totally sick, dude

My friend Jessica recently asked me what I thought was the hardest thing about being a stay-at-home parent. I thought about it a little and finally decided it was the fact that in this job (and let's be serious, it is a job), you don't get any sick days. When you stay home with your kids, if you get sick, you are stuck more or less "at work" unless your partner can stay home to take care of the kids, and even then you are still in the same house as the kids and aren't really able to get peace and quiet (or, in my case, away from the guilt of abandoning Kurt with Liam).

Lucky for me, Liam is an incredibly empathetic kid and doesn't mind if I put Tangled on and then spend the entire movie sprawled on the couch. To him, it's time to climb on top of me and watch a movie. He usually stays pretty quiet and will sometimes come over and give me a little pat or a hug or even rub Eggy's ear on my cheek (something he does to himself for comfort when he is hurt or sick or sleepy).

Also luckily for me, I have found two amazing medicines that make me feel, if not all the way better, than at least well enough to not completely bail on my son on a sick day when Kurt has to work. Luckily for you, I am going to share the secrets!

It probably goes without saying, since this is a fledgling little personal blog, but I am not being paid by either of these companies to promote their product. I just honestly believe in these two products and their ability to make it as easy as possible to chase my two year old around my apartment when I would otherwise be passed out on the couch.

The first is Delsym. I first discovered it when I had a nasty, persistent cough and also a dentist appointment that I couldn't reschedule for the third time. It was recommended by the pharmacist at CVS as the one thing that would actually allow me to survive the appointment, and you know what? It totally worked. Sure, you will still cough a bit, but this stuff lasts 12 hours and really does the trick better than anything else I've ever tried.

The other is Mucinex fast max. What a name, huh? My mom introduced me to this stuff when I caught w nasty cold in mid-August that was really throwing me for a loop. If you know me, you know I get colds worse than basically anybody. I also seriously hate taking Mucinex in pill form, it's really just terrible tasting and the pills are large and difficult to swallow. This is a liquid medicine and the main selling point is that it made my incredible sore throat pain lessen substantially. Look, I'm not going to claim this medicine made me feel like I wasn't sick while it was in my system, but I will say it's the closest to normal I have ever felt while sick. I'd highly recommend it.

 
 Other helpful tips for the sick mom:

Drink lots of fluids. I know this is general knowledge, but it warrents a repeat now and then. Plus, “fluid” is, to Kurt, what “moist” is to a whole lot of people, so that’s just fun.

Throat Coat Tea—weird name, I know, but it really helps when your throat is what’s bothering you.

Lipton Green Tea Superfruit Purple Acai and Blueberry—Look, I am not really on the superfoodskick like everyone else, but this stuff is magic. My friend Samantha recommended it to me a fewyears back when I completely lost my voice for 3 days, and it totally saved me. It works every time! We call it “magic blueberry tea” around here.

Sleep—another obvious one, but seriously guys, it helps.

And, finally:

Chicken soup—it’s called Jewish Penicillin for a reason, people. I really like this recipe  from TheKitchn.