Warning!!! The Following Post Contains Random Thoughts Randomly Typed By Me...Randomly. Oh, and Eyeballs!

I'm thinking I need to start exercising again. I was doing SO WELL for a couple of months, too!!! Then Ty and I took that FABULOUS vacation and the exercise got really sporadic (at best), and then stopped altogether. I keep saying I'm going to start again. "Tomorrow, I'll definitely exercise tomorrow." And then "Monday, I'll start on Monday." It never happens. But now, I really have no excuses. I'm overweight, I'm always tired, and exercise has the power to help with both of those things.
Side note: Did you know that your brain cells begin to deteriorate around the age of 30? It's true. And did you also know that physical activity produces chemicals in your brain called neurotrophins that strengthen your brain cells and help keep them healthy? That's also true. So now, in addition to the physical benefits of exercise, you can now add the fact that it's actually good for your brain too. You're welcome.

My son will be taking his "End of Level Evaluation" tomorrow morning. Does it seem a little overkill to anyone but me for a Kindergartener to be having a big end of year exam? He's six years old, he's not trying to get into law school. (Not yet, anyway. Who knows what his interests will be when he grows up?) I'm sure he'll be just fine, but I'm still a little nervous for him. Good luck, Little Guy!

My kitchen explodes on a regular basis. There is some sort of geyser that shoots a regular stream of dishes all over the countertops and in the sink. It doesn't matter how long I spend cleaning it, my kitchen will pretty much always be a mess five minutes later. It can get discouraging sometimes, but what can you do? Laundry and dishes are never, EVER done. It's just a fact of life.

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday. It was our daughter's first time, and she loved it. She LOVES tigers and all other big cats. She got to see a tiger and a leopard up close. She roared at both of them. Then she made friends with a couple of parrots. One of the parrots squawked at her, and she tried to imitate it with this low, guttral sound in the back of her throat. It didn't sound much like the parrot, but it was adorable.

Speaking of adorable, I think it's time I told all of you the truth about my kids. They have magical powers. No, I'm not kidding. Everyone that has ever met my kids--even those that claim to NOT like children--melt like butter in a microwave as soon as they meet my son and my daughter. You can doubt me if you want, but if you ever have the honor of meeting my children, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. You'll be charmed in spite of yourself, just like everyone else.

Last, but not least in this random assortment of jumbled thoughts: I'm going to do a VERY late posting of a picture of eyes. Everyone else was doing it a few weeks ago, and now I think I'm fashionably late enough to do it. So here you go:

Here are some close-ups of my eyes. They're sort of a dark green, with flecks of hazel or something. I've never really been able to nail down one color for them. Maybe y'all will be able to figure it out for me:





And here's a really random picture of one of my eyes right next to one of Ty's. Yeah, I know: BONUS PICTURE!!! You're welcome.



And thus ends the randomness that is this post. Thank you for your patience.

I'm Not Dead...(But I Sure Came Close!)

I've been sick this week. Miserably, horribly, Wish-I-Could-Curl-Up-In-A-Ball-And-Die-Because-Anything-is-Better-Than-This-SICK!!!
I have NO IDEA what I've had. But I think I'm going to have to call it "The Dreaded Green Gomboo of Mucus Lagoon". Pure, unadulterated MISERY!!!
It began on Friday night. It hit me like a Mack truck. I was just sitting there, watching late-night TV with Ty when all of the sudden: "BLAM! You're sick, Be-Otch!" I went to bed, worried but hoping it was just a reaction to staying up so late and that I'd feel better in the morning.

Saturday, I woke up HURTING!!! My head felt like my brain was trying to burst through my skull. My entire body was racked with aching pain. I took some pain killers, and once they kicked in I felt much better, and figured it was a fluke. As the day went on, however, my throat started hurting and swelling up. It was getting more and more difficult to swallow. My sinuses became painfully stuffed up, and even my ears joined in the fun. My voice is sounding gravelly and weak. I'm definitely going to lose it.

Sunday, I felt about the same. However, I took medication in the hopes it was just REALLY bad allergies or something and went about my day. I felt pretty horrible by the end of the night, but I tried to pretend I didn't. My voice is almost completely gone.

Monday morning, I woke up in pain. AGAIN. Head, abs, throat, sinuses, coughing, couldn't breathe through my nose. I took meds again. They only took the edge off of the misery. Voice: Officially gone.

Tuesday was the same, only worse. I was coughing so much Ty told me I needed to go to the doctor. I promised that if it wasn't better by the morning, I would do just that. Still no voice. Blood vessels have burst in my eyes from all the coughing and sinus pressure, making them red and scary-looking.

Wednesday morning, worse. AND, since I was going to the doctor I wanted to make sure that he could make an accurate diagnosis so do you know what I did? I didn't take ANY medication. No pain killers for the head and body aches. No anti-inflammatories for my swollen tonsils, and NO Sudafed for my packed sinuses. By the time I finally got the "Sinus infection + Ear infection" diagnosis and my Amoxicillin prescription, I was all but sobbing with misery. I took all of my meds--including the antibiotic--and after about 30 minutes they all finally kicked in and I was able to feel somewhat human again. Voice, still gone.

Thursday, I actually felt better. Still crappy, and I still had most of the same symptoms, but the fog seemed to be lifting. Voice, mostly gone.
Friday, I feel MUCH better, but still need meds to avoid a few of the more troublesome symptoms. My voice is coming back and I'm no longer turning my innards inside out with coughing. The cough is still there, but more as an annoyance than anything else. My voice is still pretty much gone, but is showing signs of returning in the next few days.
Now, I shall list all of the medications that I have to take in order to function (most of them at the same time):
Mucinex D (Active ingredients include Guaifenesin and Sudafed)
Ibuprofen
Tylenol (Sometimes Excedrin, depending on how bad my headache is)
Saline Solution (Hate using it, but it helps. A LOT! Ty, don't you DARE be smug about this! ;) )
Amoxicillin

So...Lesson learned? Candice is a big, fat whiner that hates being sick and experiences no shame in taking drugs to feel better.

However, I don't care if I seem whiny today. The world needs to know about the Dreaded Green Gomboo of Mucus Lagoon. Only public awareness can help the world avoid a Gomboo epidemic!

Spread the word, people! Only YOU can prevent the spread of the Gomboo!