Annabel and Mike are both sick with summer colds. Annie is sneezing, coughing, and wheezing, and Mike is about half a day behind her in severity. They both are snoring worse than usual. They’re both whining in their sleep. They both are super cranky. They both make me want to go into another room and be away from their germs.

But since ignoring sick family members is not only frowned upon but IMPOSSIBLE, I am operating at Mom Level Yellow. Despite the emergency waste receptacles I installed at key locations (the ends of the couch) there are still random tissues all over the place. Guess who LOVES random tissues? The dog. I have pulled so much Kleenex out of that dog’s mouth she might as well be a tissue dispenser.

It does suck for Mike because Annie doesn’t give a crap that he feels sick. She only wants him to comfort her. She also only wants to watch HER shows. That means Sesame Street and Yo Gabba Gabba are on an endless loop on our TV while Mike streams baseball games and ESPN onto his computer at top volume. If we dare try to switch things up and put baseball on TV and Elmo on the computer, Annie screams as if the delicate balance of the universe is about to be destroyed. ONLY ELMO CAN SAVE THE UNIVERSE Y’ALL.

She didn’t even care that I took this picture for her over the weekend:

Cookie Monster, Me, Elmo
just us monsters hangin’ on the stoop.

She just looks at me like she can’t believe I met Elmo without her. Doesn’t she realize I gave up nap/shower/beer time for that picture? Ingrate.

Summer colds suck…although, it totally just occurred to me that if I get it, I won’t be able to pack up the house! Mike will have to do it, since he’ll obviously be better before me. Attitude? Adjusted! I think I’d better go see how my sweet little sickies are doing, and maybe take a sip or five out of Mike’s water bottle. What? I need to stay hydrated, taking care of my sick family is hard, germ-filled work. Mom of the year!