Wednesday, January 07, 2009

The Way the Cookie Crumbles

I am in the midst of de-Christmasing the house, and it is not going well.

The kids are home from school on a very specious "ice storm" claim, and they keep playing with all of the things that I am supposed to be putting away.

Meanwhile, now that the Christmas paraphernalia is piled on the dining room table, I cannot remember how the house was decorated before Christmas.

I am not an ambitious decorator. I have had the same pictures and knick-knacks in the same places for a long time, as evidenced by their little knick-knack body outlines in the dust on my furniture. But now all my ordinary time things are sitting in a plastic bin because every time I put something out, I cock my head to the side and think, This doesn't look right. Has it always been there?

So instead of all that, I am here at the computer. Good way to stick to those new goals for the year, right?

I wanted to post a photo for Cheryl's Way Back When-esday, but Blogger's photo uploader is giving me fits and officially gets the Big Ranty Fist Wave from my general direction. I could come back to try it later, but the moment is lost. This was my window and it's closing on my fingers.

I also have a raging sore throat that makes me want to swallow lidocaine just to make it stop burning. It's one of those sore throats where I would kill for one of those Mr. Thirsty things from the dentist. Then I could suck all the saliva out of my mouth instead of swallowing.

Mama said there'd be days like this. There'd be days like this, my mama said.

So instead of posting a cute picture of my yesteryear, I am harnessing the power of the internet and I'm asking what you do when you have a sore throat. What are your secret sore throat soothers/remedies?

But before you divulge, you should know:

a) it's not strep. Wish it was, then I could scarf down some antibiotics. Especially since a local grocery store is giving them away for free until flu season is over. No lie.

b) I am a super baby about sore throats, and I have no idea why. I can't stand Chloraseptic or menthol cough drops or anything like that. I even hold my nose when I (rarely) gargle with salt water. Of course, this hurts so I'm a little more open than I would be.

Other than that, I'm good, so bring on the home remedies. Especially if they involve honey or buttered rum or something equally delicious sounding.





15 comments:

  1. I take a hot shower to steam out some of the offending mucus. Of course, hot tea with whatever honey or rum you choose. Hmmmm...sleeping at an angle to help the mucus from sitting in the back of your throat irritating it more. That's about all I got. Hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Gargling with Listerine will help numb your throat and kill off any infection.

    But you may want to give Chloraseptic another try. I had a very sore throat earlier this fall and I HATE any throat drops with menthol, which previously this was the only kind that company made.
    Well, lo and behold in the aisle of WallyWorld-Mart I spotted a new variety, Honey-Lemon, which do not have any menthol in them. Tastes more like a cup of tea with lots of honey and lemon turned into a piece of candy.

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  3. No good ideas, although my hubby swears by nyquil--I think it has to do with the alcohol and not remembering it hurts! Hope you feel better soon!

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  4. I have tried the children's sore throat strips and the child's sore throat lollipops (because we never seem to have any adult medication at our house), and the sore throat lollipops worked pretty well and didn't taste like listerine. It's worth a shot. I hope you feel better soon!

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  5. You ever heard of "shower soothers"? My friend swears by them.

    I like a good cup of tea for the sore throat - which has been raging here, too. And like T said, I gargle with mouthwash and that helps.

    Cough drops are expensive candy. You can achieve the same effect with a small "sucking" candy and no menthol involved! Also you can get that sugar free kind to aid in the (for me) ever present weight loss trials. 'Course, cough drops can be sugar free too...

    Enough missive: Get better!!

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  6. Advil, hot shower, salt water gargle and hot tea with honey, in that order. If none of that sounds good, do a shot of whiskey and you won't care if you have a sore throat. :o)

    Gargle with salt water a couple times a day.

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  7. I'm seconding a lot of previous suggestions, just to let you know how good they are!

    1) hot water or tea with honey. lots of honey. reheat the tea/water if you don't scarf it all down asap.

    2) really hot showers with one of the following: shower soothers (from vicks- little disks that release vapors into the steam) or just 12 drops of eucalyptus oil (essential, from health food store)

    3) more of 1 and 2.

    sleeping at an angle is pretty ingenious too...

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  8. I like to poke myself in the eye because that takes my mind off the sore throat. :)

    I can't seem to put away the last traces of Christmas. I am shamefully watching my pointsettias shrivel on purpose.
    Poinsettiacide.

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  9. I'm revelling in the Christmas decs still...I LOVE the lighted tree and am STILL turning it on in the morning for when the kids come down. Dorky, I know, but I can't help it.

    My mom (a teetotaller) swears by gargled salt water.

    My Babby (great-grandma) and I (not so much teetotallers) lean toward brandy...diluted with something if you wish (or must...)

    Hope you feel better soon!

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  10. i *hate* *hate* *hate* the "gargle with warm salt water" directive, but it works. i had to do this while pregnant and fighting a bad sore throat. several times a day. do it.

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  11. Anonymous12:17 PM

    What? Am I the only one who thinks wine is a cure for everything?!

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  12. I drink Slurpees or Icees. You know, the frozen soda slushes? And I drink hot tea. And eat ice cream. Because it is soothing. So my remedies are not diet-friendly, but they do make me feel better, at least mentally.

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  13. Drink sweet tea, and eat lollipops. It helps.

    CVS has a bogo on those kids' throat lollipops. I've not tried those--YMMV.

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  14. I forgot one! My throat was sore today, and I went to the store and bought some Flavor-ice (or Pop-Ice) popsicles. I'm sure any brand would do, but the Flavor-Ice has some nostalgic value for me, since that's what my grandparents always kept in the freezer for me. Hope you're feeling better!

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  15. Anonymous7:58 AM

    I know you hate it, but the salt-water gargle works. If I could get your brother to do it,he might be feeling better as well...it's about the chemistry...and it's cheap...love you...

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