I am my mother.

We went to my sister and brother-in-law's beautiful trailer for the weekend.  All 5 humans and Chase the wonderdog.  It was fabulous to spend time with my sister, her hubs and my fantastically cute nephew.  I worried about leaving my messy house, all of the critters (what if they ran out of food?!), I overpacked.  At my sister's I was a woman obsessed with tidying.  I washed dishes.  I probably drove them crazy, but I was just trying to help.  When you spend a weekend in close (yet fabulously beautiful) quarters, tidying up and doing dishes is really all you can do to help minimize the impact of having 2 adults and 3 teenagers in your space.  Plus one lovely, yet very hairy guest dog.  Chase is shedding.  Alot.  I did not want Brook or Ian to have to clean up after us, and regret inviting us for the weekend.  So I tried to pitch in.  And that's alot like our mother.

On the first day at the resort where they have their trailer, I was brave enough to go down the waterslides.  Now, I am not a ride kind of girl.  Motherhood took that urge right out of me.  But if my 3 year old nephew can do it, surely I can?!  So I went down once, it was fun and not too scary.  Tried another slide the next time.  Mistake.  I hurt my neck, the front of my shoulder and scraped my elbow.  And got a nose full of chlorinated water.  All while having my bathing suit crammed up my behind by friction.  Yeehaw.  Good times.  But I was a good sport, took some Advil and rubbed on some magic homeopathic cream.  And in a somewhat cruel fashion, had a belly-busting laugh at my husband's expense.  Uncle Rick was talked into trying the waterslide too, and it went about as well for him as it went for me.  When he got near the bottom (in our view), he had the most stricken, terrifed look on his face.  Poor man.  And his wife laughed her butt off at him.  

I still have a sore-ish neck and shoulder, but I keep rubbing the magic homeopathic cream on and it's much better!  Last night when I was getting ready to crawl into my own bed, I had the sharpest pain in the front of my shoulder, where I didn't realize I had a strain.  I kid you not, I rubbed Traumeel on it, and it's fine this morning.  I'm talking -couldn't even lift my left arm up to get my t-shirt off- last night, and this morning it's fine.  So really the whole reason for this post is to plug Traumeel homeopathic cream.  I carry to sports, I rub it on any kind of strain or inflammation and it works.  Better than any regular "pain" cream  that is full of chemicals.  It has arnica and other stuff in it, and it's made to reduce inflammation.  It is the best stuff in the world!

And  that is another reason I am my mother.  For one thing, she turned me onto Traumeel years ago.  But the biggest reason is because when we were kids, my mom discovered this wonderful salve at our local health food/deli/European gift shop (small town Ontario, most stores are multi-purpose).  It is a German salve made from horse chestnuts.  It's called Venostasin, but at our house we always called it "green salve".  It is made to help get rid of bruising.  And like Traumeel, it really works.  But my mom rubbed it on every little booboo we got.  She was a woman possessed.  It was like she was a  born-again green salver.   And like most teenagers, we made fun of her for it.  We laughed at her zeal to heal us with green salve.  But we did know it worked, we just took joy in winding her up.  Alot like my kids wind me up.  An awful lot.  You can't buy Venostasin here anymore, only in Europe (although I'm going to see if I can get it from the States).  I have the end of a tube that Mom passed on to me, she got a friend to buy it for her in Germany.  It is on my nighttable and I carefully hoard it.  It is green gold that stuff. 

I am a born-again green salver and Traumeel-er, just like my mom.  I recommend it to everyone I meet and who will listen.  I force my kids to rub it on their booboos (although, I dole out the green salve, that little bit I have has to go a long way!).  I take it to lacrosse and basketball when the boys are playing.  I carry it in my gym bag for sore muscles when I work out.  What's that?  You have a broken leg?  Rub on the green salve.  You have a sore neck?  Rub on the Traumeel.

Maybe some day I'll write a post about my love for probiotics.  You know they fix just about anything internally....

Yep, I am my mother.  As different as I am from my mom in personality, looks, life philosophy, in some ways I am just like her.  I'm sure if my siblings are reading this I have likely given them the best laugh of the day.  But if they dig down deep inside themselves, I'll bet they too are our mom.  I'd lay money on it.

In my best motherly fashion I am going to clean my messy house today.  And harangue my kids into cleaning their rooms.  And I'm sure I'll be rubbing Traumeel on my neck more than once today.

Have a wonderful Monday.  And if you get a booboo, get out the salve.

Namaste.