Sunday, August 26, 2007

 

We're just a caring, sharing family.


I couldn't be left out, could I? Friday morning I woke up feeling crap. Gee, thanks darling, just what I always wanted. At least I didn't get the sore throat - where each time he coughed he looked like he was swallowing razor blades. (I took him to the doctors on Thursday, and he's been on antibiotics.) But I've gone through the aches, the headache, the shivers (though not as bad) the cottonwool head, the nose running like a tap; I sneezed about a hundred times yesterday, and then to add insult to injury, woke up this morning with period cramps. Happy days. Ah, it could be worse, but I've felt better.


You'd think with both parents down and just about out, our lovely girls, being the age they are now, would shine through and take control. *Cough, cough, cough*. God, getting them to help is like pulling teeth. And when you're feeling like death warmed up it's not really the optimum time to suddenly do something about the fact that somewhere along the line you haven't managed to teach your kids how to .. maybe.. cook a meal.. and clean up? All those times I've tried to get Cait to learn how to make spaghetti bol, but she would grumble and moan, and rather be on the computer thanks very much. Friday night it would have been really nice if she could have stepped in and made dinner - but she doesn't bloody know how! Oh, they did do stuff, but had to be led through every little bit of it - not what you feel like doing when you're crook. They even fought over who was doing what bit of the salad, for heaven's sakes. Just for once, given that we both were patently unwell, wouldn't it have been nice if they'd just stepped up - told us to just sit there - and done what needed to be done?

Eldest, just now, has asked if she could make a cake. I said 'as long as you wash up after yourself' (something my kids seem to always get out of), and then I did express my disappointment that they didn't come to the fore when both Dad and I were crook. That worked well. She's decided to go 'hang' in her room instead - presumably to seeth over the injustices of the world, and a mother who doesn't think that the little she did do under duress was as magnificent as she apparently thought it was.

I can see I am going to have to do 'something' to redress these obvious inadequacies in my parenting skills. Something like each of them being responsible for a meal once a week?

Meantime, at least come Saturday, the rain stayed away, and the sun had the oomph to shine through. Today was perfect weather.. Beautiful blue, blue sky at last. We'd already pulled out of the 100 mile bike ride when I realised Marc really was sick. (They postponed it anyway, partly because of anxieties that the showers would still be around- despite Marc insisting that it would be fine by today - gotta hate it when he's always right.) I've lost count of the number of washing loads I've put through the machine and pegged on the line yesterday and today, but at least I've pretty much caught up with it all. A silver lining through the flu cloud at least.

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Comments:
Oh Trace - I hope you can quell it soon - it stuck around for long enough here.

Maybe one or two meals a week under the kids steam would do them (and you) good.

When I was 11, my mum had Ross River and I got to make the meals all the time - ended up being the best thing in the world for me.
 
Take care of yourselves, I'm glad the cycling was cancelled, Marc sounds like the sort of person who'd drag himself out of bed to go. I think that you need to look after yourselves for a couple of weeks after the flu.
Several members of my family have suffered from this in the last few weeks, I had a flu injection so ended up running around after them... sometimes it seems as though you'd rather be sick yourself.
I used to find that the kids were helpful in a small way for as long as I was flat on my back, as soon as I dragged myself out of bed, that was it! An upright mum, even if she is having to hold onto the furniture to stay that way, should be cooking the dinner. It's her job after all!
As for cooking meals, only one of my four was any use at all. Cakes are different, they're fun!
 
I feel your pain. I started with the sneezes and runny nose on Friday. Just figured I had sinus and took antihistimene. Stopped the sneezes but woke up at 5am shivering. Lay there with the electric blanket on the highest setting for the next three hours still shivering. Then after getting up I got hot. Spent the whole weekend in bed except for getting up to put washing on or feed son.

Luckily there is only the two of us, so I solved the meal problem by buying him tea on Saturday and on Sunday I collected a meal from my parents.

I'm past the worst of it. The aches and pains have gone. Still sweating in night and yucky taste in mouth. Blocked nose in night and runny in day.

It seems no one has escaped the flu this Winter.

I'm just glad son only coughed for two weeks this year. Last year it was five weeks, and the year before it was seven weeks.
 
He must be building up antibodies, Pix. We are theorising that Marc got hit worse because he actually he's not really ever had the flu - no antibodies in his system.

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Libby. As long as you can get upright, they think you are there to serve them.
Actually, while Marc was initially thinking he'd be ok to ride, even he realised he was crook - so he must have felt pretty bad.

So far, I've not been laid as low as many... jeanie, you got hit far worse. And pixie, you copped a bad dose by the sounds of it. Not many of us are escaping it though.

I'm not 100% still today though...
 

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