#cold monster

[thweatted]

The monster in this commercial is so old school. They could have gone the CGI route but I'm glad they didn't. I finally decided to look it up and found a short behind the scenes video for the cold monster.

[mlouarnett-blog]

How the Irish are Treating my Pre-Cold - - not with Leprechauns

I’ve been doing the old bob and weave with assorted colds throughout the holidays.  Each of the kids seemed to have some level of cold at some time or the other.  The girls hit the Zicam consistently and managed to keep the suffering minor and short lived.  My younger son’s cold had settled well into his chest by the time he came home and eventually turned into bronchitis.   He was well past the pre-cold stage and had to take cough medicine at regular intervals and then antibiotics.  Now that all the kids have returned to school, I’d figured that I was safe. 

I sat down this evening by myself to work and watch the BCS championship game (go Irish!) when I felt that somethin’ somethin’ again - - fatigue and left throat ache.  I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR A COLD!  I have 3 straight long travel and meeting filled days; I cannot have a pre-cold.  So how are the Irish helping?  Well, just as I’m starting to feel poorly, they go down 21-0 and seem to be leaning into the underdog thing.  I’m taking my cue - - I’m climbing into bed with Zicam and watching a rom-com on Netflix.  I will show this cold who’s boss and remove my jinxing ways!  As one of 6 children and the daughter of a Notre Dame alumnus, I do feel as though I’m abandoning ship, though I note the postings of my siblings on Facebook.  They can carry the flag this time.  I’ve decided that I might actually help the Irish out by not watching the Crimson Tide smush them. 

So, tonight, I’m leaning on the luck of the Irish and Zicam to deal with my pre-cold.  Maybe we’ll all have the right combination of luck and skill to get through this! I can read about the game tomorrow, well-rested and moving through my pre-cold.  Hoping for the best for all of us!  Go Irish!

[mlouarnett-blog]

Grace Under Pressure: An approach to the holiday season

From one tired mom to another . . . Martha Stewart, you sold us a bill of goods, and I don’t appreciate it! 

Growing up, my own mother was a June Cleaver-Doris Day-Julia Childs (without the bodily injury part) hybrid.  In short, she was a tough act to follow on the domestic front.  Enter Martha Stewart to crank up the gas a bit.  I have spent years looking at beautiful tablescapes, impeccably wrapped gifts, holiday decorations all in one unifying color (yea, right, I’m going to change up my decorations each year) and smiling children and told myself that I could do it if I only worked harder.  This Christmas will mark my 20th with children, and I have discovered that I can live in the “world according to Martha”, but it’s not nearly as enjoyable as the “world according to M’lou”.  So, based on my 20+ years of learning, I submit my tips for navigating the next several weeks with as little stress as possible.

1)   Learn Excel and use it.  So maybe this tip is a reflection of my business background, but I keep a spreadsheet of birthday and Christmas gifts throughout the year so I know what I have or plan to get for each person, whether it’s wrapped, where it’s hidden and what the cost for everything is.  With this, I never discover a gift hidden away on December 27 or forget a person on my gift list.  I can track where gifts have come from so returns are easier as well.  With the kids, I have found that this enables me to make sure that things balance out - - both in terms of value and approximate number of goodies to unwrap on Christmas morning.  Nothing sours a Christmas morning more quickly than a child watching everyone else open gifts because she got one “big gift” that year.  A few of my children have birthdays during the holiday season so my spreadsheet lets me balance gifts between birthday and Christmas as well (assuming I remember to change the wrapping paper!)

2)   Listen to music.  I can’t take holiday music throughout the season, so when I’m not in the mood for Carol of the Bells, Hark the Herald or Adam Sandler’s Hannukah song every day (though when the mood strikes . . .), but I find that wrapping, baking, list-making, cleaning, decorating, are all made less stressful with my music of choice on in the background.

3)   New Year’s cards can be as nice to send as Christmas/Hannukah cards.  After many unpleasant “hurry up and look nice for the Christmas card” photo opps, I realized that I could take a picture of the kids dressed in their Christmas eve finery and send it out as a “Peace on Earth” New Year’s card.  I have even sent out Martin Luther King Day cards (not themed as such just mailed in mid-January). Friends are always glad to hear from you and see how the kids have grown even if it’s not in the mailbox by December 1. 

a.     The corollary to this is: Consider Facebook.  I am seriously considering posting a Christmas picture or Christmas album of my kids on Facebook and foregoing the (bad for the environment and time consuming) card route. I'd use Instagram, but I only have one follower :(

       4)  Gingerbread houses are about the process not the product! Remember this and you will be guaranteed to have a messy, fun-filled afternoon with your kids. If you want it to be beautiful . . . well, just get over it.

5)   Make small desserts.  I love to cook and bake so I always over do it on food. Hot on the heels of my wasteful disposal feeding after Thanksgiving, I have decided to make mini desserts.  I have a mini-pie maker and will use it to make an apple pie, pecan pie and mince pie so that each member of the household will have a selection they find particularly yummy.  Rather than doubling most of my other dishes, I will cut them in half.  While it’s not less work to do this, it helps me to balance my need to provide a special dish for each member of my family with my abhorrence of waste and waist - - I don’t feel the need to finish ½ a pie or cake that was left untouched!

6)   Shop Online or with a local business. This one seems obvious to me.  We live close to the local mall, and you could not pay me to enter it during this time of year.  I love the stores there, but I love their websites and my local independent shops around town better. 

7)   Clean out your cupboards and closets.  While this will feel like an added “to-do” at a busy time of year, the psychic and karmic benefits of cleaning out the clutter before the extremes of holiday giving and doing cannot be overstated.  Every year, my children and I choose at least 3 items that we really like and donate them.  They must be in good condition and not be things we would otherwise throw away. While just a small gesture, it makes the kids really consider the blessings they have and how so many do without.  I also donate non-perishable food from my kitchen and roast a turkey for the luncheon for local seniors.  Yes, it’s extra work, but giving to others is a good stress antidote for me.

8)   Greet everyone you see. This is actually a year ‘round tactic for me. My day is made infinitely better if I acknowledge random strangers as I share space with them.  Over the holidays, be sure to wish them well.  Try it for a few days, and I promise the grocery store will be a different place.

9)   TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH.  You will be tempted to cut corners on sleeping, eating healthy and exercising.  This is a huge mistake.  You are already juggling so many balls that if you let yourself get run down and sick, the balls will start to fall down on your head!  Sleep, eat nutritiously and make sure the second you feel a Pre-Cold, you start taking Zicam.  Even if you don’t get sick, running low on sleep will raise your stress level and ruin the holiday spirit for everyone. 

There's an old expression: “As goes General Motors so goes the nation”.  In my house the expression is: “As goes Mom, so goes the mood of the house”.  Know your limits and respect them!

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Zicam. Don't let the cold monster catch you.