they work…

Peppermint Oil – I use essential oils for a lot of things, but for this latest cold, I mentioned using peppermint oil.  And, basically you put 2 drops on your tongue and it helps keep your immune system stable.  It also clears out your sinuses.  Heh.

Lemon Oil – I put this in my water to help “detoxify” my body.  Kinda tastes like lemon water.  Cept not.

Multivitamins – Both L and I are on these…and I’m pretty sure you know what they are.  Anyhow, we’re on whole foods vitamins, meaning they aren’t made in a lab from synthetic materials, instead they are made from REAL food and are much much better for you.  I can tell you that when I first started taking mine, it was almost a “high” because they are THAT GOOD.

Echinacea – L has these in drop form.  We’re trying to get her immune system back up.  I just bought them so I have no idea the extent to which they are working…

Cold and Sinus Oil – This is a mixture of essential oils in a carrier oil (like jojoba or olive oil), and I use it for reflexology (pressure points on her feet and hands).  Basically, it’s a foot rub with special oils, and the places I press on her feet are supposed to help make her feel better  She REALLY liked it when she was too sick to do much more than sleep.  She actually brings me the oil for it.  I also put the oil on her chest and back, and it helps her breath (like a natural “Vicks VapoRub” you could say).

Angel Baby or Gentle Baby Oil – These are two oil blends, kind of like the previous…only to help L sleep.  I rub them in the same places and we had to use those a few days ago when she couldn’t sleep.

Homeopathic Earache Tablets – Homeopathic medicine is another type of medicine that stems from the belief that like cures like…kind of like if you get stung by a bee, then part of the bee’s poison will help cure the sting…Well, I have no clue EXACTLY what is in the earache medicine as I have no clue what all cures earaches, but we’re hoping it works.  I know her earache is from this cold and teething, and I really hate antibiotics…

Garlic Oil – This is something I actually make.  You mix 1-2 cloves of garlic and olive or sweet oil and simmer it until the garlic is mushy.  Then, you let it cool and put it in their ears (strain the garlic out).  The oil soothes and the garlic kills infection.  We’ve used this for almost every minor ear infection she’s had – and it has worked.  I swear by this treatment for earaches.  Really.

Netti Pot – OMG.  I WISH L was old enough to use this.  It’s basically a little pot of water that you mix with salt and pour into your nose. You have to tilt your head a certain way, and it can burn a little bit at first (you do NOT breathe in during the process through your nose), but it clears out your sinus and makes you able to breathe and helps with colds, sinus headaches, allergies, etc.  I love this thing.  And, I use it for all of the things I mentioned.

See?  No hocus pocus and nothing too crunchy – hippy-like.  And, we really do go to the doctor too…we’d just rather try alternatives first on the less serious ailments (like colds and minor fevers and such) – kind of like some of you would rather try your benadryl and cold medicines first.

By the way, if anyone has any questions – please feel free to ask.  And, if you have any alternative routes or “home remedies” for teething (back teeth), colds, and allergies for a 16 month old, please do leave them for me!

I just wanted to say “Thank you” to my dear friend Nissa who gave me this awesome award (see above). You should really go check out her blog. She rocks my socks off.

And, a quick update for family…

It seems as if L and I both caught a cold. Actually she caught it, and then I got it from her. We’ve been doing loads of acupressure, supplements, and therapeutic oils so I’m hoping it won’t stay long. What we’re doing seems to be helping, though because baby L is already back to her less-whiny self. Me? Not so much. Ha. What can I say? – Except I want a nap! Again! And…brownies.

So, that’s kind of my warning. If you visit us, you might get a cold. Colds suck. So, if you don’t come around this weekend, we understand. And if you do? It’s totally your fault if you end up with body aches and a fever. Okay?