Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever, Inebriate everything else

Well…it finally happened. I got sick. I wasn’t feeling too good yesterday and my stomach was kind of queasy which was not helped by the fact that Fien chose yesterday of all days to conduct her “How high can I jump and land on Libby’s stomach” experiment. I spent the majority of the day lying on the couch praying for a break and even left dinner early (meaning leaving some delish potato leek soup) hoping to get some sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
Fast forward FOURTEEN HOURS later, when I wake up to a text from the mother – “Libby, how are you feeling? We are all sick as well!” Laughing, I pulled myself out of bed, took a long and deserving shower, and went into the house to get ready to pick up Fien from school. Suzan had stayed home from work and was waiting for me so that she could drive me. On the way there, we attempted to figure out if it was something we ate, but since it had just been the weekend, we had eaten all meals separately. We also commented on the fact that when men get sick they are complete and utter babies. It’s true...After picking up Fien (the only one feeling ok) we went home, had lunch, had a nap, and was mercifully allowed to put Fien in front of the TV for the day. That Dora is a lifesaver I tell you…What I long for now, was our never-fail college remedy, passed down from someone’s Grandma, and stupidly into the minds of ready and able college students – “Take two shots of brandy, put on sweats, and sleep it off.” I swear this always worked. Unfortunately I do not have brandy on hand, and I’m not sure how good it would look if I asked my host family for it. Even more unfortunate is the unbelievable memory that, as college students, we almost always had brandy readily available – well at least the Yacht Club did. It must have been the extreme amount of class we embodied…or perhaps it was the sneaky punch. Or maybe it was both...Since I have enough brains to know that the equivalent of two shots of brandy in the form of alcohol that I do have on hand - one of the red grape persuasion - would not help, but hinder my current health status, I make do with a cup of hot tea, another episode of Cheers, and the knowledge that tomorrow at 10:00, Fien will be at Oma’s for the rest of the day.

Word of the day: ziek - sick