Lessons From the Momma of a Sickie

(1)

Do not force your child to take cough medicine.

Big girl has had a hacky cough for six days.  She's also complained of a headache.  Logic told me the constant coughing might be causing the headache.  So, upon the doctor's recommendation, we tried Zarbee's all natural cough syrup, made with honey, citrus, and zince.  Yum!  Right?  Big girl saw the brown color and determined it could not be good.  One itsy bitsy teeny tiny touch to her tongue confirmed it.  Then it was on.

"You have to take it!  I might make your cough better and then your head might stop hurting."

"I don't li---ke it," said with as much whine as you can imagine.

"Just take it fast, then get a drink, and it will be over."

"But I don't li------ke it," said with more whine than you can imagine.

Sigh...long pause of frustration...some exasperated rubbing of the face, interrupted by...

"I'm ti-red."

"Okay.  Take the medicine really fast then you can go sit down and watch your show."

And on and on we went, me telling her she was making it worse by stalling, and her building it up in her head as one of the worst possible things she could put in her mouth until her mind convinced her mouth that it was positively repulsive.  I insisted she take it in one big swallow and get it over with...now.  She drank it...wait...she got it in her mouth, but mouth was repulsed, and she promptly gagged and vomited half it right back out on the floor.

Who wants a free bottle of Zarbee's?

(2)

Do not let your well child watch non-stop television shows with the sickie.  It will make them crazy.

We finally went to the doctor yesterday.  After six days of fever, coughing, headache, and television (ugh) I decided it was time to make sure there wasn't something serious brewing inside big girl's little body.  Our pediatrician is an hour's drive away and we left at nap time; so, they both slept on the way there.  On the way home, however, six day's worth of pent up energy came pouring out of baby girl.  Big girl and I watched with amazement and a touch of alarm as baby girl flailed arms and legs, hitting the seat and windows.  She shook her head rapidly and scream-sang at the top of her lungs.  I have no idea what she was singing; it was a garbled stream of screams mixed with laughter and interrupted only by an occasional break to shake her head so fast her hair stood straight out like she'd been hit by lightening.  Wide-eyed, big girl and I would glance from the flailing wild thing to each other and back to the wild animal-like creature sitting in my baby girl's car seat.

I am prone to exaggeration.  I am not exaggerating.  It was an experience I will not soon forget.

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While we are all laughing...you are, right?  Here's something to push you straight into hysterics...



I saw Tim Hawkins do this in a comedy act once and was in stitches.  (Google him and laugh.)  I particularly love the warning that goes along with the expert expressions of worship:  Baptists--DO NOT ATTEMPT.  I can laugh; I attend a Baptist church.  I think the most I've ever seen in our church is "Mufasa."

(This image came from Mark Driscoll's Facebook page.)

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I couldn't believe it.  After I wrote this post yesterday, I checked my inbox, and an email from Focus on the Family contained this article.

I love the cohesiveness of God's messages to us!


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And this...

I told my man that I bit the bullet yesterday--that I publicly committed to memorizing Ephesians.  I told him about Beth Moore's challenge to do one verse every two weeks and Ann Voskamp's challenge to memorize three chapters of Romans.

Passion is contagious my friends!  Beth and Ann inspired me...and Beth, Ann, and I inspired my man.  He is jumping on the memorization bandwagon!  His schedule is a little more demanding than mine, so Ephesians is out, but I'll let you know what he decides soon!

So, what are you memorizing?  Please share!!!