• Contact
  • Blog
  • Professional ghost writing
  • Bio
  • About
  • Press
  • Jackie’s Book
  • Blogs I Love
  • Where’s Jackie?

Venting Sessions

~ where moms can let it out

Venting Sessions

Daily Archives: March 4, 2013

Sick Days and Soap Operas

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Jackie in Uncategorized

≈ 15 Comments

Do you remember what it was like when you got the “OK” to stay home sick from school when you were little? As long as you weren’t hanging over the toilet, there was something exciting about staying home with your mom when everyone else was racing for the bus. (For about an hour….then it got a little boring.)

Ah, the memories. As I’ve mentioned before, fellow Rhody Blogger, Carla Molina Martins, from www.allofmenow.com, started a “Mom Before Mom” prompt where you write about life before you became a mom. This week we’re talking about childhood memories of sick days.

This post would not even be possible without two key things planted in my memory: Vick’s Vapor Rub and The Young and the Restless. photo(3)To this day, the minute someone cracks open that blue jar of strong-smelling goop, I’m jolted back to my old house in Seabrook, Texas, with a nasty head cold. I’m wrapped in my grandmother’s hand-crocheted afghan, sprawled out on the couch with a box of Kleenex, a bowl of chicken & stars soup (thanks for this memory from Chelley, another fellow blogger), and a sleeve of Saltines, watching Ashley, Lauren, Victor, Nikki and Cricket ruin their lives on 42 “hopefully suspenseful” but oh-so-drawn-out minutes of The Young and the Restless. (I think we all watched soap operas as kids, and would NEVER let our kids watch them today.) And I digress.

I had a pedicure the other day and this same soap opera, which I hadn’t seen in probably 30 years, was playing on the salon’s wide screen TV. It was like watching an ambulance. I was immediately drawn to the opening theme song. Before I knew it, I was 10 years old again. I swear the story line has not changed. Thankfully, the hairstyles have. Something about that show helped soothe me to sleep, so I could nap before my brother and dad came home. A You Tube treat for all Y&R fans out there. Check out Nikki’s rockin’ 80’s hair-do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRotp0-4xNg

I never wanted to go to my own bed on sick days. There was something so comforting hanging out in our family room, with the wood paneling, wretched-black-and-brown-patterned woven recliner, and comfy beige stained sofa.

My mom went back to college when I was around 10, so some sick days, I would be left by myself part of the day. That’s when the Newmans became like family. If I was really sick, she would cancel everything, call the doctor and stay home with me all day. God bless her, she juggled a lot back then. Thanks, mom!

When I was really little, my mom would rub Vick’s on my chest, and place a layer of Kleenex on top so it wouldn’t ooze into my shirt. But it always did. That’s when those long, Laura Ingalls Wilder-style night gowns that my grandmother gave me every Christmas came in handy. As I got older, I would rub Vick’s on my chest by myself, but there would always be remnants left under my finger nails. (I have never met a bar of soap that can take this stuff off completely.) To this day, I still keep a jar in my medicine cabinet. In fact, I used it on my 11-year-old the other day. He took one sniff, frowned, and said to me, “Whatevs, mom. I’ll use it, but please let me put it on myself.” More power to ya, son.

Guess what? The stuff still works.

I have officially become my mother.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • More
  • Email
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Find Jackie on Momunity!

Find Jackie on Providence Moms Collective!

Looking for a ghost writer? Contact Jackie today!

Book available on Amazon!

She was a cast member of the 2017 and 2013 Listen to Your Mother Shows!

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Venting Sessions on Facebook

Follow Venting Sessions on Facebook

Latest from Twitter:

  • RT @SheriMcShane: 5 Favorite Halloween Treats whenthekidsgotobed.com/2021/10/15/5-f… 8 months ago
  • Saturday fun: Something Lilly is on sale in my closet! posh.mk/mTjMHSHfEjb 9 months ago
  • Cheers to getting back to a new normal! ventingsessions.com/2021/07/16/che… 11 months ago
  • When you see what this dry cleaner tag says, it might shock you. But then again, we’re all in this together. instagram.com/p/CPYHD1bnZQun… 1 year ago
  • A Lilly dress for how much? Whaaaat? posh.mk/mRMa1kXOfgb 1 year ago
Follow @JackieHennesse1

Archived Posts

Previous Posts

March 2013
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Feb   Apr »

How to Spread Sanity on a Cracker Wins IndieReader Discovery Award!

I signed books at the Boston Book Festival!

Posts by Category

  • General Mommentary
  • Survey Says
  • Mommy Musings
  • Uncategorized
  • Little Links
  • You’re Still A Good Mom If
  • Random Recipies
  • Oh, Mother

Jackie hosted a fun “wine and cheese” book signing at Books on the Square March 1!

Enjoy wine, cheese dip & a reading with Jackie from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Books on the Square in Providence's Wayland Square

Jackie was part of Barnes & Noble Local Authors’ Night!

Jackie joined fellow local authors at the Warwick Barnes & Noble!

Jackie spoke at the Southern New England Women’s Expo

Jackie was a featured presenter at the SENE Women's Expo Sept. 30!

Categories

Mom Bloggers Club

Paypal

Archives

  • July 2021
  • March 2020
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Blogroll

  • Blog
  • Discuss
  • Get Inspired
  • Get Polling
  • Get Support
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • Susie Brown's web site
  • Theme Showcase
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

  • Follow Following
    • Venting Sessions
    • Join 187 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Venting Sessions
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: