Honey for Children's Cough - A Test

Now the FDA says no cold medicine for kids up to age six. Natalie is 3 and has a cold. Again. So…

The latest news claims that researchers concluded that honey is just as effective as OTC cold medicine in treating cold symptoms. Since honey is not recommended for children under one due to botulism, I’d say this is a step back from the previous recommendation of chicken soup.

Natalie did some research on Poppy’s new iPhone and decided that there was some support for this theory and that we should give it a go.

The basic idea was that we should give a teaspoon of honey, but it does not specify how it should be done. Since honey is basically sweet, I though we would just go with a teaspoon and call it a special treat. Natalie took one small lick and spit it out, saying “I don’t like honey.”

For the next attempt, I told her we were having tea. I mixed the teaspoon of honey and water in the most exciting mug I could find in our house and nuked it for one minute.

The resulting mix tasted like lukewarm sugar water, which I was sure would not be popular. I thought about adding some lemon juice, but I didn’t have any lemons. I did have a lime. I don’t recommend using lime. That cup got poured down the drain, and the next one got a few squirts of this stuff – although I’m not really sure what it actually is and I am totally sure that the holistic medicine people would frown upon using it.

That version tasted pretty good, so I offered it up to Nat.

Mama: Here’s some tea for your cough

Natalie: Well, I only drink pretend tea. Real tea is for mommies and daddies.

Mama: [Dang, she listens well.] Actually, this is just pretend tea.

Natalie: [ No words actually came out of her mouth, but her eyes were totally saying “If you think I’m going to drink that, you haven’t been paying attention the last 3 years.”]

Take 3 – I filled the syringe that came with her last round of antibiotics with honey and told Natalie it was her cough medicine. She took it without complaint, and then decided she needed to drink the “tea.”

The results:
She got the honey at about 10:30. It controlled the coughing well until about 1:00. I gave her another dose at 1:30, which held up through her nap – although she was too jazzed up to actually sleep. She started coughing again around 4. I gave her another dose, but the coughing persisted. At bedtime, I gave her some children’s Triaminic, which kept the cough away for about 4 hours. For the record, we were using unfiltered Texas Wildflower honey, which is a very dark variety.

Personally, I think I will stick to drugs at night time so that everyone can get some sleep, but I have to say that I was surprised at how well the honey worked during the day.

Inspiration

This woman is my new idol.

If you are frustrated with having toys all over your house, this post has some excellent tips.

Both kids are coughing and unhappy today. Mama took some steps yesterday toward not being pregnant for awhile and is not feeling so peachy either.

You're Lucky You're Pretty, Brett

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Mama is not too happy either after the Packer's brutal loss to that other team who the Patriots will be destroying handily in just under 2 weeks.

See y'all next year, Pack.

A Day in the Life

Now that I am home all day with my two kids, I find myself wondering, “What the heck to people do with two kids all day long?” Honestly – I want to know what other people do. I guess I have a compulsive need to find out if I am “normal.” My biggest problem right now is the baby who wants to have a 30 minute snack every 90 minutes or so, but I still find myself wondering if I am overshceduling, underscheduling, or just plain lying to myself that my schedule is relevant at all.

Here is our “yesterday:”

8:00 Daughter comes into bedroom and wakes up Mama. Mama says, “OK Honey – go play in your room a few minutes while I get dressed and then we’ll go downstairs for breakfast.”

8:15 Mama wakes up again (that 90 minute feeding schedule is 24-hour.) Daughter is playing with loud truck toy in the bedroom. Mama hauls out of bed and brushes teeth, but skips the get dressed part out of guilt for having fallen back asleep.

8:30 Mama is still upstairs getting kids dressed. Now baby needs to eat. Daughter plays with cat, who is in the crib and obliging daughter’s fantasy that Cat is a baby, for another 30 minutes while Mama is a full-service restaurant complete with rocking chair.

9:00 Daughter is eating Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Yes, I said eating. They make a cereal, and Wal-Mart “thoughtfully” places it on the second shelf from the ground, right above the Cheerios, so that when you ask your kid to grab a box of reasonable cereal, your child will inevitably smash her face right into the Mickey Mouse sugar puffs.

9:30 People from work call right as Daughter is finishing breakfast and needing to find something else to do. Co-worker is treated to Daughter singing “potty-potty-potty-potty…..POTTY” from the bathroom. Daughter stays in bathroom for 10 minutes because she knows I can’t rush her while I’m on the phone and comes out with red ring around tushie from kiddie potty.

10:00 Mama gets daughter started playing with a Littlest PetShop toy. Mama starts a load of baby’s laundry, takes out the Diaper Champ trash, and goes through some mail with baby strapped in the Bjorn. Mama thinks this would be a good time for Baby to eat, but Baby disagrees.

10:30 Baby needs to eat again. Mama sits down to feed him and Petshop toy becomes soooo boring. Daughter goes to DVD shelf and selects “Charlie Brown Christmas.” Mama has mercy because it is raining and this is when we would normally go outside to play or go for a walk, but Mama cannot take another viewing of Charlie Brown Christmas, so we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey Saves Santa – from the DVR while baby eats.

10:40 Mama remembers that we were supposed to start playgroup today at 11:00.

11:00 Mama frantically packs lunch for playgroup and takes everyone upstairs so that Mama can get dressed. Baby cooperates this time and stays asleep while put into the carseat.

11:30 Family arrives at playgroup. We are the first ones there, which is my first clue that we might be normal. Daughter eats lunch. Playgroup attendees are:
1 boy, age 6 weeks
1 boy, age 15 months
1 girl, age 25 months
1 girl, age 3
3 girls, ages 27-32
Guess who enjoyed playgroup the most? Anyway, Daughter found the toys at someone else’s house infinitely more fun than the toys at her house, even though they were basically the same toys.

1:30 Family arrives home and goes upstairs for naptime. Baby ate twice at playgroup and is already asleep. Daughter selects The Barenstain Bears – Mama’s New Job. I think it is an appropriate choice.

2:00 Daughter falls asleep and Baby wakes up, hungry again.

3:00 Mama finds herself in the recliner in the bedroom with Baby still eating and the laptop resting precariously on the arm of the chair. Did I comment on your blog yesterday? I don’t remember either.

4:00 Baby finally settles down after a bout with the reflux because he ate too much at one time and daughter wakes up. We all head downstairs and start the race toward dinner. One of my super awesome friends is bringing a meal to us today, so I am off the hook, except that my kitchen looks like a bomb exploded and I would rather not have company see how we really live. Daughter “helps” sweep with her mini broom and dustpan while Mama tries to clear the area.

4:30 Daughter eats snack and watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Daisy Bo Peep- on the DVR. Daughter cannot handle the day in which she does not have cheese, chocolate milk, and Mickey sometime between 4 and 6 p.m.

5:00 Mama and Daughter sit at coffee table and look through workbook. Daughter selects a math sheet and draws dots on it while Mama explains how there are 3 ways to make a number (numeral, letters, dots - she didn't think it was a good lesson either.)

5:15 Mama, daughter, and now-awake baby sit on couch and read stories until Daddy comes home.

5:30 Daddy comes home. The parent-child balance in righted and all Dughter's toys become fun again. Things run smoothly through dinner and evening.

8:00 Mama hands Baby to Daddy, and Daughter immediately NEEDS to sit in Daddy's lap.

8:05 Cat decides that Daddy's lap is really the place to be. Mama thinks Daddy is doing a great job and goes upstairs to take a shower....

Feeding Machine

Isaac is going through his 6-week growth spurt and is eating all the time. Since he has some problems with reflux, he doesn't like to eat much at once, so all this combines to make me a human milk machine. It's easier this time around because I know this phase goes quickly, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

Natalie has to get glasses. It makes me sadder than I'd like to admit that she'll have to wear them - my beautiful girl should not have anything between her beautiful eyes and the world - but I'm excited to see how it helps her.


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This is Barbaric, People

If you had asked the 8 year old me what my favorite show was, I probably would have told you that it was American Gladiators, (or ChiPS, but that was just a phase.)

So…you know I was psyched when I heard that NBC was bringing back the gladiator glory this week. Then I realized that it was nostalgia, not love, that was getting me. Those t.v. hawkers even brought back Hulk Hogan to host the show. I’m surprised they don’t fight in Castle Grayskull and have a names like Cheetara and Cobra.

After all, the adult me understands that all that spandex is designed to objectify the gladiators and that adults beating each other up for money and glory is a reflection on a society in decay.

Still, I had to watch it- just to confirm that I am as rational and mature as I think I am.

It turns out that I am still 8 years old and I cannot get enough of this stuff. Shame on me. Please don’t tell my old college professor Dr. Stratton, who wrote a virtual treatise on how spectator sports were the true cause of the fall of the Roman Empire and believed we were following their footsteps – and that was before the XFL. The man is probably stocking his underground shelter as I write.

I can’t help it. I love it. I hope it outlives Survivor.

Safety Words

Warning- Random information to follow...

You know how in the movies people always have a "safety word" or some kind of code so that their loved ones can make sure they are really themselves and not a zombie or a clone?

Well, if you ever meet me in a dark alley and you want to be sure it's the real Mama, just ask me, "What is the difference between concrete and cement?"

If "I" stare at you like your head is made of jell-o and you are speaking Portugese, then it is not me, it is a zombie.

If "I" say "They are the same thing, you fool," and start laughing maniacally, it is NOT me, it is a clone with a taste for world domination - run away.

If I immediately start waving my arms and talking about "aggregate" and "silicates" and your eyes glaze over and you think maybe I said there are volcanos in Portland, then you have met the real Mama.

Mama REALLY loves concrete.

When I was in college this is pretty much the only thing that kept me coming to class every day.

Yep, I'm a geek. But how many people do you know that can build a boat out of concrete and race it? Well, now you know at least 1.