I have swine flu, and cupcakes

Well, I have a respiratory illness anyway. Have had since Sunday. My condition seems to be improving however so I won’t be one of the panicked people spreading their germs around while sitting in the doctor’s office. Also, I can’t smell very much, and I also don’t seem to be sick at all either. I’m thinking the two are related. And I would rather be snotty than puking so…

Here’s a list of thoughts on the subject.

1. Interesting that there is suddenly a “pandemic” (only no one has died and few are sick in the US) during which the nomination of Sebelius (opposed by many Americans) is pushed through and confirmed in a rush so the CDC can have someone to “handle the CRISIS”. Call me a cynic, but there seem to have been a lot of crisis these past hundred days that push major policy change.

2. The people dying of swine flu are dying from severe pneumonia complications that arise. Mexico city has very poor air quality, and lots of poor people with compromised immune systems. Mystery solved.

3. It’s a good idea to let children, and yourself, cough when they are congested rather than give them cough suppressants. Then their body can do the work of getting stuff out of their lungs and it won’t become pneumonia. Just like fevers are how a body fights off illness by elevating the body temperature to kill the bug. Suppressing fevers allows illness to last longer. But what do I know. I’m just a mom.

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The GH turned 34. We celebrated with lime cupcakes and homemade pizza. We also let the kids have some, drum roll please… root beer! The great thing about forcing our children to lead such deprived lives is that they are fawning and adulatory when we do let them have something sugary and fizzy. Of course this wasn’t just any root beer, this was Virgil’s micro brewed. Nothing but the best for our poor soda deprived offspring.

I have more than a dozen cupcakes hidden in the oven still. I’m not sure what to do with them, it’s too much sweet for us.

The big party is Sunday, with friends and family, and it turns out, every one else who has a birthday in April or May that we know, which is a lot of people. Should be fun.