Sick Days Are Nonexistent

I haven't been feeling well the last few days. I thought it was just a cold and I'd get better. That didn't happen. I planned on making a doctor appointment Monday. Then Liam started running a fever Sunday evening and was up and down throughout the night. I made him an appointment with the doctor first thing Monday. Diagnosis : Strep Throat.

I realized then that I really had to go see the doctor, because more than likely I had Strep too. Sadly, I was right. I have Strep and a Sinus infection. Joy. 

Having a sick baby and being sick yourself is no fun at all. It's especially bad when your other half is deployed. You don't get a break when they come home from work. It's just you 24/7. 

After pondering this it dawned on me...Pablo has never been home when Liam was sick. He's either had duty or been on an underway. Luckily, Liam has only been sick a few times. I guess those times were preparing me for deployment though. 

I also wanted to share my favorite all natural remedies for dealing with colds, allergies and sinus crud (as I like to call it). 

• Hot Chamomile Tea with honey and lemon juice - This just makes me feel better and helps me get some sleep. 

• Honey - Raw and local is best, but I feel any honey is better than no honey!

• Maty's All Natural Baby Chest Rub - I use to be a Vick's Vapor Rub addict until I found out how bad petroleum is for you. I switched to Maty's for Liam and use it on myself as well. It's amazing. I would even go so far as to say it's better than Vick's! 

 

• Gargle with warm salt water - I also throw in a couple shakes of cayenne pepper too. It clears up your sinuses and helps a sore throat! 

• A Hot Shower- Taking a hot shower or running hot water in the bathroom sink with a towel over your head helps clear your head. I just love breathing in that warm steam. 

•  A Neti Pot- A Neti Pot is great for cleaning out your sinuses. I just started using one and can really tell a difference. If you click on the link you can learn more about nasal irrigation on WebMD.

 

There you go. A few of my favorite natural remedies. Some are not exactly remedies, but relief. I don't know about you, but when I'm sick I'll take all the relief I can get! 

Do you have any natural remedies? I'd love to hear them. 

A Real Snow Day!

Friday we actually got snow that stuck! So, it was only an inch, but it made everything white and beautiful! Liam absolutely loved it! I had to drag him back inside, because I was cold. He could have stayed out indefinitely.

I found out this morning on the way to church that snow is pretty until you forget your gloves and have to scrape it off your windshield! I thought it would have melted by 10:30 a.m. Luckily, I have a long handled ice scraper and a really good defroster. We weren't even late for church.

So, without further ado here are the gratuitous snow pictures. ;)

This one's for Daddy!

A first of many (I hope).

Today I signed up for Biannual Blogathon Bash - Winter Blogathon 2013 ! This is my first time linking up and I hope it will be the first of many!

I'm challenging myself to take on at least two of the mini challenges. I'm "snowed" in (more like iced in), so I thought there's no better time to do it.

I'm definitely interested in the following mini challenges:

Google+ (Google Plus) Guide for Bloggers 

and

Tips for Promoting Blogposts on Facebook

If you're new to blogging or on old pro that wants to learn some new tricks there is still time to sign up.  Did I mention there are prizes?

Snow Day!

We had snow flurries off and on all morning today! Of course, Liam's morning nap was during the majority of it. After he woke up I rushed him outside and there was nothing! The sky was clear.

But wouldn't you know as soon as we got back into the apartment it started coming down! I'm talking the minute we walked through the door! So, I rushed him back out! He was so confused. Sadly, none of the snow stuck, but it sure was pretty! It was so fine that I really did not get any decent pictures of it either. Oh well. I enjoyed seeing it! Liam was just glad to get out of the apartment.

We had to cancel our morning walk, because we both woke up sick. I've been drinking lots of hot tea and consuming honey & cayenne pepper. I hope to feel better tomorrow! I am definitely feeling worse than Liam. He's got a stuffy nose and even that isn't slowing him down. I, on the other hand, feel like my brain is trying to make an escape out of my forehead! Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow! <3

By the time we made it outside the second time, he'd taken off a mitten.

Then throw a hissy fit!

In my last post's title I stated Keep calm and stay busy. Today I'd like to clarify that I was just jumping on the "keep calm" bandwagon, because I thought it was cute.  After remaining calm and taking care of whatever just broke or cleaning the vomit off your shirt then it is perfectly acceptable to throw a hissy fit. Vent, yell, cry....just get it out.

 I will be the first to admit that I cry and break down. I think it's healthy to do so every once in a while. Or maybe you aren't that type of person. If so then this need not apply.

Sometimes you just need to vent that your time with your spouse was too short or you haven't gotten an email in a week. Sometimes you just need to cry because your son woke up and ran around the house looking for a "Da-Da" that isn't there. Sometimes you just NEED to breakdown because you MISS him.

I think tears come with the territory of being a military spouse. You are not weak because you cry. You are stronger because the tears mean this lifestyle hasn't made you numb. You still miss him as much as you did the first time he ever left, if not more. I think that means something. So, go right ahead and vent or have an all out Southern hissy fit. I'll be here to listen.

Keep Calm and Stay Busy!

***Update: See this post to read about my husband's deployment getting delayed!!!



I've found that the key to surviving a deployment is staying busy.  Having regular activities planned on a weekly basis helps to pass the time. Last deployment I was VERY spontaneous. Road trips, impromptu dinners with friends, random mall trips, etc. This time around I don't see that happening.  Nothing is spontaneous with a toddler unless it's a blow out diaper...

No, This deployment will not be as impulsive, but I am determined to stay busy. I'm part of a Moms group that meets weekly. Stroller walking is on the menu and I'm really involved in church.  Then there's also that kid named Liam. He keeps me pretty busy, as well.

Oh and let us not forget the care packages and letters! They don't take much time, but boy can you get carried away! ha! I'm thinking about adding a few posts about my care packages. What do you think?

In the theme of staying busy Liam and I had a play date at the mall this A.M. Here's just a few pics of Liam playing. It wouldn't be one of my posts without pics of the boy, now would it?

So, what do you do to stay busy during a deployment? 

8 months...

Needless to say, I have been lax in my writing. Life has brought a lot of changes in the past 8 months. Some I've enjoyed tremendously and others I have despised. I figure this is as good a time as any to start writing again. I'll need an outlet over this next year I'm sure!

I've made some changes, as you can see! Changes in life have warranted changes on the blog. I feel my blog will be covering more than just languages, laundry and Liam. Although, there will still be a lot of Liam. ;)

Here's a little overview...

Liam is now 14 months old! Yeah, it's been 8 short/long months. He understands both English and Spanish, but we try to speak mostly Spanish. He now says "hola" when he wants to.

We no longer cloth diaper. Leave it to my kid to GET a rash from them! I'm saving them all for the next one though!

And we've just begun the second deployment in the history of the Rivas family! It's Liam's first and he has brought a whole other dynamic to it. It's gotten harder not easier this time around. :(