Sick and tired....

The changing of season has made me come under the weather. Yes, whilst I like to maintain that sickness, tiredness or injuries are not in my repertoire, the slight tickle in the back of my throat has progressed to the feeling of swallowing razor blades, having some of the lyrics to The Beatles "Lady Madonna" as a nose ("See how it runs") and a chesty cough and voice any Drag Queen would be proud of.

So, realising that theses symptoms weren't something to be sniffed at; I went into overdrive to get myself well. I went to the pharmacy to find some tablets or lozenges but I didn't find it very encapsulating, so instead I took to the health food store to stock up on some natural remedies. It was very bright outside but even with my sunglasses on I began to feel see-sick, I was blindsided and fell to the ground. When a passer-by came to help me I told them I have a cold but didn't have the faintest idea as to why I passed out.
By this stage I realised it was a no-brainer......I was so unwell I was starting to lose my head.

I had to get a blood test, it took a lot out of me, and the Doctor told me that I really just needed to sleep. Fortunately for me, sleeping comes so naturally I could do it with my eyes closed, so armed with lemon, ginger, honey and garlic tea, I took to bed. For some reason, the garlic was too strong and I didn't have enough honey in my tea so I guess you could say there was a sting to it, and when you are sick, it's pretty easy to get a bee in your bonnet about things that aren't tastea. So I put my cloves back on and sniffed my way down to the kitchen to remedy this concoction.

As I waited for the kettle to boil, I ate some of last night's laksa and added tons of chili to it in the hope that it would heat up my cold. It was chili outside so initially I was glad I chose to spice things up.......but then I started sweating and my nose ran and eyes watered and I even thought steam was coming out of my ears. I began to panic because my hearing is ear-replaceable. The steam was, in fact, coming out of the kettle.

The tea brewed whilst the chili furnace that was my insides cooled down, and in overdrive mode down the highway to health I had a hot shower and gave myself a decent coating of Deep Heat cream. I'm not sure if any of you have experienced Deep Heat cream post a hot shower, it makes you feel like you are sitting on a hot plate. Just the idea of it could send chills down my spine, except my spine is now slightly singed. 

Hot plate body, hot mouthed snotty, hot tea toddy, I was a combination of smells and concoctions enough to make you choke. I went from sneezing to snoozing, and slept like a polar bear, wrapped in scarves and hankies and bed socks.

The following morning I concluded that all my efforts were just what the Doctor ordered, as I was sniffly, but spritely. I guess it did take more than a spoonful of sugar but my immunity is no longer down, and since my fully sick remedies did the trick for me, I thought I'd share them with you, and give a good dose of humor into the sickly situation.

After all; they do say it's the best medicine.

And I'm sorry if you don't find my story and health-related puns funny, I recommend checking if you have an irony deficiency.

Jj

12 New-School things I'll tell my little girl

I had a great response to last week's blog- 58 things my Mother taught me.- thanks so much everyone for reading.

 Kate Batolotta wrote an incredible take on a similar vein- 10 things I want to tell my kids before they are too cool to listen. Link is below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-bartolotta/10-things-i-want-to-tell-my-kids-before-theyre-too-cool-to-listen_b_5142810.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

I have been fortunate enough to have great role models on how to be a parent, and though I am far from this stage of life at the moment, I believe my advice, whilst showing some similarities.....would also have some very modern differences (and I haven't gathered too many pearls of wisdom on my life necklace yet). Here's my jovial take on things I want my little girl to know.

1. Don't text lying down; you will drop your phone on your face and cut your lip/eye/cheek
2. Until you do a yoga retreat you cannot post mysterious inspirational quotes anywhere
3. You can watch the same movies and cartoons I watched when I was a kid (so I can secretly do the same)
4. Reading a book lying down won't cut your lip/eye/cheek when you drop it on your face so reading is a good choice
5. Although it feels great getting dressed up and going out, wearing a onesie and drinking tea is better
6. Be friends with everyone; you don't know who they know, and they know you don't know they know them, because they don't know you. Make them want to.
7. If you want things to change, then you have to- less talk; more action
8. Focus on your dreams and no so much on the screens
9. Whilst it's important to exercise your body and keep it healthy, make sure you exercise your brain and increase the flexibility of your emotions
10. It might be old fashioned, but learning to sew, cook, clean and garden without google or youtube tutorials is an attractive quality.
11. Being daggy or uncool and not caring is endearing and can make the haters back off
12. Your imagination is your best friend, take it with you wherever you go, or at least visit it often

Jj

58 things Mum taught me....

It's my Mother's birthday today, and was Mother's Day last Sunday, so I thought I would write about the woman who I cannot imagine my life without and still find myself suprised to be as lucky to have such an understanding, witty, brave and loving one as my mother. Whilst I used to be embarrassed about her mum jeans, lawn-mowing sneakers and wrapping my sandwiches in baking paper instead of glad-wrap (all of the above are so hipster now)
I smile at the thought of her, tell my friends it's a priviledge to meet her, and when I realise I am becoming like her; couldn't be prouder (and still roll my eyes a bit)

She is celebrating her birthday by finishing the Camino Ingles- a treck over 100km through Northern Spain that English pilgrims made to Santiago. I'm lucky my heart is going to make a massive love explosion because I probably can't talk to her on this day and hopefully she will feel it in Spain....

Some of the things in this list are moral, some practical, and some comical....I have taken creative lisence with a few too.

1. Hugs and smiles are infinite
2. Left handers are as equally creative and good at throwing than anyone else
3. Listening to the birds and nature sounds is as good as a holiday
4. The water you boil silverbeet in is the strongest, healthiest green tea ever
5. Nothing is really lost until your mum can't find it
6. Always acknowledge a berevement as soon as you see the person, no matter how well you know them, if you have already txt them or called them. Eye contact and hugs are everything
7. Call your friends' parents and your teachers Mr.... and Mrs..... until they invite you to use their first name
8. Bonita banana boxes are the most versatile thing found at the supermarket
9. True Love Waits.
10. When using an electric mixer, put the bowl in the sink and you will never have accidents
11. Cutting your toenails infront of your grandmother is rude
12. Hand written cards and notes are precious (she used to sneak notes into my lunchbox or jacket pocket)
13. Calligraphy is cool
14. Don't walk around with your bra straps showing - "you want to leave something to the imagination"
15. Use vaseline to enhance your eyelashes  and brows rather than mascara
16. Shake your laundry as you get it out of the machine to stop crinkles and socks falling on the ground
17. Sing
18. Soap operas contain mindless drivel
19. Tell your closest people your news before they see it on Facebook
20. Pain either comes from disicipline or regret
21. Laugh your head off
22. Don't lie. Even if it's about a suprise birthday party.
23. Clear an "escape path" between your bed and the door, no matter how messy your room is
24. She taught me the power of the comma and apostrophe
25. Keep your keys and phone in the same place every time
26. Snuggles with a book are more important than dinners that take hours to prepare
27. Remember who you are
28. How to nurture a sick lamb, goat and kitten
29. Don't wait till it's broken to fix it
30. When one door closes another opens, though it can be hard to find the door
31. Write lists
32. A good phone manner speaks volumes
33. A multitude of tasks can be achieved whilst waiting for the kettle to boil
34. Even if you are only Duckling #2 in the School Play, be the best Duckling you can be
35. Don't be "that drunk girl"
36. Save and spend your money on memories and experiences
37. Respect and don't pigeonhole your siblings and family members
38. The best gift you can give a person is time
39. Even if you don't get invited to the party, you will always be invited into heaven
40. Make the most of your moisturiser by cutting the bottle in half and getting it out of the corners
41. Eat your greens
42. What's right it right, even if no one is doing it; what's wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it
43. When you don't know the words; make them up
44. Crushed up panadol with manuka honey is a cold buster
45. Texting in the presense of another person without a "sorry, I just need to reply to this..." is a NO-NO
46. Appreciate ALL Dad does that shows he loves you, not just buying you Ginger Kisses
47. Holding a grudge is a weight on you not the other person- FORGIVE
48. Run errands by actually running
49. Use a doily when you have guests
50. Water down your juice, it's sweet enough
51. The formula to successfully managing issues: "I feel.....because.....and I would like..."
52. The indicator bulb on your car isn't going to go out, so use it
53. Second-hand stuff can be the best stuff
54. Marriage and relationships are work- you reap what you sow
55. A list of Pros and Cons can be applied to almost every decision
56. How to break an apple in half with my hands
57. You can make amazing costumes with imagination and bedsheets
58. Love unconditionally with a capacity beyond what you imagine possible.

She is superwoman, she is a surviour, she's spontanious, smart, sporty, spiritual and savvy.
And she made me. (obvs Dad helped)
So I wish her the best birthday through this blog and love explosion, and hope you keep being the wonderful woman you are, who I would travel the world for, to have a picnic in the car.

Jj xx

Being the Bigger Man......

I'm not talking about winning a burrito eating contest.
Nor am I talking about the amount of hairs on your chest. (Though considering the plummeting temperatures the amount of mine is increasing)

I'm talking about how with some people and situations, the only way to win is to refuse to play.

Or choose to play the positive way.

"Being the bigger man" is about as easy to define as Lady Gaga's style, the way I see it, it can mean acting with more self-control than the other, forgiving someone or sacrificing your own opinion for the betterment of a relationship.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is not the golden rule - Wyclef Jean taught us "two wrongs don't make a right" and our parents taught us to walk away from those pulling our pigtails and calling us Raggedy Anne (growing up with vivid freckles, it was a common alias) 
But in adult land, it can be tough to step up to forgive, or walk away from the stalemate of negative text messages and unavoided eye contact.

I guess it comes down to the desire to make things right BETWEEN you and another person being greater than being right OVER the other person.

At the moment I'm faced with a "being the bigger man brick wall" 
On one hand, I want to toss a tennis ball over the wall with a message wrapped around it saying "hey, is everything ok with us, I think we need to reconnect"

And on the other hand, I'm quite happy on my side of the wall, and feel like I have tossed my share of reconnection messages over there, only to have them glanced at and the tennis ball be demoted to a chew toy.

I have tried to be big and grown up on my side, and I guess that for the relationship to progress or process back to how it "used to be", the other person who is the piece to this puzzle needs to take a big grown up arm, wind up a throw, and toss me back one of those balls, and the thing is, I don't know, they might not even feel they need to "BTBM" or they might not be strong enough to do a big adult throw yet.

If you really feel you have done all you can and the ball is in the other person's court but they don't want to play tennis; perhaps it's just one of those situations where you accept you can't get blood out of a stone, and to let bygones be bygones and be the bigger man for yourself.

?

Now go eat that burrito.

Jj