Hippies They Are Not

We've all had a cold the past couple of days and, tired of being homebound, I decided today to be proactive. First thing this morning I went to the gym, telling everyone the kids just had allergies and to let them use their sleeves for the snot, and after a good sweaty workout that actually cleared my head a bit, we left to run errands. I gave the kids each a decongestant, fearing that the constant sniffling would give them sinus infections, and booked out to make the most of the two hours before nap time. We'd made it almost two blocks before the kids announced they were starving (what?? graham crackers for breakfast isn't enough to tide you over until dinner???) so we stopped at China One. China One is special in that, for the extraordinary price of $4.50, you get enough food to feed a small country, or the Stuart family for two days, if you don't mind congealed egg drop soup for breakfast. We were half way done eating when the Triaminic took hold. Forks hit Formica tables and both sets of eyes rolled back into their respective heads. Eddie insisted on laying across two chairs with his blonde head dangling dangerously close to the sticky floor while Rosie emitted a noise not unlike that of am emu who is starving to death but hasn't fully lost his will to live, starting with a quiet but high pitched whistle and turning into a full out siren screech that she didn't seem able to quiet. Or want to. Hard to say. We almost didn't make it out before her head started to spin, but I did manage to get a box and pack up our leftovers, which means we'll have more than graham crackers for breakfast tomorrow! Despite all odds, I then managed to drop off a prescription and visit Ed's allergy doctor, which is where, of course, the medicine wore off, leaving me trapped in a small room for an hour with two wild, hyperactive children with tummy aches (from sesame chicken? maaayybbbeeee...) who insisted I read a book about a purple gorilla with terrible seasonal allergies over and over. And over. Which left me wondering. Do animals suffer from allergies? And to what? People hair? How do they get these animals to take Nasonex? Because I can't get my 5-year old to do it. And not only did I manage all of this, but I DID THE DISHES TOO. That's right, people, three days worth of them, because I had to rewash a stuffed load that I'm fairly certain acquired MORE mashed potatoes during the wash cycle than it had when it was loaded. Mashed potatoes: Mother's Helper. The point of this entry, though, is not to gloat about how well I can plow through a day ignoring the symptoms of a slimy, green illness, but to let you all know how well we'll all be sleeping tonight. After a double dose of Triaminic.