Randomizer

- I got sick again this weekend. :( Caught the cold that's been going around and basically wanted to cry tears of frustration and beat my head against a wall until the universe realized how unfair this was and relented. Then (a cup of hot soup, a dose of Nyquil, and a nap later) I realized what a privileged outlook that it, to see healthy as the norm. How many people struggle every day with chronic illness or other physical impediments that might not (or won't!) go away? I'm blessed. (Most of the time, I'm also thankful. I'm just really, really not good at being sick. Seriously, I hope if I ever get married that my husband isn't one of those guys who becomes a big baby when he gets sick, because, um, that role is already taken *wink*)

- One good thing to come out of this weekend, though: I now have the bestest ever, almost-a-miracle cure for a cough. Which is good, because it seems like I've been super-susceptible ever since last year, when I was felled by that awful bout of flu/cold/virus/gleck, which left me coughing for months (literally - I was still coughing when I went to Alabama in February  for my BFF's bridal shower). And regular store-bought cough syrup? Doesn't help. A bit. In fact, I'm not 100% sure it doesn't actually make things worse (weird, I know).
So on Monday night, after spending a weekend with this awful dry cough, and feeling like I was going to hack up my lungs, I googled "best cures for a cough" and discovered a recipe for homemade "cough syrup tea." I can't find the recipe now for the life of me - I'll keep trying, because it was totally brilliant and props to whomever invented it! - but before I forget and accidentally delete the recipe off my phone, here it is: brew a cup of herbal (I used decaf black) tea with a spoonful each of black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, honey, and lemon slices. Let it steep, and drink up! I didn't have ginger in any form, nor honey, and I had to use a squeeze from my little plastic lemon instead of fresh, and despite these deficiencies, it still worked amazingly! It soothed my cough right away, and my chest felt lighter. I went to bed, and in the morning the cough was back, but it wasn't the dry hack it had been. I coughed up a bunch of gunk :(, felt amazingly better, and from that point on, I've been on the mend. (I am, however, stocking up on ginger and honey for next time.)

- Anna and Maggie had a table each at a local craft market this past weekend. I was going to go along and sell also, but as I was laid up at home being sick, she very generously let me send my cozies with her instead. I sold four (out of the six I sent), Maggie sold quite a few things, and Anna made out very well, so we were all pleased. Maggie said the seasonal stuff was obviously in demand, so I'm hunting down patterns for easy Christmas stuff for our table next month.

- This past Monday, I started teaching a swimming/swimming readiness class for preschoolers (or, as they've been affectionately nicknamed, "my littles"). Since the SwimAmerica program doesn't accept kids til the age of four, and we had several parents who wanted their students' younger siblings to be able to start, I got to write my own lesson plans and create my own little program. And I love it. Loveitloveitloveitloveit. I cannot express how much I love it. Three little tiny kiddos, aged 3 and under, and me.
I based all the activities around sea animals, picked up some ADORBS floating plastic animal-shaped squirties at the dollar store, and just had the time of my life on Monday night. We practice making the animals "breath in" on top of the water and "blow bubbles" underneath (introducing them to the idea of breath control for later on when they join the SwimAmerica program), "being fishies" (putting their faces in the water and blowing bubbles, or for the more reluctant, blowing a toy across the surface of the water), "listening for sharks" (putting their ears in the water), "taking a nap like an otter" (floating), "being a turtle" (moving arms and legs in the water), and "being a dolphin" (kicking). I am having so much fun. :)